women
- emotional
- makeup
- pink
- attitude-sassy
- self(interesting) vain
- caring (children)-expressive role
- weak 1.physically 2.mentally
- need conform to society 1. cooking 2. children 3.cleaning 4.to get married and have children
- bad driving
language industry audience representation
•Million Reasons is a
contrasting example of a contemporary music video from a world famous, white,
female artist. This particular video (from the album Joanne)
marks
a change in direction for the artist as media producers make use of
media language to construct representations that might attract a broader, more
mainstream market whilst not alienating the artist’s core fan base.
Media Language: how
the media through their forms, codes, conventions and techniques communicate meanings.
Media Representation: How the
media portray events, issues, individuals and social groups.
Intertextuality: the relationship between texts, especially literary ones.
lady Gaga
- She's an influential figure music
- Iconic star-evolved as a musician
- unique artist -stands out
- support for gay community
- activist
Areas to study:
•how the
different modes3 and language4 associated with different media forms
communicate multiple meanings
•how
the combination
of elements of media language influence meaning
•how
developing technologies affect media language
•the codes
and conventions of media forms and
products, including the processes
through which media
language develops as genre
•the dynamic
and historically relative nature of genre
•the
processes through which meanings are established
through intertextuality
•how
audiences respond to and interpret the above
aspects of media language.
•the
way events, issues, individuals (including self- representation) and social
groups (including social identity) are represented through processes of
selection and combination
•the
way the media through representation construct versions of reality
•the
processes which lead media producers to make choices about how to represent
events, issues, individuals and social groups
•the
effect of social
and cultural context on
representations
•how
and why
stereotypes can be used positively and negatively
•how and
why particular social groups, in a national and global context, may be
under-represented or misrepresented
•how
media representations convey values, attitudes and beliefs about the world and
how these may be systematically reinforced across a wide range of media
representations
•how
audiences respond to and interpret media representations.
–reflecting
social, cultural and political attitudes towards wider issues and beliefs
–constructing
social, cultural and political attitudes towards wider issues and beliefs
•how
media products studied can act as a means of reflecting historical
issues and events
•how
media products studied can potentially be an agent in facilitating
social,
cultural and political developments through the use of media language to
construct meaning through viewpoints, messages and values and representations
of events and issues
•how
media products studied are influenced by
social, cultural, political and historical contexts through intertextual
references
representation in video
- when B+w she is staring at the mirror as she is getting ready for performance
- in desert cost- minds not there
- friends help (sister hood )
- religon -lyrics "lord show me the way"
- wearing pink links to girls
- suits links to boys
- desert sounds (peaceful) to a more dramatic horror sound
- black and white reflects her mood
- when in the car,back stage she is sad whereas, when she is on the stage performing she is happy
- Lady Gaga's approach is that she states very clearly what it's like and doesn't embellish the sad truth or spend unnecessary time trying to make us cry.
- The song's musical style reflects this as well. Lady Gaga's voice is very loud and clear in the mix, and the accompanying instruments, mainly a simple guitar and a piano combination, do little to distract from what she's saying.
- "You're giving me a million reasons to let you go / . . . to quit the show." She's talking about a relationship that isn't going well. The other person has messed up again and again, and she's not sure she can take it anymore. The reasons to leave keep building.
- Without revealing the box's contents, we revert back to color, and the reveal of her now-signature Gladys Tamez-designed wide-brimmed pink hat.
- As the second verse begins, we flash back to the beginning of the video to detail what got her here.
First shot extreme wide shot in high angle of her rolling away in the desert - 'if i had a highway i would run for the hills' - rolling away form her problems - lost her mind - stereotype of women being emotional.
Emotion is a running theme throughout the whole video - in the desert - sad - in the makeup chair - sad - on stage - confident, proud, bold posture.
Desert sounds are meant to be relaxing, goes from the relaxed setting to a loud and stressful sound. goes form happy to sad. colour to black and white.
Black and white - simple - raw - easy to understand
Colour is complex and has many layers to it.
non chronological - the running thoughts going through her mind make no sense
warm glow (sepia) reminiscing to childhood and normality- to black and waitpeople will always be
dark car - high angle camera shot - like cctv - seeing the behind the scenes her - she is very private, introverted even when on stage.
she is ferried around like important cargo that is fragile - like a leader of people- several cars with blacked out windows all for one person - fragile - women stereotype
collection of hats and clothes and dresses, stereotype of women being obsessed by appearance.
Telling a story of loss and how things have to get worse before they get better, and people will always be there to pick you up and shield you from other negativities.
Ends on a close up shot of her looking at a tattoo of hope
Indirect mode of address.
when introduced to this colourful, pink, bold leader she looks confident and strong - direct mode of address.
desert is peaceful and leads into a dramatic horror sound
car - sad - stage confident
approach is that she states clearly how she feels - she is being honest and truthful.
loud and clear - instruments are little distraction form her voice.
as the second verse begins, it flashes back to the desert to the details that got her there.
It is an independent experience for whomever watches and listens to it.
0:15- laying on her back in the desert, weakness, vulnerability
1:08- Looking sad, looking down, slumped body language, black and white for depressive mood, emotional which links to stereotype
1:14- heavy makeup which links to the stereotype that women need to wear makeup to make them look good
1:17- hiding her face behind the guitar, trying to hide who she is
2:07- friends running to rescue her in desert, weakness, friends will always be there and you don't need a man
2:32- head in hands, shows emotion and sadness
2:55- back to makeup chair, looks distressed and emotional
3:32- wearing a cross, and a priest touching her shoulder to represent God showing her the right path
3:52- hat and sunglasses on to hide identity and emotion in desert
3:58- pink suit shows she is going against normality
First shot- extreme wide shot of her rolling around in the desert- shows she is rolling away from her problems and worries and trying to hide
Colour is complex and has many layers
Non chronological order- running thoughts going through her head make no sense
Desert is peaceful and leads into a dramatic horror sound
Car- sad, stage confident
Approach is that she states clearly how she feels, being honest and truthful
When introduced to this colouful, pink,bold leader she looks confident and strong- direct mode of address
Ends on a close up of her looking at the tattoo of hope
Analysis of the music video
0:15
- mid shot
- lying on her back, eyes closed, with sun against her in the desert
- music is soft and somber like a dream like state
- slow pan downwards from the sun to her face before zooming into a mid shot
0:25-0:30
- dressed in all blade with blade shades and hat, in a black car going along a dark road leading to know where; death, evil, and mystery. Black is a mysterious colour associated with fear and the unknown.
"Lord, show me the way
But baby, I just need one good one to stay" - cross necklace - christ is salvation - he is the one good reason to stay - one figure to another figure
Assumptions
that are held about a social group.
They
are often used in a negative or prejudicial sense and are frequently used to
justify certain discriminatory behaviours.
Stereotyping
is an important concept in terms of representation.
WHAT STEREOTYPES
ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH WOMEN IN THE
MUSIC INDUSTRY?
? LIST 3 THINGS.
1.love songs
2.being attractive
3.
They
are
shown as…
•Young
•Slim
•Overwhelmingly
white
•Conforming
to our image of ideal beauty (perfect skin, hair and alluring gaze).
Representations of women across all
media tend to
highlight the following:
•beauty (within narrow conventions)
•size/physique (again, within narrow
conventions)
•sexuality (as expressed by the above)
•emotional (as opposed to intellectual)
dealings
•relationships (as opposed to
independence/ freedom)
Liesbet van Zoonen:
Feminist theory
Suggests
gender is constructed through discourse, and that its meaning varies according
to cultural and historical context
Advocates
that the very presentation of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at is a
core element of western patriarchal culture
Also
presents that in mainstream culture, the visual and narrative codes that are
used to construct the male body are different from those used to objectify the
female body Codes- a system of words, letters, Feminist theory:
•Bell hooks: Feminist
theory
•
–Propose
that
feminism is a struggle to end sexist/patriarchal oppression and the whole
ideology of domination
–Suggest
the
idea that feminism is a political commitment rather than a lifestyle choice
–Advocates
that
other factors, such as race and class, as well as sex, determine the extent to
which individuals are exploited, discriminated against or oppressed
Suggests
gender is constructed through discourse, and that its meaning varies according
to cultural and historical context
Advocates
that the very presentation of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at is a
core element of western patriarchal culture
Also
presents that in mainstream culture, the visual and narrative codes that are
used to construct the male body are different from those used to objectify the
female body Codes- a system of words, letters, Feminist theory:
Males have the image of being strong and brave whereas women have the representation through media such as magazines,music videos,video games, films as they are seen as being damsels of distress.Theres is image on adverts were the womans face is not identified as her legs are the only subject in the photo.This shows that she is objectified as is used as a decoration.
•bell hooks: Feminist
theory(cant use capital letters for her name )
•
–Propose
that
feminism is a struggle to end sexist/patriarchal oppression and the whole
ideology of domination
–Suggest
the
idea that feminism is a political commitment rather than a lifestyle choice
–Advocates
that
other factors, such as race and class, as well as sex, determine the extent to
which individuals are exploited, discriminated against or oppressed
to try and fight for equality
believes u need to be physically active to be a strong feminist trying to make a different by doing campaigns ect...
she say oppression of women is a complicated thing
think there is levels
believes woman are discriminated against-ethnicity and class
maybe women with less money oppressed more,patriarchally.evidence that women with different ethnicitys are oppressed
are still being forced to marry
Task 4:
•Revisit
the Music Video
•
•Identify
the countertypes
•
•Use screen
prints and annotations to help convey the media language linked to countertypes
At the start there is a wide shot and it slowly pans as she is rolling down the hill,showing her vulnerability and emotional state.Later on she is on the floor with a close up shot showing her facial expressions.The clip of her in dull lighting has the connotations of not wanting to be in the spotlight and just wanting to be left alone.The black and white scenes reflections on her past as it can be portrayed as reflecting her suffering of depression before she was with her fiance,as she no longer wanted to continue her career. Lady Gaga goes again the counter stereotypes of woman as she decides to wear a suit which goes against the norms of females representation as they're normally seen with less clothing."bell hooks" argues woman are exploited and discriminated against,whereas others may argue that woman are not forced to wear certain clothing thus can wear whatever they feel comfortable in.
She is on the desert isolated from everyone else, this can link to the theorist Liesbet van Zoonen as she is viewed as a damsel in distress as she is emotional unstable and needs her 'fiancé' to change for the better.The camera is looking down on her with the high angle shot.She is seen looking into the sky as though she is deep in her thoughts and seeking for advice from God.The warm glow, sepia, also reflects reminiscing to childhood and normality. This shot links to her later statement which is "hundred reasons to run away " conveying she is all alone because of him.The Desert sounds are meant to be relaxing, ass it goes from the relaxed setting to a loud and stressful sound. goes form happy to sad. colour to black and white. This can be representation of how her relationship with Christian Carino is like and how she is happy with him but he also makes her upset.The flashbacks then finishes with her friends then pick her up as she then puts on her hat and glasses back on and pretends as though she is fine, being strong for her fans, showing her fans she cares as she carries on getting ready for her concert trying not to be emotionally transparent and vulnerable.
Females have the counter stereotype of associating pink with females,she is in a dark atmosphere as the background and half of her face is hidden this is normally use to emphasise a sinister side or that she is always int he spotlit and wants to be alone.This can also reflect on her emotions as she portrays to be a happy person in her shocking outfits,however,she is rather emotional and finally wants to come out to her fans.The dark shot reflects with her emotions as she is upset. The darker and louder music is later introduced showing how her thought are always following her.She is seen shaking her head thus conveys she is annoyed and stressed out ,
The black and white image conveys that she is emotional and sad as the dark colours reflect her mood,it also allows the viewer to see the emotion on her face as she is been "painted with makeup"to hide her emotions like a mask.The counter stereotype is shown here as some feminists argue that makeup is a tool of the patriarchy, designed to oppress women and keep them in their places.She has two people surrounding her as she is having her hair and makeup done which is contradicts what she wants as she wants to be by herself alone on the dessert.The imagery reflects on how she needs to look perfect as a pop star when really she is sad.The words she uses "You're givin' me a million reasons; Give me a million reasons; Givin' me a million reasons; About a million reasons" - The repetition of this line emphasises the insecurity Gaga feels about this relationship. She’s constantly questioning the state of their romance and whether it’s worth pursuing. Time after time, he forces her to reconsider their future together.
She appears to be sad and worn out however has to go to work
Every heartbreak makes it hard to keep the faith" - Perhaps more generally, each time someone lets her down and breaks her heart, she feels herself giving up on people more, making it difficult to trust those around her. By using the word “faith” specifically, she links her faith in these connections with the more religious faith that she displays in the chorus by praying to God.
