Intertexuality.

John Stuarts theory of intertextuality is how a music video is ''incorporating, raiding and reconstructing.''

It is about using a symbol which the audience may already recognise to create something they have remembered over a long period of time or even new meanings. It's probably more noticeable in the music video than in any other media form, with the exception of advertising.

In the example below, Maroon 5's video 'Moves Like Jagger' includes intertextuality as it includes The Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger who made an appearance in the music video via archive footage. The reason for this was that Maroon 5 wanted to expose the rock legend to a new generation of fans. Levine even told MTV News ' We were lucky enough to get Mick's endorsement [for the video], as far as him giving us access to a bunch of different footage.' For the new generation the footage will be rare as to the older, dedicated fans of The Rolling Stones some will recognise it and will activate their memory.

 

Voyeurism in music videos.

Voyeurism is the act of watching someone who is performing sexually such as dancing, undressing etc. The person being watched is often unaware of their audience and in the terms of music videos it is usually a men’s controlling gaze towards women that have been sexually objectified. Goodwin states that female performers are sexually objectified by camerawork and editing with fragmented body shots emphasising a sexualised treatment of the performer. Voyeurism is often used to help sell a product and create audience interest.

In my chosen examples there is a clear use of voyeurism due to the performers Beyoncé and Cassie use of dancing provocatively and through their fashion: they are both exposing body parts and the amount of shots such as close-up are all techniques combined together to draw the male audience in.

Below are screenshots from the video 'Naughty Girl' that presents the use of voyeurism.

From the screenshot you can see that her outfit is revealing her thighs and the way she is standing as if she is confidently showing off her curvaceous shape. This could be done so her female fans can relate with her and make them feel happy with themselves. The other screenshot she appears as classy and a male audience would show interest due to that image but not in a derogatory way because she herself is not dressed in a degrading fashion.

Below are screenshots from the video 'Me & U' that presents the use of voyeurism.






From the screenshot you can see Cassie undressing and revealing her midriff and because she's standing infront of a mirror that shows she is confident with her image and that she is teasing her male audience.

From the other screenshot of the water running down her body which is a good example of Goodwin's statement about fragmented body parts  because it is seductive.

Carol Vernallis theory.

Carol Vernallis theory focuses on 4 main concepts that gives an account to the way a music video is constructed. This consists of: camera movement and framing, diegesis, editing and narrative.

She states for camera movement and framing that extreme shots are the most common to use. The style of framing and movement can constantly run through and the video is distinctive to that video. The motion of the camera might be in time with the music and also with the lyrics. Establishing shots such as a master shot, is used repeatedly like close-ups.

She says diegesis may be revealed quite slowly. Actions are not necessarily finished – they may be disrupted or interrupted in someway. The motion of Character or object might be in time with the music. There may be gaps in the audience’s understanding of the diegesis – in time and space,music, performance and narrative. Some frames may be more vital than others. There may be many repetitions eg musical phrases, the beat, other musical elements, themes, lyrics, performance,images, colours, camera positions.

She claims that the narrative of a video is a visual response to the music. There is not really a balance between narrative and performance. The narrative is not always complete – it may be a partial, fragmented narrative. The structure of the video may appear disjointed. Something motivates the video forward, but often it is not the narrative. It could be the music, the performance, a combination or some other element. There may not always be a noticeable closure at the end and the video may pose questions that it doesn’t actually answer. There may be a narrative or theme running through the video, but in a collective style.

She mentions the editing may match the musical phrases or the beat. The video may break or disorganise many of the ‘rules’ of continuity editing – this is a clear convention of music video editing. Editing may become ‘foregrounded – the edits may be really obvious, to draw attention to themselves as opposed to invisible, continuity editing For example, you may see: Jump cuts, breaks of the 30 degree rule, breaks of the 180 degree rule, cutting against the movement, cutting within the lyrics, fancy edits or cuts, extreme jumps in time and space, extreme changes in pace, juxtaposed frames, graphic matches. A style of editing that runs through the video and is clear to that video. You may not see: smooth transitions, matches on action, an even pace throughout.