Intertextuality

Intertextuality is the way in which one media text references another. Many artists and bands incorporate intertextuality into their music videos in order to make specific references to films, events, books, TV programmes, media products, people, other music videos, etc.  Artists and bands incorporate intertextuality into their music video because it will help to make the video more popular by including a reference to another popular media text this is due to the fact it creates feelings of familiarity for the audience. In a music videos, if another media text is present it can be seen as a form of promotion and advertisement for it due to the fact it will help to raise publicity for that specific media text. 

The music video for Fancy by Iggy Azalea (ft. Charlie XCX) is an example of a video that incorporates intertextuality.  The characters represented in the video for ‘Fancy’ are almost identical to the characters in the 1995 movie ‘Clueless’ due to their costumes, make up and hair. The video for ‘Fancy’ is a pastiche video; meaning it imitates the original without mocking it like a parody would.  The music video consists of shots that recreate some of the most recognisable scenes from the movie. 

Blink  182’s music video for All The Small Things is an example of a video that incorporates intertextuality in the form of a parody. In this video the band take elements of other artists and bands music videos such as locations and outfits and then mocks them by adding humour. Some of the music videos that they mock in their own video, include; Britney Spears - Sometimes, Sugar Ray - Someday, Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle and Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way.

The music video for Decode by Paramore features clips from the 2008, fantasy movie ‘Twilight’. These clips have been inserted between clips of the band performing the song in a forest. The location that the band are performing in appears to the be exact same location as the first clip feature in the music video from the movie. In addition to this the band are wearing similar costumes to the actors/actresses in the movie as well as having similar makeup to them; this makes it appear as if they were part of the movie. 

Another example of intertextuality in music videos is in video for Awkward by San Cisco. In this music video, the layout of iMessage on iPhones appear on the screen showing the lyrics that the band is singing. The video also features a variety of emojis which are all available on iPhones. This therefore shows/promotes social networking.

I have not yet decided if I want to include intertextuality in my music video. However I think that it would be a good idea to include it because it would allow the audience to feel more familiar with what they are watching and possibly feel more connected to the video.  

The Relationship Between Lyrics & Visuals

The relationship between lyrics and video is significant because it aids both visual and auditory story telling. Andrew Goodwin proposed that the relationship between lyrics and visuals can be divided into three different categories; 

Illustrative 
Amplification
Contradicting/Disjuncture 

Illustrative

Illustration is is the simplest technique out of the three categories because it is the easiest concept to base a music video around. This is due to the fact the video offers a visual representation of what is being said in the lyrics. 

An example of a music video that is illustrative is Fireflies by Owl City. In this video when the artist sings certain lyrics within the song, such as ‘fireflies’ the word appears on the screen of a electronic toy. Also when he mention certain objects such as the disco ball there is a shot to that item within the room he is in. 

The music video for Everybody’s Changing by Keane is also an example of an illustrative music video. Throughout the whole of the music video the band members change into different people of different ages, races and genders. 

Amplification

Amplified music videos keep a link with the lyrics of a song however the director is more creative and explores and develops the meaning of the song in more depth. The music video might combine narrative and performance or just be largely narrative based. 

The music video for The Scientist by Coldplay is an example of an amplified music video because it shows the lead singing of the band lip-syncing to the song whilst his actions are in reverse. The line ‘lets go back to the start’ is repeated throughout the song and it is therefore suggested that his actions are being played in reverse in order for him to get ‘back to the start’.  

Another example of a music video which follows amplification is Imitation Of Life by R.E.M. This music video features a 20 second shot which is repeated forwards and backwards throughout the whole of the music video. It features various different people and focuses on each person with a range of close-ups on what these people are doing. This is almost to show the ‘imitation of life’.

Contradiction/Disjuncture

A music video that use contradiction/disjuncture intentionally ignores the lyrics and genre of the song and therefore creates a new set of meanings for it. This kind of music video often doesn't make a lot of sense because it doesn't link to the lyrics of the song at all. This is a unconventional way of portraying a music video which makes the video and the artist or band appear unique, experimental and interesting. 

An example of a music video which follow contradiction/disjuncture is Florescent Adolescent by Arctic Monkeys. This music video has no relation to the song and features a fight between various characters wearing clown costumes and suits. 

The music video for Da Funk by Daft Punk also follows contradiction/disjuncture. The video follows a dog walking around a city with his leg in a cast. The music for this video doesn't have any relation to the video. 

Types of Music Videos

Music videos can be divided into three separate categories, these are; 

Performance Based Video 

Narrative Based Video 

Concept Based Video

However music videos can also be entirely made up of animation; however this is rather uncommon. Music videos can also combine different categories within them to make a hybrid music video. 

Performance Based Video 

Performance based music videos generally focus on the artist or band performing throughout the whole music video. They either stand on a stage singing in front of a crowd or in a studio, however they make frequent contact with the audience by looking directly into the camera when they sing. If the artist or band is singing on a stage, the audience they are performing to also usually feature in the music video in order to create a connection with the audience at home who is watching the video. Performance based videos tend not to have an type of narrative within the video and use a variety of camera angles to capture the artist or band and often repeat some of the same shots, such as; close ups of band members playing instruments or close ups of the singers face. Because these performance based music videos focuses on the artist or band it helps to represent their star image; therefore this type of music video is frequently used pop artists. However rock bands also tend to create performance based music videos because it can show off what their concerts are like which will help to engage with their audience. These type of music videos are commonly, referred to as more ‘low key’ because they are less complicated because they don't follow a plot or require additional people to feature in the video. 

The music video for Perfect Skin by Peace is a performance based music video which shows the band performing the song in a home made studio. It doesn't feature a crowd that the band are performing to however the lead singing is looking directly into the camera when he sings so the audience feel connected to the them. 

Another example of a performance based music video is You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi. This music video features the band performing the song live to an audience at one of their concerts. It includes shots of the crowd reacting to the performance as well as the band looking directly into the camera; this helps the audience feel connected to the band and video.

Narrative Based Video

Narrative based music videos follow a plot or storyline throughout the whole of the video. Characters within the video are either played by actors or by the artist/band members.  Normally if the artist or band is featured within the video they are singing parts of the song to show how it is personal to them; this would be an example of a hybrid video. This is because it features elements of both narrative and performance based videos. The a story behind a narrative based video usually relates to the lyrics of the song however sometimes the music video has little relevance to the lyrics which creates multiple interpretations of the song and its video. The structure of a narrative based music video can appear similar to that of a short film, by having a clear beginning, middle and end. A narrative music video will often use intertextuality and sometimes mimics film genres. 

The music video for Cocoon by Catfish and the Bottlemen is a narrative based music video, where the band is not featured at all in the video. The storyline follows 2 protagonists who meet at a mental institution. Over time they fall in love, however every time they spend time together they are separated by the workers at the institution. The music video for this song, relates strongly to the context of the song and its lyrics. 

Fall Out Boy’s music video for Dance, Dance is a hybrid of narrative and performance. The music video follows the story of a couple going to a homecoming dance, each of the band members feature in the music video; both as themselves and as other characters with individual stories. 

Concept Based Video

Concept based music videos are based around an idea or concept. These type of videos tend to be fairly unique because they use interesting editing techniques.  The concept or idea in the music video is usually completely different to the meaning of the song which creates confusion. A concept video is sometimes combined with elements of a performance video to help maintain the purpose of the video. 

The music video for Dream Lover by The Vaccines is an example of a concept music video. The music video is inspired by retro science-fiction and shows the band members wearing blue jumpsuits and fighting aliens with lazer eyes.  

Californication by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers is an example of a hybrid, concept and performance video because it goes from shots of the band singing and playing their instruments to shots of a video game. 

Animation Based Video 

Animation can either make up a small part of the music video or the whole thing. The animated content can range from the images being hand drawn, created/designed by computer graphics or moulded out of specific materials such as plasticine. 

Two examples of animated music videos include, Heartless by Kanye West and Your Body Is A Weapon by The Wombats. 

Genres

Genre is a specific style or category of music, film, writing or art. When applied to music, genre refers to the musical style, some music genres include; pop, rock , hip hop, indie/alternative and RnB. Each music genre will appeal to a different type of audience. Music videos will for different genres will vary in what conventions they follow to help portray their star image and style. 

Pop Music Videos:

Pop music videos help to advertise an the song and the artist to an audience. The videos usually have a large budget, due the artists popularity which allows for them to use professional equipment and special effects which help to create a successful music video. The videos also often include bright colours, bold make-up and a variety of props. The main focus in a pop music video is always the artist, who is usually styled to fit a particular star image. Pop music videos are mainly based on a performance however they do often contain a narrative. It is becoming more of a convention for pop music videos to involve choreography with other dancers. This is to help create familiarity and make the song increasingly popular, for example with ‘Gangnam Style’ and 'Macarena' . In addition to this they often connote a happy and positive mood.

Hip Hop & R'n'B Music Videos: 
Hip Hop and R'n'B as a genre has become increasingly popular and therefore share many similar conventions to Pop music videos. Hip Hop and R'n'B music videos are very reflective of the artists star image. The videos often connote the idea that the artist has wealth and can afford luxuries which is also portrayed in their clothing.  They are often shown wearing expensive and stylish designer clothing as well as jewellery such as gold chains and diamonds. Women that feature in the music videos are either shown wearing minimal clothing or tight clothing that shows a lot of their figure. Some examples include, ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’  and ' Yeah!' . 

Rock Music Videos: 
Rock music videos are usually focused on the band or artist, what can be seen and the lyrics often don't link or match however the video is edited so that it is in time with the music. They are usually based on a live performance with little narrative, for example ‘We Are The Champions’ and 'Little Monster' . The music videos often focus on the singer, singing the lyrics from the song and the band playing the instruments.  

Indie/Alternative Music Videos:

Indie/Alternative artists tend to be more about the music, than creating an image for themselves; this is reflected in their music videos. The Indie/Alternative genre is becoming more popular which means that it is reaching a wider audience. The music videos are generally a combination between narrative and performance. They are becoming more interesting and unique; they often focus on narratives such as social realism and sometimes involve eye-catching visual effects. Some examples of indie/alternative music videos that have these concepts in the include ‘King City’ and ‘Down’.

Andrew Goodwin's 6 Features of Music Videos

In his book 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992)', Andrew Goodwin point out the features and characteristics that can be identified in music videos. These are;

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics  
 This is when specific music videos show the same characteristics depending on their genre, for  example; aspiration in Hip Hop and R'n'B videos and live stage performance in Rock videos.
There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals - the lyrics are represented with images
 This is when the lyrics to the song are represented within the music video, either by illustration, amplification or contradiction/disjuncture.
There is a relationship between music and the visuals - the tone and atmosphere of the visuals reflects that of the music 
 This is when the relationship between the music and visuals within the video is effected by the tempo and style of the music.
The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style) 
 This is when the music video mainly focuses on the artist performing it in order to help 'sell' them and make the more popular within the industry. It will also reinforce their star image
There is frequently reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body
 This is when everything within the music video is angled towards the artist performing. This is more common with female artists.
There are often intertextual references to other films, TV programmes, other music videos, etc 
 This is when a music video uses the ideas and concepts of other media text and makes references to them. These are often portrayed in pastiche or parody videos.

I believe that whilst Goodwin has made good points about features that can often be found in music videos, I believe that his ideas might be slightly outdated. This is because his book was written in 1992, since then there has been a massive increase in technology which has allowed artists and bands to get more creative and experiment more within their music videos. Therefore they no longer follow all of these characteristics and instead have become more unique and less similar.

Introduction

My name is Kiera King and this is my A2 Media Studies blog. For my coursework I will be creating my own music video and I will use this blog to help me to track my ideas, conduct research and show my progress throughout the course.