All theories applied

1. Beyoncé- If I Were A Boy
In the video, Beyonce portrays what things would be like in her relationship if they
were in each others situations. This reveals how much shes hurting inside and how
insecure she is about her boyfriend’s close relationship with another woman.

2. Narrative theories applied
▶ Todorov’s theory: the idea that a narrative always goes through five stages. In this
video the theory cannot be completely applied as the video begins and the audience
instantly see that Beyoncé is in an unhappy relationship which emphasises how there
is no equilibrium to begin with, however- it is revealed to the audience as the video
progresses why there is a disruption in them being happy as there is another girl
involved. As the video continues, it is clear to the audience that Beyonce is
attempting to repair the damage in their relationship by imagining how things would
be between them if there was a role reversal and try to get to grips as to why she is
reacting the way she is. However, her attempts fail to restore any sense of
equilibrium between them and she is still clearly unhappy at the end of the video,
this video therefore challenges Todorov’s theory and gives the impression that
sometimes things cannot be fixed no matter how hard you try.
▶ Propp’s theory: the idea that every narrative has character’s which fall into
certain categories. In the video this theory can partially be applied to the
characters; Beyonce would be seen as the hero in the narrative as she’s trying her
best to resolve the problem however the video challenges stereotypical hero
characters as they are usually perceived as males. Moreover, Beyonce’s boyfriend
would be seen as the villain character as he is the one that disrupted the
equilibrium by seeing another woman even if he claimed to not be sleeping with
her. Although there are two characters present that abide to Propp’s theory,
there aren’t any others present within the video which highlights the significance
of how bad their relationship is.

3. Narrative theories cntd
▶ Levi-Strauss’ binary opposites: the idea that all narratives have to be
driven forward by a conflict caused by opposing forces until they find an
equilibrium. Within Beyonce’s video there is one clear opposite present,
‘good Vs evil’, as Beyonce and her boyfriend go against each other which
means that their relationship will never be okay again unless they come
back close again, this is unlikely unless he stops seeing the other woman.
Moreover, another clear opposite within the video is ‘honesty Vs
deceitful’, Beyonce would represent honesty and her boyfriend would
represent being deceitful as he is always seen with another women,
getting close to her. The use of binary opposites in the video reveals to
the audience how their relationship lacks trust.
▶ Barthes narrative codes: within the video, a sense of enigma runs within the
video and a sense of mystery is present as the audience may be unclear of the
narrative of the video in the beginning as Beyonce swaps roles with her
boyfriend to make a point that males tend to get away with things females
wouldn’t, this will make the audience question where the relationship is going
to go- making the audience want to continue watching. Moreover, a symbolic
code has been used as the video has been shot in black and white which
highlights and suggests to the audience how sad and lonely Beyonce really is.

4. Representation theories
▶ Saussure’s semiotic theory: the idea that meaning is created through signs.
Within the video an example of where a semiotic sign is used is the fact that
Beyonce’s boyfriend is a police officer, it’s as if she is locked inside a prison and
trapped in an unhappy relationship. Moreover, Beyonce stands up against a white
wall, the colour white represents innocence and portrays Beyonce as an angel like
figure in the video.
▶ Mulvey’s male gaze: the idea that females are presented in a way that will pleasure
males. Within the video, Beyonce is captured in a wide shot in her bra which represents
her as a sexual object within the video and as if males are only interested in her for her
body and the way that she looks.
▶ Deyer’s stereotypes: within Beyonce’s video there is some clear stereotypes that have been
challenged but some that have been used. An example of where it is challenged is when
Beyonce is thinking about what life would be like if she was in her boyfriend's situation and
she’s shown as a police officer- this is a countertype as it’s usually males who are shown as
police/authoritative figures in the media.
▶ Baudrillard’s simulacra theory: the idea that stereotypes can become a hyper-reality.
This theory is shown within Beyonce’s video when her boyfriend is shown to be the one
seeing someone else, it is presumed in the media that it would always be males who
cheat in relationships, although in reality this isn’t the case but it’s a stereotype that a
lot of people believe because of the media.

5. Audience theories
▶ Hypodermic needle theory: the idea that the industry inject messages into audiences
brains. This theory could be applied to Beyonce’s video as it ‘injects’ the message into the
audience that males and females in society get treated completely differently and
different things are expected from each sex. Beyonce makes it clear through her video
that she feels as though people expect more from females and have higher expectations of
them and wouldn’t allow them to get away with what males get away with (having an
affair) which is clearly shown in the video.
▶ Uses and gratifications: the idea that the audience make use of the media for the benefit of themselves
for one of four reasons. Somebody may watch the video as they may empathise with Beyonce if they are in
a troubled relationship as they may understand how she is feeling (personal relationships) but somebody
may also watch the video for a break from everyday life (diversion) .
▶ Encoding and decoding: the idea that the audience can receive a message in one of three ways. Someone with
dominant reading may agree with the messages given in the video that males and females aren’t treated equally and
that males are more likely to cheat on partners. Someone with negotiated reading may agree that there is no equality
between males and females but not agree that males are more likely to cheat on their partners but someone with
oppositional reading they wouldn’t agree that males and females don’t get treated any differently and also wouldn’t
agree that males are more likely to cheat.
▶ Social and cultural context: the idea that people from different backgrounds will receive a message differently.
This theory could be applied as males and females would both view the messages given as males could see it as
unfair as they are being portrayed as cheaters whereas women may agree with the messages that are implied as
they may have been hurt in their life before.

6. Genre theories
▶ Institution: ‘the very existence of genre films and cycles is a product of the film
industry’s attempt to overcome the problem of uncertainty…of not knowing the future
tastes of the mass audience.’ - this theory can be applied to the video as audience would
know what to expect from the video as all of Beyonce’s music is of a similar genre (pop),
audiences could instantly presume what her music videos would be like.
▶ Audience: ‘the attraction of genre to the industry is closely linked to its presumed
appeal to viewers. Filmgoers generally like to have a broad idea of what to expect
from any individual picture. Genres are constituted not just by bodies of films but
also by the established expectations of viewers.’ - this theory could be applied to
Beyonce’s video as audience’s will already have a set of expectations before watching it-
all of her videos are similar and all try and portray a clear message to audiences. Beyonce
would have an idea of what her audience like from her videos and what would earn her
money so she continues to make similar videos.
Beyonce in ‘If I were a Boy’ music
video
Beyonce in ‘Pretty Hurts’’ music video

7. Genre theories
▶ Ritual- ‘while it seems more than likely that the sustained commercial success of a
particular formula is indeed an index of approval, there are no grounds for assuming
that the approval is ideologically based’- this theory could be applied to the video as
although all of Beyonce’s music is a success as she’s such a big music icon in the industry
it doesn’t mean everybody would agree with the messages portrayed in the narrative. For
example- some people may disagree with the message in the video because they may
think it is stereotypical to portray a man as a cheater and a player.
▶ Classification and interpretation- ‘genres are not simply bodies of work or groups of
films…Genres do not consist only of films: they consist also…of specific systems of
expectation…which spectators bring with them to the cinema, and which interact with
film themselves during the course of the viewing process. These systems provide
spectators with means of recognition and understanding. They help render films, and
the elements within them, intelligible and therefore explicable- this theory couldn’t be
applied to the video as although the song is in the pop genre it doesn’t abide by typicl
conventions of a pop video including bright colours and a happy atmosphere. This video
challenged the typical conventions to make a point and make the messages in the video
clear to the audience.
Beyonce’s ‘Run the World’ video
abides to typical pop conventions of
high key lighting and bright colours

8. Conclusion
Overall, from applying all of the theories that I have already
learnt to the Beyonce video I noticed that in order for
Beyonce to portray such a strong message and make a
point about gender equality she made certain choices in
the way she presented the video including a black and
white colour scheme and low key lighting to set a dull
atmosphere.