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Thursday, 2 September 2010
Goldie: inner city life
The music video for “Inner city life” shows a representation of life in an urban society. The music video illustrates the different problems and situations people in the urban society are in. The music video begins with an establishing shot of an urban estate full of tall apartment buildings. The buildings are shot from a high angle shot suggesting that the people living in them are vulnerable and seen as inferior to society, this would especially be a Marxists opinion as they believe that this is how people from less well of backgrounds are represented by the media. The dark lighting of the shot suggests that life is hard and dull for the people living in this urban estate.
We then cut to a mid-shot of a female singing the lyrics of the song; this shows the audience that this music video is also performance as well as narrative based. We then cut to a family which is possibly living in the urban estate’s kitchen. We see a woman who is possibly a single mother very stressed doing the dishes, with her kids in the background. There is then a cut to the gas meter and then back to her. This is may show that this lady is having problems paying her bills, which makes sense of her stressed out body language. The kids in the background along with the sombre music invite the audience to sympathise with this lady. The high angle shot she is shot from may symbolise that she is inferior in society because of her working class background.
Next, there is a cut to a youth wearing a hoody, which some may believe is a stereotypical representation of youths, as they are being represented negatively. Marxists would say that this representation of the youths is what the masses also believe in, as this is how youths are represented to mainstream audiences. We then see the youths playing basketball and not being a nuisance which subverts the stereotypical representation of youths. There are then cuts in between scenes to the female singer performing which remind us that this is also a performance based music video. There is then a cut to another youth who looks vulnerable which subverts the stereotypical representation of youths. This shows that this music video is trying to give a positive representation of people from urban estates, for this reason Marxists would say that this music video is good.
The next shot shows a BMW convertible in the urban estate. This car stands out as it does not fit in with urban estate, the dominant belief would be that this car belongs to a drug dealer but as this video is subversive some may be lead to believe that the driver is just passing by the estate rather than living there. There is then a semi-circle pan of the camera to show the car; in this pan we see the driver and passenger disappear this may suggest that drug dealers do not last long in this estate.
We then cut to a clubbing scene which is stereotypically represented as a place where people would be taking drugs and drinking especially in an urban area. But in this music video we see that it is just a place where the people in the urban area are just coming to enjoy music. There is an item which we cannot see at first, being passed around the club. At first the audience is lead to believe that this may be drugs but as the music video goes on we understand that this is a cd, which further reinforces the idea that the people in this club are there to enjoy the music. It also once again represents the people in the urban estate positively. We then see a series of shots showing people we have previously seen such as the mother struggling to pay her bills. One of the shots are interesting as it shows a kid riding his bike from a long shot which is shot behind bars, giving the effect that the kid feels imprisoned.
The editing technique shot reverse shot is used to show a woman in her bed and the vinyl player spinning a vinyl cd. The connotations of the vinyl CD spinning around could be that this woman’s life is repetitive and dull. We also see a shot showing two old men smiling showing that all is not bad in this urban estate and that the older generation have good memories of this area. Following this shot we see a rundown car being burnt possibly to remove evidence as it may have been stolen by someone on the urban estate. This shot acknowledges that there are some problems in the urban estate but not to the extent the masses are lead to believe.
A bird’s eye view shot is used to show a female on her bed who we have seen before from earlier shots. We see a female unable to sleep properly possibly because of pressure as this is a word we here repeated in the lyrics. We see a young child appear and then disappear and then we see a male appear and then disappear. The young child may be the woman’s child who she is struggling to look after, hence the reason she is struggling to sleep. But the significance of the male cannot be easily interpreted; most would probably believe that it is the father of the child who is no longer there to support the child and women. This shows the difficult situations that some people in the urban estates have to live in.
Overall, the “Inner city life” music video gives a positive representation of people from urban estates. It can also be said that this video is subversive and goes against stereotypical representation of people from urban estates. Marxists would say that this is a good video as it represents people differently to how they are represented to mainstream audiences. The video represents youths and people at the clubs positively, even though this may not be stereotypical representations of these social groups.
The music video for “Inner city life” shows a representation of life in an urban society. The music video illustrates the different problems and situations people in the urban society are in. The music video begins with an establishing shot of an urban estate full of tall apartment buildings. The buildings are shot from a high angle shot suggesting that the people living in them are vulnerable and seen as inferior to society, this would especially be a Marxists opinion as they believe that this is how people from less well of backgrounds are represented by the media. The dark lighting of the shot suggests that life is hard and dull for the people living in this urban estate.
We then cut to a mid-shot of a female singing the lyrics of the song; this shows the audience that this music video is also performance as well as narrative based. We then cut to a family which is possibly living in the urban estate’s kitchen. We see a woman who is possibly a single mother very stressed doing the dishes, with her kids in the background. There is then a cut to the gas meter and then back to her. This is may show that this lady is having problems paying her bills, which makes sense of her stressed out body language. The kids in the background along with the sombre music invite the audience to sympathise with this lady. The high angle shot she is shot from may symbolise that she is inferior in society because of her working class background.
Next, there is a cut to a youth wearing a hoody, which some may believe is a stereotypical representation of youths, as they are being represented negatively. Marxists would say that this representation of the youths is what the masses also believe in, as this is how youths are represented to mainstream audiences. We then see the youths playing basketball and not being a nuisance which subverts the stereotypical representation of youths. There are then cuts in between scenes to the female singer performing which remind us that this is also a performance based music video. There is then a cut to another youth who looks vulnerable which subverts the stereotypical representation of youths. This shows that this music video is trying to give a positive representation of people from urban estates, for this reason Marxists would say that this music video is good.
The next shot shows a BMW convertible in the urban estate. This car stands out as it does not fit in with urban estate, the dominant belief would be that this car belongs to a drug dealer but as this video is subversive some may be lead to believe that the driver is just passing by the estate rather than living there. There is then a semi-circle pan of the camera to show the car; in this pan we see the driver and passenger disappear this may suggest that drug dealers do not last long in this estate.
We then cut to a clubbing scene which is stereotypically represented as a place where people would be taking drugs and drinking especially in an urban area. But in this music video we see that it is just a place where the people in the urban area are just coming to enjoy music. There is an item which we cannot see at first, being passed around the club. At first the audience is lead to believe that this may be drugs but as the music video goes on we understand that this is a cd, which further reinforces the idea that the people in this club are there to enjoy the music. It also once again represents the people in the urban estate positively. We then see a series of shots showing people we have previously seen such as the mother struggling to pay her bills. One of the shots are interesting as it shows a kid riding his bike from a long shot which is shot behind bars, giving the effect that the kid feels imprisoned.
The editing technique shot reverse shot is used to show a woman in her bed and the vinyl player spinning a vinyl cd. The connotations of the vinyl CD spinning around could be that this woman’s life is repetitive and dull. We also see a shot showing two old men smiling showing that all is not bad in this urban estate and that the older generation have good memories of this area. Following this shot we see a rundown car being burnt possibly to remove evidence as it may have been stolen by someone on the urban estate. This shot acknowledges that there are some problems in the urban estate but not to the extent the masses are lead to believe.
A bird’s eye view shot is used to show a female on her bed who we have seen before from earlier shots. We see a female unable to sleep properly possibly because of pressure as this is a word we here repeated in the lyrics. We see a young child appear and then disappear and then we see a male appear and then disappear. The young child may be the woman’s child who she is struggling to look after, hence the reason she is struggling to sleep. But the significance of the male cannot be easily interpreted; most would probably believe that it is the father of the child who is no longer there to support the child and women. This shows the difficult situations that some people in the urban estates have to live in.
Overall, the “Inner city life” music video gives a positive representation of people from urban estates. It can also be said that this video is subversive and goes against stereotypical representation of people from urban estates. Marxists would say that this is a good video as it represents people differently to how they are represented to mainstream audiences. The video represents youths and people at the clubs positively, even though this may not be stereotypical representations of these social groups.
Marxist approach - Music videos
Marxism and the Media
Karl Marx, the founder of Marxist theory believed that the media and its messages could be used for good in the right hands. However, in the hands of what he called the dominant ideology the message could have a dangerously influential and controlling effect on the masses.
The Dominant Ideology
The ideologiacl forces that determine how society functions. Marxists believe that all powerful institutions subtly control how we, the masses, conduct our lives within society.
The Media's Message
Marxists believe that the media plays a significant part in controlling the massesand some would say as an institution it is a greater influence on society than religon, politics and the family (nature over nurture). The supposed subtle dominance with which the media control the masses is also known as hegemonic control.
Hegemony- was an ideological concept first introduced by italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci. He believed that the media message could perform a subtle indoctrination, influencing the manner in which society viewed the world until the message becomes 'common sense', unchallenged by the masses. Hegemonic contol is acceptance of the 'status quo'.
Examples
The amount of coverage football gets in the media (espicially compared to other sports) suggests that people should like it. During the world cup we are encouraged to get behind and support our country.
Lifestyle shows / magazines make it seem normal to own high-end appliances and therefore support the captilist economic system.
Micheal Moore's documentary Farenheit 9/11 can be seen as counter hegemonic as it questioned the Bush administration, an administration that was supposdly elected by the majority of U.S voters.
Karl Marx, the founder of Marxist theory believed that the media and its messages could be used for good in the right hands. However, in the hands of what he called the dominant ideology the message could have a dangerously influential and controlling effect on the masses.
The Dominant Ideology
The ideologiacl forces that determine how society functions. Marxists believe that all powerful institutions subtly control how we, the masses, conduct our lives within society.
The Media's Message
Marxists believe that the media plays a significant part in controlling the massesand some would say as an institution it is a greater influence on society than religon, politics and the family (nature over nurture). The supposed subtle dominance with which the media control the masses is also known as hegemonic control.
Hegemony- was an ideological concept first introduced by italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci. He believed that the media message could perform a subtle indoctrination, influencing the manner in which society viewed the world until the message becomes 'common sense', unchallenged by the masses. Hegemonic contol is acceptance of the 'status quo'.
Examples
The amount of coverage football gets in the media (espicially compared to other sports) suggests that people should like it. During the world cup we are encouraged to get behind and support our country.
Lifestyle shows / magazines make it seem normal to own high-end appliances and therefore support the captilist economic system.
Micheal Moore's documentary Farenheit 9/11 can be seen as counter hegemonic as it questioned the Bush administration, an administration that was supposdly elected by the majority of U.S voters.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
textual analysis
Umbrella – Rihanna
The Umbrella music video is performance based; it belongs to the RnB genre. The music video begins with a close up of Rihanna’s leg and then pans her whole body. Here face is concealed by a hat making it harder for us to recognise who the artist is. Rihanna’s costume is revealing and shows off her body, which may from a feminist perspective be done to attract a male audience. This is a negative representation of the female gender by feminist, as Rihanna is demeaning herself. Another interpretation of Rihanna’s costume by a post-feminist would be that she is in control and not being forced to do anything but only celebrate her success. In the lyrics at the start we hear a very famous rapper Jay Z promoting his record label and Rihanna, his newly signed artist at the time this music video was produced. The appearance of Jay Z in this music video will help attract a larger audience to purchase and listen to the song as he is a well established artist.
The long shot of Jay Z shows with female backup dancers in the background, the camera shot shows Jay Z in the centre making him look the most important and powerful. This is a stereotypical representation of the male gender as they are made to look more superior when compared to females. Jay Z costume is a leather jacket, baggy jeans and trainers; this is clothing most commonly worn by rappers making Jay Z look like a stereotypical Hip Hop artist. There is also special effects being used in this long shot as there is sparkles of fire raining down on Jay Z and the backup dancers without having any effect on them. The special effects make the music video seem more expensive and professional, therefore making Rihanna look like a high calibre artist to promote her name and music.
Next we cut to a Mid shot of Rihanna performing alone, her costume is all black making her look more like a rock singer as opposed to RnB artist, this costume may have been chosen to attract a larger audience from another genre. There is smoke in the background which may connote that Rihanna is one of “hottest” talents around. A series of different shots in the same scene reveal a drummer in the background which is conventionally not seen in RnB music videos but Rock videos instead, this shows that Rihanna has changed her style possibly to attract a larger target audience. Rihanna is carrying out different poses in this scene of the music video; these poses show that she is also reliant on her looks as well as talent. Feminist would argue that her poses and her costume have been chosen specifically to attract male audiences, the male gaze.
There is then a cut to a different scene which makes use of special effects once again. In this scene Rihanna is spraying around water with her hand; the fact that water is being used ties in with the name of the song “Umbrella”, for this reason the actions that are happening in this scene are not unusual. The connotations of water are purity and freshness, which may be the way Rihanna is trying to represent herself. Rihanna is represented in this scene more positively than in others, as she is made to look more innocent and less provocative. In this scene Rihanna looks more like an RnB artist than in others where she looked rock artist, this may have been done to reassure her original fans that she has not changed her style and music completely. Next there is a short cut to a scene where Rihanna is showing off her ballet skills by balancing the whole weight of her body on the tip of her toes. This represents Rihanna as she is represented as talented dancer, it can also be said that Intertextual references are being used here as Micheal Jackson has performed this dance move in his music video “Billie jean”.
We then cut to a long shot of Rihanna dancing with a waitress like costume; here Rihanna is playing a stereotypical female role. Rihanna’s costume and make up (high heels and red lipstick) in this scene is revealing and represents her as promiscuous, which is a negative representation of the female gender. Also her costume and props are all black making her seem like a rock artist once again, showing the change she has made in her style. However, female artists wearing tight costumes adhere to the conventions of RnB music videos. Also Rihanna’s choreographed dancing is another conventional aspect of RnB music videos, so it can be argued that Rihanna is not subverting the conventions of the RnB music videos in this music video. There is a range of camera shots being used in this scene like others in order to engage the audience interest in the music video.
Next there is a cut to a series of close ups and mid-shots showing Rihanna completely naked and covered in gold paint. Intertextual reference is once again being used as this scene to some Madonna fans would remind them of Madonna’s “fever” video in which she does exactly the same thing. It is also interesting that Rihanna’s music video uses Intertextual references that relate to big mainstream stars of the past, such as Madonna and Micheal Jackson, this may have been done to show her intention of becoming a big success in the music industry. Also the fact that Rihanna is completly naked represents females negatively as sex objects. There is then a cut to a close up of Rihanna in the next scene for a period of time which engages and keeps them interested in the music video.
The last scene in the music video is a choreographed dance performed by Rihanna and male backup dancers. A choreographed dance is a convention of an RnB music video hence the reason why there are many choreographed dancing scenes in this music video. The use of male dancers may have been done to attract female audiences and represent Rihanna as talented as she is leading the dance. The Umbrella prop has been used once again in this scene creating an obvious relationship between lyrics and images.
Overall, this music video manages to adhere to most of the conventions of RnB music videos. However, in some scenes Rihanna does look like a rock artist because of her leather black costumes. The music video does show that Rihanna has changed her style and music in order to attract larger audiences. The music video also uses intertextual references to give pleasure to fans of other big name artists who can understand them. The camera shots in this music video can be interpreted in many ways depending on how audiences read them. Feminist would say that Rihanna is representing females negatively through her provocative clothing and sexual behaviour. Whereas post feminist would argue that this video represents Rihanna as a successful and independent artist trying to become a very successful artist.
The Umbrella music video is performance based; it belongs to the RnB genre. The music video begins with a close up of Rihanna’s leg and then pans her whole body. Here face is concealed by a hat making it harder for us to recognise who the artist is. Rihanna’s costume is revealing and shows off her body, which may from a feminist perspective be done to attract a male audience. This is a negative representation of the female gender by feminist, as Rihanna is demeaning herself. Another interpretation of Rihanna’s costume by a post-feminist would be that she is in control and not being forced to do anything but only celebrate her success. In the lyrics at the start we hear a very famous rapper Jay Z promoting his record label and Rihanna, his newly signed artist at the time this music video was produced. The appearance of Jay Z in this music video will help attract a larger audience to purchase and listen to the song as he is a well established artist.
The long shot of Jay Z shows with female backup dancers in the background, the camera shot shows Jay Z in the centre making him look the most important and powerful. This is a stereotypical representation of the male gender as they are made to look more superior when compared to females. Jay Z costume is a leather jacket, baggy jeans and trainers; this is clothing most commonly worn by rappers making Jay Z look like a stereotypical Hip Hop artist. There is also special effects being used in this long shot as there is sparkles of fire raining down on Jay Z and the backup dancers without having any effect on them. The special effects make the music video seem more expensive and professional, therefore making Rihanna look like a high calibre artist to promote her name and music.
Next we cut to a Mid shot of Rihanna performing alone, her costume is all black making her look more like a rock singer as opposed to RnB artist, this costume may have been chosen to attract a larger audience from another genre. There is smoke in the background which may connote that Rihanna is one of “hottest” talents around. A series of different shots in the same scene reveal a drummer in the background which is conventionally not seen in RnB music videos but Rock videos instead, this shows that Rihanna has changed her style possibly to attract a larger target audience. Rihanna is carrying out different poses in this scene of the music video; these poses show that she is also reliant on her looks as well as talent. Feminist would argue that her poses and her costume have been chosen specifically to attract male audiences, the male gaze.
There is then a cut to a different scene which makes use of special effects once again. In this scene Rihanna is spraying around water with her hand; the fact that water is being used ties in with the name of the song “Umbrella”, for this reason the actions that are happening in this scene are not unusual. The connotations of water are purity and freshness, which may be the way Rihanna is trying to represent herself. Rihanna is represented in this scene more positively than in others, as she is made to look more innocent and less provocative. In this scene Rihanna looks more like an RnB artist than in others where she looked rock artist, this may have been done to reassure her original fans that she has not changed her style and music completely. Next there is a short cut to a scene where Rihanna is showing off her ballet skills by balancing the whole weight of her body on the tip of her toes. This represents Rihanna as she is represented as talented dancer, it can also be said that Intertextual references are being used here as Micheal Jackson has performed this dance move in his music video “Billie jean”.
We then cut to a long shot of Rihanna dancing with a waitress like costume; here Rihanna is playing a stereotypical female role. Rihanna’s costume and make up (high heels and red lipstick) in this scene is revealing and represents her as promiscuous, which is a negative representation of the female gender. Also her costume and props are all black making her seem like a rock artist once again, showing the change she has made in her style. However, female artists wearing tight costumes adhere to the conventions of RnB music videos. Also Rihanna’s choreographed dancing is another conventional aspect of RnB music videos, so it can be argued that Rihanna is not subverting the conventions of the RnB music videos in this music video. There is a range of camera shots being used in this scene like others in order to engage the audience interest in the music video.
Next there is a cut to a series of close ups and mid-shots showing Rihanna completely naked and covered in gold paint. Intertextual reference is once again being used as this scene to some Madonna fans would remind them of Madonna’s “fever” video in which she does exactly the same thing. It is also interesting that Rihanna’s music video uses Intertextual references that relate to big mainstream stars of the past, such as Madonna and Micheal Jackson, this may have been done to show her intention of becoming a big success in the music industry. Also the fact that Rihanna is completly naked represents females negatively as sex objects. There is then a cut to a close up of Rihanna in the next scene for a period of time which engages and keeps them interested in the music video.
The last scene in the music video is a choreographed dance performed by Rihanna and male backup dancers. A choreographed dance is a convention of an RnB music video hence the reason why there are many choreographed dancing scenes in this music video. The use of male dancers may have been done to attract female audiences and represent Rihanna as talented as she is leading the dance. The Umbrella prop has been used once again in this scene creating an obvious relationship between lyrics and images.
Overall, this music video manages to adhere to most of the conventions of RnB music videos. However, in some scenes Rihanna does look like a rock artist because of her leather black costumes. The music video does show that Rihanna has changed her style and music in order to attract larger audiences. The music video also uses intertextual references to give pleasure to fans of other big name artists who can understand them. The camera shots in this music video can be interpreted in many ways depending on how audiences read them. Feminist would say that Rihanna is representing females negatively through her provocative clothing and sexual behaviour. Whereas post feminist would argue that this video represents Rihanna as a successful and independent artist trying to become a very successful artist.
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Postmodernism
Modernism
- Art/ social-political movement that aimed to reinvent culture that had become outdated
- Roughly occured between 1890s- 1960's.
- A rejection against realism
- divisions of modernism include avante-garde and surrealism
- films/ novels / art were self-reflective of society
- Modernism is self refelctive, it draws attention to itself and the material it uses- E.g. Jackson pollock
Postmodernism
- 1970s onwards
- the breakdown of barriers beween genre and style
- The breakdown of distinction between binary divides (E.g. human and machine)
- Mixing up time, space and narrative
- Emphasis of style over content
- Blurring of fiction and reality / representation and the real
- Becoming more use to a mediated version of reality, than reality itself (hyperreality)
Key terms
Intertextuality- one media text referring to another
Parody-mocking something in an original way
Parody
- The Simpsons parody both high and low cultre to a wide range of audiences
- part of the idea of postmodernism is that there is no divide between high arts and mass culture.
Pastiche-An artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist or period. This is a self-conscious imitation.
Bricolage- mixing up and using different genres and styles. e.g Shaun of the Dead: Zombie mixed with and romantc comedy.
Homage-imitation from a respectful standpoint
pastiche/ Homage
- Generic conventions of a "golden age" Hollywood film of which "gaga" is the leading lady.
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Kanye West – Power
The music video for the song power is a concept based music video. Concept based music videos base the whole music video on a theme or idea, the theme this music video is based on is a moving panting. This has been done by Kanye West as it is his idea of showing his power which is a very masculine way of thinking stereotypically seen in hip Hop music videos.
The music video begins with a close up of Kanye west, who is a famous Hip Hop artist, and in the background we can see pillars which are associated with ancient Rome. Around kanye west neck is a chain which is very big, showing his wealth and power. This is a stereotypical representation of males in Hip hop music videos. The camera shot makes it appear as though kanye west is as big as the pillars behind him; this has been to represent Kanye west as powerful and strong. In the first camera shot it can be said that this music video is reflecting the conventions of the genre. The camera tracks out revealing kanye wests costume, which we can see is robes that may be recognised by some as those worn by rich and powerful people in ancient Rome.
The camera tracks back further revealing more women around him, as though he is a king, the costume of the females is also associated with ancient Rome. The fact that they are around him and he is in the centre of the frame suggests that they are seen as inferior compared to Kanye west. This is a stereotypical representation of females in Hip Hop music videos especially as women are portrayed as sex objects for males. As the camera tracks back further we can see that there is even more women surrounding him, it can also be seen that some of them have wing suggesting they are angels, also we can see a halo around Kanye wests head. The halo may represent Kanye wests opinion of his massive contribution to Hip Hop music; this is seen a lot in Hip Hop music videos as the male rappers exaggerate their ability in order to show their self confidence and strength. We can also see that the females in this video are wearing very revealing clothes and being used to make Kanye west look more powerful.
As the camera tracks out further we can see two males fighting with swords, this was popular in Ancient Rome as it was a form of entertainment for the emperors. It also shows power as two people are risking their lives in order to entertain someone, this makes Kanye west seem important. This is a stereotypical representation of males, so it is reflecting conventional representations in the Hip Hop genre. The long shot shows a lot of people with Kanye west in the centre, this shot makes it look as though Kanye has a lot of followers and is popular. The music video ends with the word “POWER” being displayed, with Kanye west at the centre of the letter “O”.
Overall, we can see that this video represents genders very stereotypically. The male gender is made to look more superior to the female gender, Kanye West a male is made to look the most powerful of everyone in the video. The females used in the video are being used to self empower Kanye West and show that he has followers. This video is extremely short compared to the stereotypical Hip Hop music video, this was done to further reinforce the effect that music video is based on a moving painting. Although the costume and props used in this video are not associated with modern times and the Hip Hop genre, they do work well in helping Kanye west look more powerful which is a stereotypical representation of Hip Hop artists. The costume and props used make Kanye west look like an emperor, which was a position that in ancient times held a lot of power. I would say that this is a clever video as it manages to standout from other music videos whilst still managing to fit into the Hip Hop genre.
The music video for the song power is a concept based music video. Concept based music videos base the whole music video on a theme or idea, the theme this music video is based on is a moving panting. This has been done by Kanye West as it is his idea of showing his power which is a very masculine way of thinking stereotypically seen in hip Hop music videos.
The music video begins with a close up of Kanye west, who is a famous Hip Hop artist, and in the background we can see pillars which are associated with ancient Rome. Around kanye west neck is a chain which is very big, showing his wealth and power. This is a stereotypical representation of males in Hip hop music videos. The camera shot makes it appear as though kanye west is as big as the pillars behind him; this has been to represent Kanye west as powerful and strong. In the first camera shot it can be said that this music video is reflecting the conventions of the genre. The camera tracks out revealing kanye wests costume, which we can see is robes that may be recognised by some as those worn by rich and powerful people in ancient Rome.
The camera tracks back further revealing more women around him, as though he is a king, the costume of the females is also associated with ancient Rome. The fact that they are around him and he is in the centre of the frame suggests that they are seen as inferior compared to Kanye west. This is a stereotypical representation of females in Hip Hop music videos especially as women are portrayed as sex objects for males. As the camera tracks back further we can see that there is even more women surrounding him, it can also be seen that some of them have wing suggesting they are angels, also we can see a halo around Kanye wests head. The halo may represent Kanye wests opinion of his massive contribution to Hip Hop music; this is seen a lot in Hip Hop music videos as the male rappers exaggerate their ability in order to show their self confidence and strength. We can also see that the females in this video are wearing very revealing clothes and being used to make Kanye west look more powerful.
As the camera tracks out further we can see two males fighting with swords, this was popular in Ancient Rome as it was a form of entertainment for the emperors. It also shows power as two people are risking their lives in order to entertain someone, this makes Kanye west seem important. This is a stereotypical representation of males, so it is reflecting conventional representations in the Hip Hop genre. The long shot shows a lot of people with Kanye west in the centre, this shot makes it look as though Kanye has a lot of followers and is popular. The music video ends with the word “POWER” being displayed, with Kanye west at the centre of the letter “O”.
Overall, we can see that this video represents genders very stereotypically. The male gender is made to look more superior to the female gender, Kanye West a male is made to look the most powerful of everyone in the video. The females used in the video are being used to self empower Kanye West and show that he has followers. This video is extremely short compared to the stereotypical Hip Hop music video, this was done to further reinforce the effect that music video is based on a moving painting. Although the costume and props used in this video are not associated with modern times and the Hip Hop genre, they do work well in helping Kanye west look more powerful which is a stereotypical representation of Hip Hop artists. The costume and props used make Kanye west look like an emperor, which was a position that in ancient times held a lot of power. I would say that this is a clever video as it manages to standout from other music videos whilst still managing to fit into the Hip Hop genre.
further research
Gender stereotypes in music: Current research findings
- Men engaged in significantly more aggresive and dominant behaviour.
- Men represented as independent, adventerous, unemotional and competent.
- Stereotypical gendered occupations apparent (i.e. Males as fire fighters/mechanics, women as cheerladers/Waitress).
- women engaged in significantly more explicit, sexual and passive behaviour.
- women represented as objects of sexual advances or as sexual objects
- Sex role stereotyping and negative attitudes towards females
- Women more likely to be presented in provocative or revealing clothing.
- Women portrayed as decorative objects that dance, pose and do not play instruments
- research findings NOT restricted to the Hip Hop genre.
Feminism ( 1960/70's)
- A movement in which women questioned their position within patriachal society and the "private sphere" of "home/children/domestic bliss".
- Serves to uncover, challenge and eliminate oppresion and dominant gender imagery
- women began to debate the narrow range of stereotypes present across all media;
- Women as virgins, mothers or promiscous
- Women as sex objects
- women are inferior to men
- Women as domestic/based in the home.
Sexual objectification and the Male Gaze (laura Mulvey 1975)
- definition of voyeurism: Erotic pleasures gained from looking at a sexual object (who is unaware of being watched)
- Presence of women solely for the purpose of display (rather than narrative function)
- female on display is passive and objectified for a male gaze regardless of viewers gender
- Voyeuristic treatment of female body in 'male' videos- use of dancers as adornments to the male ego
- the inclusion of women fr display is a staple element in music video's - across all genres
- Women connote to-be-looked-at-ness and are the object of the male gaze
Stereotypically 'female' occupations
- britney adheres to traditional gender stereotypes by taing on the roles of:
- secretary, Air hostess, waitress
- Each occupation emphasises highly sexualised costume and behavoiurs
Post-feminism and the female gaze (post-feminism (1980's))
- A re-appraisal of feminist values
- does not strive for 'equality' as this assumes men are the best - they wish to surpass male achievements
- Objected to theories which position them as objects of the 'male gaze'
- identifies a 'female gaze' - women actively desiring men
- Women began to assert their right to dress and be sexually attractive
Post-feminist readings
- Rihanna is not on show for the benifit of male audiences but is enjoying herself experiencing different identities.
- She is successful, independent and in control.
- connotes messages of empowerment/confidence/independence to female audience.
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