Intertextuality was used a lot during this music video due to the fact that this song was on the soundtrack for the movie Divergent. There are many shots in this music video which come directly from the movie and other which include certain aspects that came from the movie.
The music video starts with the artist holding a little glass cylinder with a light blue liquid in it. This is the first example of intertextuality as it was seen in the movie too. This shows intertextuality as it refers back to the movie and only a few people would get the reference while others would think it is insignificant or add a different meaning to it.
Another example of intertextuality is when clips from the movie itself are being used in the music video. This shows a huge reference to other media platforms. These shots would leave audience confused if they have not seen the movie as it will leave them wondering why these shots where placed in the music video. However to fans of the movie it will be very helpful as it helps them understand the music video and link what is going on in the music video back to the movie.
The one very obvious reference made to the movie during this music video are the tattoos. This music video adds a lot of details on the tattoos and makes a very clear reference to it as they are sometimes the main focus on the screen. The tattoos are emphasised even more due to the fact that clips from the movie that also use the tattoos as a main focus point are used in the music video.
Another very important thing which they have used as a main focus of the music video is the love story between the two main characters which is also shown in the music video. The music video uses the narrative of the movie as its narrative as well. The music video starts with the artist being lost not knowing where she is while shots of a male are being shown where he is training and walking. This follows the narrative of the movie and makes a huge reference to it as this is how the movie starts to. The artist then continues to sing and wander around and later on she find the male and fall in love, Again this is a very important part as it is referencing the music video. This shows intertextuality as references to other forms of media have been made during this music video in the case it is the movie divergent.
This music video has both the male and the female viewer gaze due to where it is set. The music video is made by a female music group but the fact that it was set on a construction site where you typically see a lot of men the music director, Director X has been able to appeal to both genders.
The camera shots that are used are very different in different shots. The beginning the video appeals more to the female viewer gaze as it concentrates more on men. This is done by using the camera angles to create a sense of an over sexualised body.
Director X has decided to appeal more to the female viewer gaze by showing the men's masculinity as well as sexualising their bodies. This is done to follow the stereotype of men being very strong and being able to do all the physical work. In order to show the masculine side of being a male he has decided to always has a certain prop such as a tool or building material whenever he has a male on screen. This has made the female viewer gaze in this music video very effective as most woman find masculine muscular men very appealing.
There is a low angle shot that is being used 12 seconds into the video where a male is holding a tool and wearing nothing but a hat and safety googles again this is done to appeal to the female viewer gaze and this is done by over sexualising the male that is in the shot and making him look very sweaty as if he was hard at work. This is shot is also used to make the viewer feel as if they are standing below the male and that he is in charge. This helps the viewer connect with the male model. This shot is very typical as it is the simplistic way to over sexualise the male body but also very effective in terms of how many views the music video got.
A few seconds after the first shot we get another shot which appeals to the female viewer gaze. It is another shirtless, muscular man cutting wood with a machine. Again this shot over sexualises the male body and sticks to the stereotypical idea of men being very masculine and doing work physically. This shot also uses the rule of thirds in the shot. The male is placed on the left of the screen but not too far left as to lose significance. The male is still centered while the tools he is working with are in the center but also on the right. This shot is significant as it does not only show the male body being over sexualised but it also shows a very masculine side of him which is what females would be attracted to.
Another camera angle that is used is a low angle shot on a male wile he is walking while pushing something. This shot again does what all the previous shots do and that is to show that the males are masculine and that they are in charge and are very capable of working with very heavy objects. The main props used in this music video are the tools as Director X has used them to emphasis how masculine and strong the men are. This again appeals more to the female viewer gaze as they are often attracted to strong men.
This shot is very similar to previous shots but can be seen as more significant because it shows both male and female gaze. This is done by showing a topless man who is looking at a female in a somewhat sexual erotic way which is shown in the next few shots. Again the machines are used to show a masculine image of the men being portrayed.
Director X has started the music video with something we do not usually see being done. The music video starts with a low to high angle but it is done to show a males body. This is somewhat unusall as it is typically done to sexualise the female body as it makes the male feel as if they really were looking at the female and this is what is being done in this case. This shot was used to appeal to the female viewer gaze as the male that is being shown is very masculine and wearing somewhat tight clothing.
This music video is a very good example of voyeurism as it is based on a girl obsessing over someone and in order to portray this the director, Alek Keshishian has got the music artist to break into the house and go through his stuff but in a very sexual way
The music video starts with the artist laying down on a pillow in handcuffs, while looking at the camera. This allows the audience to connect with the artist as it makes them feel that they are there. The artist is also looking at the camera in a very sexual way and this makes the scene almost erotic. This adds to the male viewer gaze as it brings them a sense of pleasure from the scene.
This shot is another example of the male viewers gaze as it shows Selena taking off the robe she was wearing to reveal that she is wearing nothing but her underwear, this shot is significant as it has a very seexual and erotic feel to it due to the fact that the artist is taking her cloths off. This shot shows that when women are involved in media productions they are seen as objects that are there to please men, which is what this scene is doing.
This shot is very significant as the main focus of it is the female's bum. This shot is a great example of the male viewer gaze and men gain pleasure from such a shot. This is done in almost every music video where a female is involved as it highlights the idea of man gaining pleasure from watching such music videos. This is supported by Larura Mulvey's male gaze theorey as she states that when women are involved in productions it is only for the purpose of being objects as they are striped from their identity and viewed at as objects that bring pleasure to men.
There are also significant shots during the music video where the artist is dancing in a very sexual way, this can be seen through out the music video, these shots are significant as they highlight the idea of women being sexual objects and losing their identity as they are there just to please men.
Overall the Hands to myself music video suppports Mulvey's idea of women being objects and losing their identity as it shows women's bodies in an over sexualised way. This is done to attract more male viewers and gain more views in general
This production was not very effective as it was very basic and did not have much creativity. As I was watching I lost interest and did not this very entertaining to watch due to the lack of intriguing scenes that were eye catching, as the video progresses it gets very repetitive which also adds to the fact that the viewer loses interest very quickly. As this music video did not follow the typical aspects of popular more successful music videos it turned out to be very ineffective.
The music video starts with a very dull scene where the performer is leaning on a wall while singing and the camera showing a side view of him, this scene was effective during the music video but due to the fact that the music video started with it the music video does not show a sense of progression like professionally made music videos do.
Another thing that makes this video very ineffective is the fact that the shots being used are very recitative and show the exact same thing in different order, this makes the video very boring and not entertaining to watch as the viewer is seeing the same thing over and over again.
The colours in this music video are one of the main things that make it ineffective. The colours that are used are very dull and grey making the video look very dull and boring as well as adding to the low quality of the video.
This music video could've improved if the music genre was changed as it would have allowed the group to create more content and give them more creative ideas. Due to the fact that the genre was grime the group could not do anything creative as the genre itself does not allow it, however, if another genre was used such as pop the group could've had more ideas and more things to film.
This music video is my favourite due to many reasons. The music video is very effective as it follows the many conventions of professional music videos. The music videos follows many aspects that allow it to be as effective as it is. The main reason to why this music video was so effective was because it followed all the same features that a professionally made music video follows and were done in a lot of depth and detail. The narrative was another main thing that helped the music video to become so effective as it was a very clear narrative with a simple story line that kept the viewer engaged.
Instant Impact- this is not done in the music video in a dramatic way but it is still an effective way as it starts with a time laps on a tree then the sunset, this instantly attracts the audience attention as it is very creative and very satisfying to look at. Due to the production being low budget but very high quality it also surprises the audience as it looks very professional. Another thing that carries on this instant impact is the fact that the music video has a constant narrative that keeps the viewer attracted to the music video.
Non-linear Editing- the music video uses a lot of different shots and scenes, this is done in a very effective way as they music video does not become boring but the narrative is still obvious and very continues. The non-linear editing is used mostly in the middle of the video this helps to attract the viewer's attention throughout the music video as the narrative gets very interesting and the audience want to find out more.
A sense of development- this is done successfully throughout the music video as the narrative progresses, the music video shows a very clear story line which is developed in many. The non-linear editing works well with the sense of the development as it keeps the audience engaged as well as telling an interesting story.
An engaging performance- this was the feature that made the music video as effective as it was, this was done in many ways like having very creative shots in the video and keeping the narrative interesting. This feature was used throughout the music video as there was drama or some sort of action that was going on throughout the video.
Extremes, binary oppositions and repetitions- this feature is something that is used in all professional music videos and as it was used during this one it added to the video and made it even more effective. this feature was used in the middle of the music video when one of the characters is boxing. This was done with this particular scene to emphasise the importance of it and show the character getting stronger.
Visually striking- this was done in many ways during the music video and throughout it to make sure that the audience does not lose interest. Due to the music video being in such high quality it made this feature even better. Even though it had a dull colour to it it still had some scene where the audience were interested in such as the fire being lit in darkness as it created a very good effect.
There are 10 features which are
considered when seeing if a music video is effective or not these are the
things that I will discuss when looking at this music video. The reason I have
chosen this music video is because it includes all of these features in a
unique way which makes the music video very effective.
A unique
thing about this music video is the fact that it uses
many celebrities who are known to be the artist's close friends in
real life. This made the video get much more views as fans
of those artists will watch the music video as well.
Instant Impact: this is use in this music video right at
the beginning of the video where the video starts with a very
modern background as it fades into offices, a man is then dropped onto the
table from the ceiling and the camera pans to the right where
we see Taylor beating up a man. This creates an instant impact as the
viewer is instantly intrigued and want to find out more about what's going
on. The thing that really adds to this scene is the music that is
being used. The music is very dramatic and adds on to the tension of the music
video and also suits what is going on, this music later fades into the song
that the artist has produced. This action theme is carried out throughout the
whole video which makes the music video more interesting as it makes the viewer
seem as it there is a story being told.
Non-linear Editing: this feature is only used in
some places in the music video but it is in most use at the end as it becomes
very dramatic and a lot of action is involved. This editing style is not used
at the beginning as the music video establishes the story so the viewer knows
what is going on. At the end, there is a lot of editing used and special
effects that are added to make the city look like it is going down in
flames.The non-linear editing is used to put together a lot of shots that add
to the action as it shows the different artists preparing and fighting. This is
very suitable for this particular music video as it is placed in line with the
music so when the song was very high tempo and upbeat the non-linear editing
style was used. This is very good as the music and the video adds to the
action. Another thing that supported this non-linear editing was the futuristic
theme. This allowed the video to show a lot of things and go at a very fast
pace which is what the technology that is used in the video does.
A sense of development: this feature was used
throughout the whole video as it was telling a story on how both sides trained
to go against each other at the end. This feature was used very effectively as the
viewer knew exactly what was going on and what was going to happen but
continued to watch as the shots themselves and the different frames were very
intriguing.
Strong sense of artists identity: the music
video used this feature very well and throughout the video as the other
celebrities who were used are Taylor's real friend who each had their own style
and this was shown through their outfits and their names. It also showed
Taylor in a very strong way and showed that she can handle things which is what
she is known for in real life. By using this feature her fans are able to see
what she is like and what her sense of style is. One thing that was very
choking about this music video is that the artist does not usually do very
action like things in her music video but instead follows a very slow and
smooth editing style but her other music video that came out after this
followed the same editing style and similar themes which showed that she was
beginning to develop and adapt to modern music videos and modern music culture.
An engaging performance: a very unique thing
about this music video which allowed it to get more views was the theme. The
music video has a very futuristic theme which is
very interesting thing to watch as it looked very well put together
and also presented itself as a movie telling a story instead of just a music
video. Another thing that made this music video very engaging was looking at
all the characters and seeing them perform and train for what is about to come.
It also had many fighting scenes within it which made the whole thing even more
interesting. The cool and futuristic technology were also very engaging as the
viewer is instantly looking at all the modern gadgets and very interested in
them, therefore, is engaged even more.
Extremes, binary oppositions and repetitions: this
is another feature that is used very well in this music video in many ways. The
music video follows the stereotypical features of a music video in terms
of being repetitive, telling a story and supporting the music but also
goes against them as it is represented like an action film. Towards the end of
the music video certain scene are taken from ones that have previously been
shown which shows that it is being repetitive but throughout the whole
video there is a lot of action and more things going on than usual as it tells
a much bigger story which goes against the stereotypical music video as it
over exaggerates the usual features but leans towards a
futuristic action movie.
Visually Striking: this feature was used the
most throughout this video as there were many things going on at the same time
that very visually striking due to the very futuristic look it had. The
different gadgets that were shown throughout this video was another thing
that made it very visually striking as people were very keen to watch. The
thing that helped this feature to develop the most was the scene right at the
beginning as it started with a very dramatic fight which made it very
visually striking and attracted the viewer's attention straight
away.
Provoke a reaction: this feature was the only
feature that was not used throughout this music video a lot but it was used in
a sense that many people were talking about the music video due to its very eye
catching appearance and very intriguing story line which was full of
action and fight scenes. Another thing that made many people talk about this
music video was the fact that it had many
different celebrities within it.
There were many positives and negatives in our AS media production but it could have improved in many ways.
What went well:
Planning which went into the story line was done very effectively which meant we were able to explore a variety of possibilities withing the story line. By laying out a clear narrative which we spent a lot of time on perfecting we were able to make sure that the story line was very clear to the audience and no confusions occurred.
Able to understand the process of editing and learn how to use premier pro, this came in very handy throughout the year as we were able to make quick changes which improved the production.
The amount of planning needed in order to produce an effective horror movie as well as the conventions. We were able to establish exactly what we needed to include to allow the production to be effective.
Variety of good shots which was relevant to the narrative and allowed the audience to see exactly what was going on. There was a good relationship between the scenes and the backgrounds used, this helped the production as it was more understandable and it was very clear what was going on.
Even better if:
Planning the shooting, previously we did not know the exact deadline which meant we did not plan when to shot the scenes. This resulted in the filming being being done last minute as a result of this everything was rushed and we could not re-film many of the shots that needed to be improved instead we had to rely on the editing.
Changing ideas, as a result of being in a big group everyone had different ideas on what should be in the production this resulted in us not knowing exactly what the story line was going to be. As time went on we fell behind which effecting the filming meaning everything was done last minute. As a result of us having lots of different ideas the story line kept changing and adapting to everyone's preference. But when we did agree on a story line we put a lot of effort into the story line and planning.
The editing could have been improved as the lighting was very bright we did not know how to change the brightness and as a result of everything being done last minute we could not change it in the editing as we did not have time to find out how that could be done.
Tripod use, as a result of us not paying extra attention the the tripod we did not realise that the tripod was unbalanced at certain scenes which meant some scene were not filmed properly.
