Production Diary Four - 04/10/2017

The two theories that I researched were Andrew Goodwin’s Analysis Of Music Videos and Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze. From the former, I learnt about the three types of music video; narrative, concept or performance. Each one of these is aimed at different people and will be used dependant on the genre. I also learnt about genre characteristics; which suggests that there are always conventions for each genre – like different costumes or filming techniques. Goodwin also suggests that there is always a link between Lyrics/Music and visuals – as in the things we see will always link or relate to what we are hearing, whether that be fast paced shots or actually showing props mentioned in the lyrics. Record labels are said to require close-ups and artist motifs so that the band/artist can be sold as a product alongside the music – which means that they can build an audience that lasts longer as it is not just attached to one album or song. Finally, music videos often contain a sense of voyeurism – which talks about the idea of eyes and being watched.

What I learnt from Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory is much more simple. She suggests the idea that women are objectified and sexualised in media texts in order to draw in a larger audience (often male). However, this can also be applied in the mirrored sense (with males being objectified to draw women).

From this research, I was able to learn some techniques that need to be used in our own music video; especially with the lyric/music and visual linkage and the close-ups and motifs. We will also be blending narrative and performance and will attempt to use female gaze theory to draw in a wider audience.