Media language

1. Media Language

2. Media Language
Media conventions, formats, symbols and narrative structures which cue the audience
to meaning. The symbolic language of electronic media work much the same way as
grammar works in print media.
Stuart hall: encoding and decoding; preferred/ negotiated/ oppositional readings
Denis McQuail – Uses and Gratifications theory (audiences consume media texts for
Suveillance; Fersonal Identity; Presnal Relationships; Escapism/ Diversion.
Ien Ang – “audiencehood is becoming an even more multifaceted and diversified
repertoire of practices and experiences.”
Media language is used to tell story and is part of editing. The tempo of the music
drives the editing. Genre might be reflected in types of mise-en-scene, themes,
performance, camera and editing styles. Camerawork impacts meaning. Movement,
angle and shot distance all play a part in the representation of the artist/band (close-
ups dominate). Digital effects often enhance editing, which manipulate the original
images to offer different kinds of pleasure for the audience.

3. Andrew Goodwin
• Identified 5 key aspects of music videos:
thought beats (seeing the sound), narrative
and performance, the star image, relation of
visuals to song and technical aspects of music
video

4. Thought beats - Seeing sound in your head
• First step – look at the music itself, e.g. structure
of the song (chorus, verse)
• Secondly – voice of the song. The artist voice is
extremely unique and can form identification or
trade marks that work well with the star image
(relates to Roland Barthes – theory of the grain of
voice)
• Thirdly - artist mode of address. Songs can be
seen as stories and the artist is the story teller,
making the video a communication device of
them telling us the story and us listening.

5. Narrative and performance
• Goodwin explains that music videos should
ignore common narrative as it is important in
their role of advertising
• Music videos should coherent repeatability to
make it easier for the audience to watch over
and over without loosing interest.
• The artist acting as both narrator and
participant helps to increase authenticity.

6. Star image
• Meta narrative which is a big story that
describes the development of the star over
time.

7. Relation of visuals to song
• Illustrate: music videos can use a set of images
to illustrate the meaning of lyrics and genre.
• Amplify: meanings and effects are
manipulated and constantly shine through the
video and drummed into our vision
• Disjuncture: the meaning of the song is
completely ignored.

8. Technical aspects
• Hold the music video together through the
use of camera mise-en-scene angle
movement, editing, sound and special effects.
Also lighting and colour to set the mood.

9. Semiotics
• Semiotics or semiology is the study of signs
• Media texts will contain signs that help us interpret what’s
going on e.g. when you watch a TV show, your mind is using
all these signs to work out what’s going on
• Signs give us information and are all around us. In media
we would consider more subtle signs
• Signs we would consider include: sounds, body language,
words, font, tone of voice, colours, costumes, props,
locations and camera work
• Signs have both denotations and connotations for example
red= a bright colour (denotation) and danger, love, passion
and romance (connotation)

10. Analysis of Music Video – Katy Perry – ‘Roar’
Narrative – she doesn’t need a man to look after her, she’s strong and
independent. The man is just worried about his looks that’s why he
gets eaten first by the tiger whereas she’s able to tame the tiger and is
one with nature.
Symbols/signs
•Looking through the eye of the tiger, that’s why she says “I've got the
eye of the tiger”
•Man with phone – cant survive in the jungle (typical city man).
•Having a shower – elephant pouring water on her
•She’s one with nature – the animals are her friends and she’s settled
down in the wild
•She likes cats – tiger is a type of cat. She’s talking about herself
coming into her own and she’s stronger than ever

11. Mise en scene
• The props including the leopard print scarf foreshadows
what’s about to happen and goes with the theme of song.
• She also makes her own props in the video such as the spear
to portray her time and survival in the video.
• The transformation of her costume throughout the video also
highlights the development of her personality.
• Katy’s facial expressions change during the course of the video
– at the beginning, she is scared but becomes confident as the
song goes on.
• She uses passion fruit as a lipstick – she’s still got her feminine
side.

12. Editing
• The cartoon editing at the beginning is an establishing shot –
it sets the scene and introduces the song.
• The name of the song “roar” is presented in an orange font to
link to the tiger
• The fire flies in the video are also an example of editing when
they then form a tiger shape.
• Reflection of the tiger means she is a fierce character herself.
• When she is looking at caveman drawings, the tiger defeats
the humans – the tiger is the king of the jungle.
• When singing “roar” you see the sound coming out her mouth
– powerful and loud “louder than a lion”.
• At the end, the video turns back into a cartoon and you can
hear the tiger roar.

13. Camera
• The zoom into her tiger stance highlights her similarity to the
animal like she is hunting her predator.
• Eye contact with camera which she is singing means she is
addressing the audience.
• The close up of the man taking a selfie means we see the camera
while he’s taking the picture and also shows his type of character.
• The mid shot of the man being eaten by tiger is when Katy begins to
change.
• Zoom of the spider and her blowing it away means she’s still a city
girl but then later she embraces her wild strong side – woman
coming into her own – light appears and she becomes stronger.
• Low angle shot of Katy standing on an edge of the waterfall – she is
‘living on the edge’ and is powerful.
• Zoom out of her on her thrown shows she is now in control.

14. Sound
• Diegetic sound of Katy screaming when the music cuts out
foreshadows a change in the narrative.
• Music becomes more intense when the tiger appears towards
the end of the video and approaches Katy.
• Diegetic sound of the tiger roaring makes the video seem
more realistic and interesting for the viewer.
• There is also constant examples of ambient sound in the
background such as birds and other animal sounds.