Wednesday, 7 October 2015

critical investigation research

Media Representations 

  • Who is being represented? In what way? By whom? both males and females are being represented in the mudic vedio, though the lyrics, facial expression exposure of skin, body language and also the way they treat one another. This is done by the characters in the medic video, in a interview it was said that it as initially supoosed to be a comedy music video and that the naked ladies idea was the directors idea which was later approved by Robin Thick.
  • Why is the subject being represented in this way? I think it may be to outline how some parts of society view woman and men and wrongly implies the roles of the genders. The subject is being represented as an object of pleasure.
  • Is the representation fair and accurate? No, definitely not! 
  • What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject? 
People say, 'Hey, do you think this is degrading to women?' I'm like, 'Of course it is. What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman. I've never gotten to do that before. I've always respected women.'there are many gateways in terms of financial stability as they are getting paid however the exploitation of the subject in such a vile manner will only lead to self degradation.

Media Languages and Forms 
  • What are the denotative and connotative levels of meaning?
connotation:an idea or feeling which a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning
Denotation: the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests

  • What is the significance of the text’s connotations?
The explicit nearly all nude, females highlights their sexuality, this suggests that they are sex objects because of not only the lyrics and body language but also the huge comparison of the amount of clothing the man are wearing. The significance of the connotation is that a certain representation of woman is being made in the media, which may settle in the minds of the public, and have an impact on not only the way some people may view woman but also have an affect on how some woman personally view them selves, which may affect their self esteem because they may not look a certain way.
  • What are the non-verbal structures of meaning in the text (e.g. gesture, facial expression, positional communication, clothing, props etc)?
The gestures made may be considered inappropriate but also for a bit of fun. The men and dancing or standing around looking unbothered until the female makes a sensual move or expression which ultimately looks as though they do not value the woman around them unless they do what they want them to do.
The communication of the singing men is mostly directly at us, however the woman are just interacting with the singers.
men: formal clothing
females: nearly naked or figure hugging clothing
  • What is the significance of mise-en-scene/sets/settings (CLAMPS)?
The lighting is quite bright so they we may clearly see their facial expressions etc. However, filler lighting has been used to round their faces and make them look more glamorous.
The setting is just a plain white background this may be significant as it creates an intimate setting, removing visual distractions so that your viewers can focus their attention on the subject.
The shots made have been adjusted to make the shot look fun and flexible, panning has been used as Pherell walks across the room, this technique has been used to make the music video more interactive as the views follow the character on the screen. Close ups, medium shots and long shots have been used to. This is either to identify the facial expressions of the characters so that the audience may identify with them and also, the long shots have been made so that the audience can see the characters at full length, they are usually zoomed in a out, this is significant as it highlights their there costumes (whether they are or are not wearing them)



  • What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?

The sound track and the language of the text is promoting the singers, it starting popping headlines and causing controversy. 

 CALLING HER AN ANIMAL? 'YOU AN ANIMAL BABY ITS IN YOUR NATURE' -no boundaries to how they are representing/traeting females

 quite sinister lyrics ^ur a bad girl theres an animal in you, telling them who they are and what they want. 

 feminist parody's have been made in response 
blurred lines- between consensual and not

 robin turns around and says its part of a feminist movement- trying to say that hes empowering woman by encouraging them to have sex with any man- THE IRONY

  • What are the dominant images and iconography, and what is their relevance to the major themes of the text?
The iconic singers pharell and Robin Thick are in it and this is relevant to the major theme as it expresses their view as they choose what they want to air on the media. 
The famous model icon Emily Ratajkowski who is also in a movie with Zac Efron and on the cover of InStyle UK, 
Use of hansh tag, twitter makes the audience more comfortable by seeing something recognisable also to help promote the song, to get the hash tag trending 
  • What sound and visual techniques are used to convey meaning (e.g. camera positioning, editing; the ways that images and sounds are combined to convey meaning)?

  1. the camera shots zooming in at girls face when she poses sensually, 
  2. facial expression towards woman, zoom in (looking in a evocative and suggestive way)
  3. red lipstick may indicate danger
  4. biting lips suggest sexual behaviour
  5. limited clothing on females compared to men suggesting dominance, making females look disrespected and unprofessional 
  6. tracking shot (showing naked woman in a specific way)
  7. close up then tilts camera to man to focus on man (robin)
  8. camera centred to focus on woman
  9. car on females back may suggest materialism and therefore objectification

Narrative 

  • How is the narrative organised and structured?
the narrative is not structured in an orderly manner, it doesn't really have a particular order apart from singing then rapping, the females and males are just stadning around the setting does not change suggesting no change in the narrative too
    • How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?
the singers are sort of telling the audince a story then change it to first person as though they are speaking to the woman.
    • How are characters delineated? What is their narrative function? How are heroes and villains created?
well one interpretation to the music video is that, because the females the females seem bored and sometimes unhappy this may make them the 'bad' ones as they are ruining the 'fun' for the men. these are created through there facial expressions and body language.
    • What techniques of identification and alienation are employed?
its not so clearly established however, camera shots and body language and facial expressions and eye contact play a huge role in it.
    • What is the role of such features as sound, music, iconography, genre, mise-en-scene, editing etc within the narrative? these features help convey the message, in this specific instance the narrative does not progress so much on screen than on lyrics.
    • What are the major themes of the narrative? What values/ideologies does it embody? the major themes of the narrative is 'trying to pull a girl' these values and ideologies encapsulate disrespect and degradation of females as he thinks it is ok for him to dehumanise and act in such a disdain manner towards woman

    Genre 

    • To which genre does the text belong? R&B and funk
    • What are the major generic conventions within the text? 
music,camera shots ,camera movements, editing (jump cuts), expressive lighting, mise en scene
    • What are the major iconographic features of the text?
use of twitter hash-tag, appearance of singers, 3/4 mins long duration, performance, real life situation, motif, objectification of woman object of male desire, suggest a story and symbols eg. use of props 
    • What are the major generic themes?
    • To what extent are the characters generically determined? lust for power, identity crisis, role of mean and woman, temptation, 
    • To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled or cheated by the text? Does the text conform to the characteristics of the genre, or does it treat them playfully or ironically? the text does conform to certain characteristics of the fantasy genre however plays with everlasting love because of the wrong  sensual intentions placed in the audiences mind about the woman from the men in the music video
    • Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have? Robin Thicke does not usually associate him self with disrespecting woman, however this music video may be controversial and change peoples perceptions about his ideologies. Also Pharrell Williams defended him self in an interview on channel 4, 
    Media Institutions 
    • What is the institutional source of the text?
"Blurred Lines" is a single written and performed by American recording artists Robin Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell Williams (credited as "Pharrell"). Produced by Williams, the song was released as the lead single from Thicke's album of the same name on March 26, 2013 through Star Trak Recordings Recorded in 2012, the song was primarily inspired by the Marvin Gaye song "Got to Give It Up", and was largely the work of Williams. However, Thicke clearly laid claim to writing credits on the track according to a Reuters article. The song became the subject of a bitter legal dispute with the family of Gaye and Bridgeport Music as to whether the song infringed copyrights to "Got to Give It Up". Thicke and Williams were found liable of copyright infringement by a federal jury in March 2015.

    • In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?  (Pherrell)
    • Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does this make to the text? its a commercial institution, they make loads of money out of it and is just typical of them as they are not doing anything to improve society or help communities becomes better with new and high brow perceptions
    • Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter? its been produced by Pharell Williams
    • How has the text been distributed? though social media

    Media Values and Ideology 

    • What are the major values, ideologies and assumptions underpinning the text or naturalised within it?                                                     It has nothing high brow and it just for banter


    Media Audiences 

    • To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience? (Demographics, Psychographics) the younger generation probably for people ages 16-25 however was taken off YouTube to nudity and 
    • What assumptions about the audience’s characteristics are implicit within the text? People that are not so concerned about how they are portrayed, and may not have a critical opinion on contemporary matters.  
    • In what conditions is the audience likely to receive the text? Does this impact upon the formal characteristics of the text? they may come across it on advertisements for vevo, only the censored and edited/re-filmed version is on Youtube.
    • What do you know or can you assume about the likely size and constituency of the audience? It won 8 awards and was the number one hit song for short period of time in America.
    • What are the probable and possible audience readings of the text? Ages 15-25 young adults, may be mostly  middle class.
    • What are the audience pleasures, uses or gratifications?  (Refer to theory). entertainment and diversion
    • How do you, as an audience member, read and evaluate the text? To what extent is your reading and evaluation influenced by your age, gender, background etc? I would evaluate the text, complimenting the beat camera work however I actually feel offended and even concerned about what they are portraying to the audience in terms of lyrics, female costumes in comparison to the males and also how much contribution is being put in by the females in the video.
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