- Videos can be autonomous from the music they spring from. The visualisation of a song may go beyond the original meaning. Sometimes the video provides a visual pleasure that encourages repeated viewing which therefore promotes the music. Videos may also promote other commodities such as films. Therefore it can be said that there are three types of relations between songs and videos: illustration, amplification, and disjuncture.
1. Illustration: this is where the video tells the story of the lyric. Dance is often used to express the feelings/moods in the song.
:Look at this example: Madonna - Like A Prayer
2. Amplification: The images amplify the lyrics as a narrative may be used to convey a deeper meaning that would not be picked up from the lyrics alone. The artist(s) may take on fictional roles within the narrative.
Here is an example: Lady GaGa - Judas
3. Disjuncture: this is where there is
little connection between the lyric and video or where the video contradicts
the lyric. Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror is an example of
this. The song is about individual self-realisation but the video is full
of people acting together to bring about world change.
Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror
or my favorite - Scream
- Another feature is the way women are presented as objects of male desire. This is particularly true of heavy metal and hip hop videos. Some artists such as Rhianna and Beyonce deliberately present themselves for males to look at but what is different in their videos is that they directly look back at the viewers through the camera and they cease to be passive or objectified.
- Pop videos rely on repetition. Often the video repeats images in the way the song repeats choruses or lines. Pop songs, and therefore videos, do have a form of closure and ending. The 3 minute single that a video is based on must end and this is often reflected in the structure of the music – it builds to a climax or to a constant repetition before fading away.
No comments:
Post a Comment