2. Synopsis
The song that i will be using for my music video is Love Language by Kehlani.In my music
video there are going to be 3 actors in total, 2 females and 1 male, with the 2 main roles
being given to the girl with the blonde girl.Throughout the music video it will be showing a
timeline of how their friendship ends up in a relationship, even though neither of them
expected such a turning point. At the beginning, there are going to be shots of their
friendship and the individual life of both protagonists. As the video progresses it will show
how they are learning the ``love language`` as the lyrics states. However, at the middle,
there will be shots of how they argue therefore referring to the song and the line of `i know
i don`t speak your language``, which is implying that they have not yet learned how to
proper communicate and have some conflicts. This would therefore relate to Todorov`s
theory of equilibrium as in the beginning the girl in the boy are in good relations therefore
in a state of equilibrium, however as the video progresses a conflict becomes present
therefore a disruption of the equilibrium and at the end when they end up in a relationship
portraying that the equilibrium is restored. The events will be shown in a chronological
order which is ordering events in accordance with the time sequence in which they have
occurred.
3. Synopsis continuation β¦
The locations that i am planning to use are both internal and external. The shots showing the lifes of the girl and
the boy will be shot in internal locations, most likely in their bedrooms. Within these shots I am planning to
include a split screen so it would show both of the protagonists in their rooms separately, connoting that they are
currently in a conflict. The conflict between the girl and the boy has arisen as the girl witnessed the boy with
another girl and therefore becomes jealous and angry as she thought that he is talking and becoming closer with
another girl. However in fact the other girl is just a friend of the boy and they were studying together in college
and following this he drove her home, which is when the girl saw them together.
The feminine clothes and make up of the model that she would be wearing can relate to the feminist theories of
Van Zoonen and bell hooks of sexuality and objectification of the female models. I am planning to explore and
show a variety of shots such as close up shot, mid shots and full shots. The extremely close up shots and close up
shots will be used at the point of the split screen when the female and the male are in their bedrooms. That will
be an appropriate time to use these shots, in order to allow the audience to see their facial expressions which will
convey their emotions at the point at which they are in a conflict. As the lyrics of the song is implying how a
couple did not know the ``love language`` so they could not communicate with eachother, this will be shown in
my music video when the female and the male are arguing which can demonstrate their frustration and the
process of them learning how to communicate with each other. The genre of the song is pop therefore the video
will be mostly be transmitting positivity and happy events with only one disruption of the equilibrium showing that
the video will conform to the genre conventions. Furthermore, at the point where the equilibrium is disrupted the
enigma code- Barthes will be used to built up the tension and leave the audience to guess how the story will end
up.
4. Type of genre
My music video genre is planned to be a hybrid video which is a combination of a narrative and
performance video and includes the telling of a story and performing the song which promotes
the artist and the song at the same time. The main idea will be an equilibrium (Todorov) to be
established to also conform to the genre conventions of a pop song. The tone of a pop song
usually tends to be upbeat having the artists supporting trendy, mainstream clothing. This will
be shown in my video as the clothes of the female character will be feminine and trendy
portraying different brands, which is therefore linking to target audience being 16-25 year olds
as the younger generations usually wear trendy and brandy clothing.
Promoting the artist which is one of the aspects of a hybrid music video will be seen through
the numerous close up shots throughout the whole video.
5. Type of genre
My music video will strongly conform to the genre conventions established in the music
video of the pop song ``You belong with me`` by Taylor Swift. The music video of the
song has its locations based in the bedrooms of both characters and the main plot
shows how their friendship gradually ends up in a relationship at the prom night. The
genre conventions of a pop video include the mise en scene consisting of bright and
saturated colours and the camera work exploring many close up shots of the faces of
the artists. These conventions can be seen in the music video by Taylor Swift and will
also be present in the production of my music video.
Furthermore, the video ``You belong to me`` is a hybrid video as it involves
`performance as well` just like my music video is planned to be a hybrid video too.
6. Audience appeal
Audience appeal may be created by the use of the close up shots where
the artist will be directly looking at the camera creating a direct mode
of address. This therefore makes the audience connect with the artist as
it grabs their attention and establishes a relationship as it also makes
the audience feel more engaged.
Moreover, the close up shots give the video a personal feel so the
audience may also feel that they can relate to the narrative of the
video. This would mean that the audience will take the video more
personal making them feel as it is aimed at them specifically.
Romantic appeal will also be present in my music video which involves
moments that evoke emotion. In my video this will be visible when the
girl sees the boy with another girl, with her facial expressions portraying
to the audience her shock she is in.
7. Target Audience- Gears
Gender- In my music video there are going to be 3 actors, 2 female and a male, however the main roles will
only be given to the 2 characters a mentioned as the story will be based on their friendship turning into a
relationship. Giving the main roles to 1 male and 1 female characters show that my music video will be equally
targeted at both genders male and female. Both genders are targeted in order to make the audience watching
the music video feel integrated, engaged and part of the video rather than excluded and discriminated against
if only one gender was targeted. Common stereotypes state that male characters in films or music videos were
seen as the protagonists, and they were represented as active participants in order to drive the narrative
forward. Whereas the female characters were shown as passive, and would respond to the actions of the male
character. Therefore, in my music video I will portray the opposite as the main role will be given to the female
and the secondary to the male. This would as a result challenge this idea of male dominance and oppression of
females, portraying females as more powerful and dominant. In a patriarchal culture, as Van Zoonen states
women`s bodies are represented as objects and this can be seen in my music video as a result of the clothes
that she may be wearing. And lastly, in my music video the male character will be black skin portraying the
theory of bell hooks. Her theory will be present in my music video as she believes that male, white, upper
class people control the media industries. This will have a positive impact as by including black skin people it
will challenge the view that white, men are superior and show how black men can be superior and powerful
too.
8. Target Audience- Gears
Ethnicity- As said the male character of the music is
black skin and from African origin this creates
diversity in the music video suggesting that all
ethnicities are targeted. Including a black skin
person challenges the stereotype of white people as
dominant and superior therefore I am hoping that in
this way my music video will reinforce positive
views on different cultures.
Gilroy`s ethnicity and post-colonial theory states
that ethnic minorities such as black people that
used to be colonised in the past, are now
represented as inferior and almost dehumanised in
the media as a result of their inferior status in the
past. In my video I will try to challenge this by
giving the second main role to the male character
that comes from a black African ethnic background
showing that people from ethnic minorities hold an
equal status as white people.
9. Target Audience- GEARS
Age- Equally as the brief says the music
video must targeted at a fun-loving
audience from the age group of 16-25 year
olds, this will be reflected in my music
video as one of the female characters is 17
years old and the second female character
is 18 years old, whereas the male is 22
showing how all actors fit in the target age
demographic. The ages of the female
characters fit the lower part of the age
demographic and the age of the male actor
fits and therefore portrays the upper part
of the target age demographic.
10. Target Audience- GEARS
Region- The music video will consist of shots
from 2 main locations- Hoddesdon and
Harlow. Hoddesdon is in the country of
Hertfordshire whereas Harlow is in Essex.
This shows that there isn`t a particular
location or part of the country that the video
will be targeted at, showing that it will be
targeted and suitable for all locations.
Also, the language of the song is English
showing how the region of England and the
English language will be targeted and seen as
dominant in the music video. However, having
the video being based in England does not
exclude other nationalities or people from
other countries watching it. It will be open
for all.
11. Target Audience- GEARS
Socio-Economic- Looking at the socio-
economic the target classes will be C2 and D
mainly but also E.
E class will be targeted as some people
under the age of 18 are still unemployed
therefore I cannot generalise and put all
under 18`s under the label of being
employed and having a job. The male
character would match the criteria for the
C2 class as he is a skilled manual worker an
has a higher education compared to the 2
female characters would fit Grade D.
12. Song- lyrics
A lot of ways to love you
Teach me through your eyes
What is needed for you?
Needed in your life
Don't wanna go shopping
You want picnics in the park
Do you like mornings?
Should we do it in the dark?
It's all foreign to me (me)
I don't speak what you speak (speak)
I'll commit to learnin'
If you (if you), if you, you (if you)
You're a sweet fantasy (-sy)
Singing your ABCs (Cs)
Please be patient with me, with you
Said I wanna be fluent in your love language
Learning your love language
I know I don't speak your language
But I wanna know more, baby
Fluent in your love language (love)
Learning your love language (love, love)
I know I don't speak your language (no)
But I wanna know more, baby
Never wanna get lost in translation
Never wanna be on two separate pages
Swear to me that you'll state facts
If you can take back
I know I can take that
I been working at it, hoping that you'd notice
I been waiting, I just needed you to focus
Swear to me that you'll show me
Need you to coach me
Then we can proceed
And still, it's all foreign to me (me)
I don't speak what you speak (speak)
I'll commit to learnin'
If you (if you), if you, you (if you)
You're a sweet fantasy (-sy)
Singing your ABCs (Cs)
Please be patient with me, with you
Said I wanna be fluent in your love language (in your love)
Learning your love language (oh)
I know I don't speak your language (no)
But I wanna know more, baby
Fluent in your love language (love)
Learning your love language (love, love)
I know I don't speak your language (no)
But I wanna know more, baby
Said I wanna be fluent in your love language
Learning your love language
I know I don't speak your language
But I wanna know more, baby
Fluent in your love language (love)
Learning your love language (love, love)
I know I don't speak your language (no)
But I wanna know more, baby
13. Lyrics linked to visuals- Godwin
Godwin`s theory suggests that the lyrics of a song match the music video`s visuals.
When you hear a song you feel the emotion and the message wanting to be put
across by the artist which is usually what is then seen in the music video. Themes,
mise en scene and events of the video match with the lyrics of the song, to help to
portray the message of the song, as well as the actions of the characters in the
video.
The visuals on the screen add to the meaning of the song and emphasis what the
band is singing. At some parts of the video the editing will be relatively slow cut to
match the music`s tempo and rhythm.
The video will also cut between the performance of the band and various other
scenes such as when the artist is putting her make up in the beginning of the video
or when she is out shopping, creating a type of montage effect.
14. Lyrics linked to visuals
And still, it's all foreign to me (me)
I don't speak what you speak (speak)
These lines of the song will be seen through
the visuals in the music video as this is
when the two characters will be having the
conflict (disequilibrium) referring to how
they have not yet learned to communicate
to each other and they are still in the
process of learning. Therefore until they
learn how to communicate and solve their
problems they cannot be in a relationship.
I'll commit to learnin'
This links to the part where after they get in an
argument and the male character does not pick up
the phone, he then calls her back and they speak
and arrange when they should meet again in order
for him to apologise to her and therefore takes
her on a dinner to show that he is sorry for what
has happened. So the line ``i`ll commit to
learning`` will be portrayed in the music video by
his attempts to get her back and the actions he
takes to do that. He is learning from his mistakes.
15. Lyrics linked to visuals
Never wanna get lost in translation
Never wanna be on two separate pages
At this part of the song where the two characters will
be in a state of a conflict and disequilibrium I will try to
include the split screen to demonstrate how they do not
want to be in this situation however getting to know
each other better, sometimes leads to this which can be
referred to as `get lost in translation` therefore getting
lost in the argument. The split screen will portray how
they `never wanna be on two separate pages` therefore
being in a conflict.
If you (if you), if you, you (if
you)
This line will be illustrated by
having the artist pointing at the
camera while singing this. This
will create a direct mode of
address.
16. Intertextuality
Intertextuality is the shaping of a text`s meaning by another text and the connection between similar or
related works that reflect or influence an audience`s interpretation of the text. The two texts may be similar in
terms of the main idea they try to portray to the audience. In other words it refers to the process of creating
references of any kind of media text via another media text. It can have a link to a another media such as a
film, television or music or story
For example, in my music video intertextuality is present as the main idea that the video is trying to portray
how a best friends and their friendship may turn into a relationship as they fall in love, therefore referring to
how unexpected things can actually happen and turn into reality. Furthermore, the music video has an
intertextual links to the television sitcome ``Boy meets world`. The intertextuality can be seen in the episodes
exploring Cory and Topanga who are best friends in High School years and eventually their close friendship turns
into a relationship.
My music video will also explore the same theme and plot that the movie ``Love, Rosie`` portrays of how the
male and the female who have known each other their whole life go through many challenges that life gives,
however they go through them together and therefore this makes their connection stronger that turns into a
relationship at the end of the movie. In my video, this will be seen through their friendship which has its good
and negative moments, with the negative moments being reflected in the disruption of the equilibrium, which
makes their connection stronger and end up forming a relationship.
17. Representation
In my music videos there are going to be different representations of individuals. For example, the
female gender will be represented through the strong and clear use of feminine clothing and make
up used for the female character in the video. The use of make up and props such as the clothing
are also seen as genre conventions for a pop song. Make up will include eye shadow and red
lipstick. The red lipstick in specific will be used in order to symbolise the idea of `love and
passion` of the music video but also the power that females can hold in order to challenge the
stereotypical view of how males are the dominant character and genre creating a patriarchal
culture and the oppression of females.
As the male artist of my music video will be from an African origin and black skin it will challenge
the stereotypical view that the white, middle class culture and people from this class are dominant
and that other ethnicities are subordinate.
18. Theory- bell hooks
bell hook`s theory considers the colour codes referring to
how lighter skinned women are considered more desirable
and fit better into the western ideology of beauty.
Therefore in my music video this will be transmitted and
portrayed by having the main role occupied by a white girl.
Furthermore, having the female occupying the main role,
this can relate to bell hook`s idea of how feminism is a
struggle to end patriarchal oppression and ideology of
domination as she is taking the main role reinforcing her
dominance in this situation therefore my video can be seen
as spreading feminist ideas and approaches to the audience.
19. Theory- Van Zoonen
The feminist Van Zoonen emphasises how the media presents women as absent or inferior
and always subservient to men. This can to some extend be seen in my video as in the time
of the disequilibrium we can see that the female is the character that is calling and looking
for the men implying that she is the one dependent on him and cannot go without him,
whereas he is the independent character therefore the dominant gender reinforcing the
idea of hegemony.
Secondly, Van Zoonen focuses on the idea that the display of women`s bodies as objects to
be looked at is a core element of the western patriarchal structure, allowing them to be
objectified. In the opening shots of my video the female character will be wearing a
pyjama consisting of shorts which is exposing her legs, therefore allowing her to be
objectified by the male audience. This also shows how in a mainstream culture the visual
and narrative codes such as the mise en scene and the props such as clothing of the female
are used to objectify the female body differ from those used to construct the male body as
a spectacle. For example, is much more common to see a female body objectified in the
media texts, whereas it is unusual to see a male body being objectified.
The idea and feminism can be portrayed in the scenes and shots in the opening of the
video when the female is looking at the mirror and applying make up.
20. Liesbet van Zoonen theory continued β¦
One of Van Zoonen`s points states that gender is construted through
discourse, with media helping the audience to `learn` what it is being a
specific gender. This will be reflected in my video as in the opening shots
one the main female character will be shot applying make-up and later on
the ending of the video at the dinner she will be wearing red lipstick.
These conventions therefore portray how females are obsessed with their
external appearance. Therefore, through my video the audience will
`learn` what it is to be female.
Also, when the main female character sees the boy with another girl from
her facial expressions it becomes visible to the audience that the girl is
shocked and upset, therefore the audience will start to believe that
women are weak and emotion. As a result, this shows how ideas and
understandings about gender are constructed via representation.
21. Theory- Todorov
My video will follow the state of equilibrium which is a theory by Tzvetan Todorov. As the
video progresses the state of equilibrium can change giving one person more power or
authority over another throughout the plot which is keeping the audience entertained.
In my case the equilibrium will be disrupted when the male character does not pick up the
phone and the girl later witnesses him and sees him with another girl, resulting in her feeling
shocked, jealous and upset. The state of disequilibrium (disruption of equilibrium) comes and
can be seen when the male character calls the female and she can be seen as being angry
while talking to him. During the state of the disequilibrium the female character will be
presented as being dependent on the male character as she is the one trying to get in touch
with him and gets upset and emotional after seeking him with another girl. The attempt to
repair the damage will be present when the male offer the female to go out on a dinner
apologising to her. And finally the equilibrium is restored and a new one comes in place at the
scene when they are in the restaurant and are both happy together.
This equilibrium structure triggers and drives the narrative forwards making it more
interesting towards the audience as at the time of the disequilibrium the audience will be
pressured and will be interested to see what will happen next. Some expectations of the
audience may be broken by the new equilibrium.
22. Theory- Barthes
My music video will be also be following the enigmatic narrative structure. Enigma refers
to any element in a story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the
audience.
The enigma code will be present at the disequilibrium when the two characters will
argue, leaving the audience guessing whether they will end up sorting out the problem
and restoring the equilibrium or not. The purpose is to keep the audience guessing,
arresting the enigma until the final scene reveals the truth and all loose ends are tied off
and closure is achieved, therefore this becomes present in the video when the two
characters will be out on a dinner showing how the disruption is fixed and the equilibrium
is restored.
23. Theory- Mulvey
The male gaze theory by Laura Mulvey highlights how media products
represent women as passive objects of male desire.
When the female character in my video is about to wake up and then gets
up and looks in the mirror as she is doing her make up, the shot will show
how she is applying red lipstick which can imply the idea of sexuality and
seduction which will draw the attention of the male audience.
24. Uses and Gratifications theory- Katz and
Blumler
The Uses and Gratifications theory looks at the numerous ways in which the
audience can interpret a media product including a film, television programme,
music video, etc β¦
The music video will most suitably relate to the integration and social interaction
as well as personal identit, which refers to the audience being able to identify
with others and gaining a sense of belonging. As the music video will be portraying
a message of a kind of `love story` some of the audience in the age group and
demographic of 16-24 may relate to or feel like they have experienced something
similar. This will therefore result in them feeling integrated and accepted
furthermore feeling closeness with the characters in the music video.