Applying goodwig's theory to riptide

Goodwig theory:
- there is a link between lyrics and the video
- there is always intertextual reference
- there is frequently notion of looking good and enphasis on the treating of women's bodys 

During Reptide there are a lot of cross cutting between different images, which reinforce the song's lyrics. this is seen for example when it says : "running down to the riptide" and there is a behind the shoulder shot of a young girl with lon blonde hair running down a road towards the sea. This is an effective technique used in the music video as it helps the audience understand better the lyrics and the meaning of the song. this music video supports Goodwig's theory as he believed that during the videos ther eis always a link between the lyrics and the video, and this is present in more than one occasion. for example when the singer sings "ill be your left hand man" there is an extreme close up shot of a male left hand, reinforcing the lyrics being sung. 
Women are the main gender in this music video, as ther e are many shots of them. they are all wearing little clothing and this can be seen for ecample with the point of vew shot of the young girl wearing a yellow bikini. she is about to enter the water and is in the middle of taking her swimming costume off. this seems to suggest that women need to be getting undressed in order to be pretty as the lyrics say "i was scared of pretty girls" while sowing this shot.  

introduction to newspapers

tabloid and broadsheet.
tabloids are newspapers aimed for the lowers social classes, they have many pictures and use bold colours and focus on stories and gossips.
(the Sun, the daily mirror, Daily express, guardian, observer, daily mail, the sunday people, the daily star)
broadsheets are more serious newspapers with plain layout and concentrate on giving detailed articles and less on images. they concentrate on politics and international news.
(the daily telegraph, times, financvial times,

riptide postmodern video

is this music video post modern?

postmodernism:
pastiche combination of multiple elements

nostalgia - we can see for example the extreme close up shot of the cassettes which were commonly used in the 17s. This is used a it reflects on the idea of first love and how it was a thing of the past, but he misses it and still remembers it


There is little difference between media and reality and this is seen as through the images we see the lady running down to the rip tide and it seems realistic. this is done tho make the audience believe that these actions have happened and are happening in reality, enhancing the verisimilitude.

the element of parody also seems to be used in this music video, enhancing the fact that it is postmodern. this is seen for example through the use of the cross cuts of the lady singing the song. every time the camera focuses on her, her makeup is even more smudged, creating humour for the audience.


the use of inter textual reference is also used. this is seen for example through the lady singing with the microphone. her costume is effective as he is wearing a black dress, connoting she is a jazz singer. the fact that through the jump cuts we see that the makeup gets ruined and smudges as if she was crying, it reminds the audience the fact that at the time jazz singers were known for having and living a troubled life.
this idea of inter textual reference is also seen as it uses scenes from horror movies. for example this is seen through the woman tied up to a tree in the forest trying to escape. this use of imagery is really effective as it shows the audience how distressing the theme of this song is to the singer.




the link between the lyrics and the text on screen is extremely strong. this is seen straight from the beginning of the music video, as it open with " i was scared of dentists" and an extreme close up shot of a terrified woman at the dentist with a metallic tool in her mouth. This is done to make it easier for the audience to understand the context of the song and reinforces the messages put forward through the lyrics.

applying steve nale to riptide

steve neal's genre theory: media texts are charecteriesed be similatities between a genre but also differences.
similarites are stereotypes and typical conventions of a genre that allow the text to be identfied as a specific type of genre.
however diffrences between texts of the same genre are crucial to make the fil unique and give it a unique selling point for the audience.


similarities
in all videos the background music involves a guitar playing and the rythms are similar
there are no choreographies or people dancing in the videos, but the video follows the life or jurney of the protagonist, a part from Reptide, who does not follow a specific story.
in all videos we see the importance of nature and locations.
both lumineers and bon iver have a young kid as the main protagonist of the strory, folowing their jureny throughout their day
all videos use low key or natural lighting
costume used by the actors is really similar and simple, with no extravagances

differenes
reptide does not follow a character or its story but  has a range of different cross cuts
only love does not highlight solitude and being one with your location and nature, but it shows the band playing at a concert and a crowd cheering at them

beyonce's essay correction

Essay 1

The establishing shot of "Formation" clearly shows the Situation pretty clearly: a flood. But this is not just a literal flood. There is a symbolic meaning here as well. By placing herself on top of a police car half-submerged in water, Beyoncé invokes the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and the recent controversies surrounding police shootings of minorities. The sinking police car becomes a symbol for the public's lack of trust in what many perceive as an institution "flooded" with racism and injustice. Throughout the video the car continues to sink lower and lower. At one point just before it goes completely under, Beyoncé ‘s body language is used in a very clever way , as she is seen laying back in a "crucifix" pose just under the siren lights, suggesting the death of Christ--symbolic for the death of "innocent" people at the hands of the police. This image creates a strong sense of Pathos in the video and hence strengthens the Message and its purpose: confronting police brutality. This links to bell hook’s theory which suggests that feminism is not a political commitment but a lifestyle choice. 

The Audience for "Formation" seems to be primarily a "southern" one. It was shot in and around New Orleans, and we see Beyoncé in various styles of "southern" dress throughout the video.  This is done through the cross cuts between the different locations which portray feminism throughout the different years.  This is further reinforced the use of costume as she is dressed in all black in an early modern (late 1800's to early 1900's) style. This shows the audience how women were seen at the time, and what they were stereotypically expected to do. The scene then cuts to a mid shot of  Beyonce wearing a long white, "old south" style dress from the late 1800's...By putting herself and the other black women with her in a nice mansion in rich, stylish clothes she seems to be saying "we belong here".  This links to Gilroy’s binary opposition theory , which suggest that a pair of binary oppositions are used to create meaning in a text. This highlights the differences between the present and the past and suggests that slave people should have not been put in the position they were put in. Beyonce is black, but she is wearing stereotypical white clothes, stereotypical to the time period  which further reinforce this point. The "here" being the South. And in a sense she seems to be suggesting a kind of reclaiming of the slave past, suggesting that her people never belonged in the position they were put in--they were forced and had the tables been turned, they, not the white slave owners, would have been the ones sitting in the parlour sipping tea and fanning themselves in the heat while the white slaves worked.

On the other hand Beyonce's star image and persona can be seen to undermine her political and social message as she is trying to get more and more people to watch her and is not actually interested in the more important issues.

Through the formation music video we can see that she is using her body to get everything she wants. this is seen for example when she is dancing in the hall. through the shot where it zooms out she is dancing in a red bodysuit, displaying most of her body. this shows how she just uses her body as she wants attention.  She is objectifying her body, as she is wearing a really revealing outfit. This seems to reinforce van Zoonen’s theory, who suggested the the display of women’s body as objects is  a key element of western society.

The use of costume is really important in this video,  as she is seen changing outfit multiple times.  towards the end of the video she is seen in a more current style with braids and fur, through the bird eye view shot of her in the car wit her head outside the window which broadens the audience to a more urban, any-American-city appeal.
Despite all the changes in style and dress, the one thing remains constant: the South. All of the dress and style is from the South, most notably New Orleans.
This shows that Beyoncé wanted to celebrate the South and its people and its particular struggles: poverty, disasters (Katrina), crime, and racism. This is done for example through the establishing shot which shows the effects of the hurricane such as the the floodings and the destruction it caused. It showed the houses which all fell down and were filled of water.

This focus on the South is further reinforced through the diagetic sound in her opening lyrics
She is talking about her own mixed heritage that she got from her parents, one that is specifically "southern"
"I like my baby heir with baby hair and Afros
I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils
Earned all this money but they never take the country out me
I got a hot sauce in my bag, swag"
She also celebrates and focuses on her African heritage, even singing about her daughter, Blue Ivy.

towards the end of the music video we see a series of shot reverse shot of a young boy, wearing black clothing and dancing in front of a group of police officers, lined up wearing their complete uniform, including guns and shields. this gives the impression that they are dangerous and ready to fight and kill anyone that gets in their way. The young boy, who looks small and tiny and insignificant compared to the officers, seems to be  trying to talk to them and confront them about the recent black shootings. he is fighting against colorize, being himself a young black boy .  
This is further reinforced through  the many jump cuts of three little girls playing around in the living room. at one point they are see a mid shot of three girls zooming out. they are sanding in a pyramid shape, with the girl having the lightest skin standing in front of the others. this suggests that Beyonce is not only fighting against discrimination against black people, but also for inequalities between different shades of black, and the ideal that the lighter your skin is the better you are and the happier you live your life. this is seen for example though the facial expression of the three girls. the lighter one, which is also the one in front is smiling, while the other two, positioned behind have a serious and sad face, suggesting they are unhappy ans suffering because of colourist. 

This supports Judith butler’s theory that male and female roles are not the result of nature but are constructed and reinforced by society through media and culture. Through this video Beyonce can be seen to promote black heritage and shows the roles of women through the different years.

Despite all the changes in style and dress, the one thing remains constant: the South. All of the dress and style is from the South, most notably New Orleans. Along with the sinking police car, there are also shots of the damage from Hurricane Katrina like the tracking shot of a building still submerged in water 10 years after the event. The use of the low-key lighting in this shot stirs emotion as it gives a gloomy feel and makes the audience feel sympathetic towards the people who used to live in that house. As well as this the location of this shot seems to be similar to the location where Beyonce is seen standing on the police car. The wide shot of her standing on the police car shows her disrespect towards the police force, but this being her hometown in Texas where hurricane Katrina did severe damage, she doesn’t use the broken buildings as a platform showing her respect for the victims.

Another visual image in the song is the mid shot of Beyoncé flipping both fingers to the camera when she sings: "If he f*$k me good I take his ass to Red Lobster" This image and the lyric is another Ethos appeal in that Beyoncé seems to be saying, "I'm in control. I have the money. Even though I'm a woman, I am powerful." As well as this the use of the shallow focus emphasizes her dominance and control over the men in the background as she is the centre of attention. She is also wearing all black including lipstick accompanied by a lot of jewellery which relates to the black is beautiful movement started in the 1960’s by African-Americans, her use of only black clothes emphasizes this message, she can stand on her own as a black woman and not need to seek a man’s approval as she already knows she is beautiful and her gestures can suggest that this is her response to anyone that tells her otherwise.



during the dancing they can bee seen as oftenly touching each other and this suggests that they are united and need to use phisicaal connection to show tha they are all part of the same "team" and "group".                                              

post modernism homework

WHAT IS POST-MODERNISM

Post-modernism can be described as a style and a concept in the arts characterised by a distrust of theories and ideologies and by the drawing of attention to conventions.  

1.     What is a hybrid media text?

 a text made up of 2 or three genres mixed together and aim for a niche audience

e.g. horror comedy hip hop

2.     What is meant by Bricolage?

 it is the coming together of different aspects e.g. different conventions, different aspects,  music choices to create a finished product.

3.     What is meant by simulation?

 the use of CGI mimicing reality 

4.     What is a disjointed narrative structure?

 when you start at the end ofthe film and go the wway back, or keep on going back and foward between the days 

5.     Explain in your own words what the ‘blurring of the boundaries’ means?

 high and low colture all  coming together 

6.     What is the difference between pastiche and parody?

both example of intertextuality

 parody - reference for comic effect - can be ironic

pastiche - uses elemens e.g. conventions which imitate for flattery and not for taking the mick

7.     CHALLENGE - The video refers to the idea that ‘media reality’ is the new reality. Explain what this means in your own words.\

whenwe dont know the difference between what is reality and what isn't .

8. EXAM PRACTICE How are elements of post-modernism evident in the set text Life on Mars.? Explain in an extended written response. Refer to specific scenes from the text in your answer.

statement of aims

use evidence from your research into: similar products, the industry context , your target audience , as well as theoretical perspectives, to explain your decisions.
- how and why will you use media language in your media production?
- how and why will you construct representation of individuals groups and issues/events?
-how will you target your intended audience?
-how will your production costume to its industry context?

1- The poster of the movie will incorporate a range of media language, for instance most of the movie poster will be occupied by mid shot of the protagonist, which will highlight to the audience that the film will be about a young girl, and all the challenges that she needs to face. this poster will be created using a range of colours, but they will all consist of a dark colour palette, and this is so that tension will be created for the audience, giving them a sense of anticipation that the movie is going to have some exciting with a bit of suspense. for this same reason I will make sure to use low key lighting, which will only leave the protagonist in clear view to the audience, suggesting it's importance.

the teenage protagonist will be represented as a strong and confident individual. this will be done through the use of body language . she will have a serious facial expression, and will use direct address, looking directly at the camera, to give the audience the impression that they are being addressed, and that the young girl is looking directly at them. this will allow the audience to feel more involved and engaged with the poster an what it is portraying.
women are going to be represented in an antistereotipical way as the poster will present them as intimidating and a bit violent, which are traits usually associated to boys. This will be achieved through the use of non verbal communication as the protagonist is going to be standing in the "superhero pose" with board shoulders and hands on her hips. clothing is also going to be used to further highlight her athleticism, as she is going to wear tight clothing and leather jacket which enhance her physical prowess.

The primary target audience for this movie poster will be for females 15-25 from a class category of C1 / C2 ,  as the young females will be able to relate with the young girl, who has to face challenges and obstacles by herself. They will also be able to find support and be inspired by the teenager, who takes hold of her own situation, being strong, confident and powerful. Through this poster I will also aim at a secondary category target audience of male and female of the age gap between 15 - 35 years old of the same class C1/ C2 category. even if the protagonist will be a female, male can still find the movie engaging as it is going to be an action adventure movie, with scenes like fighting scenes which will be exciting for them, and they will enjoy viewing.

through this movie poster I will make sure to target the greatest amount of audience I can, as being based on an action adventure movie, it means it would have been really expensive to create and produce. In this case a wide target audience is needed, as the more people watch the movie, the more money and income is made. I will target males as it will include action and more violent scenes, but also women, as the protagonist of the movie will be a girl