Riptide Analysis: Media Language

Question 1

1. Which type of editing is used in an overt way to convey a large amount of info?
2. What do the disparate images invite?
   - Give an example of this.
3. What can shots with possible relations to the lyrics be referred to as?
   - What does the video reject for most parts?

Answer 1

1. Montage editing.
2. Audience interpretation.
   - Male and female turn heads, cuts to seemingly unrelated pile of dollar bills.
3. Visual metaphors.
   - A clearly defined narrative.

Question 2

1. What kind of representation is repeated throughout the video?
   - Give an example of this.
   - What does this subvert?
2. What does the opening shot make use of?
   - What does the title at the bottom of the screen look like?
   - What genres of film does the video reference?
3. What kind of iconography does the video use?

Answer 2

1. Overt graphical representation.
   - Opening line combined with woman looking scared with metal object in her mouth.
   - Conventions of lyrical interpretation.
2. Cinematic style credits.
   - A billing block.
   - Western & Thriller.
3. Horror genre iconography.

Question 3

1. What 2 theories/theorists could you use for this video?
2. What is an example of the signifier/signified concept?
   - What 2 things could the colour green signify?
3. An example of _______ could be interpreted in a variety of ways relating to this scene.

Answer 3

1. Roland Barthes - Semiotics, Steve Neale - Genre Theory.
2. ‘All my friends are turning green’, combined with shot of dollar bills.
   - Money or envy: ‘green with envy.’
3. Polysemy.

Question 4

1. What does Riptide offer to the folk music video genre, typically dominated by repitition?
2. What theorists could be used to discuss gender in this video?

Answer 4

1. Variations to conventions.

2. bell hooks, Van Zoonen, Laura Mulvey.