Mock
Exam Question
How does media language apply to your chosen text?
I have chosen to use my music video rather than my
thriller as my thriller conforms to too much of a set formula to make it an
appropriate text for study. My piece follows many conventions of traditional
ideas however it does challenge theories in some areas. Showing that it is not
at all restricted by conforming to set stereotypes to meet its purpose.
The track used within the music video has a highly
conceptual feel and the lyrics follow this, meaning that they are very abstract
and do not tell a story or have a clear meaning, they rather leave it open to
the listeners interpretations. Due to this the lyrics and the visuals have
little correlation however the dark tone of the music and the dark feel of the
lyrics are portrayed on screen with the visuals. The piece makes use of beat
editing and what happens on screen is heavily affected by what is happening
within the music. This leads me to say that Goodwin’s ideas of lyrics and music
have a direct influence on the visuals can be heavily applied to my video.
Baudrilliard’s theory of hypereality and simulacra is
heavily present within my video as is shown when the character’s soul rises
from his body and falls again into a dream world or “simulacra world” as a
young boy. It is within this world that all abnormal happenings take place,
showing that within the simulacra the hypereality is seen as reality. Showing
that once again the piece conforms to a pre-existing theory.
The piece makes use of intertextuality from the onset
incorporating both a television set, a vinyl player and multiple vinyl records
into the opening 47 second pan shot. This immediately shows the type of
character that the video contains but also the influences for creating the
character in this image. The idea of intertextuality is a common conventions of
music videos as they aim to break stereotypes set by pre-existing pieces. This
again shows my piece conforming to postmodern ideas.
As the video contains hardly any shots of women it
disproves her theory of the male gaze however it is still heavily voyeuristic,
but from a females perspective. The piece challenges stereotypes as it has the
male protagonist in only underwear in a bath whereas the common convention
would have been to use a female protagonist if such a scene was to be incorporated,
as it would be more widely accepted by the public or the viewing audience. The
only female character scene is a woman who we discover to be the girlfriend of
the protagonist but who we also see as being heavily demonized during a beat
edited section where her screaming face takes the place of a clock. This shows
the piece deliberately going against conventions to make itself a stand alone
piece of work.
In conclusion I felt hat the piece does in some
aspects conform to traditional ideas but due to its extensive use of
intertexuality and hypereality it is too heavily postmodern to be classified as
a traditional piece of work. Making it an innovative and exciting piece.
