Inter-textuality

Inter-textuality is where one piece of media is influenced by another, this may mean that there are references to it or it could perhaps pay homage to it. It could borrow or adapt ideas from it and integrate them into it’s own production. It is often used so the audience can relate to the piece (if they are aware of the inter-textual reference), it can also create a sense of gratification because they are part of the ‘in-joke’.

Inter-textuality is used in the video for The Killers’ Mr. Brightside where the entire video pays homage to the film Moulin Rouge. The narrative of the video is a love triangle set in a burlesque show, there is a poor man in love with a performer who has been courted by a wealthy man. There is also a brief scene in which the singer loses at a game of checkers and lashes out, parallel to the film.

It is also used in the video for The Universal by Blur, there are various references to Stanley Kubrick’s film A Clockwork Orange. The video opens in the milk bar, a key setting in the film (and book) and the band are dressed as the droogs (gang members). Lead singer Damon Albarn is wearing eye-liner reminiscent of that worn by the main character Alex DeLarge.

In Robbie Williams’ Let Me Entertain You, there is reference to some previous rock performers such as Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne. At one point Robbie is about to bite the head off a dove, which is obviously related to when Ozzy Osbourne would bite the heads off bats at his concerts. The reference to Kiss is in his costume, he is wearing black and white make-up similar to what they would wear on stage.

There are a wide variety of inter-textual references in the video for Eminem’s We Made You, he parodies many celebrities and shows. There are references to Sarah Palin, Jessica Simpson, Lindsey Lohan, Amy Winehouse, Kim Kardashian and many more. There are also links to Star Trek and the films Psycho and Rain Man.

My influences that could be used in our own video would include British urban culture, such as grime artist (like Professor Green) or films like Kidulthood. There could be references to these through the content of our video, perhaps paying homage to some parts.

3 main music categories

Music videos can often be categorised into different types, whether it is performance based, a narrative video or a comedy. Often the genre of the music depends on what category the video falls into.

Performance based videos are where the main content is of the artist performing the song; some sort of performance aspect is included in most videos, usually combined with a narrative. A variety of shots and angles can be used in such a performance to provide it with some diversity and interest, a range of locations, costume and performance styles can also be used to create interest. This category of video is most commonly used in rock videos, but as previously stated it is usually used in most videos of most genres.

A narrative video is one where the main focus of the video is a story designed to accompany and often represent the song, it will tell a story that is in some way related to the song. This category is particularly effective in engaging the audience because it makes them want to know what is going to happen to the characters, as opposed to just watching the artist performing which is usually not as effective. Most genres use this category because it can be applied to just about any song, but it is most commonly used in ‘pop’ music videos.

Another category that is used in music videos is that of comedy, where interest is created through the use of humour in the video. This is an effective way of engaging the audience because it satisfies their need for entertainment. It is most commonly used in ‘pop-rock’ videos but can also be used for certain hip-hop songs, such as Eminem.

Research into the music industry

where people access music video's

people can access music video on the TV on channels like MTV and the BOXX. and people also normally watch music videos online from sites like youtube and virgin media.

famous music video directors

Colin Tilley
michael bay
jonas Åkerlund

The main purpose of music videos

the main purpose o music video's are to premot a song so that it is remembers an also to premot the artist or bands image so people will recognise them.

How music videos are made generally

1. meeting with the band and manager ect.. is made so the purpose and aim of the music video can be set and jobs can be assined.

2. maket research into the type of music video that is being made so the makes no what the audience is looking for.

3. detaled Story board is made, actors recruited.

4. shooting dated are then decided on.

5. filming of the music video.

6. editing of the video, and final touches like packaging

7. finaly distrodution of the music video be that thought youtube and TV.

Andrew Goodwin and Laura Mulvey

Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin believes that there are various conventions to music videos that must be taken into account, for instance there is a link between the music and lyrics and the visuals. So what is being sung in the song will usually be reflected in what is being shown, similarly there will also be a link between the music and the video so if the song is upbeat and happy then the video will be quite bright. He also argues that there will be lots of close-ups and focus on the artist, this is because they would be the symbol of the song and the main attraction, this is a demand from the record label.

This will be applied to our music video for The Streets’ Fit But You Know It because there will probably be a main character who will be the focus of the video and provide many opportunities for close-ups. It is also a rather upbeat song so the video is likely to be quite bright and quick, reflecting the style of the music. In addition, the song is quite narrative so it would easy to relate the lyrics to the visuals.

 Laura Mulvey

According to Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory the video would take the perspective of the man over the woman, so the audience would see the situation through the eyes of a man. She also believes that women are always depicted as either a 'virgin’ or ‘whore’ type character.

This will definitely apply to our music video because the song is clearly from the perspective of a man who is looking at a woman. it is very unlikely that there would be any perspective of the woman shown in the video. It is probable that women in the video will be represented as the ‘whore’ character.

analyzsing results of questionair

From my results i have gathered that the introduction is very very important to the music video and if it does not interest the audience then they are more than likely going to change the channel to something that does instead of waiting to see if it gets better.

Another thing that i have found out is that doing something new and imagination is very important because the audience is always looking for something new.

One more this that people think that a music video is important for many different reasons but the three main reasons that i found are gives the song another aspect, promotes the artist/band and tells a story better.

focus group

this is our focus group we did this to find out what the audience wants from a music video.

questionair results