Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Music Video Analysis

Can’t Get You Out Of My Head…
Target Audience – 18-40 year olds
Genre – Pop
Representation – Sexual.

Visual Codes –
• Sexual Look
• Shows use of white clothing against bright red lipstick and red dressed backing dancers – adding to the ‘sexy’ side.
• Body barely clothed in places.
• Close Up shots of Kylie’s face.
• Change of clothes, hair and background 4 times.
• Occasional slow motion.
• ‘Can’t get you out of my head’ – you would expect it to be clear what she can’t get out of her head.
• Dance moves sexual but occasionally silly – why have they done this?

Andrew Goodwin’s Music Theory –
• No real relationship between lyrics and visuals – you would expect her to have a guy with her – ‘boy your loving is all I think about’
• Music and visuals – music is upbeat, but the dance moves are a mixture of upbeat and smooth.
• Close up of Kylie’s face gives off the representation she wants to give – sexual.
• Looking directly into the camera – talking directly to us, has a personal connection with the audience. ``

Contrasting Newspaper Analysis

Daily Star Sunday

Target Audience: 18-30 year olds.
Genre: Newspaper
Narrative: Gossip
Representation: Celebrities lifestyles - glamorous.

Visual Codes
- Main picture is of 'the only way is Essex' star and Peter Andre with the headline 'Pete's Love Child' showing this is a celebrity based newspaper.
- There is a political side to the newspaper as it shows how 500,000 march against cuts - however, this is only a small image in the bottom corner of the page.
- Contrasting colours of yellow and red.
- Includes offers - '2 free creme eggs for every reader', 'Get today's Sunday express for 40p.'

Layout and Design
- White border around the page - not used all the white space available.
- Bright colours.
- Images and headlines are all written within boxes - rectangular.
- Bold, block writing to stand out.

Language
- Does not show a large use of words - pretty simple; 'Pete's Love Child', 'March Against Cuts.'
- Shows the use of repetition; 'Fabio's Phwoar Phwoar two' to add effect.
- No captions.


The Sunday Times
Target Audience: 40+
Genre: Newspaper
Narrative: Political based news on the economy as well as World News.
Representation: World News - Shows many bold headings of news we 'need' to know about as it effects us.

Visual Codes
- Bold, block headings for each news article.
- Shows whole articles on the front cover.
- Top of the page shows 'Win an Ipad 2' and 'Fashion for less than £100' which could show that the Upper Class read this newspaper because of the cost (expensive).

Layout and Design
- Bold headings which accompany an article but do not include many images.
- Text is set out in columns.
- No real colour scheme other than black and white.
- Top and bottom of page shows adverts within rectangular boxes.

Language
- Formal Register
- Headings are not as catchy as a red top newspaper.
- Factual Information.

Newspaper Analysis

1. Genre, Narrative and Representation
2. Visual Codes - Image analysis
3. Layout and Design - Composition of images and text.
4. Language

Daily Mail
- Genre: Newspaper - Current Affairs
- Narrative: Natural Disaster
- Representation: Destroyer, Highlights scale of natural disaster with full front page image.
- Visual Codes: Image relates to words 'Nature's deadly rage'. Dull focus.
- Layout and Design: Image fills most of the page with a mini border in which text is placed underneath and headline is on the image to show the extent of the natural disaster.
- Language: 'Deadly', 'Destroyer', 'Death', - harsh words directly addressing the audience, eye catching.

News Agencies
- AP - Associated Press - usually at the bottom of the picture.
- Reuters
- REX
- AFP
- EPA - European photo press agency.
- Getty Images

Discourse
How a text is structured:
- The nature of debate
- The approach of an issue based on the audience and their ideology.

Music Video Analysis

Alicia Keys and Jay Z - Empire State of Mind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjhCEhWiKXk

Pop Genre:- RnB, with images that are fast paced.

Narrative:- It is showing what your life would be like 'Now your in New York.' There are links from lyrics to visuals.

Representation:- Popular, fashionable people, showing how they live glamorous lifestyles through the clothes that they wear, through make up and through hairstyles.

MICRO ANALYSIS:

Visual Codes:- Personally, i would say the video shows a use of four main focuses, either; Jay Z alone, Alicia Keys alone Jay Z and Alicia together, or images of America. They also show a use of close up and wide shots (Voyerism, Andrew Goodwin).

Editing:- Fast paced, for example; shows the use of quick shots, Lyrics fit into the images used and shows the use of jump-cuts (midshot to close up).

Mise-en-scene:- The video is in black and white, the costumes used are stylish to show the glamorous lifestyles they lead (tight fitting clothing used). Possibly shows high production value as they are top rated stars.

Uses and Gratifications:- The audience are able to involve themselves in this music video because they may be able to relate themselves to the lyrics and surroundings. The personal identity of this music video shows how the media allows us to reaffirm the identity and positioning of ourselves within society.

Music Videos

Britney Spears - Hit me Baby One More Time.
Pop Genre:
- Dancing
-'Lively' (Fast Paced)
- Universally Acceptable
- Routines (Busy)

Narrative:
- Fantasy (Daydream) signified by flashbacks
- No links from visuals to lyrics
- Tiny Micro narratives - seperate scenes

Representation:
- School girl (highschool) - massively culturally significant to primary audience (mostly American teenagers.)
- Textual Reference - GREASE

MICRO ANALYSIS:
Visual Codes: - Star as centre-stage/focus.
- Soft focus - to establish daydream.
- Close-up and wide shots.
- Movement - Panning

Editing: - Fast paced editing (quick shots)
- Music dictates the edit/cut (Beat)
- Jump-cut (far away to close up)

Mise-en-scene: - Vibrant colours of costumes
- Costumes establish setting eg. school uniform and tracksuits for gym.
- Suggestive - tight fitting clothes.
- Large scale sets - highschool

Sound: - Diegetic sound - contrasts from reality to fantasy.

Goodwin's Theory: - Voyeurism - granting the viewer access to their idol.
- Establish artist as a star - centre-stage, bright clothes, close-up and lip sync.

Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin has identified a number of key features in music videos. They are:

- A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.
- A relationship between the music and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music.
- Genre-related style and iconography present.
- Multiple close-ups of the main artist or vocalist.
- Voyeurism often plays a major part, especially in relation to females.
- Intertextual references to other media texts may be present.

He says that music videos are often constructed by the link between the visuals and the song plus the artist. Relationships are built between these in the video, and the close-ups of the artists gives them the representation and publicity they require. Voyeurism is used to increase the video’s attractiveness, particularly to males, whilst intertextuality is often employed in humorous videos.

Many of these features are present in all music videos, depending on the genre of the song and the aim of the record company/artist.

Exam Preparations

Media Texts that I will need to revise and analyse before the exam are; DVD Covers, CD Covers, Newspaper front pages, radio sequences, Music videos, Websites and Computer Games Extracts. For these I have already done either no, or limited work on each which is why I need to analyse more of them.

Order of revision:
CD Covers,
DVD Covers,
Radio Sequences,
Newspaper Front Covers,
Music Videos,
Websites,
Computer Based Extracts.