The document discusses various representations evident in music videos and how they promote artists. It covers concepts like intertextuality, social realism, and targeting audiences. Key points include how Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" video uses a realist representation of street life to portray the band as authentic and grounded. It also analyzes how the video's continuous shot and lack of focus on any one member presents an alternative perspective to promote equality.

1. MASSIVE ATTACK
REPRESENTATION
ANALYSIS
LO: To highlight the representations evident
and make links to how they promote the
artist.

2. Do Now
Research and define what street
culture is.
Extension
How does street culture link to the
Massive Attack video.

4. Unfinished Sympathy
The a song about the breakup of a relationship and the
struggle of not being able to get over it. The lead singer is
presented to be unable to move on from this heartbreak,
which is highlighted in the music video when she has a
painfully raw expression on her face when singing the lyrics
with passion as well as pain. Also, when the world around
her is passing by, for example the people around her and
places passing by. If it was supposed to be a regular
person walking they would usually look around the objects
and features around them, this emphasises that the singers
focus is internal.

5. Intertextuality
• Intertextuality is the shaping of a
text's meaning by another text.
• Intertextuality is a literary device
that creates an 'interrelationship
between texts' and generates
related understanding in
separate works.
• These references are made to
influence the reader and add
layers of depth to a text, based
on the reader’s prior knowledge
and understanding.

6. Intertextuality
Research and find a still image that has an
intertextual reference within it, be ready to
discuss your case study.

7. Social Realism
What is Social Realism?
Which of the two case studies does
it most relate and why?
How does it link to the
representation of the artist?

8. Essay Response Structure
Who is the artist you will refer to and what genre of music
do they create?
Who is the target audience of the video?
How is the target audience targeted ?
What representation themes are apparent in the video?
How do these link to the artist and their representation
(consider the messages they believe in)?
Are there any standout technical features of the video?
What does this say about the artist?

9. Essay Response Structure
Who is the artist you will refer to and what genre of music
do they create?
Who is the target audience of the video?
How is the target audience targeted ?
What representation themes are apparent in the video?
How do these link to the artist and their representation
(consider the messages they believe in)?
Are there any standout technical features of the video?
What does this say about the artist?

10. Theoretical framework
Learners will develop their understanding of the media through the consistent application of the four areas of the
theoretical framework:
media language: how the media through their forms, codes, conventions and techniques communicate meanings
media representations how the media portray events, issues, individuals and social groups
media industries: how the media industries' processes of production, distribution and circulation affect media forms and
platforms
media audiences: how media forms target, reach and address audiences, how audiences interpret and respond to them
and how members of audiences become producers themselves.
Learners should have also developed the skills to:
analyse critically and compare how media products, including products outside the commercial mainstream, construct
and communicate meanings through the interaction of media language and audience response use key theories of
media studies and specialist subject-specific terminology appropriately
use and critically reflect upon a range of complex theories of media studies and use specialist subject-specific
terminology appropriately
debate key questions relating to the social, cultural, political and economic role of the media through sustained
discursive writing.
Media messages (Component 01) offers learners the opportunity to:
consider the relationship between offline and online media products by completing two linked in-depth studies into
contemporary newspapers, and their online counterparts, including social and participatory media.
develop knowledge and understanding of academic ideas and arguments in relation to the two in-depth studies.
develop knowledge and understanding of media contexts, media language and representations through the study of
advertising and marketing, magazines, and music video.

11. Next Steps
• Use the key words from the question
• Use capital letters
• Refer to intertextuaity (use terminology)
• Homage (terminology)
• Refer to 'the street'
• Animation/ stop motion
• Abstract (a good word to use)
• Use paragraphs
• Trip hop (Massive Attack's genre at the time)
• 'Normal' - what do you mean? Explain yourself clearly with references
to the text.
• Use textual references to iluminate the points you make.
• Continuous tracking shot
• Refer to shots, editing, camera work
• Size 10-12 text
• Explain who the audience are.

12. Massive Attack
• uses social realist representation of ‘street life’ to represent the
authenticity and cultural currency of the artists
• the single shot naturalism and use of non-actors emphasise the
realism of the representation to add to the ‘cutting edge’ image
of the artists
• the celebration of the transcendence of poverty and inequality,
for example in Emeli Sandé or Corinne Bailey Rae videos,
aiming to transfer that value of transcendence to the artist
• the use of messages and viewpoints in videos that aim to
bolster the image of the artist and chime with those of the
positioned audience

13. Massive Attack: Exemplar Response
“Unfinshed Sympathy”, as individual members fitting in with everyday Society. The video was
directed by Baillie Walsh and was filmed in continuous shot. The video, filmed on Stedicam,
begins with a shot of a street gang before moving to follow Nelson walking along the pavement
unaware or uncaring of her surroundings, which includes drunks, bikers and disabled people.
As the video progresses, 3D (having finished making a call in a public phone booth) and then
Daddy G (pushing a cart) can been seen walking several paces behind her, slightly out of
focus. At the end of the video, Nelson walks past the camera and down the road into the
distance. Unlike many other videos this offers an alternative perspective to other music videos
which do not centre around a main “feature” or “star”, which conflicts with other artists who may
strive for fame and want to stand out amongst other. Throughout their respective video,
Massive Attack may want to bring about a positive change in society and bring together
communities, something which the band does and emphasises.
The bands representations are also emphasised through their lyrical content choices.
Unfinished Sympathy is a love song. The meaning of Massive Attacks, Unfinshed Sympathy is
about becoming involved with someone who then pulls away- “How can I have a day without
night, you’re the book that I have opened, and I’ve got to know much more”. The lyrics suggest
Nelson has had some kind of limited contact with another person which has left her wanting
more. “Like a soul without a mind”, conveys the feeling of emptiness as a result of this desire,
she is missing something that she needs. Also, perhaps a recognition to the fact that she will
not get what she wants. The line “you really hurt me baby” expresses her angst and despair
about the fact the other person does not requite her love, the meaning may not reference a
previous relationship but questions whether she will get hurt if she enters this one.

14. Massive Attack: Exemplar Response
All the members of Massive Attack are in the music video however not clearly noticeable with
the setting of the music video. All of the band are being represented as normal people who
have been brought up around street life. They show this through the setting they have used in
the music video. The main singer is filmed whilst she is walking down the streets which
presents to the audience a wide angled view of what the street life is like. The band members
walking down the street during the music video shows that they are involving themselves in
that community with pride, they are not judging anyone living in that poorer community. They
are not avoiding that area like most middle and higher class people would. This shows the
audience that the artists of Massive Attack do not care about status and they believe everyone
is equal. An example of this from the music video would be that they are not wearing flashy
designer clothes compared to most other music videos when artists are typically more bothered
about their appearance more than the lyrics and the message they are implying to their
audience. The band are just wearing ordinary clothes like they are ordinary people and they
don’t need to look the part to achieve a higher status.
We then see in the music video Daddy G holding his sons hand. This represents the artists as
people who are loving and caring people who are close with their family members. This also
shows that as a family they are not ashamed to walk down their hometown streets. The lead
singer Shara Nelson also uses a lot of facial expressions when she is singing which implies to
the audience that they are very passionate about their lyrics and the message they are putting
across. The facial expressions Shara uses implies that she actually cares about what she is
saying. The lyrics mean something to her and the band making it more personal. The audience
would appreciate the band even more as they are sharing a song that is personal to them. This
gives meaning to their music and represents the artists as people who are not all about the
fame.

15. Massive Attack: Exemplar Response
Summary
Summarise the key points made in the exemplar responses
and add some of your own that you feel were missed.
Representation
Points Massive
Attack

16. David Guetta
• the use of intertextual, postmodern representations to
transfer the quality of the video itself to the image of the
artists, e.g. the cinéphiliac recreation of Spielbergian 80s
suburban America in the David Guetta video
• the use of messages and viewpoints in videos that aim to
bolster the image of the artist and chime with those of the
positioned audience, e.g. the very filmic representation of
teenage alienation in Guetta’s video creates an
ambiguous message that adds to the sophistication of
Guetta’s image and fits the large-scale nature of the song.