Lip syncing is the process of making lip movements match with a sound that is either being sung or spoken. It can also include the actions of playing an instrument.
Lip syncing is used in virtually all music videos, however some choose not to include it. It is used in music videos as normally in music videos, when the artist is playing a role, it can be difficult for him/her to do the required actions for the narrative and sing at the same time, so he/she just lip sings it and the producers will put the song over it when editing the video.
Despite this, there are downsides to lip syncing, as if somebodies lip movements do not match the lyrics at the exact same time, it can look very unprofessional.
This is an example of a music video that uses lip syncing throughout the majority of the video.
Friday, 18 October 2013
Uses and Gratifications theory
Practitioners of the uses and gratifications theory study the ways the public consumes media. This theory states that consumers use the media to satisfy specific needs or desires. For example, you may enjoy watching a show like Dancing With the Stars while simultaneously tweeting about it on Twitter with your friends. Many people use the Internet to seek out entertainment, to find information, to communicate with like-minded individuals, or to pursue self-expression. Each of these uses gratifies a particular need, and the needs determine the way in which media are used. By examining factors of different groups’ media choices, researchers can determine the motivations behind media use.
A typical uses and gratifications study explores the motives for media consumption and the consequences associated with use of that media. By studying how and why people watch Dancing With the Stars while using Twitter, scholars suggest people are using the Internet as way to be entertained and to connect with friends. Researchers have identified a number of common motives for media consumption. These include relaxation, social interaction, entertainment, arousal, escape, and a host of interpersonal and social needs. By examining the motives behind the consumption of a particular form of media, researchers can better understand both the reasons for that medium’s popularity and the roles that the medium fills in society. A study of the motives behind a given user’s interaction with Facebook, for example, could explain the role Facebook takes in society and the reasons for its appeal.
Uses and gratifications theories of media are often applied to contemporary media issues. The analysis of the relationship between media and violence that you read about in preceding sections exemplifies this. Researchers employed the uses and gratifications theory in this case to reveal a nuanced set of circumstances surrounding violent media consumption, as individuals with aggressive tendencies were drawn to violent media.
Monday, 14 October 2013
Sven E Carlsson Theory
Sven E Carlsson stated that music video is a many faceted multi-discursive phenomenon that is communicated through the TV screen and its speakers via carriers of information such as, the music, the lyrics and the moving images.
Carlsson believed that music videos, in general, fall into two main groups; performance clips where the video mostly shows an artist (or artists) singing or/and dancing; and conceptual clips where the video shows something else during its duration often with artistic ambitions.
Standard Clip
A music video that more or less contains a filmed singer blended with inserted images. A standard clip is meant to be dynamic and has many variations. The vocalist may actively participate in the story while simultaneously standing outside the video offering self-reflexive commentary; he may have an alter ego e.g. a cartoon character.
There are three pure forms of visual tradition in music video;
Performance Clip
If a music video clip contains mostly filmed performance e.g. a video that shows the artist in more than one setting, then it is a performance clip. The performance can be of three types: song performance, dance performance and instrumental performance.
In certain types of perfromances the performer is often made into a materialisation of the commerical exhibitionist, this is where the performer is made into almost a selling item; someone that fans often aspire to be and these scenes will be extremely high in quality.
Narrative Clip
If a music video clip is understood as a silent movie to a musical background it is a narrative clip. A narrative contains a story that is easy to follow and may not contain any lip-synchronisation.
Art Clip
If a music video contains no perceptable visual narrative and contains no lip-synchronisation singing then it is a pure art clip. These are normally associated with more modern, experimental music.
Carlsson believed that music videos, in general, fall into two main groups; performance clips where the video mostly shows an artist (or artists) singing or/and dancing; and conceptual clips where the video shows something else during its duration often with artistic ambitions.
Standard Clip
A music video that more or less contains a filmed singer blended with inserted images. A standard clip is meant to be dynamic and has many variations. The vocalist may actively participate in the story while simultaneously standing outside the video offering self-reflexive commentary; he may have an alter ego e.g. a cartoon character.
There are three pure forms of visual tradition in music video;
Performance Clip
If a music video clip contains mostly filmed performance e.g. a video that shows the artist in more than one setting, then it is a performance clip. The performance can be of three types: song performance, dance performance and instrumental performance.
In certain types of perfromances the performer is often made into a materialisation of the commerical exhibitionist, this is where the performer is made into almost a selling item; someone that fans often aspire to be and these scenes will be extremely high in quality.
Narrative Clip
If a music video clip is understood as a silent movie to a musical background it is a narrative clip. A narrative contains a story that is easy to follow and may not contain any lip-synchronisation.
Art Clip
If a music video contains no perceptable visual narrative and contains no lip-synchronisation singing then it is a pure art clip. These are normally associated with more modern, experimental music.
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
Todorov's theory
Izetan Todorov, a Bulgarian structuralist linguist suggested that a songs narrative should be constructed into five stages, if it wants to be considered a good music video. The five stages are:
- A state of equilibrium at the outset
- A disruption of the equilibrium by an action
- A recognition that there has been a disruption
- An attempt to repair the disruption
- A reinstatement of the equilibrium
This type of narrative structure is very familiar to us and can be applied to many 'mainstream' narratives.
Friday, 28 June 2013
Class presentations - music videos linking to Goodwin's theory
Each person in class had to present what they felt was the ideal music video in the eyes of Goodwin's codes and conventions. There are seven conventions in total, and they are genre characteristics, relationship between lyrics and visuals, relationship between music and visuals, demands of the record label, artist iconography, usage of the male gaze theory and intertextuality.
- dance routines - artist iconography
- boy wants girl - notion of looking (voyeuristic)
- male gaze
- dancing - artist iconography
- shouting - artist iconography
2 Chainz & Wiz Khalifa - We Own It
- women and bling are shown - characteristics
- close ups of Wiz Khalifa - record label demands
- Wiz Khalifa is always alone when he is rapping - artist iconography
- not much clothing on women - male gaze and characteristics
One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
- close up of all band members - record label demands
- running on a beach - intertextuality (Baywatch)
- boys walk towards camera flicking their hair - characteristics
The Script - Man Who Cant Be Moved
- performance in the video - characteristics
- close ups of the lead singer, Danny O'Donoghue - record label demands
- Danny O'Donoghue plays a different character in the video - iconography
Robbie Williams - You Know Me
- lots of close ups - record label demands
- 'Alice In Wonderland' narrative - intertextuality
- women are used in the video - male gaze
Gwen Stefani - What Are You Waiting For
- sexual actions - male gaze
- links to 'Alice In Wonderland' - intertextuality
- Stefani has 4 backup dancers - artist iconography
- lots of close ups - record label demands
Eminem & Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie
- 'burning' is used in the lyrics and visuals - relationship (lyrics and visuals)
- close ups of Rihanna are frequent - record label demands
- Rihanna's red hair - artist iconography
- 'walking away' is used in the lyrics and visuals - relationship (lyrics and visuals)
- Todorov's theory is used
Analysis of a music video using Goodwin's theory
Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are
In the music video there are several relationships between the lyrics and the visuals. One example of this is when the words "oh her eyes, her eyes" are sung by Bruno Mars, a computerized image of the girl's eyes appear on the screen, which is an evident link between lyrics and visuals.There are two more examples like this in the music video, as when Mars sings the words "her hair, her hair", a picture of the woman's head appears, and the hair in the image moves, which brings the audience's attention directly to her hair, linking it with the lyrics being sung at that moment in time. One more example of this is when Mars sings the lyrics "and when you smile", an image of the woman smiling is made from tape, like the other two examples appears on the screen. This, like the other two examples, is a clear link between the lyrics and the visuals of the song.
There are also constant links between the music and the visuals throughout the video. One example of this is at the beginning of the song, before Mars starts singing, there is a drum beat, and an image of a drum being flicked by a thumb to the beat appears on the screen. This is a link between the music and visuals as the actions on the screen are perfectly in time with the music playing at that time. Another link between the two is when a piano sound can be heard in the song, an image of a piano comes on the screen and is being played to the sound of the beat, the same as the drum at the beginning. Like the drum, this is a link between the music and the visuals because the action on the screen is matching the beat of the music being played at that moment. One more link between the two is at several times throughout the song, there are images of Bruno Mars (made from tape) lip singing to the lyrics of the song. This is a relationship between music and lyrics as Mars' mouth is lip singing the lyrics at the exact time as they are being sung.
There are two demands from the record label in this video. One of them is that there are constant close-ups of Mars throughout the video. This is done because he is the artist, and they want him to be shown as much as possible, as he is the most important person in the video. The other is that there are frequent close-ups of the woman in the video. This is done because the song is describing this woman, and close-ups are needed so the audience can see what she looks like and how when Mars describes her, the part of her body he describes is shown on the screen to magnify the point.
There are two examples of iconography throughout the video. The first one that we can see is shown at the very start, and is shown during the whole video. It is the hat that Bruno Mars is wearing. In most of his videos, he is seen wearing a hat, mostly similar to the one in this video, and is therefore iconography as it is recognized in most of his videos. The other example isn't shown until later in the video, and it is the usage of the piano, and how Mars is shown using it. In virtually all of Mars' videos, he is shown playing an instrument, usually the piano, and in this video he is shown playing the piano and singing at the same time. This is also iconography as it is a constant event in most of his videos, and he is recognized for doing so.
There are two example of Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory used in this video. The first example is at the very start of the song, when the camera starts on the woman's chest area, and then tilts up to her face. This is showing the stereotypical way in which men look at women, by starting lower on their body, then moving up to their faces. Another example of this in the video is mid-way through the video, there is a shot from behind the woman of her getting up from a chair. The camera has a very good shot of her bum and as she walks round to Mars, the camera moves round and follows her, keeping her bum in shot. This is showing how men are thought to always concentrate on these two areas of the female body rather than the face, and is a prime example of the male gaze theory.
In the music video there are several relationships between the lyrics and the visuals. One example of this is when the words "oh her eyes, her eyes" are sung by Bruno Mars, a computerized image of the girl's eyes appear on the screen, which is an evident link between lyrics and visuals.There are two more examples like this in the music video, as when Mars sings the words "her hair, her hair", a picture of the woman's head appears, and the hair in the image moves, which brings the audience's attention directly to her hair, linking it with the lyrics being sung at that moment in time. One more example of this is when Mars sings the lyrics "and when you smile", an image of the woman smiling is made from tape, like the other two examples appears on the screen. This, like the other two examples, is a clear link between the lyrics and the visuals of the song.
There are also constant links between the music and the visuals throughout the video. One example of this is at the beginning of the song, before Mars starts singing, there is a drum beat, and an image of a drum being flicked by a thumb to the beat appears on the screen. This is a link between the music and visuals as the actions on the screen are perfectly in time with the music playing at that time. Another link between the two is when a piano sound can be heard in the song, an image of a piano comes on the screen and is being played to the sound of the beat, the same as the drum at the beginning. Like the drum, this is a link between the music and the visuals because the action on the screen is matching the beat of the music being played at that moment. One more link between the two is at several times throughout the song, there are images of Bruno Mars (made from tape) lip singing to the lyrics of the song. This is a relationship between music and lyrics as Mars' mouth is lip singing the lyrics at the exact time as they are being sung.
There are two demands from the record label in this video. One of them is that there are constant close-ups of Mars throughout the video. This is done because he is the artist, and they want him to be shown as much as possible, as he is the most important person in the video. The other is that there are frequent close-ups of the woman in the video. This is done because the song is describing this woman, and close-ups are needed so the audience can see what she looks like and how when Mars describes her, the part of her body he describes is shown on the screen to magnify the point.
There are two examples of iconography throughout the video. The first one that we can see is shown at the very start, and is shown during the whole video. It is the hat that Bruno Mars is wearing. In most of his videos, he is seen wearing a hat, mostly similar to the one in this video, and is therefore iconography as it is recognized in most of his videos. The other example isn't shown until later in the video, and it is the usage of the piano, and how Mars is shown using it. In virtually all of Mars' videos, he is shown playing an instrument, usually the piano, and in this video he is shown playing the piano and singing at the same time. This is also iconography as it is a constant event in most of his videos, and he is recognized for doing so.
There are two example of Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory used in this video. The first example is at the very start of the song, when the camera starts on the woman's chest area, and then tilts up to her face. This is showing the stereotypical way in which men look at women, by starting lower on their body, then moving up to their faces. Another example of this in the video is mid-way through the video, there is a shot from behind the woman of her getting up from a chair. The camera has a very good shot of her bum and as she walks round to Mars, the camera moves round and follows her, keeping her bum in shot. This is showing how men are thought to always concentrate on these two areas of the female body rather than the face, and is a prime example of the male gaze theory.
Textual analysis - Goodwin's theory
This task was done in class on a PowerPoint presentation. I did mine about the song 'Just The Way You Are' by Bruno Mars.
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