A Level Media Paper One Section A - Music Videos

• Form


  • Different forms of music video - the main three are:
  • Performance-clips of the artist in concert, or in a staged performance
  • Narrative - a short story, often matching the tone and/or lyrics of the music
  • Conceptual (or concept-based) - abstract imagery with no characters or plot
• Relationship between Audio and Visual Codes

  • Imagery is often used to match the content of the song, whether that is literally or metaphorically
  • Symbolism is frequently used to visually convey the emotions and themes of the music and/or the song's lyrics
• Technical Codes


  • Technical aspects such as editing or camera movement can be used to create and convey tone and atmosphere
  • For example, an aggressive track might have a lot of fast, shaky camera movement and fast cuts
• Representation of people in mainstream music videos

  • Women have often been characterised as sexual objects
  • Ethnic minorities have been historically under-represented
• More positive and diverse depictions of women and ethnic minorities are far more prevalent in modern music videos
• Issues in music videos

  • Representation
  • Artist Image/Branding
  • Intertextuality
• Representation


  • Narrative videos often depict personal issues - success, love, heartbreak, etc.
  • Some artists use their music videos to explore a social or political issue
• Artist Image/Branding


  • Music videos contribute to an artist's image, especially if they appear in them
  • Aggressive, moody rock/metal videos help make the band seem angry and countercultural
  • Light-hearted, bright pop videos make singers seem fun and accessible
• Intertextuality


  Music videos regularly make reference to relevant popular culture - referencing other artists, films or celebrities, often those that match their brand identity
• Genres


  • Music videos are grouped by the musical genre. Each genre- rap, pop, punk, R'n' B, etc. - has its own generic conventions and trends
  • For example, rap videos often feature iconography of wealth -sports cars, cash, attractive women dancing, etc.
• Economic


  The production value of music videos often mirrors an artist's level of commercial success, and this affects the form and content of their videos
• Contexts that influence music videos

  • Industrial Context
  • Social/Cultural Context
• Industrial Context


  • How performers are represented changes with industrial trends
  • Mainstream pop artists may be represented in a way that imitates a more successful star
  • Changes in the form of musical videos respond to industry trends e.g. more people watch on their phones, so more 'vertical videos' are released
• Social/Cultural Context


  • Music videos became popular in the 1990s through MTV and other channels - audience attitudes towards representations of social groups/issues have changed since then
  • Modern audiences are likely to respond poorly to prejudicial stereotypes in music videos - rap music videos in the early 2000s were largely criticised for sexual objectification of women
• Key Principles - Andrew Goodwin

  • 1. To provide straight forward, visual context for the lyrics
  • 2. To communicate core messages within the lyrics with more impact in a way that offers the audience more clarity
  • 3. To create disjuncture - The effect of disunity between the lyrics and the visuals can be powerful as it challenges audiences to reassess their own perceptions of the song's meaning
• Due to the Internet and YouTube, viewers have more freedom. Music-video producers have had to make more creative videos to compete with the increased choice offered online.
• Old Town Road was released in 2019 and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a record-setting 19 weeks
• The video makes direct references to historical acts of racism in the music business. Lil Nas X's white counterpart, Billy Ray, assures him that now he has support from him (a white person) there won't be a problem.
• Racism in music genres is nothing new. The Billboard incident brings attention to how suppression of diversity is used as a tool to maintain boundaries and reinforce cultural norms.
• Lil Nas X demonstrates how the digital age is blurring lines and enabling marginalised groups to create and distribute their own music without the control of music companies.
• Lil Nas X used memes and comedy as tools, including TikTok (Yeehaw challenge), to promote his music.
• Prosumerism in action


  • Lil Nas X showcases how musicians from marginalised groups can be successful by utilising apps and social media for their own ends
  • Operating in two domains (esp. country and hip-hop, which are historically intolerant to gender and sexual diversity) illustrates how Internet-based fan cultures can work more independently than with traditional power structures
  • TikTok is presented as a tool for disenfranchised groups to use and bypass typical industry mechanisms that discriminate
• Judith Butler - Gender Performativity


  • Lil Nas X's performance in OTR resists gender binaries by presenting himself as queer
  • Heteronormativity is rejected by the visuals and yet could be seen as parody in the lyrics
  • Lil Nas X swaps his plain brown cowboy outfit for an extravagant embellished costume; not something usually worn by 'macho' males
• Steve Neale - Genre Theory


  • Old Town Road demonstrates Neale's notion that genres are not fixed but rather subdivide and fuse to produce something new and novel
  • Playing with traditional codes subverts audience expectations and introduces new and progressive attitudes towards both gender and genres
• The use of a vintage western font for captions and title reinforces the familiar traits of the genre.
• Old Town Road is a narrative performance video that opens with a horse chase. Lil Nas and his buddy are presented as robbers. Lil Nas escapes forward in time through a tunnel and is eventually reunited with his peer. They then introduce the town to a new dance.
• Old Town Road


  • Narrative performance video that opens with a horse chase
  • Lil Nas and his buddy are presented as robbers
  • Lil Nas escapes forward in time through a tunnel and is eventually reunited with his peer
  • They then introduce the town to a new dance
• Elements of Baudrillard's hyperreality could be applied here
• Setting


  • Wide shot establishing 1889 setting of rural terrain
  • Country is often associated with America's Deep South ('redneck' country)
  • Using a setting which represents the country-style music heard reinforces the whiteness associated with it, and the working-class, patriarchal, parochialism of the place
  • The ever-present echo of these attitudes in modern-day culture is presented in the change of scene to '2019' Old Town Road
  • Lil Nas' out-of-place moment in a different time zone also solidifies the fact that he as an artist is 'somewhere different'
• Mise en scène


  • The final scene depicts the artists in wealthy apparel which hybridises the genre of country and hip-hop with reference to material excess
• Cinematography


  • Ariel two-shot presents the protagonists as a mischievous duo; an intertextual reference to Thelma and Louise perhaps?
• Setting


  • The exchange to an African American urban neighbourhood is the next setting, perhaps signalling a new era for the hybridisation of country/hip-hop genres. It also introduces a new stage in the narrative.
• The two-tone ska revival was characterised by the juxtaposition of catchy, chilled-out reggae tunes with the lyrical intensity of punk music
• Despite being in the midst of various personal feuds, which would eventually split the band in 1983, The Specials released Ghost Town, which is widely considered to be the revival's defining anthem
• The Specials performed on Top of the Pops - a television programme showcasing music from the UK chart. The availability of the MTV music channel was still fairly limited at the time.
• Barney Bubbles


  • He is thought to have contributed significantly to the visual aesthetic of British punk and the post-punk movement
  • He is primarily recognised for his graphic design and album cover artwork, but he went on to direct music videos for Elvis Costello and Squeeze as well as The Specials
• The city of Coventry, hometown of The Specials drummer John Bradbury, was economically suffering due to the collapse of the car industry
• Margaret Thatcher's government implemented policies of privatisation and individualism, leading to rising unemployment figures in the UK
• The track was released shortly after the Brixton riots - between the song's release and its topping of the UK charts, violent riots also broke out in Handsworth, Toxteth and Southall, among other places
• Due to the multiracial membership of The Specials, their gigs were infiltrated by the violent attacks of white power skinheads