Media Language: Semiotics

Charles Sanders Peirce (1931)
Philosopher Peirce, inputs that 'we think only in signs'. The culture which we live in effects the meaning that society gives to things. When culturally we accept meaning without societies agreement on this they are meaningless. The audience creates meaning through signs we see and unconsciously interpret. Signs take the form of words, images, sounds, odours, flavours, acts or objects, but such things have no intrinsic meaning and become signs only when we invest them with meaning.

Ferdinand de Saussure (1974)  

Linguist Ferdinand created a dyadic or two-part model of what a 'sign' is. The two parts to the dyadic are:

1. A 'signifier': this is the form which the sign takes

2. The 'signifier': The concept which it represents 

Pierce extends on his point with three types of signs: 

1. Icon/Iconic: The signifier is perceived as resembling or imitating the signified (recognised by looking, sounding, feeling, tasting or smelling like it) through being similar in possessing some of its qualities. For example, portrait, a cartoon, a scale-model, onomatopoeia. For example we can recognise that a crown is a symbol of royalty. 

2. Index/Indexical: A mode which the signifier is not arbitrary but is directly connected in some way (physically or casually) to the signified - this link can be observed or inferred: e.g. 'natural signs' (smoke, thunder, footprints, echoes, non-synthetic odours and flavours), medical symptoms (pain, a rash, pulse-rate), measuring instruments (weathercock, thermometer, clock, spirit-level). 

  3. Symbol/symbolic: a mode in which the signifier does not resemble the signified but which is fundamentally arbitrary or purely conventional - so that the relationship must be learnt: e.g. language in general (plus specific languages, alphabetical letters, punctuation marks, words, phrases and sentences) numbers, morse code, traffic lights, national flags. 

Building on the subject of semiotics the way in which we describe the relationship between the signifier and the signified are as connotation and denotation. We make an analytical distinction between the two types of signifieds: a denotative signified and a connotative signified. The meaning includes both denotation and connotation. 

Roland Barthes (1967) Roland analysed covers in terms of symbols and how small details become symbolic to ideology. He argued how in photography connotation can be distinguished from denotation. He describes to connotation as 'myth'. For Barthes, myths were the dominant ideologies of our time. The orders of signification called denotation and connotation combine which produce ideologies. 

Paradigms and Syntagms Roman Jakobson (1956) and later Claude Levi-Strauss developed the idea that meaning arises from the different between the signifiers, which come in two kinds:
Syntagmatic which is concerning how the audience is positioned
Paradigmatic concerning the substitution Film and televisions have paradigms which include ways of changing shot (cut, fade, dissolve and wipe). The medium and genre are also paradigms and particular media texts derive meaning from the ways in which the medium and genre used differs from the alternatives. 

When evaluating media language it is an evaluation of all the micro elements and how they have created meaning to inform us about genre, narrative, representations/ideology, targeting of audiences through these micro elements. To evaluate we have to use semiotic terminology to explain the encoding of these elements and the codes and conventions within the media texts. Looking at preferred meaning that we would ideally want our audiences to decode based on what we encode can link to the reading of texts. 

Micro Elements
Mise-En-Scene: Creates the diegetic world/diegesis which is the fictional space and time implied by the narrative, so, the world in which the story takes place. 
Key areas: location, character, cinematography, layout and page design.

Camerawork: Four elements come with camerawork which are shot types, camera composition, camera movement, camera angles
. 
Editing: Post-production technique in which the footage shot during production is cut up and reassembled in such a way as to tell the story. TV shows and films are not filmed in chronological order, after filming the 'takes', post-production edits in the correct order.

 - Long takes are takes which are of long length whereas short takes only last a few seconds. Two basic types of editing are continuity and non-continuity.

Media Language Introduction

All media has its own language in which is used to express and communicate meaning. Television is a prime example which uses verbal and written language as well as the languages of moving images and sound. It is called 'languages' as it uses similar codes and conventions which are recognisable and understandable, similar to how languages has certain features which we know are associated and represent that particular language. The messages which media deliver are constructed through using a creative language and each form of communication uses this, horror movies use scary and atmospheric music to heighten tension and fear, camera close-ups draw on apprehension and show emotion. In a romance film, scary music would be out of place and is not part of that creative language. It is important for people to understand the grammar, syntax and metaphor system of media language which increases appreciation and enjoyment of media text but also makes us less susceptible to manipulation by media. The language of sound and visuals mostly impacts this as it reaches to our emotional core.

An example of where being aware of how media language
is used, the chances of this story being true is extremely slim
therefore being able to recognise when a media text is 'lying' the
audience will not fall for manipulation.

Genre Theory Applied

Genre 5: Hybrid Genres

Nicholas Abercrombie (1996) suggests that: 'the boundaries between genres are shifting and becoming more permeable'

This is the creation of the idea of hybrid-genres. Which have become more popular in modern times. This is the idea that genres are using parts of others genres and no longer one specific genre.

Abercrombie is concerned with modern television, which he suggests seems to be engaged in 'a steady dismantling of genre’. By this he explains that overtime we are seeing a break-down of genre as codes and conventions of different genres are becoming more complex, perhaps they're no longer as recognisable as specific genres. 

David Bordwell (1989)
Bordwell states that 'any theme can appear in any genre' expanding on the idea of hybrid genres and crossing-themes. His argument is that there is no set of sufficient conditions which can mark off a genre from other sorts of groupings in ways that all film-goers or experts would find acceptable.

David Buckingham (1993)
In addition to the above theories Buckingham adds that genre isn't just a 'given' by a culture it is a constant  process of negotiation and change. Genres are not fixed and therefore this allows for genre-crossover. A good example of this is Kylie Minogues, "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" 

In this video we can see the genre of 'Pop' and 'Sci-Fi' merging and crossing over. It has dancing and performance which is typically seen as a pop convention however the setting and theme is sci-fi therefore we can see how the genre isn't fixed and has got elements of each of the genres.

Genre 4: Postmodern Style

Short Films - Eco (1981)
Short films are a medium which do not have to have a specific genre. However feature films and short films differ in that they generally focus on one or few characters and a single strand narrative. Short films can also be anti-narrative, surrealist and are often experimental, meaning they can have ambiguous or open meanings for the audience to interpret and process. Postmodern theorist, Jacques Derrida said "the law of the law of genre . . . is precisely a principle of contamination, a law of impurity". In relation to genres she believes that music videos are currently in 'genre-crossover' with short films. Many narrative videos use conventions from short films and in fact can be classed as short films. Below is Portishead - To Kill A Dead Man which is a short ten minute film including the song. We can see how it uses different conventions like a beginning, middle, end and characters to create a short film. 

Music videos are a medium to directly appeal to youth sub-cultures by reinforcing generic elements of musical genres. Music videos are used as a way of pop-promotion which are used to raise the profile of the song and the artist. Dyer would agree with this idea however believes it is more focused on the artists promotion "Music videos are postmodern texts whose main purpose is to promote a star persona (Dyer, 1975)." To do this they do not need to be literal representations of the song or lyrics but just include the artists performance in order to sell the star as an image. 
In terms of genre, narrative and performance some videos choose to combine both. Others include themes which may fit around the lyrics of the song or society which is open to experimental and controversial content. Generic conventions stay the same however the style (which is the look of the video) changes between music genres. Relating this back to the idea of music videos aiming to directly appeal to youth, certain  common themes apply in videos to do this: 

Teen angst
Rebellion
Romance
Nostalgia
Nihilism
Coming of age rituals (e.g. the prom, falling in love, losing your virginity etc.)
Tribalism: Popularity verses unpopularity, e.g. cliques
Bullying

Juvenile Delinquency: Moral panics and the teenager as a folk devil

The currency of ‘cool’

Hedonism: living purely for pleasure

Friendship

Avril Lavigne is a prime example of a artist who appeals to youth subcultures. In her earlier videos, rebellion was a main theme in her videos and not conforming to society. In her video 'Complicated' it shows her and a group of friends causing havoc at a mall, possibly conforming to what society thinks about teenagers. The video shows themes of: friendship, 'cool', shows youths as folk devils, rebellion and teenage angst. The lyrics are relating to romance however which isn't shown in the video as much as the rebellion side.

Genre 3: Rich Altman

Rick Altman argues that  genres offer a 'set of pleasures'. These are in effect the reactions that are offered to an audience.

Emotional Pleasures: Emotional pleasures offered to audiences of genre forms are significant when they generate a strong audience response. This can be a wave of emotional reactions ranging from happy to sad to angry.


Visceral Pleasures: This is a physical reaction feeling from the audience. Referring to 'internal organs' and 'gut' responses which are defined by how the film's stylistic construction elicits a physical effect on the audience. Often these are related to feelings of revolution, kinetic speed or a 'roller-coaster ride'.




Intellectual Puzzle: These pleasures offer the audience a media text
which urges them to use their brain and mind to concentrate and work out plots. Films such as thrillers or 'whodunnit' are an example of genre's which the audience can feel pleasure in trying to unravel a mystery or a puzzle. The audience can feel satisfaction which derives from deciphering the plot and forecasting the end or finding themselves surprised by the unexpected.

Genre 2: Jason Mittel

Styles and treatments are different from genres as they do not have a specific 'look'. For example comedy and animation are not genres but a 'style'.

 Jason Mittel (2001) believes genres are cultural categories which surpass the boundaries of media texts and operate within industry, audience and cultural practices. Industries harness and use genres to sell products to audiences. Media producers use familiar codes and conventions that often make cultural references to their audiences knowledge and society. This creates a genre, which allows audiences to make choices what products they want to consume.

Genre 1: Steve Neale

Barry Keith Grant (1995) believes that all genres have sub-genres, which is a genre within a genre. With this in mind he argues that they're divided up into more specific categories which allow audiences to identify within them specifically by their familiar and what becomes recognisable codes and conventions.

Here we can see a range of genres and what is counted as a 'sub-genre'
of that genre. 

However as opposition Steve Neale (1995) states 'Genres' are not 'systems' instead they are processes of systemisation'. This idea is that genres are dynamic and evolve over time to have different iconography such as location and props. The main contributors to genre are institution, text and audience. As throughout time these factors change media products must adapt to this. Below we can see how the film 'Cowboys Vs. Aliens' is a cross-over of the Western genre and the Sci-Fi genre. The lighting shows this. In the alien picture the lighting is blue, in the western picture we can see oranges and yellows representing the western sunset. In the mixed genre picture we can see how the both oranges and blues have been used to show a contrast of genres. We have the traditional 'look' of a cowboy on the poster (gun, cowboy hat, brown pants and a shirt) however we can see on his left arm a futuristic looking device which glows blue. Signifying the sci-fi element to the film.

Genre Introduction

Genre is useful to study texts and audiences responses to texts by dividing them into categories based on common elements. Genre is a paradigm which uses codes, conventions and iconography which the audience can recognise. Daniel Chandler (2001) puts forward that the word 'genre' comes from the French and means 'a kind' or 'class'.
Different genre characteristics:
- Mise-en-scene
-Narrative
-Generic types and archetypes
-Typical studios/production companies
-Typical personnel
-Typical sound design
-Typical editing

Audience Theory 3: Uses and Gratification

Audience Theory 2: Stuart Hall

An Example of Stuart Hall applied:

 

Stuart Hall applied to the video I am analysing:

Audience Theory 1: The Hypodermic Needle Theory

Hypodermic Needle Theory

The hypodermic needle theory looks at how the mass media has a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences. Based in the 1940s and 1950s the media was perceived as a powerful influence on its audiences behaviour. Several factors contributed to this strong effects of media theory of communication:

 •The fast rise and popularization of radio and television

•The emergence of the persuasion industries, such as advertising.

The idea of the hypodermic needle theory is that through injecting or shooting the audience with direct messages the mass media is able to influence their behaviour. The appropriate messages they ‘inject’ are designed to trigger a desired response.

The theory suggests a powerful and direct flow of information from the sender to the receiver. Hypodermic model suggests that media messages are injected straight into a passive audience, which is immediately influenced behaviour.

Media is a dangerous way of communicating an idea because the receiver or audience is powerless to resist the impact of the message. It expresses the view that people are passive and are seen as having a lot of media material ‘shot’ at them. If there is no other source of information people listen and believe what they’re told as there is no other inputs.  The theory is under the assumption that as an audience we believe everything we see/hear in the media.

This could be an example of what the hypodermic needle
theory explains that the audience are subject to the media's
messages and are influenced so powerfully the message
immediately effects their behaviour which they act upon.

In 1930 a radio broadcast a play called “War of the Worlds” which was told in the broadcasting style of a news broadcast, it caused panic across the US as the audience were ‘passive’ to believe it. The idea of a 'passive' audience means that the audience are not aware of the falseness which could come with news stories or media therefore will believe anything they are told. 

Criticisms of the theory: 

Out of date and invalid:

In modern times people are more aware of society and how institutions operate. To add to this technology has developed and how we consume media and the sources of where it originates have changed. 

Not everyone watches the news/ consumes it in the same way:

It is too much to assume that audiences are simply passive to believe media, more recent theories have proved this. Unlike in the 1950s, society is now surrounded by technology and media therefore individuals are so used to consuming media texts that they understand conventions and know when to reject messages if they deem them insignificant.

Stanley Cohen's Book: Folk Devils And Moral  Panics (1972) 
Cohen believes that the media creates folk devils out of subcultures, particularly youths. The 'moral panic' is the reaction to a group or what the media has created, the reaction will view it as a threat to society. A recent example would be the fear of terrorism, through media amplification a moral panic is the result of how the media represents terrorism. The media has then created 'folk devils' out of Muslims, people may 'fear' Muslims because of how they have been represented in the media and linked to terrorism. When in actual fact it is a small number of Muslim extremists which have committed acts of terrorism, however, through how the media has reported on it heavily it creates fear in people and could effect their behaviour towards Muslims. Muslims may be more subject to be searched in airports and have people negatively react to them because of the folk devil which is imposed upon them. This links with the idea of the hypodermic needle as media is delivered to the audience and can have an immediate effect to influence their behaviour in this case, it creates a moral panic and folk devils. 
Cohen's case study was based on how 'the battle' between the Mods and the Rockers was represented in the media in the 1960s. What he found was that through media amplification it showed the mods and rockers as folk devils. Through the moral panic which was created it put pressure on the police to sort out the battle. The police's response was harsh sentences and increased arrests. The police only reacted in this way because of the moral panic and pressure which the media placed upon them. 

Narrative Theory 8: Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin (1992)

Believes that music videos are highly complex narratives meaning can be created from the audience’s interpretation.  In 1992 he released a book, Dancing In The Distraction Factory, the book highlights these general key points:

• Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

How what we see on screen can be related to the lyrics. What are the similarities between the imagery and shots to the lyrics? Having these two key parts to a music video production relate, it can help the audience create their ideas of the song and its meaning.

• Relationship between the music and the visuals.

This is when the song is promoted through the relation of visuals to music. The video is in sync with the music and cuts and edits follow the rhythm and the beat of the song. This can create a visually pleasing video as people feel satisfied by the synchronisation of the music and imagery.

• Genre Characteristics.

Goodwin argues that music videos have genre characteristics, this is the expectations the audience creates of a music video based on the genre of the artist and song. In pop videos for example, people often expect bold colourings, dancers, the artist lip-syncing. A rock music video is often tagged with the characteristics of flashing lights, fast cuts and edits, dark colourings.

Tainted Love (Marilyn Manson)
Video shows dark costumes and lighting, rebellious actions

Pop Song, California Gurls (Katy Perry)
Video includes, bright colours, lip-syncing, dancing

• 
  
• 
  

• Demands From Record Labels

Record labels focus on creating a set image for their artists therefore it is advantageous for them to use close-ups and use motifs which reoccur through their videos. This will help make the image they're trying to create 'stick' in the audiences head so they relate certain features with the artist. Through all this they're effectively creating a 'star image' for the audience to consume and recognise. Music videos work to make sure the artist is the centre of attention. For example, Michael Jackson had a white glove he'd wear on one hand which became an internationally unique to his character. The gloves have been auctioned off following his death in 2009. One was sold for $330,000.  

MJ, 2001.

MJ, 1984

• Emphasis on 'Look'

General for music videos to have women dressed provocatively
for the purpose of the 'male'. 

This can be related to Laura Mulveys 'Male Gaze' theory. In how music videos have frequent references to the notion of looking and the voyeuristic treatment of the female body. This can be women and males who are portrayed in a sexual way although more often than not it is women who are presented as sexual objects. Voyeurism is commonly used as the notion of 'sex sells' and this is how music videos are showing women in order to sell the artist and their music. It can be shown through the use of props, cinematography, outfits. These can work to extenuate a women's sexual appearance.

The use of the prop here is suggestive, males are rarely
not shown this way. 

•  Intertextual references.

Sometimes music videos will make references to films, games, other music videos, TV. By doing this they allow the audience to find some recognition with the video therefore they enjoy the prospect they are in on the references, this helps create a more memorable and relatable music video. An example is Mr Brightside by The Killers in which their music video has common themes related with the film Moulin Rouge.

Mr Brightside Music Video 2004

Moulin Rouge Film 2001

How To Analyse Music Videos
Andrew states there are five areas in which the audience should look for when watching music videos in order to analyse them.

1. Thought Through Beat - 'Seeing what they mean or represent in your head'

Step 1: Take the song and look at the structure of it, including understanding the chorus' and verses

Step 2: Listen to the vocals of the song and the stars voice. The artists voice is unique and the way in which they sing the song can give us indication to the indication of the song and intentions. The audience will form an identification with the voice and relate it to the artists image. When we have covers of songs although the lyrics may be the same, factors of the singer will affect how the audience interprets the song, they can be as simple as the gender of the voice.

Step 3: The artist works to tell us a story, the third step is what the story is. We may view the artist as a story teller who is trying to show their story to us. The music video can help create a visual representation of the story to compliment the artists vocals.

2. Narrative and Performance
Goodwin believed it was important for the artist to be a main feature in the video. Whether they're the main character or seen performing their song in it. This helps the audience create a connection with each of the artists video as they see them play characters and perform, through the performance aspect it allows a sense of realism to the video and song. The audience also can become more engaged if they're a fan of the artist to see them in the video. However he also puts forward the idea that songs rarely come to a clear conclusion of the narrative. We can get the general meaning of the song but music videos can explore it in more detail to show a way the story can be interpreted. He adds that music videos should ignore common narrative as a purpose of advertising. Narrative and performance work together to keep the audiences interest and allow them to re-watch videos without getting bored. 'Roar' is a good example of this by Katy Perry, she is the main character but is also performing the song through lip-syncing. This keeps people more involved as they recognize Katy Perry therefore are interested in seeing the story unfold with her in it.

3. The Star Image
Building on the idea of the demands of the record label. It is important in a music video for the artist to have an image. Overtime an identity is created of the stars through their music videos therefore when it comes to the production of a new one they can take this image and adapt it to the screen and apply it in a way they know the audience will want to consume.

4. Relations of Visuals to the song

Between the lyrics and the visual on-screen, there are three ways visuals:

Illustrate:  Through different cinematography methods and specific images these are used to illustrate and explain the songs narrative. The lyrics and visuals can be connected and help create the same message/meaning of the song.

Cyndi Lauper- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is a music video which follows this, the visuals directly relate to the visuals.  

Another more conceptual video which uses this is Every Other Freckle by Alt-J. The scenes show what is described in the lyrics when it says 'cat beds into a bean-bag' we see a cat jumping into a bean bag.

Disjuncture: The meaning of the song is completely ignored in the video and does not have a relation to the lyrics as much. 

Amplify: Shots and images are repeated throughout the video in order to leave a memorable mark in the audiences vision.

5. Technical Aspects
A main part of the music video is technical features which can be seen to 'hold' the music video together. Key parts to this is, cinematography, mise-en-scene, sound and editing.
Cinematography elements include camera movements, the speed of these, camera angles, range of shots, focal points, depth of field, shots.
Mise-en-scene adds authentication and realism to create a more professional look.
Editing, post-production can include various cuts, special effects and the order in which the music video clips are shown.
Lighting and colour are key parts to help set certain moods and creating emphasis on certain points of the song.
Beats of the song can be created when the music video cuts to the 'beat' of the music, this is useful to create an engaging and entertaining video. This is particularly usually associated with up-beat dance genre music videos.

Narrative Theory 7: Kate Domaile

Kate Domaile (2001) believes every story ever told can fit into 8 different narrative structures:


1. Achilles: Someone has a fatal flaw which leads to weakness and creates destruction. E.g. Superman.

Superman is a hero and saves lives however he his flaw is Krptonite which he cannot touch as it blocks his ability, it is also poisonous to him. 

2. Candide: The indomitable hero who cannot be put down. E.g. James Bond, Indian Jones.    

Bond is the hero who cannot be beat. In each film his character is unbeaten. 

3. Cinderella: The dream comes true and there is a happy ending. E.g. Footloose.

At the ending of Footloose everything they wanted to happen did and the ban on dancing is broken. The main character also gets the girl and they fall in love.

4. Circe: The chase, we have innocent and the victim, good and bad. E.g. Iron Man.

5. Faust: Selling your soul to the devil may bring riches but eventually your soul belongs to him. E.g. The Devil's Advocate.

6. Orpheus: Loss of something personal, the tragedy. It can also be following the loss of something, the retrieval. E.g. Taken.

7. Romeo + Juliet: The love story. A romance between two characters. E.g. Titanic.

8. Tristan and Iseult: Love Triangle. When a character loves another but is already spoken for or a third party becomes involved. E.g. Twilight, Bridget Jones' Diary.

Bridget Jones' Diary follows a woman who's eye catches two men, she also catches their eye and it becomes a tale of 'who will win the girl'. 

Narrative Theory 6: Pam Cook

Pam Cook (1985) like Todorov she similarly believes stories follow a path to solve a mystery. Through this she says all classical Hollywood narrative structures should have linearity of cause and effect within an overall enigma resolution. Stories must have a high degree of narrative closure, audiences like to feel the story has an end so the chronological line of cause and effect keeps going. The fictional world must have some verisimilitude especially governed by spatial and coherence.

Sacrilege, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Looking at the narrative structure in terms of Pam Cooks theory I believe it does apply to a certain extent. Cook talks about the story having narrative closure. By the end of the video we have seen what events led up to what we are shown at the beginning (the girl being burnt alive). Therefore there is some kind of narrative closure that the audience can feel, however from reading comments and my own experience watching the video only once doesn't always satisfy this. The video is open to interpretation of what the sequence of her and the other people mean (imagination or real events) therefore in this way some viewers may not feel a complete degree of narrative closure until they come to their own decision on what happened in the video. However with this in mind the narrative does start with the end which goes against Pam cooks idea of linearity therefore it doesn't follow the traditional structure Pam talks about.
Cook also talks about fictional worlds having 'verisimilitude'. Through the mise-en-scene I think it is very believable that the town and its people could be real. The locations all represent ideas of what people would imagine a stereotypical small american town to have.

The town has a sheriff which is stereotypical of small town.
We do not see any other police force therefore believe him to be the only one.
He seems to be well integrated into society as he attends the wedding we are
shown at the end.  We imagine he knows everyone in the town and their business. 

The place which she escapes from may possibly be a motel although
it could also be a block of small apartment. Motels in America which are
 found near or in small towns are often one floor and long in length.
 But the panels of wood on the exterior are similar to what is used
 on the exterior of american buildings. Again this reinforces the realism
of the location.

This scene also adds to the verisimilitude as most small towns
will have a mechanics. This also reinforces the realism of the
characters as we know that he has a job working in the town,
showing the younger boy here with his car will also support
the idea that within the town everyone knows each other and it
is a community.

Narrative Theory 5: Michael Shore

Michael Shore (1984)
Believes all music videos are recycled styles. Meaning through some way or another the same concepts are used and no video is completely unique at it will show some recycled styles. He uses the phrase 'information overload' to describe them and they're 'style scavengers' mostly all music videos use the same ideas. The idea of decadence in which music videos show of excessive indulgence. He talks about how music videos have an 'anaesthetisation of violence through chic' through being shown violence on-screen people are no longer shocked by it, for a lot of people it may be what they thrive off seeing in a video. Not many people watch violence on screen with outrage, generally it is consumed as entertainment. A lot of videos include speed, girls, wealth and power portraying adolescent male fantasies these lead into soft-core pornography with the recycled clichéd imagery. This argument can be brought into modern day society as there are many people who believe within the media women are sexualised and material is seen as too provocative for audience viewing. With the internet and new ways of consuming media nothing is very hidden from the public, and it is fairly easy for minors to access material they shouldn't be watching. A lot of the time people would argue it is not even hidden and is open for anyone to view, like how women are shown in music videos. The sexual objectification can be dangerous not only to girls themselves but give this ideology to younger boys as well who may then see this as an acceptable way to treat girls.

Satisfaction, Benny Benassi.
Women are continuously shown in this video as sexual objects
the use of slow motion, provocative behaviour and revealing
outfits could be argued to conform to Shore's theory as it could be seen
as a adolescent male fantasy of women. 

 
The fact the women are using power-tools which we stereotypically see men as using, shows how males using power tools aren't seen as 'sexy' however in this video females are breaking stereotypes by using them but it is used for sexualisation purposes.
A good example of 'anaesthetisation of violence through chic' is Bob Dylan's Beyond Here Lies Nothin' music video in which a woman and a man have an violent fight. We assume he had been keeping her prisoner and she escapes, the fight is quite explicit in terms of violence. At the end of the video the two end up kissing which for many was quite a controversial ending however throughout the video the use of sound amplifies the sheer scale of the violence. Some watching would feel uncomfortable at times but we still watch it and accept it as 'normal' because as an audience of fictional television, films and music videos we're used to seeing violence therefore have developed an acceptance when it is shown in videos like this.

Narrative Theory 4: Todorov

Todorov (1960s) states that narratives must have a solution. 

Believes all narratives start in a state of 'Equilibrium' in which they're open to disruption, when the disruption occurs this sets off a series of events which lead to a quest in order to solve the problem so order can be re-stored resulting in a re-equilibrium. His theory can be most commonly applied to films however in music videos sometimes they have a more 'conceptual' purpose and do not have a clear narrative. There are five stages to Todorovs theory.

1. Equilibrium.
The first part to a story in which everything is settled and life is as normal.

2. Disruption
The part in the story in which something happens or a problem occurs to change this happiness.

3. Quest
After the disruption people realise there is a problem therefore set out to fix it.

4. Resolution
In the story they are working to fix the problem.

5. Re-Equilibrium
The ending to a story were all order has been restored and life continues as normal. Although because of the events that have taken place this means it will be different to the initial state as the consequences of the disruption and resolution will affect the re-equilibrium.

Narrative Theory 3: Tim O'Sullivan

O'Sullivan believes all media texts tell some kind of story and all narratives have a common theme. Through meditation, media texts offer a way of telling stories about ourselves not always about ourselves but the story as a culture. The concept of his theory is that stories reflect our culture, they can reflect society at the time of filming dealing with various 'themes' and 'issues' present in the time period. 

Below is a chart showing how Tim O'Sullivan's theory works. 

Ideologies present rely on the choices institutions make as they decide what is important. Artists choose what interests them and their values. Ideology reflects their technology and culture. 

An example of this is Plan B's ill Manors song following the London Riots in 2011. It very much represents his ideas and values at the time based on the culture of the working class. Arguably people have labelled it one of the greatest protest songs of british history. Growing up in London Plan B (Ben Drew) describes his difficulties growing up, he states, "We weren't working class but we weren't middle class, we were in the void in-between. I've always felt like a social outcast." 

Therefore he will have experienced both working class ideologies and the middle class and seen how treatment varies on the classes. The song isn't promoting riots and deeming the behavior as acceptable. Its is more an attack on the government and its policies which fuel the reputation of council estate youths. The irony is that he is describing the stereotypes people have of people living on council estates however this is the image the government depicts of them. Based on some incidents they generalize the whole group.  People think of London as a glamorous city with opportunities when the matter of the fact is that it is sugar-coated and what is shown in the media, across the country council estates exist and they do in London too, however the government just show these as social problems, many of their policies is to highlight this and make other people believe all council estate youths are deviant and criminals. However there is no excuse for crime, Plan B is stating how youths of council estates are set up from the start of life to be failures. The government does not help this in anyway. 

Plan B on the song and the term 'Chav':

 "When you attack someone because of the way they talk, the way they dress, the music they listen to, or their lack of education, and you do it publicly and it's acceptable to do that, you make them feel alienated. They don't feel like a part of society … For every person who uses the word chav there is a less educated person ready to embrace it. They say, well, look, I'm never going to change the way you think of me so actually I'm going to play up to it and fuel the fire. In essence that's what Ill Manors is about."

This is essentially saying that by labelling people with the term 'chav' and 'criminal' they become isolated and therefore end up conforming to the label which is the process of the 'Self-Fulfilling Prophecy'. 

The use of a child in the video also shows how kids
are exposed to the violence and are effected by the state of the
government. Their policies effect childrens future.

 "Keep on believing what you read in the paper 

Council estate kids, scum of the earth"

These lyrics show how he is saying the media generate this image of what council estate youths are like, it is sarcastic as this is how they're presented but he's saying they're not all like this, upper class create the image of what they want us to believe.

Who closed down the community center?
I kill time there used to be a member
What will I do now 'til September?
Another example of how it is an attack on the government, many community centers were closed down by the Touries therefore it is insinuating that again their policies work against the working class.

The video sparked debates and conflict. These comments
show one example of how different people
 interpreted the video.

The effect of the video is so great because Plan B is a famous artist therefore when releasing the song initially fans will watch it. Many people will be interested in the song as of its release after the London Riots because it is relevant to what is happening in the society around them. The news present their viewpoint of the riots showing all who take part as 'criminals' however this video allows us to see the other perspective and it outlines the bigger issue in society, which Plan B believes is societies structure and the inequality of classes. We can see how this is reflecting the culture at the time of release and what he thought was social problems. Overall the video uses fast cuts, edits and ideologies of the working class and stereotypical 'deviants' from council estates to create an impact. The beat of the song works to make people 'feel' something, many may start to feel angry towards the system and agree with the message Plan B is trying to get across however others (many would argue the target of the video, upper class) may view it as offensive and rude.