The music video for Eminem's "Stan" tells the story of an obsessive fan of Eminem's who loses his mind and drives off a bridge. Though a hip-hop song, the video has a dark tone and does not feature typical hip-hop imagery. Symbolism is used throughout, like Stan wearing white to represent insanity. The video aims to warn fans against obsession and shows Eminem does not want fans to define themselves by his fame.

1. Alexander Dwyer
Task 3
Eminem - Stan
Eminem’s music video Stan is the story of a made up fan of Eminem’s that is extrema about
the life and career of Eminem. Going as far as to lose his mind and drive his car off a bridge.
The genre of the music video is hip-hop
but unlike many of hip hop genre music
video it does not show any of the common
features or codes of the hip-hop genre. In
a normal hip hop video there will be
imagery of fast cars gold chains and
women in swimsuits, Eminem’s video is
nonconventional as it has none of these
things. Right from the start the video
shows a dark atmosphere. In the first frame the camera is moving into the old window and
of a dark and gloomy house. The use of rain also shows a gloomy and dark atmosphere this
is known as pathetic fallacy when the mood is indicated by the weather. One common code
and convention used in hip hop videos is Mulvey’s male gaze theory which says that men
are drawn towards women that show themselves in a seductive way so in the case of hip
hop women in swimsuits. There is nothing to attract a sexually driven male audience in this
video as one of the main reasons for the creation of the video is to pass on a message to his
fans. When it comes to the colours of the video they also have a code behind them. Stan’s
basement is dark gloomy and creepy; this also mirrors the dark lyrics of the song which is
better than having bright colours with a negative song.
This is created to represent Stan’s state of mind. In
ancient south American culture, the colour white was
meant to represent lunacy because of the eeriness of
the moons light. This could have been hinted to in the
video as Stan wares the colour white showing his
insanity, or simply just because it’s what Eminem
wears. Another use of colour with meaning is they use
of Stan’s blue tank top. The colour blue is meant to
represent loyalty and this is show by how loyal Stan’s
girlfriend is to him staying with him through his
obsession. The use of light is very scares throughout
the video this is to also represent how dark the video is. One place light is used is when Stan
has the flash back of taking his little brother to see Eminem in the music store, this in Stan’s

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mind is a happy time and the light represents
that happiness that he has. The only other
time light is seen in the video is the bright
light given off by Stan’s television when
Eminem is on this to Stan is like a light of
salvation similar to light given off by angles in
religious paintings. Another point of meaning
is when Stan is writing his letter to Eminem
he raps what he is writing even though it is Eminem rapping, this represents how big of a fan
Stan is lip synching to Eminem’s voice making him seem creepier. This is contrasted to when
Eminem finally writes back he does not lip synch to the video. Another way the video shows
Stan’s addiction is by the camera cuts used at the
end of one scene is shows Stan gluing a picture of
Eminem over a picture of him and his girlfriend,
this shot is then cut to one of them in bed together
exactly were the photo was in the shot. At the very
end of the video on the last verse Eminem is
writing his letter but towards the end when he
realises that Stan was the drunk driver his face
appears in the window showing that he will still be
a fan now in death and will haunt the
thoughts of Eminem.
The main message that this song and music video are trying to get across is that Eminem
want’s his fans to be focused on their own life and not obsess over his. Stan is supposed to
represent the type of fan Eminem doesn’t want. One way Eminem shows that he is not like
other artists to his fans is by having the parts of him in the video shot in a trailer to show
that money and fame has not gone to his head. With links to other artist the actress who
plays Stan’s girlfriend is played by Dido the English singer songwriter, also a part of her song
“thankyou” is featured in the song Stan. Her original song Is about her being fed up with life
and has an idol that she says she has pictures on her wall of, this matches Eminem’s song
Stan as he has pictures of Eminem on his wall.

3. Alexander Dwyer
Eminem’s music video of Stan is in a linear because he is trying to get across an important
message to his fans, by making the evet fall into a chronological order the audience won’t
get confused over the message he is getting across. To better relate to his fans Eminem has
his video as an unconventional hip hop video. By making himself at the same level financially
to his fans would make people like him the part when he is in his trailer shows that he is not
like other artist who are about bling and cars, this is how he appeals to his audience. He also
appeals to his audience by creating a relatable message instead of one people might not
care about like his relationship, by doing this it makes him more likeable.
The use of camera angles is very important in any sort of video or film. In the Eminem video
of Stan, the camera always seems to pull the audience in. one example of this is seen in the
first shot when the camera is moving into
the window this puts the audience into
the house of Stan and his environment.
by using close up shots as well brings the
audience in, when Stan is dying his hair
blond the camera is right in his face over
his shoulder looking in the mirror at him.
Katy Perry – last Friday night
Katy Perry’s music video for last Friday night shows a Friday night party that ends up with
her parents’ house in a mess.
The genre for this music video is pop and it is
conventional as it has all the key elements for it to
be a pop music video. The main thing that a pop
music video would have is an upbeat atmosphere to
it similar to the song which would have a catchy
simple beat. Another thing common in a pop video is
bright colours and lighter simple colours. Another
thing that makes it a typical pop video is the dance choreography used in it. The video is set
out like a movie from the late 80’s with its fashion and style. There are codes that make it
the style of an 80’s movie. Katy Perry’s role in the video is one of the nerds of unpopular
people in the social group. As well as this is there is the popular people like the jocks with
the red sports jackets that show that they are popular. Another popular person in the video
is the character Rebecca black plays, she is
one of the popular kids as it is her party that
is causing all the noises which results in Katy

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having to go over to the house. Another notable character is the other nerd of unpopular kid
who he is the same as Katy in this video and sees her as a love interest. To build on the nerd
stereotype of the nerd kid a scene in a dungeons and dragons or LARP style which is
supposed to be a nerdy game. This is the nerd’s imagination which is one where he wins the
princess which is Katy Perry. As well as this stereotype the nerd doesn’t seem to fit into the
crowd like the other people at the party. Midway the video Katy Perry changes he person to
fit in with everyone at this part the party
becomes more focused around her and the
bright colours she is waring. The use of the
colour pink is meant to represent
femininity, the use of this on Katy Perry
when she walks down the stairs shows how
she has transformed into something more
and is making herself know to the groups of
people. This also gets her noticed by the
popular boys and becomes the new sexual
attraction for them. As well as this, the
colours are luminous which draws people
towards her. Like hip-hop, another thing
that is common in pop music videos is the
sexualisation of women. As I stated before
Mulvey’s male gaze theory says, men are drawn towards women willing to show off her
body. Katy Perry’s video is a prime example of this, when Katy comes down the stairs she
has changed into a sex symbol showing off her curves in a tight revealing dress. This is a
selling point of the video, which could bring in a different audience. There is lip synch in the
video as it is a common trait of the pop genre, by having lip synch adds to the catchiness to
the song. The video establishes Katy Perry as a star by having many shots of her, In terms of
the videos story she is the main star.
Along with its heavy 80’s references, the music video is set out like a late 80’s teen movie
right down to the opening shot to the ending credits. Key components in the video establish
it as a teen movie in the terms of its events in simple terms part goes on, first the nerdy
unpopular girl next door gets annoyed at loud music and not being invited and goes round
to the party house. The Girl is mesmerised by the colours and by how fun it looks but
realises she does not fit in from the way
people look at her. After an amazing
transformation, she becomes the centre of
attention and loves every second of it.
Towards the end, she learns that the boy she

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liked is not very interested in her as a person but more of an object. In a short show down
she now knows that the boy that liked her is more interested in her. This story plot is a very
stereotypically, sugar coated teen movie plot and is made by the 80’s clothes and dance
moves. There is no real important meaning behind the song and video like the Eminem one
but it does encourage teenagers to go to
parties and have fun drinking and dancing, it is
conventional for a pop song to have no deeper
meaning. With links to other artist, the song
tips its hat to the Rebecca black song Friday,
which was about fun on Friday. Rebecca was
casted as the popular party thrower who
encourages Katy Perry’s character to come in
and have fun. Although her song “Friday” was not well received, it still gives credit to the
song and the artist promoting her. As well as the inclusion of Rebeca Black there is also a
reference to the game just dance with a scene of them playing it and Katy Perry getting a
high score on the game.
The song is non-linier as the story starts with the day after, where Katy Perry wakes up in
her bed with her room in a mess the story then starts before the party. The reason for it not
being in chronological order is so that it pushes the audience to ask how did it get this messy
and what happened. To appeal to her fans Katy Perry is established as the star of her videos
and this one is no exception to
this and she is shown to have fun
with lots of people this appeals
to her fans as it shows her to be
a fun person what rubs off on
her fans. The style of the music
video is a movie and it has been
accomplished with the use of
different camera shots. In the

6. Alexander Dwyer
opening of the music video there is a long shot to set the scene for the video to come. This
is good because it shows us this takes place in an American suburban neighbourhood.
Another good use of camera work is when the new Katy Perry is reviled to audience she
comes down the stairs and the camera shot stats at her feet and moves all the way her the
shoulders and face.
The reason for using this type of shot is so that it makes the revile grander, with you feeling
like you are at the party watching her come down the stairs. Another shot used is the
medium/close up which puts you in the face of the
people to make you see their facial expressions and
lets you know who’s talking by switching on to the
person who is. Another way that the movie feel is
created in this music video is by having credits at the
end showing all the people in it. A close up shot was
used in the credits to show all the people.
Conclusion.
In conclusion the main difference between them is one is conventional and the other one is not. The
Eminem video is unconventional for hip-hop with its dark colours to match its dark themes. The Katy
Perry video is conventional for pop as it has its bright colours and up beat theme and catch tune with
popular styles. What makes the Eminem video conventional and fit into the hip-hop genre is the songs
layout with its changing beat and song breakdown. What makes the Katy Perry song unconventional is
the use of 80’s fashion that is not up to date.