music videos- component 1 section A

How do the representations in these music videos show the values, attitudes and beliefs of the producer?

(comparison of riptide or formation with an unseen text)

formation, Beyonce 
unseen text- Blackpink- ddu-du ddu-du

representation= a re-presentation, where a group, issue or event is "shown again" by the producer. by using media language to represent certain groups, the producer can both reinforce and challenge hegemonic norms.
i shall argue that the video to formation by beyonce and the video to ddu du ddu du by blackpink both reinforce and challenge stereotypes of women.

plan
  • Codes and conventions – performance/narrative/experimental features
  • Camera work (framing – shot types, angle, position, movement)
  • Editing – beat-matched?
  • Elements of continuity/montage
  • How does the video interpret the music and/or lyrics?
  • Structure/narrative
  • Intertextuality
  • Sound
  • Mise-en-scene – colour, lighting, location, costume/dress, hair/make-up 
  • long angle shots
  • americanisation- korean video has similar western conventions used in an american pop music video.
  • fast paced editing in blackpink
  • slow paced editing in formation
  • formation set in new orleans but shot in california 
  • Beyonce is in a position of superiority over authority- rebellious
  • celebrity is encoded in Beyonce and blackpink through mise-en-scene of clothes, hair, make up, flashing lights and confidence in performance.
  • gun fetishism
  • gang signs in binary opposition with cute, slender korean girls- possibly sexualised.
  • formation- vhs effect, symbolic- intertextual reference to police brutality captured on dash cams.
  • blackpink- mise-en-scene of men in balaclavas, men less important, strong focus on representations of women.
  • low angle shot of girl on chess board looking down at camera represents her as a powerful female.
  • low angle shot of girl walking towards camera makes her look powerful.
  • mise-en-scene of church like building and mise-en-scene of girl's white wedding like dress shows representations of innocence.
  • mise-en-scene of woman swinging on a chandelier wearing a short dress sexualises her. she is directly looking into the camera represents her as suductive. this can also be referenced to miley cyrus wrecking ball, using celebrity iconography- heavily influenced by american/ western music culture.
  • shots of hurricane katrina, representation of racial conflict.
  • bell hooks- feminism is for everyone, there are little/ no men in videos pushing the ideology that women are just as important as men. feminism is also for black women as well as white women, shown in representations of strong black women in formation.
  • paul gilroy- postcolonial theory, the idea that america is based on colonisation and black people were brought to america as slaves.hierarchies of power still exist- racist stereotypes exist
  • black women in a weave shop- stereotype for black women to go to weave shops- intimidating mode of address as if audience walked into some place where they don't belong.
  • lisbet van zoonen- women are sexualised for heterosexual men, aspirational for other women.
  • handbags falling out of gun- reinforces sexist and simple, straightforward ideologies that women like shopping.

One way in which the ideology of the producer of 뚜두뚜두 (DDU-DU DDU-DU) is shown to be conventional is through the reinforcement of female stereotypes. this is primarily achieved through the consistently stereotypically feminine mes  such as shopping bags, presents, jewels, gems and summer dresses. this is further reinforced through the feminine objects being situated in stereotypically masculine and aggressive settings, creating a binary opposition, and emphasising how unnatural this is.

costumes in both videos are heavily sexualised, with the purpose of emphasising the bodies of young female performers. an example of Van-Zoonen's observation is that women's bodies are used to fulfil the male target audience, and to become an aspirational figure for the female target audience. this reinforces that the hegemonically accepted goal of all women in society is to be looked at by heterosexual men.

in formation, the producer primarily represents black women as being of a lesser hierarchal status than white people. long shot of Beyonce stranded on top of a police car demonstrates both her powerlessness and her vulnerability in the face of authority. her 'formation' of women dancing in a deserted car park, demonstrating a lack of financial capital. the positioning of men around her, taking on the role of of body guards is symbolic of danger.

One way in which the ideology of the producer of 뚜두뚜두 (DDU-DU DDU-DU) is shown to be conventional is through the mise-en-scene of costumes. this is shown through tight revealing clothes, that sexualise the women's legs and shoulders (something that is often sexualised in Korean music culture). the producer could've done this to encode the singers' celebrity status. However, the producer could have done this to sexualise the singers to widen the target audience as well as making them aspiration to young girls, implying theres a broad target audience. lisbet van zoonen's feminist theory can be applied here as she argues that women's bodies are used in media for the male gaze which can be applied to this video as blackpink are being sexualised through the use of the mise-en-scene of their sort outfits.

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