Theories (for both papers) Flashcards
What is Andrew Goodwin’s theory about music videos?
-‘music videos are simply an extension of the lyrics’
-music videos are always these different things: illustrative, disjunctive or amplified
-illustrative=the images and shots will offer meaning related to the lyrics to further the audiences understanding (more metaphoric)
-disjunctive=doesn’t correspond with the lyrics at all
-amplified=the meaning of the song will be exaggerated through the visuals (literal demonstration of what the lyrics are
What is Carol Vernallis’ theory about music videos?
-‘music videos help create an artists identity’
-‘music videos do not embody complete narratives or convey finely wrought stories, they follow the songs form which tends to be cyclical and episodic rather than sequentially directed’
-the star and the performance will mostly dominate over narratives
-the repetition of ideas/themes/shots is key to help create meaning for the audience-> may be times when the audience doesn’t understand the diegesis due to gaps in time and space, music, performance and narrative
-the editing will be left in a state of disjunctive rather than following the rule of continuity->the editing might be made obvious (cuts made to the beat)
-we frequently cut between performance and narrative and there will often be jumps in time
What is Todorov’s theory about music videos?
-all narratives follow the basic structure: equilibrium (balance), disequilibrium (disruption/conflict) and equilibrium (ending/new)
-Disney films supports his theory
Who wrote the Longtail theory?
-Chris Anderson
What is the Longtail theory?
-artists would never reach the bottom of streaming charts due to the variety of different platforms (there isn’t a shelf life for artists)
-the internet has completely changed how music gets circulated
-its easier for new artists to produce , distribute, market and promote their music
-popular artists will crash quicker than niche artists but with online sales you are never going to decline to nothing
What does the longtail refer to in Longtail theory? (what is it?)
-the longtail refers to the popularity of music and how long it would stay popular and how sales upon releases would change over time
-it refers to the constant selling of music due to it being on the internet rather than physical->it would never reach bottom
What was Richard Dyer’s ideas?
-‘the issue with stereotypes is that they are made by western white men in power and more men in power reuse them’
-wrote a lot about stereotyping
-the complexity and variety of a group is reduced to few characteristic
-an exaggerated version of these characteristics is applied to everyone in the group as if they are an essential element of all members of the social group
-these characteristics are represented in the media through media language
-he wrote about how poorly homosexual men were being represented->heterosexual individuals were presented very differently
What can stereotypes be used for?
-to get meaning to the audience quickly
What is Stuart Hall’s Reception theory?
how we react differently to media due to out age, childhood, gender, experiences and cultural background
What is a dominant/preferred reading of a media product/text in Hall’s reception theory?
-the media makes you feel things purposefully
-a horror is designed to scare you and if it does then the directors intentions have been met
What is a negotiated reading in Hall’s reception theory?
-the intentions of the director are understood but questioned
What is a oppositional reading in Hall’s reception theory?
-understood the directors intentions but goes against your moral views or you don’t like it
What is a aberrant reading in Hall’s reception theory?
-you don’t understand the directors intentions
What is Barthes theory of semiotics?
-you need to understand the codes and conventions of media to understand it
-symbolic=a red heart not being the biological look of a heart but representing love and a heart
-semantic=commonly used words/colours/imagery that have hidden meanings that audiences understand eg red=love or danger
-cultural=codes specific to culture (this could be age/gender)
-hermeneutic (enigma)=anything that creates a mystery/cliffhanger and gives little clues like fog
-proairetic (action)=more commonly used in moving image but an action will be involved as an indicator of future action
What’s Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
-shows the different levels of need or feel they need
-on the bottom their are physiological needs which are food, drink and shelter
-then there’s safety needs which are health and money
-then there’s social needs which are friends, family and love
-then there’s esteem needs which are confidence, pride and achievement
-finally there’s self-actualisation which is understanding and acceptance
