My helpful quick theory list for A2 media

1. MY QUICK THEORY LIST.

2. ROLAND BARTHES CODES AND
CONVENTIONS WITHIN MUSIC
VIDEOS .
Roland Barthe states that: “The text is like a ball of thread , the ball is
the text and we are the detanglers.
He also suggests that individuals can interpret the codes in different
ways on different days depending on their feelings.
He splits the way media can present these codes into 5 strands
1.The Hermeneutic code is the voice of truth, this code avoids telling
the truth or revealing the facts to create a sense of mystery. This is
often used within detective programs as without this code there
would be no point of this genre existing as if all the information was
given to the audience on a plate then they would immediately know
who the killer was.

3. The code is the enigma code this acts as the empirical voice, it
builds up tension slowly ,leaving the audience waiting for what is
going to come next. It is often used in horror movies and
programs to build up the suspense and give the audience that
fear factor.
The third of Roland Barthes codes is the semantic code this acts
as the voice of the person, it focuses on a element in the text that
suggests a particular often additional meaning through
connotation and association e.g. : A red door could have the
implications that there is danger on the other side.

4. The symbolic code is similar to the semantic code but on a
larger scale and depth as it has broader sets of meaning. A
example of this would be that “love is the opposite to hate”
The cultural code is the voice of science ,it looks at audiences
wider cultural knowledge morality and ideology, this means that
they can keep in with audience expectations of stereo types and
they can communicate a character through these
representations and preconceived ideas about the world we live
in.

5. ANDREW GOODWIN'S
CONVENTIONS OF MUSIC
VIDEOS…

6. AS A AUDIENCE WE SHOULD LOOK
FOR 5 KEY ASPECTS.
The narrative and performance within the
video
The star image so this is how the star is
presented to us.
Technical aspects of the music video
Thought beats –seeing the sound
Music visualisation.
Music videos avoid the
common narrative as music
videos should act as
advertisements for the
artist. consumers make up
their own meaning of a
song in their minds
allowing the artist to anchor
a meaning through a music
video.

8. NARRATIVE AND PERFORMANCE
The lyrics and performance of a song never are fully explanatory we
tend to take key parts of the performance and summarise our own
opinion on what the song means.
When the artist lip sings lyrics and shows symbolic gestures it gives
the music video more in-depth meaning and over all more a powerful
narrative. However by the Artist also acting as the narrator and
partaker gives the music video more realism.
Andrew Goodwin suggests that artists should avoid common
narratives as it will effect their advertising as it plays a distinct role.
The music video must be expressive and distinct so it has aspects of
repeatability. If the narrative and performance is interesting it makes
it more watchable so that audiences wont loose interest.

9. SStTaARr IMAGE
Image:
“The way the star is portrayed in a music video
is extremely important to the development of
the star over along period of time it is classed as
Meta narrative it gives the hole picture and story
of the star as it is vital for the star to grow
within the industry. It plays an important role in
the process of creating a music video and
cannot be dismissed.”

10. TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF MUSIC
VIDEOS.
The Mise-en-scene is an
indispensable aspect to the
music video as it gives it
professional gratification and a
high quality music video.
The use of the camera is also
of importance. As the speed
that the camera is used at ,
the camera angles and
movement ,the way the
footage is then cut and,
edited and also the post
production process can
make or break a music video
The lighting can
change the mood of
the music video and
how we interpret it.
Also can enhance
certain scenes or
movement that the
producers would like
to bring to the
audiences attention.

11. “Thought beats occur when the transitions in music video
synchronise with the audio. An example of this is a slow
tempo son will have slow transitions allowing the song to
come across as delicate and thoughtful. However having
sharp quick transitions gives the music video a
interpretational edge of recklessness and care free showing
a more energetic emotion. You also have to take the
structure of the song into account as you have to
understand the chorus and verses. The second step is to
acknowledge the lead vocalist as in comparison to the
chorus it gives them a unique form of identification., this
can then be linked to their star persona and give them a
trade mark. The last step is to establish what story the artist
is trying tell. This can establish them as a story teller, the
music video can reinforce the story my adding visuals to
support the lyrics.”

12. MUSIC VISUALISATION.
There are three ways Andrew Goodwin states that visuals can sell a song to
its target audience.
Illustrative: shots and images are used to show the genre and why it was
used and also the meaning behind the vocals and the genre.
Disjuncture: The meaning of the song is not identified through visuals as the
visuals do not relate to the lyrics in any form.
Repeatability: This is when the images are manipulated by camera angles
and special effects and shown to us repeatedly, this is to ensure that the
visuals are imprinted in our minds.
A music video can also promote a song in the way it interprets the lyrics.
This is shown in music videos where the artist does a action that represents
what the song says ,take the Casper slide for example he says “slide to the
left” at the very same time he slides to the left himself.

13. LAURA MULVEY
“The concept of the gaze is how
people interpret the people
presented”
If you are
Feminist then you
will see the gaze
in three possible
ways:
.How men look at
women
.How women look
at other women
.How women look
at themselves.

14. LAURA MULVEY STATES THAT WHEN
WE ARE INTERPRETING A CHARACTER
THROUGH THE MEDIA THAT WE HAVE
TO DO SO THROUGH A HETEROSEXUAL
MALES POINT OF VIEW.
Camera angles linger and
emphasise the females
figure. Any events that occur
to the woman depend on
massively on how the male
chooses to react to the event
itself.
The woman is just their to
present the male as superior
and help portray his
character as a hero.
The woman is classified as a
object , if you are a female
viewer then you have to
interpret the narrative
secondary as to understand

15. THIS METHOD IS ALSO USED IN
ADVERTS WHERE THEY USE THE
FEMALE TO SELL THE PRODUCT BY
SEXUALISING THE FEMALE BODY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUtS5
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeC0O
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTbG1
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRV-
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“Some women however
prefer and like to be
looked at for example you
have modelling
competitions. This
suggest that the gaze can
be used for how women
look at other woman as
they can aspire to be like
them ,the gaze does not
have to be sexual.”

16. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
Marajorie Ferguson and Trevor Millum suggested that women and
men had a small range of facial expressions that communicated
effectively towards the audience:
Female facial expressions: male facial features:
Chocolate box practical
Invitational seductive
Super smiler comic
Romantic or sexual catalogue