education use only

1. Evaluation
Forms and Conventions

2. Goodwin’s Theory
Whilst conducting my secondary research, I looked at a video which expresses
domestic violence, ‘Take Your Time’ (Sam Hunt, 2015), where the camera follows
the domestic violence showing explicitly what is going on in the relationship, from
them arguing to him physically pushing her. This is a theme we used throughout our
piece as we wanted the visuals to express an emotional story and be clear to the
audience what was happening.

3. Another example is
“You turned me into
this”, where the dancer
is shown performing an
action where her hand
strokes the side of her
face, as if she is trying
to believe that he is not
damaging her, when in
fact, he is.
There are a few
examples in the track
where this is evident,
for example “I can’t
even recognize
myself anymore”,
where the actress is
seen looking in the
mirror with a
distressed look on
her face.

4. Banks’ genre of music is consistent
throughout all of her songs on the
‘Goddess’ album, which whilst
analysing these I discovered that all of
the songs were fairly sad and
miserable. ‘This Is What It Feels Like’
(Banks, 2014) has a similar tempo and
mood to our track, which therefore we
tried to imitate the style of the video in
order to conform with the artist.

5. We created this in our own music video
through the narrative as well as the sad
visuals we included.

6. Camera distance
played a key part in
connoting the actress’
emotion. The close
up shots in the
bedroom show her
crying in distress,
which is linked to the
dance of her
expressing herself.
This helps to create a sense of
intimacy for the viewer, as well as the
majority of shots focusing on the girl’s
face, who is the artist of the track.

7. In Banks’ music videos, there are usually a lot of meat shots of her as the artist;
this is something we decided to do differently as we did not include any shots of
her lip-syncing. However, the dancer and the female character is the same
person, who we have tried to portray as the artist, giving a personal sense to the
music video as it is her who has struggled in the relationship, as well as singing
the song.

8. Form and Structure
The form of a music
video is apparent in the
intercut between a
narrative sequence
and a performance
sequence. The abuse
in the relationship
progresses throughout
the track, from them
getting along, to him
becoming much more
aggressive, linking to
the increase in tempo
of the track also.

9. The way that the music video is put
together is generic for the music
video style. The visuals are
structured in a way that respond to
the track, for example, the dance
performance can be seen as a
metaphor for the girl in the narrative
expressing her emotion, which also
links to how we responded to the
lyrics of the track and other points I
covered.

10. The campaign conforms to the conventions of the dark r&b/electronica genre
because each aspect of the promotional package provides an enigmatic mood.
The blue lighting used in the dance performance of the music video, is carried
through the campaign in order to create a cohesive brand image for the artist.
Conventions of genre

11. This blue effect is used in the advert
as emotional colouring, as well as the
two middle panes of the digipak. This
was apparent when analysing
‘Beggin for Thread’ (Banks, 2014),
where she introduced the colour red,
and had the rest of the video in a
black and white effect.
The black and white helped
create the enigmatic feel for the
promotional package, which we
used in the narrative sequence
of the music video, and the
front pane of the digipak.

12. Therefore, we have conformed to the artists meta-narrative
through the use of black and white, as well as introducing the
blue colour, which is strongly associated with tranquility and
calmness, and as used in the dance sequence, this therefore
connotes that in that particular setting, she is expressive,
powerful and serious.

13. The red colour was also apparent when
analysing ‘Alone’ (JMSN, 2011), where
certain shots would appear with the red
colour, as well as some shots in blue,
being emphasized. We have used in our
own piece as we introduced the blue colour
only, on the expressive shots connoting her
mood.

14. Similarly to the campaign used for
the ‘Alone’ music video, the red
colour was carried through onto the
digipak and advert, which is
something that we have also
continued, including the blue in the
digipak and the advert.

15. Is our print conventional?
Our print is
conventional in
terms of genre due
to a variety of
signifiers. Firstly, the
non-verbal language
on the front pane of
the digipak
connotes enigma
which is present in
the dark r&b genre
as well as Banks
herself as an artist.

16. Another signifier of convention
is the emotional metaphor in
the advert of her dance
expressing her talent and
creativity. This is conventional
in terms of the artist as she
appears in the media as
‘different’ and ‘alternative’ to
the mainstream artists. This is
further connoted through the
use of black and white which is
present in Banks’ digipak for
her album ‘Goddess’, which
we have emulated in our own
production.

17. Challenging Conventions
Within the dark r&b genre, our
music video has mainly
conformed with the genre in a
way that the music video links
closely with the lyrics and tone of
the track. We used a montage
style of editing which is
something I saw in other Banks’
videos, as well as the black and
white effect.

18. One way that we have
challenged the dark r&b
genre is that we did not
include the artist in the
music video. This is
evident throughout all of
Banks’ music videos as
well as ‘The Hills’ (The
Weeknd, 2015), where
the artist is seen breaking
the fourth wall, and
addressing the audience
by lip syncing.
We decided not to include lip syncing as
we felt that the grain of voice would not
suit the female character we had selected
for the female character and the dancer.
For music videos to be convincing for the
audience, the artist needs to look as if it is
their song, which we felt did not work well
when looking back at the footage.

19. Our music video is polysemic due to the montage
editing style used throughout, as the narrative is
fragmented, creating narrative fuzz for the artist. This
is furthered as our narrative connotes a theme, rather
than a completed narrative containing a conclusion, as
we have only presented aspects of this storyline.

20. The intercutting between the two lines of action allows the music video to be
polysemic as it is constantly cutting away from the narrative, enabling the audience
to consume this in a more open way, where they cannot fully consume her. The
blue style used in the music video further reinforces this as it makes it more
problematic for the audience to decipher the fact that she is the same girl.

21. In terms of the way the
dancer has been framed,
her feet are shown in close
up, as well as the harsh
lighting focusing on her
collar bones, contrasting
with her in long shot or slow

22. Audience Readings
The preferred reading could interpret the visuals used as fairly straightforward and
clearly connoting the theme of domestic violence. Therefore the audience could
decode the message that domestic violence is something that strongly affects
woman, shown through her expression.

23. On the other hand, the
audience reading could
be oppositional if the
viewer decides to
understand the message
and then completely
reject it. This could be
more commonly from a
male’s point of view, as
some may not see a
problem with the actions
that occur in the music
video, or the viewer may
feel that the narrative is
too unrealistic to believe
and therefore not
understand that domestic
violence occurs in
relationships and has a
strong impact on the
emotional stability of the
recipient.

24. Binary Oppositions
Binary oppositions are set up between
the male and the female. The binary
shows the difference the genders
have in power, and who is more
vulnerable. In this case, the male is
seen to dominant the relationship and
become aggressive when she does
not do what he wants, which is
evident through the use of visuals of
him pushing her onto the bed as well
as violently shouting at her.
Certain framings have also been
used to show him larger in the
frame, connoting his dominating
personality within the relationship.
For example, the shot where we see
the girl cowering back into the corner
and falling to the floor, where she
then looks up at him.

25. The audience is then
shown the visuals of
her crying, depicting
her character as weak
and vulnerable. This
conforms to society’s
dominant ideology
that the female is not
as strong in the
relationship, and the
audience is shown her
crying to herself,
rather than fighting
back.
Non-verbal language such as distressed
facial expressions are used to connote this
theme throughout the narrative as there is
no speech, therefore showing her
character in this way expresses this feeling
and mood.

26. Power is shown through technical codes such as the low-key
lighting in the narrative sequence. The desaturated and dark
look about these shots provide the audience with a sense of
misery and despair, further demonstrating their unstable
relationship.

27. Lighting techniques are also
used in the shot of the girl cowering
in the corner on the floor, establishing
a shadow on the wall which covers
her, and shows him as being bigger
and stronger than her. This is
successful in implying the idea that
he stands above her, and with her in
the corner, this shows that she is
being pushed
down by the verbal abuse as
well as physical.

28. Semiotics
The key theme of our music
video is domestic violence,
which is expressed through the
use of actions codes
discussed in Barthes’ theory.
The action of the male
character physically pushing
her onto to the bed is seen as
very explicit and hurtful for the
female.
The pain she feels is further
reinforced by the visuals of her crying
and looking distressed through the
use of non-verbal language, as well
as her resorting to drinking alcohol.

30. The camera movement throughout the dance sequence is usually moving with
the dancer or around her in order to create a more dynamic feel, helping the
viewer feel more immersed in the video. ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ (Banks,
2014) contains some experimental camera movements which we tried to
emulate in our music video. For example, the camera tracks out and twists when
showing the wind blowing through the door, which is something we also did
when showing the happier parts of the relationship.

31. We constructed a paradigmatic
relationship between visual signifiers in
our promotional campaign. For example,
the non-verbal language used to express
the females emotion, links to the prop used
of the alcohol bottle, which further
connotes her sadness.
The black and white saturation used over
the video and digipak further depicts the
dull and depressing tone.
Moreover, the violent actions that are
shown link to the expressive dance
performance, which acts as a metaphor for
her communicating her feelings in a way
that she wants to, demonstrating the girl’s
emotion allowing the audience to
sympathise for her.

32. An iconic sign of her vulnerable personality is conducted through the
use of props such as alcohol. She is positioned sitting in the corner,
where she is shown drinking a bottle of vodka, as well as her heads
being in her hands. This further connotes the fact that she cannot stand
up to him, presenting her as weak, enabling the audience to sympathise
for her.

33. Another iconic sign used in our music video is the shot of the block of flats. This
conforms to society’s dominant ideology that domestic violence occurs within
relationships of people who are working class. This is a stereotype which we have
chosen to reinforce in order to enable the audiences to feel placed closer to the artist.
By doing this through the use of location, we have further reinforced the idea that
Banks is ‘normal’, devaluing herself as a star.

34. By association with Banks, she is
endowed with the myth of the cult of
youth and beauty. The female character
has been casted to enable the idea of
youthful stars. She is a young female
who could be used as a model that
audiences can aspire to, enabling
audiences to want to keep consuming
her products.
Banks’ authenticity is portrayed
through her creativity and talent,
which the dance performance
connotes. This adds to the overall
image of her as an artist, allowing
audiences to consume her for this
particular reason.

35. Postmodernism
The editing technique of
reversing a clip that has just
been shown is used in the
dance sequence on the shot
of the dancer lying on the
floor, provides a meaning of
her trying to get up, and
away from the abuse, but
she is pushed back down.
This in slow motion connotes
the idea that she is struggling
to function with the abuse
happening in her relationship,
as well as linking closely with
the narrative shot of her being
pushed onto the bed by her
boyfriend as he shouts at her
aggressively.

36. The time lapse at the beginning of the blue sky and
clouds moving across the screen could be interpreted as
if this has occurred for a while, as well as this effect
detracting from the realism.

37. Throughout the dance
sequence, the blue lighting
effect provides a parallel
reality to the ‘norm’. This
provides the audience with
the idea that she is a star
enabling them to be able to
relate to the message
conveyed, however also
understand that she is
different to them.

38. In conclusion, Goodwin’s theory clearly relates to the music video
that we have produced, as we can apply a variety of elements
from the theory. This therefore enables audiences to understand
the form as well as concept of the music video.