CB: Track Ideas

Key:

·         Dyer

·         Goodwin

·         Archer

·         Semiotics

   We Belong Together (Mariah Carey, 2005)

·        Sexual magnetism is constructed through the use of revealing costumes Mariah wears; these include dresses and long shirts displaying her legs and chest.

·       Star qualities represented in this video are youthfulness and originality. Mariah is made to look young by the soft lighting focused on her face, as well as wearing elegant clothing such as a silk dress further highlighting her upper class status. Originality is communicated by the addition of a wedding incorporated within the video, possibly showing her own personal tastes for the traditional occasion.

·       The video is amplified in the way that the lyrics have some connection to the visuals, with the main chorus of “we belong together” being sung as Mariah runs off with her other man.

·        Many CUs are included of Mariah in order for the audience to create a rapport with her and to view her visual motif of being seen as beautiful. This image is determined by her luscious long hair and subtle make up which emphasises her facial qualities such as her brown eyes.

·        Synaesthesia is built within the song by the soft beat of the music which creates a delicate mood. This is key in establishing a romantic demeanour as it allows the audience to connect with the lyrics and make sense of the general emotions that are meant to be received. Also, using Barthes’ ‘grain of voice’ theory, we can say that Mariah has a soft tone to her voice which works well with the music and overall feel of the song.

·       Narrative fuzz is highlighted within the video of a dysfunctional relationship consisting of a love triangle between a man, his fiancée and another man on the side. The effect on the audience of Mariah running away with the other man on her wedding day, suggests that maybe we think that we belong with one person when actually we belong with someone else. (This being the songs real meaning).

·       Iconic signs of dominance and power are captured by Mariah as she sits in confident positions, dominating the camera frame by the use of her arms and legs being flung about. Also, as she leaves her supposed husband-to-be, he just looks on longing allowing her to ‘embarrass’ him in front of friends and family members.

·       This challenges social myths of men’s hegemony over women whilst also highlighting social change, as Mariah has the power to leave him standing at the alter before they get married with him showing no reaction. Whereas in the olden days, women would have received a beating for showing aspects of disloyalty towards their husbands.

 Blurred Lines (Robin Thicke, 2013)

·         A rebellious star image is built by an anti-authoritarian attitude communicated by Robin, as he has props such a cigarette and a bottle of alcohol in the video both in which he smokes and drinks.  This could possibly be a reflection of today’s society with the youth subculture being demonised and labelled as’ hooligans’ by subsidiary media.

·         The paradox of the artist being present to the audience is relevant within the video as Robin constantly looks at the camera whilst he sings. This establishes a relationship between the artist and audience as he is breaking the ‘fourth wall’ by speaking directly to them. However, he is absent to a certain extent as he wears black sunglasses covering his eyes which defer the audience away from him as the connection is broken.

·         R&B genre characteristics of the artist performing are broken in the video as Robin simply walks around within the frame or is standing still. This possibly highlights his personal characteristics of being a chilled out, lazy person or that he has an arrogant demeanour in thinking he doesn’t need to dance in order produce an appealing music video.

·         Voyeurism is constructed through the notion of looking with the repeated use of MCUs focusing on Robin and a female. The camera lingers on theses specific shots as they show him with a different girl everytime, communicating a sense of sexual magnetism in that he is made to appear desirable to women.

·         The video can be seen as amplified to a certain extent with the lyrics having some connection to the visuals; for example, when he says ‘good girl’ an image of a girl appears on screen. However, it could be argued that the video is disjunctive as it is potentially about sexual intercourse and there are no other indicators of this (such as a bed or intimate touching) apart from girls wrapped in plastic and wearing minimal clothing.

·         The video has a fairly fast cutting rate that creates a visually decentred experience needed for music video consumption, with some images occasionally moving so fast that they are impossible to understand on the first viewing. This makes an audience want to view the video several times in order to make sense of it, which increases the videos repeatability.

·         The indexical sign associated with Robin has been the develop of the hashtag symbol, which pops up on screen every now and then throughout the video. They mainly state his last name ‘Thicke’ which acts as a constant reminder to the audience of his name, with Blurred Lines being his first major single to hit the charts. It also acts as his USP, with the constant reminder of his name selling him to an audience.

·         The juxtaposition of iconic and linguistic signs encourages an audience to want to make sense of his star image. For example, in the video he is neatly presented in a black suit however with an unbuttoned shirt which is a signifier that he is rebellious to some extent. Although, as we see him in a suit he sings about girls in a degrading manor which is unlikely of someone dressed so formally.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Whitney Houston, 1987) 

·         Semi mythological sets of meanings are constructed around Whitney as she presents qualities such as youthfulness and creativity within her video. With her big frizzy hair and tight dresses, she is a stereotypical teenager of the 20^th century having fun and embracing life to its maximum. Creativity is included by the change in lighting of vivid colours from pink to blue and to yellow which add to the disco type atmosphere.

·         The paradox of the artist appearing ordinary and extraordinary can be seen within this video, with Whitney looking like a normal teenage girl however possessing a huge set of lungs which make her voice special and unique to her. This goes onto act as her USP, with an audience relating a powerful voice to her.

·         This video conforms to genre characteristics with Whitney dancing throughout the majority of the video, accompanied by actors in some shots. The use of such dancing helps to develop a fun and energetic mood which makes an audience want to watch it again and again, possibly in an attempt to copy some of the moves contained within it.

·         An amplified effect is adopted in the video as the lyrics have some connection with the visuals, for example, as Whitney sings “I want to dance with somebody” a man is seen dancing in front of her as she sits.

·         Meat shots are used significantly throughout the video in order to bring the audience closer to the artist. The manipulation of CUs therefore allows the audience to connect with the lyrics more, as Whitney is singing them directly into the camera. This is because the voice is seen as the most important part of R&B music.

·         Synaesthesia is built within the song by the up-beat tone of music which instantly positions the audience to be within a night club surrounding. This is key in establishing the overall feel of the song as its purpose is to make people want to dance along to it. Furthermore, in using Barthes’ ‘grain of voice’ theory, we can say that Whitney had a strong tone of voice which encouraged an audience to listen and sing with her.

·         Iconic signs of dominance and power are seen within Whitney as she stands upright when she sings, demonstrating her confidence. She also makes use of the camera frame by moving about, highlighting her passion for singing and interest in the song. As an audience can see these traits within her, it encourages them to enjoy the song also.

·         The indexical sign associated with Whitney is her big hair and powerful voice, which are instantly relatable to an audience. The frizzy hair especially has acted as a replicable prop that an audience has used to imitate her image.