Intertextuality

Intertextuality is when media references an older piece of media and has taken inspiration from it or imitated it in some way; sometimes they may mock the original media in a humorous way and is labelled as a parody. This can help gain interest in certain music videos by including elements in a promo that people are already familiar and interested in and using them to attract the audience across into the new media product.

Madonna - Material Girl & Marilyn Monroe - Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend

The intertextual reference to Monroe taken by Madonna is of the Hollywood archetype of the sexy blonde who uses her looks to get what she wants. Both favour the glamour icon look and wear similar costumes among with featuring the same concepts of seducing and appealing to many males.

Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love & Shania Twain - Man I Feel Like A Woman

The intertextual reference to fashion photography originally portrayed by Robert Palmer, was used by Shania Twain in her video of 'Man I Feel Like A Woman' in 1999. The image of static female band players was used and the colour scheme of black and white on a red and black background makes the two videos have a clear similarities and proves Robert Palmer's video to be the base of inspiration behind Shania Twain's thirteen years later.

Robbie Williams took clear inspiration from the band 'Kiss' in his music video of 'Let Me Entertain You' in the way that he wore similar distinctive make up and wild facial expressions from the image created by the popular rock band. This image is extremely eye catching and memorable which helped rock band Kiss with the promotion of their band and aided them to be very noticeable; the idea of being wild displayed by Kiss may have been used by Robbie in this video in order to prove to the public that he is fun and wild after him leaving popular boy band 'Take That' and almost certainly aided him in getting the public's attention. This helped him in the route to becoming a successful solo artist after leaving the band.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Californication & Linkin Park - Breaking The Habit

The influence of video games helped bands appeal to younger audiences with cartoon animation appearances to characters as used by The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Linkin Park. By using intertextual references, artists can use their music videos to attract their audience and even filter the audience they appeal to by using particular references to other media that already have a specific audience; by doing this the artist adopts the audience of the already popular media product in this clever way.

How Genre Is Represented

Snoop Dogg Feat Pharrell - Beautiful
Genre: Hip-Hop

The hip-hop/rap genre is instantly introduced in this music video by displaying the stereotypical 'crib' style setting of living the high life in contrast to the surrounding rough looking area. In this shot you see Snoop Dogg lounging around whilst people run around after him as if he is some kind of royalty signifying breakdown in society we live in and the huge lack of equality.

In this shot another conventional aspect of the hip-hop genre is displayed with girls wearing explicit clothing and showing flirtatious sexual behaviour; this also links to the lyrics and name to the song about beautiful girls. Girls wearing explicit clothing is very common in this genre of music and helps to attract the target audience of teenagers and young adults.

In this shot we can see a party like atmosphere in the background with a large expensive building surrounding, this again shows the artists living the high life with parties and friends doing exactly what they want which might attract the viewers to idolise them wishing their working lifestyle was more like that of the artist. This is common in this style of music as the artists come in the 'rebels of society' category where they act like 'bad boys' which don't have a care in the world for any serious matters.

Panic! At The Disco - I Write Sins Not Tragedies 
Genre:Pop Punk / Alternative Rock

Just from the opening shots of this video it becomes apparent that the video is set at a wedding and has a relation to the song title 'I write Sins Not Tragedies' with the religious concept of a sin relating to the bible in the hand of the vicar. This relates instantly to the stereotypical music video of an alternate rock band due to the rebelling and using of something negative as an impact point such as 'sins' and 'tragedies' as stated in the song title. 

Again the genre is related in other shots as women wearing revealing clothing, silly costumes, and portraying a clown like character are introduced in a way that makes a mockery of a traditional wedding; mockery being another common convention seen in rock videos in relation to rebelling against society. 

Rihanna - Only Girl In The World

Genre - Dance / Pop

Instantly there is a relation to the lyrics in the opening shot of this music video where the artist 'Rihanna' is seen walking through an abandoned setting relating to the title and the lyrics 'only girl in the world'. Also the stereotypical conventions of this genre with unique revealing costumes is also introduced. 

In other shots we see lots of movement and choreographed dance moves in order to keep the viewers attention through the video. This type of video is very good at attracting young males due to them being attracted to the artist in little clothing and dancing in a seductive way. The fantasy life of the idolized pop star is also shown helping to attract young females to the video as they are inspired by them which is another common aspect shown in pop music videos.







Genre Specific Stereotyped Conventions

In different genres of music video different conventions will be more common and there will be expectations of common stereotypes being displayed within that video.

Rock

• Bands Playing Live
• Derelict Setting
• Instruments Common Props
• Un-Natural Lighting (Live Music Stage Lighting)
• Fast Paced Editing
• Mixture Of Close Up, Mid & Extreme Long / Crane Shots
• Panning, Tracking & Tilting Shots

Dubstep

• Lots Of People Dancing
• Street Like Setting
• Scenes Of Drugs & Alcohol
• Natural & Un-Natural Lighting
• Teenagers & Cars
• SFX Used More Commonly

Acoustic

• Live Performance
• Calmer Atmosphere
• Slower Cuts
• Less Camera Movement
• Natural & Un-Natural Lighting

Rap

• Drugs, Sex, Cars
• Women Wearing Explicit Clothing
• Artists Living The 'High Life'
• Expensive Props (Cars)
• People Breaking The Law

Dance

• Women & Men Wearing Little Clothing
• Lots Of Actors /  Dancers
• Attractive People
• Unique Costumes
• Un-Natural 'Disco' Lighting
• Lots Of Movement
• Faced Paced Cuts
• Panning, Tracking & Tilt Shots

Concepts In Music Promo's

There are three main separate routes to take when planning a music video:

Illustration - This is where the music video is based around and narrates the lyrics of the song. This is music                        videos such as 'Everybody Hurts' by 'REM'.

Illustration is used in this video by showing different clips of realistic situations in life narrated by the lyrics as if the song has been written around the footage. The footage itself in this video is not very interesting and is un-steady however subtitles have been used in a very unique way to narrate some of the lyrics and also to state thoughts and feelings of the characters in the footage to give a real impact to the video. This video has a relation to people in cars and emphasizes on what the focused character in that clip is thinking not necessarily what is going on in the background of the shot. With the main lyrics being 'everybody hurts', they are clearly illustrated by these people in situations where they are feeling down and thinking about things shown by the subtitles. 

Amplification - This is where the music video still keeps a link to the lyrics and song but creates its own key idea or image. This is music videos such as 'The Scientist' by 'Coldplay'.

The  main amplified concept of this music video is that it is in reverse relating to the lyrics in the song 'back to the start'. This video is completed in a mini narrative that is based around the concept of the song but does not relate to every lyric hence why this video is amplification. The story behind this music video is only revealed in the end when it turns out that the two main characters where in a car crash and the woman dies however the main male character walks away to a 'rough street' destination; this is where the video starts as it is in reverse as if time is being traveled backwards to before the crash throughout the song. 

Disjuncture - This is a very artistic way of creating a music video and the video has no relation to the song lyrics but instead creates its own concepts seen as more random approaches. An example of this type of music video is 'Dynamite' by 'Taio Cruz'.

Instantly it is clear in this video that it is disjuncture as their is no relation to any of the lyrics from when they start, instead their is just shots of Taio Cruz, women, and motorbikes in a warehouse which have no relation to the  main lyrics 'Im gonna light it up, like its dynamite'. In this video we see lots of shots of cars and possibly representing the high life but none of the individual shots relate to a concept or apply to any of the lyrics; instead the interest created in this video comes from lots of very busy shots that feature things that the audience may want to see such as women in little clothing. 

Conventions Of A Music Video

Camera Work
Typical camera shots seen in music promos will be primarily close up and mid shots combined with lots of panning and tracking shots. The close up shots will be used to focus on the playing of instruments which could represent talent and also help rise tension showing characteristics, enthusiasm, emotions, and musicianship. In most music videos panning and tracking shots will be used to show the movement through different settings and to possibly assist the narrative in telling a short story through various places or journey; they may even use crane shots to help them get such variations of scale for things such as showing audience mass at a live gig. It is also very common to see first person point of view shots of the band playing live at a gig, this will show the viewers what the atmosphere is like at one of that bands gigs hoping to sell the idea of going to a gig to the viewers.

Editing
One of the typical approaches to the editing in a conventional music video is that the video will be cut to the beat of the song helping the two merge together; the common concept would be that the tempo would conclude the speed of the cuts and how many where featured within the song in order to keep the correct pace for the video. However genre of the song would also have input on this due to the common stereotypes of certain videos for certain genres. In more up to date videos there is much more technology involved in the creation of the video that will be inserted within the editing stage of the promos creation, this is such things as using green screen to apply a fake background to camera shots or possibly even to insert objets into the video that are not genuinely there which can be very useful if certain objects cant be obtained possibly due to availability or budget. The most common shot type in a music promo is a jump cut; this is to assist the movement of the video and to keep it interesting and unique in order to help it be memorable to the viewer. Motion is usually a common factor used at some point with in videos to possibly help the lips sinc to the song better or even to add an interesting effect to a certain part of the song possibly in relation to the narrative as promos do not have to make sense or be realistic.

Mise En Scene
Lighting is essential within a music video and will be used to create such things as tension, mystery, or to set mood. Various types of lighting may be used within a video, some natural and commonly un-natural to help add effect to the video.

Props in a music video are essential due to there being no speech within the small narrative apart from the song lyrics as they assist to help explain the narrative. With props they may follow continuity rules or go against them due to the genre and idea behind the video. Music instruments are commonly very important props within a music promo and help create a sense of reality as well as enabling the audience to relate the video to the band or artist.

Location of the music promo will usually link with the lyrics of the song and play another big part in telling the story of the narrative with the lyrics of the song. Location commonly differs with genre of music such as metal music using abandoned run down places in contrast to dance music using modern busy places such as nightclubs.

The costumes in a music video can vary a huge amount and have a correlation also to the genre of song. Depending on what the music video narrative is about will  influence costume choice however it is common in dance and pop videos that little clothing is worn and fashion is explicit, unique, and memorable. Bands tend to gain their own style in the fashion that they wear and this is very often reflected within a music video.

Narrative Performance
It is very common that most music videos have some sort of relation to the artist or band performing live at a gig; this is something that the viewers can relate to and may influence them to go and see the artist or band live. Some of the best music videos contain a fragmented narrative meaning that it is complicated and the audience will be able to spot different things when watched again, this sometimes works well when gaining views for a music video.

Street Spirit Evaluation

Narrative
The narrative behind Street Spirit is very mysterious and doesn't portray a story with its simple but unique shots. Rather than a full narrative this video uses very deep and mysterious shots much like many clips of different narratives.

Mise-En-Scene
The lighting in this video is one of the main factors behind creating the mysterious and empty atmosphere in a possible depressive manor. By using bright lights in a dark desert they are able to draw all attention to purely the characters and the caravan as they are the only things that reflect the light. They have also used light movement in order to create moving shadows over the lead singers face which could represent the passing of time and leading up to death when he fades out into the darkness which also reflects back to the song title and the lyrics of fading out to a spirit.

The props in this video being caravans and cars could represent poor lifestyle which could relate back to the passing of time all the way to death with almost nothing to live for and that their is no enjoyment in their life.

This music video was filmed in a Los Angles desert and uses the emptiness of the setting to create a mysterious atmosphere focusing on a few characters and a caravan leaving the interpretation of the song very open to the viewer.

The costumes in this video could relate to the props and aid in representing poor lifestyle through wearing old and worn clothes that are not fashionable.

CameraIn this video mostly mid-shots are used when focusing on the lead singer helping to create emotion within the song from facial expression and hand movements; for the rest of the shots long-shots are used in order to help show the setting and give an outsider view of the performance as a whole. The long shots show the separation between their lives and the audiences making them look alone and miserable with no help. 
Editing
The first noticeable editing technique is the black and white effect throughout the whole video, this makes the video look dull and relates to death helping the audience relate to the video in emotions of sadness and sympathy for the characters. The speed of the clips is also another vital part of the editing that has created good atmosphere in the video by slowing clips down in contrast to others at normal speed; a green screen has been used to enable the lead singer to perform in normal time over the top of a slow motion clip in the background which creates a unique atmosphere. The contrast of the speed could represent how death is the end for both a very fast life and a very short life. The cuts used have been majority straight cuts which is very conventional in a music video, also the feathering of clips has also been used as another editing technique to show the passing of time and create a sense of mystery. 

The History Of Music Videos

Today music videos accompany almost every chart song and are seen as a vital part to the promotion and selling of the song due to the fascinating eye catching effects and conventions used to attract audience. The first music videos and promos were filmed in the mid 1950’s however this was a development from as early as the 1920’s where short animation films were accompanied by music, this was called ‘visual music’.

In 1964 ‘The Beatles’ released one of the first major music videos ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ directed by ‘Richard Lester’. This had major impact on the music industry and was the real starting point to music videos becoming a vital part of the music society due to the huge interest the band gained from the new element of a short film especially designed to accompany a song. This videos main narrative and focus was on the bands live performance in front of a studio audience which is still a common convention used in new music videos we see today. The video was also filmed in black and white and introduced purposely shakey camera movement which might be seen as a clever technique to show atmosphere from point of view or even to keep pace within the video.

Due to the interest ‘The Beatles’ gained from their music video, the popular TV comedy ‘The Monkees’ following the adventurous lives of four young men decided to introduces specially made film segments to accompany Monkees songs used in the series; this was the start to the development of the music video genre.

Yet again ‘The Beatles’ raised the bar with their new music videos for ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and ‘Penny Lane’ as they started to introduce new filming elements such as dramatic lighting, special effects, different camera shots and angles, and started editing their video to the beat of the song. This created a stronger link between the music and video by illustrating the song through a visual narrative rather than just showing the band playing live; this is where the cut always between the band playing live and illustrative clips relating to the song that we see today come from.

As music videos started to be more commonly developed they started to be shown commonly in cinemas and as technology improved a huge inspiration for the music industry to create videos was the brand new program introduced called ‘Top Of The Pops’. This started to create competition within the music industry due to the concept that it would play the top music charts with their accompanying videos; this helped increase songs sales as viewers wanted to see the videos they enjoyed on the next episode of the program.

In 1975 the band ‘Queen’ had impact with their music video for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ as they decided to use TV networks to their advantage by giving them their video for free in a clever plot to make more money in sales due to the audience they would attract by the networks playing the video.

In 1981 MTV was launched, a channel devoted to music due to the widening field for money in music videos and the still rising competition in the music industry. This created an even fiercer competition for bands to create eye catching videos with the new technology of camera, lighting, special effects.

‘Michael Jacksons’ ‘Thriller’ yet again added new development into the music video by producing a full small narrative that had a start and finish that was displayed through video and described through song. This video was 15 minutes long and cost millions of pounds to make, the video started of the imitable dance that is still related to the song today.

‘Duran Duran’ created impact in the music video industry by introducing explicit censored content into their video. This was done to play to their advantage by creating controversy and publicity for the band, hence promoting the release and attracting audience in a different manor. This helped define the genres of music video that we see today in the way that different genre’s of song will use stereotypes and include similar content throughout that genre. For instance in a rap music video, as an audience we expect to see more explicit content than the video of a pop song.

These early on developments are the footings to the conventional elements we expect to see in the music videos today however due to new developments it has become apparent that music videos do not have to follow conventions to be a good video as some of the best videos break many conventions in artistic ways that grab viewers attention.

Today music videos are extremely popular and primarily for promotion purposes; with new technologies of the internet and sites such as ‘Vimeo’ and ‘Youtube’, music videos are easily accessible and are viewed by millions. TV channels such as MTV still continue to run and play music videos continuously to certain audiences that enjoy watching the narrative of the videos along with hearing the music.

Naughty Boy: La La La Evaluation

'La La La' is currently a song in the UK's official chart and features a very interesting music video. The 'La La La' video narrative shows a child being shouted at abusively by his father and then walking out of his home to move through various settings first meeting a man wearing facepaint and then meeting a traffic warden with an unusual mask covering his identity. The three characters among with the boys dog move through a more deserted setting following an abandoned train track to a cave where they leave the boy to face a mysterious lord.

Narrative

The storyline of this video has relation to the Wizard of Oz with the bizarre characters on a journey of discovery by following a deserted train track much like the characters in the Wizard of Oz followed the yellow brick road. This is based around a 19th century Bolivian legend involving a young deaf boy who runs away from his abusive home and family life; as he leaves the young boy acquires a stray dog that keeps him company. As the boy goes on his travels it becomes apparent to him that he has the ability to heal peoples troubles by screaming however his screams are rumoured to be so loud they could cause death in themselves. The first use of the boys ability is in reparing the old mans heart and the legend then goes on to state that the old man and the boy meet a disfigured man who is cursed by El Tio because he didn't worship the underworld. The boy was told that anyone who could hear El Tio would immediately fall under his control and El Tio is based within the desert which is where they make for in order to find El Tio in a cave. When they reach the cave it states that only the young boy enters as he is deaf and would not be able to be seduced to El Tio's control and would use his ability to break the curse.

In the video this is represented in the way that the boy is represented much like Dorothy from the Wizard Of Oz and moves through a journey whilst helping people on the way. The dog featured in the video is called Chow Chow which translates 'little lion dog' referencing it to the lion from the storyline of the Wizard of Oz.  The theme of the song is based around characters covering their ears and singing 'La La La' when faced with verbal abuse which relates to the deaf boy from the Bolivian legend.

Mise-en-scene

 Make up has been used in this video on the old man sitting in the gym which helps make his character distinct and also relate into the story line, the make up makes him look very old and ill and this could signify why he is given a new heart later in the video. Costume is also closely related in the way that the traffic warden is wearing a unique mask, this could represent that he has some kind of diformity and relates back to the young boy healing peoples troubles.

The setting and large props in this video is also very important to the story line as they have an abandoned rusty track to follow immitating the yellow brick road from the 'Wizard Of Oz'. The props are derelict and worn showing they are traveling towards abandoned teretory maybe connecting the fact that something bad has happened there and people have been killed or ran away just as in the legend where El Tio is living in an abandoned desert due to him scaring people away.

Camera

There are lots of mid shots used within the video in order to show the characters in more detail and help the audience gain an interest and connection with them. Tracking and panning shots are used throughout the video to help narrate them travelling on their journeys through various settings without having to keep cutting to show the surroundings. The tracking shot of them walking up the abandoned train track is head on to them and also helps the audience read facial expressions whilst making them feel like they are over watching this journey rather than a part of it. The idea that they are on a mission to defeat could be shown as it is like the three together are dominant and the camera is backing away from them.

Editing

The cuts in this video are still conventionally to the beat of the song and also in relation with the lyrics and aiding them with shots to help tell the narrative. The speed of different shots has been clearly altered throughout the video as an effect. For instance at the start when the father is shouting at the little boy it is in slow motion; this could represent that the childs mind is thinking and does not function as fast as an adults or it could also show how he is attempting to block out the abuse from his father.

Sound

Due to the playing of the track there is no diegetic sound at all during this video. The only introduction of non diegetic sound is right at the start and the end of song where a quiet 'white noise' type track is introduced; this could signify the fact that the boy is deaf.