Madichi's Blog: Media

Beyoncé's "Formation" Beyoncé's 'Formation music video uses a number of representational themes. These include:  Gender: Beyoncé's body and the way that it relates to her star persona and her being an African-American woman is a key element of her music videos. She uses binary opposites as she is represented as a strong empowered woman while simultaneously being sexually objectified through codes of clothing, narrative situations and provocative dance moves. Therefore, at times, she challenges stereotypical representations of women in the music industry while also reinforcing a stereotypical representation of women who are defined by their body image. Also the sense of sisterhood in the dance numbers create a positive representation. Ethnicity: Beyoncé uses the iconography of the antebellum dresses worn by white women in the American South during the slave trade era. There are references to slavery and the relationships between plantation owne...

Vance Joy's Riptide Riptide was an Indie song released by Vance Joy. Riptide' music video subverts the typical conventions of the form. Whilst audiences expect the lyrics to be interpreted figuratively, the video is extremely literal obscuring and amplifying the lyrics. Riptide rejects normal narrative devices and instead constructs a montage of apparently disparate images that lack narrative cohesion, leaving the audience to draw their own conclusions.  Disjuncture means lacking unity, thus creating a separation or disconnection, for example between the lyrics and the visuals in a music video. Riptide creates disjuncture by repeating image sequences for example the woman running to the sea which is repeated with the woman in different clothing, literally matching the lyrics but this succeeds in creating an enigma and not narrative clarification. Similarly, the shot of the two lollies being pulled apart is used as a visual for the lyrics 'Oh and they come unstuck...

'Dream' Dizzee Rascal. The music video for "Dream" begins as some building blocks (with animals printed on them) rotate to reveal the name of the artist "Dizzee Rascal". A children's music box tune plays as the camera zooms in on a woman at a piano a parody based on Annette Mills and Muffin the Mule. She then starts playing the piano and the song starts. Dizzee appears out of a music box, He then states that the track he's rapping on is "too sensible for him," a nod to this song's sample of a Captain Sensible song. Then he starts rapping the song. During the video, several notable incidents happen; two puppet men steal a TV, and the puppet police appear in a police car, and beat the puppet thieves; another puppet spray paints a shop wall; an ostrich dances on a bench; Dizzee walks into a disco; Dizzee raps for a microphone in a recording studio, with a pony puppet as a DJ; two puppets walk on screen pushing prams containing ugl...

Tide advert This product is intended to sell cleaning products to women in the 1950s. The main image shows a middle-class domestic housewife hugging the product. This implies that she is glamorous and loves what she does. Even the slogan portrays this claiming that it is "what women want". This links to Gerbner's cultivation theory as the repetition of women enjoying being in the kitchen doing domestic work can lead to women being defined only by this stereotypical trait. The poster also has a hyperbole claiming that Tide will clean products better than all other cleaning products.  The unique selling point in this poster is that it is clean and that it gets the jobs done, this is done by the repetition of words like ‘Clean’ and ‘White’. The use of the secondary picture of the woman with the washing machine represents the cleanliness of the product. The woman in this poster does not only target this product to other women but to men as well, as if men saw t...

The Bridge Season 3 episode 1 analysis The Bridge Season 3 Episode 1 is a Scandinavian crime drama. It contains most of the elements that would usually be found in a crime drama.   The main character of the show, Saga, is a strong female detective . It is suggested that she has autistic tendencies, due to the way that she acts around others.  In season 1, this is contrasted with the Danish male detective who seems to have more empathy and social skills which will make the audience side with his point of view more.  In season 3, Saga is contrasted with the female Danish detective who seems to be more confident with dealing with her. The detective is also very straight to the point occasionally even more than Saga. This makes the audiences alignment change as we slightly sympathise with Saga more. Also it is shown that Saga responds well under pressure as when there is an explosion and the other detectives leg is blown off, Saga is quick to tie a belt around the ...

Life on Mars Analysis Life on Mars is a BBC crime drama starring John Simm. It consists of main character, Sam Tyler being in a car accident and being transported 33 years into the past to the year 1973. It has the main stock characters that would typically be seen in a crime-drama. Sam is the main investigator. He is the point of interest throughout and the audience feels just as confused as he does. In the present, the sidekick character that we briefly see is a strong female character. This contrasts with the 1970s where there are hardly any females in the workplace and the ones that are there face sexism by male co-workers. In fact in the 70s setting the boss and the sidekick character are the same person with him helping Sam solve the case and interrogate suspects or witnesses. Representation is used strongly throughout the episode, mainly with the roles of women in the workplace. This is seen through the character of Annie Cartwright. Even though she is clearly shown as ...