Media Task 3

1. Task 3
'Stan' tells the story of a disturbed young man who claims to be Eminem’s biggest fan. In the
song, he writes letters to Eminem, with each verse he becomes more obsessed with him and
starts acting crazier; when he receives no reply, he becomes angrier. He creates a voice
recording of himself driving his car into a lake, with his pregnant girlfriend in the trunk. In
the fourth verse, Eminem writes to Stan, only to realize that he had already heard about
Stan’s death on the news.
The genre of Stan is hip-hop. It has typical
conventions of hip-hop, such as the fast paced beat
and swearing. The style of the music video is dark
and there is low key lighting. It is like this to suit the
depressing and dull mood of the song. However, the
whole atmosphere and style of the music video is very unconventional for a hip hop music
video. A conventional hip hop music video would make the artist a star showing their wealth
and the male gaze would most likely to used and to make the audience idolise the artist.
However, Eminem is hardly seen in the music video as he has a serious message to put
across, and his way of doing this is by following an obsessive fan – Stan. The male gaze is
also not used in the music video. This is because the message of the song is for the audience
to better themselves and not idolise celebrities. This way, the message gets across and there
are no women as a distraction to take away from the message of the song.
In the music video, Stan is dressed in the same way
Eminem dresses and bleaches his hair in the beginning of
the music video, to make himself look more like Eminem.
He wears a white top, which symbolises madness and
obsession. Whereas, Stan’s girlfriend (Dido) is dressed in
blue, which symbolises her loyalty to Stan. We also see
their house, which is rundown, lower class and in a poor
area. The audience can see this by the state of the inside
of the house. For
instance, the
bathroom is dirty. This
is shown, so the audience can relate to Stan, as the
majority of Eminem’s fans are lower class. It is also
established that it is raining as we are shown the outside of the house during the opening
shot of the music video. This is pathetic fallacy, where the weather reflects the mood.
Diegetic noises of thunder and lightning can also be heard to reflect the mood. Therefore, as
rain has negative connotations it goes along with the
depressing atmosphere of the song. Noises of thunder
and lightning is shown also to reflect the mood.
Whereas, if it was established that it was good weather
outside, it wouldn’t go along with the vibe of the song.
The whole music video has a dark colour scheme, and

2. very rarely is light used. In fact, there is only one instance where light is shown, and this is
when Stan is meeting Eminem. Light is shown here to show that Stan is in a positive mood
compared to the rest of the video where he is seen as mad. Conventional lip synching is
used, as Eminem is rapping through Stan. This shows the authenticity of Eminem and is
making him the star. Stan is lip syncing, and he is representing fans of Eminem, who may be
a bit obsessive over Eminem and Eminem is
rapping on behalf of the fans. There is no dance
choreography, which is unconventional for a hip-
hop music video. This is because dancing
symbolises happiness and this does not fit the
theme of the song. Another unconventional
feature is the songs meaning. Whereas, other
hip-hop artists would express their happiness in their wealth and try to get their audience to
follow them, Eminem wants the opposite, he does not want to be idolised, he wants his fans
to be themselves and the song has a depressing tone to it. Eminem alludes the point that his
music is unsuitable for younger kids and shows this through Stan. For instance, Stan brings
his younger brother with him to see Eminem, even though this is unsuitable. He does this to
show that younger kids are listening to his albums through their older siblings and that they
should not be doing this. There are also links to other artists, for example Phil Collins. This is
unconventional for a hip-hop artist to reference a popular artist. ‘Stan’ is also a
collaboration with Dido. This has been done because Dido has a powerful voice which can
convey a lot of emotion in the lyrics, which fits the atmosphere of the song.
The music video is a narrative telling the story of an obsessive fan writing to Eminem. It is
linear as the storyline is going forward and progressing even though, there are flashbacks
involved. It is going in chronological order, and this is to not confuse the audience so they
don’t lose the sense of the message. Eminem wants the message to be put across.
Eminem is represented as a normal guy with loyal fans. This is so the audience can relate to
him and he can be made into the star, who is
good to his fans, which can be seen with
Eminem writing back to Stan, whereas at the
start, he may seem ignorant as to him not
responding to his fan mail. While, Stan is
presented as the aggressive and possessive
male, which the audience of mainly male
teenagers do not want themselves to turn into
by possessing over a celebrity such as Eminem.
Women in the music video are presented as
fragile, vulnerable and very supportive. This is
seen in the music video, where Dido is loyal to
Stan and supportive of him, even allowing him
to have his basement dedicated to Eminem.
Even though, she is unhappy, which is seen throughout the music video. The audience also
gets the sense that Stan is protective of the basement and does not allow his girlfriend to go

3. down there. We can see this by her shocked
expression when she walks down there. Stan’s
social class is also represented in the music video.
He is shown to be lower class and struggling. It is
also presented that these lower class people have
no ambition and idolise people above them, as
seen with Stan. It is established that Stan is lower class due to the condition of the house,
being small and rundown. It is presented that people that don’t have a good life and no
money are aggressive and frustrated, just like Stan. Stan’s merchandise and obsession with
Eminem is based in the basement. This is because the basement reflects Stan’s mood of
dark and twisted. Here, he has serval pictures of Eminem, a TV with Eminem on and Stan
sees himself as Eminem in the mirror. It is unconventional for a hip-hop music video to be
based in a basement, as they are usually set in mansions or at a party.
The music video starts from a black fade
transition and an establishing shot of the
outside of the house, which has established
that they are in their house. A low angle is
used to show that Dido is heavily pregnant.
Low key lighting is used and a bird’s eye view
shot is then used to show how rundown their
bathroom is and states they are of low social
class. Several close ups are used on both Stan
and Dido, which are used to express the
differences of emotions on their faces.
Stan’s, is a look of joy and pleasure, whereas
Dido’s is of concern for Stan. Constant shots of Dido include close ups and mid shots. These
are to show that she is heavily pregnant and to show
the expressions on her face. In the beginning, mainly
mid, long and birds eye shots are used with slow
editing. This is so the tension builds up throughout
the song. The lyrics directly relate to the music video,
for instance, during the chorus “the morning rain clouds up my window and I can't see at all
and even if I could it'll all be grey”. This is shown through the opening shot, where we see
that it is raining outside. Another example of this is when Stan writes his letter to Eminem,
and we hear what is being written down. A close up of
the TV is used, showing Eminem waving into the
camera, it then cuts to a long shot, to show Stan waving
back at Eminem. During the basement scenes, several
tracking long
shots are used to
show the extent
of Stan’s
obsession and

4. his ‘shrine’ to Eminem. An over the shoulder
shot is used when Stan is in the basement and
looking in the mirror. Here, he sees himself as
Eminem. Fade transitions are used throughout
the music video, this indicates the passing of
time and allows the story to progress. The
audience are also given several shots of the
letter falling out, to make sure the audience
notices this and it allows the atmosphere to
build up. Low angles are used thoroughly
when Stan writes his letters to Eminem. This is to
show Stan’s agitation building up and the camera
pans so the audience can see the ceiling where
there are more Eminem memorabilia. To show
flashbacks, more fade transitions are used. Stan’s
expression shows his admiration for Eminem,
whereas his brother looks uninterested. This
directly contradicts the lyrics, where Stan states
that his brother likes Eminem more than he does.
During the flashbacks, high angles are used to
show
Stan
and how he admires Eminem. However, low
angles are used to portray Eminem on stage,
almost godlike. Stan also covers a picture of his
girlfriend and himself with Eminem. Showing
that he is almost fantasizing about being with him.
Throughout the music video, the main focus is on
Stan, however, the camera occasionally cuts back to
Eminem, to reassure the viewer that it is his song and
this is backed by the constant pictures of Eminem in
Stan’s basement. Towards the end of the song, when
Stan is driving close ups are used to show Stan
constantly looking at the picture of Eminem hanging
from his mirror. This is to show that Stan believes he is
directly speaking to Eminem. During Eminem’s verse,
shots are
reused from before, however, they now have a
brighter glow around them, which symbolises
the death of Stan. At the end of the song, a high
angle close up is used of Stan’s brother
Matthew. Here, we see he has dyed his hair the

5. same as his brother and Eminem, which connotes that he will be the same/be obsessed like
Stan when he is older. For the final shot, Eminem has the realisation that it was Stan that
killed himself and this is shown through Stan’s face appearing in the window.
Goodwin’s music video theory states that there is a relationship between the lyrics and the
visuals. This applies to the music video of Stan. For instance, when Stan is writing the letter,
we hear “Dear Slim, I wrote you but you still aren’t calling” and we see Stan writing the
letter to Eminem. We also hear in the chorus, “the morning rain clouds up my window and I
can't see at all and even if I could it'll all be grey”, this directly relates to the visuals, as we
can see and hear that it is raining outside. The music video also cuts to the pace of the song.
For example, throughout, there are slow cuts, but towards the end when Stan is driving, the
pace of the cuts speeds up. This also relates to the mood of the song. However, although
the songs genre is hip-hop, it does not have the typical conventions of a hip-hop music
video. For instance, it has a depressing mood and is not in a typical setting. Although,
Eminem the music video is set around Stan and not Eminem, several close ups of Eminem
are still used to establish that he is the star and make him recognizable for the audience. For
instance, close ups are used of Eminem from the posters of him in Stan’s basement. We also
see close ups when he is on stage and when he is writing his letter to Stan. However, the
close ups are mainly used of Stan, so fans can see themselves in the position of the fan.
Voyeurism, however is not used in the music video for Stan. Dido is present in the video, but
she is not there in a sexual way, as visual pleasure for men. This is so the male audience
does not get distracted and so they get the message of the song. For the song, there are
references to other artists, such as Phil Collins and Dido. These people ensure that the song
engages with the audience and the audience may be satisfied with this. Stan mentions that
he’ll name his daughter Bonnie which is referencing Eminem’s “Bonnie & Clyde” and is
another sign of obsession and idolisation of Eminem. Overall, the music video for Stan does
not follow Goodwin’s music video theory.
Katy Perry’s last Friday night music video, follows Katy Perry’s alter ego Kathy Beth Terry,
and how she goes from being an unpopular geek, to the life of the party. The music video
features several cameos, these include Rebecca Black, Corey Feldman, Debbie Gibson,
Kenny G, Hanson, and Kevin McHale and Darren Criss of Glee.
The genre of Katy Perry’s last Friday night is pop. The
video features all the typical conventions of a pop
music video. For instance, the song is fast paced and
a bright/bold colour scheme is used. The video is also
set at a house party with an 80’s theme. Which, has
fun connotations and a positive atmosphere. A lot of
cuts are used in the music video, due to the fast pace
of the song. However, it is quite unconventional for a
pop music video, as it is set out more like a short film
rather than a music video. However, bright colours
such as pink and yellow are used, which creates an
upbeat atmosphere, that appeals to the target

6. audience, and a fun image is created. The style of the
music video is a narrative. In order to promote Katy
Perry and get her following to idolise her. More than
20 close ups of the star are used to emphasise her
importance. These close ups also portray the
emotion on Katy Perry’s face. The male gaze is used
in the music video. This is a typical convention in a
pop music video, as being dressed provocatively gains
more views. The male gaze is used to attract a male
audience to Katy Perry, as her main audience may be
female. However, due to her main audience being
female, the female gaze is also used. The female gaze
is becoming more present in modern music videos. The female gaze views things from the
perspective of a female or reflects female attitudes. The female gaze is used in the music
video for last Friday night, through the use of the jock character. Katy Perry’s main audience
of teenage girls, may find this guy attractive and draw more females to the video, especially
as he gets shirtless in the music video.
Everyone in the music videos wearing bright colours, showing
a happy mood. It is also established by the clothing that the
party is 80s themed. The characters are very stereotypical,
for instance, Katy Perry’s character starts off wearing clothes
that cover her up and is showing that she is unpopular.
However, she then changes in to more tight fitting clothing,
which shows off more flesh. She changes into pink, which
symbolises femininity and she does this to catch the boys
attention. The popular boy is a typical jock, who is confident
and masculine and the geek is stereotypically unpopular. The
other people at the party are
not dressed extravagantly
like the three main
characters. This is to not take
attention away from the star
– Katy Perry.
There is a clear relationship between the visuals and
the lyrics in the song. For example, “There's a stranger
in my bed there's a pounding in my head glitter all over
the room pink flamingos in the pool”, we see these as
they are being sung. Another example of this is
“Pictures of last night ended up online”, and we see
Katy Perry looking through her social media. We can
also see that she only has two friends on her social
media account, further showing how unpopular she is.
A typical convention in the music video is the lip

7. synching. Katy Perry lip syncs the lyrics in the music
video. This amplifies the lyrics, so the audience
understand the connection between the narrative
(visual) and the lyrics (audio). By lip synching, it is
established that Katy Perry is the star. There is no
choreographed dancing in the video, however dancing
is featured. This is a typical convention of a pop music
video. Dancing is shown, as this happens at parties
and is meant to be relatable for the audience. The
dancing goes with the fast tempo of the song and
connotes having fun. There are several meanings to
the song. Firstly, to not judge a book by its cover, as
Katy Perry’s character starts off unpopular, but as she
dresses up in tighter clothing, she becomes popular. It
is also stated that in order for teenage girls to be
popular, they need to make an effort and change for
men. There are a few allusions in the music video for
last Friday night. One is that it’s not always about the
popular kids, and the ‘geeks’ can still have fun.
Another allusion is that upper class kids live a spoilt
life and their parents don’t care/discipline them if they
do something bad. It is clear that Kathy Beth Terry is
from an upper class family due to the establishing shot
at the beginning. Here, we can see that she has a large
house, in an idyllic area. For example, when Kathy Beth Terrys parents come home to find
their house trashed, they do not care. In the music video, the characters play the game ‘just
dance’. This is synergy as Katy Perry has a song on the game and it acts as an advertisement
for the game. The ‘geek’ character has a dream sequence, where he almost fantasizes about
saving and being with ‘Kathy’. This is because he sees her like himself – a geek. The style of
the dream sequence is set like a video game, what the ‘geek’ character would play and he
still dreams of her the way she is before her makeover, as a ‘geek’ even after the transition
has occurred.
There are links to several other artists in the music
video. The first is Rebecca Black. The inclusion of
Rebecca Black is for popularity and views. The video
for last Friday night, acts as a sequel to Rebecca Blacks
Friday even though, it was written before Friday. Due
to the popularity and Friday going viral, including
Rebecca Black ensures views. Another artist present is
saxophonist Kenny G, who plays Kathy’s uncle. 80s
teen stars Debbie Gibson and Corey Haim are also
included in the music video, acting as Kathy Beth
Terry’s parents. These actors are included as it fits the

8. theme of the 80s and the audience may get a sense of satisfaction for noticing them. The
music video also replicates the work from other films. Such as the style being inspired by the
movie ‘16 candles’. Another replica of work is when
Kathy Beth Terry walks down the stairs in slow
motion (mean girls) and the relationship with the
jock character (John Tucker must die). Due to the
music video being set as a short film rather than a
music video, it also features credits and a bloopers
reel.
The music video follows a non-linear narrative, as it begins with the aftermath of the party
from the night before. The music video is set this way in order to intrigue the audience,
making sure that they watch the whole video. The narrative also helps the audience follow
what Katy Perry is singing about. For instance, the lyrics almost directly following what
happens in the music video.
The representations in the music video, are very
stereotypical. The jock character is stereotypical,
shown through the mise en scene. His body actions
and language portray that he is confident. The
character dismisses ‘Kathy’ when she is dressed like
a geek, however he is suddenly into her once she has
had a makeover. He makes derogatory moves, such
as grabbing her. This shows that he is only into her
once she starts dressing more sexually, although, we
can see her personality hasn’t changed due to her
actions and facial expressions. However, this still
shows that the jock is a shallow person, who only
notices women when they dress sexually and not for
who they are. There is an alternative representation
of the jock, as he is meant to be tough and strong
however, the ‘nerd’ character punches him and
knocks him out. The jock is seen as a typical teenage
boy, who won’t notice someone until they dress
more provocatively. The nerd character is also
stereotypical. He is wearing glasses and braces and is
overlooked by Kathy as she prefers the jock. The
camera angles also portray him as a loner by him
sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, whilst
everyone else is dancing and having fun. He is shown
to be alone and unimportant and this is shown by a
high angle shot looking down on him. An alternative
view of this character is shown, as he punches the
jock making him look strong. The character of Kathy Beth Terry is also a typical geek shown
by the clothing and accessories such as braces, glasses and dungarees. When the makeover

9. occurs, she is classed as prettier. She starts to wear tight clothes, which attract attention,
such as from the jock.
Katy Perry stars in the music video as her alter ego Kathy Beth Terry. To help create the
character of Kathy Beth Terry, Katy Perry uploaded videos to a YouTube channel, created a
Facebook page and twitter account for Kathy.
The music video starts off with an establishing shot,
panning around, showing large houses which sets the
setting for the music video at a house. It is also
established that it is morning via the newspaper boy.
A mid-shot then long
shot is used to show
the extent of the
mess in Kathy’s
room. Mid-shots
are used in the
beginning to show
the confusion on Kathy’s face, but also showing how
trashed her room is at the same time. A dissolved transition is used to go back in time. As
we start in the morning we then go back to the last night.
A long shot is used of Kathy’s room, showing a before
and after. More long shots are used, which show the
size of the house party. A high angle close up is used of
the nerd character, showing he is alone and happy once
he sees Kathy walk into the house party. A two shot is
used between Kathy and the jock. This is used to show
the emotions of both characters. Kathy is excited to see
him, whereas the jock
gives her a dirty look and
dismisses her to
check/hang out with another girl. Several two shots are used
here. One is between the jock and the girl, this is used to
show the girl touching the jocks abs. another two shot is
used between Kathy and Rebecca, showing Kathy sad that
the jock is uninterested in her and Rebecca taking her
upstairs for a makeover. A vertical panning shot is used
when Kathy comes down the stairs. This is for anticipation,
and makes the audience feel like they are actually there,
watching as she is walking down. Here, we see that she is
walking awkwardly, like she has never walked in heels
before. This shows that she has never worn heels before, as
she is a ‘geek’ and wears stereotypically nerdy clothes
normally such as dungarees. Long shots are used to now

10. show that Kathy is dancing and being cheered on by
other people at the party, unlike before the
makeover. A close up is used, showing Kathy looking
seductively towards the camera, now that she has
had her makeover. However, even though she has
had a makeover and looks ‘sexy’, we still see her
geeky side. This is used to establish that Katy Perry
is the star of the music video and that it is her song. It also shows that she is still genuine
after becoming popular.
The images shown in the music video, also cut to the beat of the song. During the chorus,
there are more/quicker cuts and during the verses the cuts are slower. This is because
during the verses there are visuals to go along with the audio and in order for the audience
to take this all in, it needs to be slowed down, unlike the chorus where party shots are
shown.
Goodwin’s music video theory states that there is a relationship between the visuals and the
lyrics, in order to amplify/contradict the lyrics. This is present in Katy Perry’s last Friday night
music video in several cases. For instance, “there's a stranger in my bed”, and we see a man
next to her in her bed. These happen throughout the music video. Another case of this is “Is
this a hickey or a bruise?” we see her neck and “pictures of last night ended up online”, here
we see Kathy on her laptop on social media looking at pictures from the night before. The
second part to the theory, is that the visuals are edited in time to the lyrics and visuals are
repeated during the chorus. This again is shown in the music video. For example, cuts are
quicker during the chorus and slower during the verses. Visuals of the party are also shown
during the chorus. Again, the music video takes the style of most pop videos, evolving
around a love story. It also features more typical conventions of a pop music video, such as
bright colours and an upbeat atmosphere. Multiple close ups of the artist are also present
(over 20) especially once ‘Kathy’ has had a makeover, to create her as the star. A
recognisable character of Kathy Beth Terry is also created. The male gaze theory is also used
during the close ups, showing her looking seductively towards the camera, for the male
audience. The use of close ups makes it more intimate for the audience, and they may feel
closer to the star. Voyeurism is also used in the music video, shown when she is walking
down the stairs, like the audience is at the party and watching her walk down the stairs.
Another place voyeurism is used is when she is getting changed. We watch Kathy from
Rebecca Blacks perspective of her handing her clothes. We also see Kathy sleeping in her
bedroom. This is again used to entice the male audience and sexualise Katy Perry. Lastly,
intertextual references are present. It contains cameos from other famous stars. An
example of this is the inclusion of Rebecca Black who released another song about “Friday”.
The Intertextual references continues with the inclusion of 80’s teen stars Debbie Gibson (as
her mother) and Corey Haim (her father). Overall, the music video for last Friday night
encompasses all aspects of Goodwin’s music video theory.
Eminem’s Stan is an unconventional hip-hop video, as it follows a clear narrative and is a
collaboration with Dido who is a pop artist. Usually, a hip-hop artist would not do this as it

11. would be damaging to their reputation. It also has a depressing tone and atmosphere to it,
unlike most hip-hop artists, who express their wealth to their audience. However, Eminem
does not flash his wealth by not wearing expensive clothes or jewellery. Eminem also has a
serious message to put across to his fans. Whereas, Katy Perry’s last Friday night music
video is very conventional for a pop music video. It also follows a narrative, but is set more
like a short film rather than a music video and follows a conventional love story. It features
several cameos and It has a very bright colour scheme. The atmosphere of the music video
is also upbeat and creates a positive mood. The music video uses the male gaze theory,
which is very conventional for a pop video, and uses the more modern theory of the female
gaze, which uses men as visual pleasure for women. In conclusion, both music videos are
very different to each other, with one following Goodwin’s music video theory and being
conventional (last Friday night) and another not following the theory or being conventional
(Stan).