Theories And My Music Video

Semiotics
In my music video I intend to involve semiotics. Similar to the black eyed pea’s video mentioned earlier on my blog signs will be prevalent throughout the video. In 'Mythologies' by Roland Barthes (1973) he discusses the semiology of the image. He breaks down semiology into three components, the signifier: the associations, the signified: the meaning behind the associations and the sign: the signifier and the signified together. Similarly Ferdinand de Suassure in his 'Course of general linguistics' (1916) first describes science of signs as semiology. Semiology is the deconstruction of the significance of images and words. There are three types of signs, iconic, indexical and symbolic. Iconic is where the sign looks like what it is representing. Different to this, there are indexical signs which have a direct connection with the object and then there are symbolic signs which show no direct connection between the two and the symbol is learnt by society. We intend to use a Barbie doll in our music video which is an iconic sign as it is representing. A Barbie doll symbolises an image of perfection and therefore we wanted to represent the girl that is meant to be coming to his house for a date as what he sees in his eyes as perfection. Additionally I intend to use a photograph of a girl which is another iconic sign as the picture represents a person and this sign looks like what it is meant to be. Furthermore, other semiotics will be involved in our music video, including a rose which is a symbolic sign that symbolises romance and also the use of a cake which is another symbolic sign which can have the connotations of comfort and affection.




Barbie Doll

A Barbie Doll is an iconic sign symbolising perfection. However a Barbie Doll also has other indexical elements such as beauty, a role model to young girls, a cherished toy and is often assocaited with the colour pink.

Using a Barbie doll in our music video will represent the beauty and perfection of the girl that the boy is about to go on a date with. Additionally, a Barbie doll is often a cherished toy and therefore we wanted to use a Barbie doll to illustrate that the girl is also someone that the boy cherishes. We will be using a red filter  in order to make the colour of the bedroom we are filming in look pink and have the connotations of a girl's bedroom.

Cake

Cake is a symbolic sign, symbolising comfort, affection, flirtatiousness and desert. Using a cake is symbolic of the boy’s gesture towards the girl. Cakes are often made as gift and therefore the symbolism of the cake that the boy has made illustrates his affection towards the girl. However the irony is that the girl doesn't even make it to desert as she never arrives!

 Rose

A rose is a symbolic sign, symbolising romance and love. Roses are often given to a partner as a romantic gesture and the rose is supposedly beautiful similar to whom it’s being given to.

A rose is typically given to a partner or someone of some relation as a gesture of love. For most, a rose represents romance and is seen as a form of flattery when received by a partner. Stereo-typically  a rose is associated and involved with dates to give as a present at the beginning of the date. We have decided to use a rose to symbolise romance and the gesture that the boy desires to begin the date with.

  

Photograph

Photographs are an iconic sign, as they look like what they are meant to be, usually representing a person. Using a photograph of the girl, shows we are able to present the image of the girl with her being omniscient from the scene. A photograph is an effective way to show memories and thoughts. It is evident that a photograph represents what it is meant to show, a person. We therefore decided that it would be vital to have a picture of the girl the boy is preparing to go on a date with, so that the audience could understand the relationship between the two characters.  

 Andrew Goodwin, In Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992, Routledge) has identified what he considers as the main visual elements of music videos. His categories include that a music video must demonstrate genre characteristics. We will be demonstrating characteristic from the indie pop genre including conventions such as non commercial music, slightly alternative, lyrics are about world issues and real life problems, the use of a dark location and fast pace editing. Furthermore a music video must make frequent references to Scophillia (the notion of looking) for example screens within a screen ad some videos may include voyeuristic features of the female body. Goodwin, further claims that a music video should show a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, whether this is illustrative, amplifying or disjuncture.  Our Video will show a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals by the use of disjuncture showing a slight separation to the lyrics at time.Often, inter-textual l references are made to films, TV programmes or other music videos. 

Andrew Goodwin further identifies the elements of a music video which are socially coded. Elements which are socially coded mean that an audience has learnt their interpretation through society. Goodwin theorizes social coding as personal imagery that the song can evoke and also images which are associated with the song through the lexical choice. The dolls throughout our narrative are a prime example of using social coding. For many people the Barbie dolls symbolizes an image of perfection but is also recognized by the audience as a child’s toy. The image off perfection is something that has been learnt through society and associated with a Barbie doll. 

Additionally, Andrew Goodwin has further discussed what he considers to be typical editing features for a music video. Some of his ideas include; lyrics often supplying verbal clues from the imagery in the video, colour is used to evoke a mood. We intend to use red filters, to convey an element of danger but also to represent a degree of youth in the young girl’s bedroom with the red filter appearing almost pink. One of our shots will involve using a blue filter over the red head light, shining it through the close glass door to portray an eerie mood. Additionally, Goodwin’s theory includes that conventionally most music videos will include a variety of effects to create speed through the use of fast editing and computerized effects. For our video we plan to speed up some of the shots, as an ellipsis of time and to also display to the audience that the boy has been preparing for his date for a long period of time. Lastly Goodwin states that many music videos include lighting to create dramatic effect. We will be using a red head light to focus on our main character. 

Sergei Eisenstein

Sergei Eisenstein inspired the form of montage editing. Montage editing involves Juxtaposing images during the editing process. He believed that montage editing could impact beyond individual images. He experimented with sequences of shots or even single frames being placed next to each other to convey a meaning. When editing my music video, I will be using montage editing to create an impact beyond the individual image. 

In regards to narrative structure, our music video will involve disjuncture as we will be adding a new meaning to the lyrics through our own visual interpretation. John Fiske, a media studies professor theorized semiotic democracy. Fiske discussed how rather than being 'passive couch potatoes that absorb information in an unmediated way, viewers actually are able to give their own interpreted meaning' which our video intends to stimulate.