Theories

Music promo theories:

Steve Archer’s theory:

Suggests there needs to be a strong and coherent relationship between the narrative and performance in music promos. Music videos will cut between narrative and a performance of the song by the band. A carefully choreographed dance might be part of the artist’s performance or an extra aspect of the video designed to aid visualisation and the ‘repeatability’ factor.

John Stewart’s theory

1)      The music video has the aesthetics of a TV commercial, with lots of close-ups and lighting being used to focus on the stars face.

2)      Visual references comes from a range of sources, most frequently cinema, and fashion and art photography.

3)      ‘Incorporating, raiding and reconstructing’ is essentially the essence of intertextuality, using something with which the audience may be familiar, to generate both nostalgic associations and new meanings.

4)      The video allows more access to the performer than a stage performer can.

5)      Mise-en-scene, in particular, can be used to emphasise an aspirational lifestyle.

 

 

Tzvetan Tordarov

Russian theorist, Tzvetan Tordarov suggests that all narratives follow a three part structure. They begin with equilibrium, where everything is balanced, progress as something comes along to disrupt that equilibrium, and finally reach as resolution, when equilibrium is re- established.

Claude Levi-Strauss – Binary Opposition

Binary opposition: Constant creation of conflict/opposition propels narrative. Narrative can only end on a resolution of conflict. Opposition can be visual (light/darkness, movement/stillness) or conceptual (love/hate, control/panic), and to do with soundtrack.

 

Barthes enigma codes and activation codes:

When it comes to this theory, Barthes came up with the idea that music promos contain enigma codes and activation codes: enigma codes refers to any element of the video that is not explained and therefore, exists as an enigma, raising questions that demand explanations, most media texts hold back details in order to increase the effect of information. Activation codes refers to plot events that imply further narrative action. For example, a story character confronted an adversary and the reader wonders what the resolution of this action will be. Suspense is created by action rather than by a reader’s wish to have mysteries explained. It applies to any action that implies further narrative action.

 

 

Andrew Goodwin:

1)      Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routines for girl and boyband videos)

2)      The demands of the record label will include the use of a lot of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style)

3)      There is frequently reference to the notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes etc.) and particular voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

4)      There is often intertextual reference to films, TV programmes and other music videos.

 

Sigmund Freud’s theory:

Voyeurism – refers to the notion that erotic pleasure may be gained by looking at a sexual object (preferably when the object is unaware of being watched) Many music videos use this notion – via cameras, images within/ of images perspective of the viewer, CCTV, Views through open doors, windows etc.

Laura Mulvey – Male gaze theory:

Another part of her male gaze theory suggests that women are only portrayed as one of two possibilities. Either a virginal innocent characters or a sexy ‘whore’ (sexual object).

 

Analysis:

 

Anaconda- Nicki Minaj

The music video uses the theory by Laura Mulvey, the male gaze. In the music video there are many close ups and mid-shots that are focused on certain parts of the female body. Also the costumes the women are wearing are very revealing  and could create controversies. The video should stereotypically appeal to the male audience. The way it is also edited also makes it seem more appealing to a male audience, as when the women are "twerking" and dancing it is edited to grab the males attention, the screen shakes add follows the motion of the gyrating bottom and the speed of the clip gets faster, this suggests that it is mesmerising the male audience.