Blogpost 4：Representations in Music Video
- cldong8
- Apr 6, 2021
- 4 min read
So in brief…
Media constructs meanings about the world.
Needs to be a shared recognition of people / situations / ideas / values – could be through familiar images and ideas.
Closer examination of ideas and meanings produced.
Representations are constructed, become familiar through constant re-use.
More details…
The concept of representation embodies the theme that the media construct meanings about the world – they represent it, and in doing so, help audiences to make sense of it in particular ways. For representation to be meaningful to audiences, there needs to be a shared recognition of people, situations, ideas and values. What require closer examination are the ideas and meanings produced by those representations. There may be shared recognition through the world as represented through familiar or dominant images and ideas, but there is sometimes little social consensus about how to interpret those representations, and always the possibility of alternative representations.
A key in the study of representation concern is with the way in which representations are made to seem “natural”. Systems of representation are the means by which the concerns of ideologies are frames; such systems “position” their subjects. All texts, however “realistic” they see to be, are constructed representations rather than simply transparent “reactions”, recordings, transcriptions or reproductions of a pre-existing reality. Representations which become familiar through constant re-use come to feel “natural” and unmediated. Representation is unavoidably selective, foregrounding same things and backgrounding others.
Representation in music videos
Strong and positive representation in music videos can help fight and break down stereotypes that can be detrimental to individuals and limiting to society. When a group of people is only ever represented in negative ways, it adversely affects the way others see them, as well as the way they see themselves. Which means, on the flip side, positive representation can build self-confidence in individuals. It offers them role models to look up to and people and characters to be inspired by and reinforces that they are not lesser than. They can be the superhero, the doctor, the actor or whoever they want to be. The benefits of better representation are also not limited to the people represented. We all benefit from learning about different experiences and expanding our notion of what is “normal”, isn’t this one of the fundamental purposes of music videos?
Different forms of representation
Gender
Age
Sexuality
Ethnicity
Class and Status
Physical ability / disability
Basics idea is how we see people and acts in music videos.
Ethnicity (Race)
Stereotypes of Black people : gangster, rappers, guns, lots of women around, good at sports (especially basketball and rugby?), gold chains gold watches gold teeth. (all made of gold) Also wear in jewellery.
Stereotypes of white people: arrogant, racist, (all white men cannot dance or don’t have rhythm? ) All white people inbreed, white people have fetishes of other cultures, particularly Asians. White people who live in the rural areas are all dumb and unintelligent.
Stereotypes of yellow race people (Asian people) : Asians have yellow skin, All Asians are the same. All Asians have slanted eyes, Asians are smart, all Asians good at maths.
Song: Out of love – Lil Tecca
Gender
Stereotypes of women: sex symbol, inferior to men, individualism, money worship and hedonism. Inoffensive of offensive because of their clothes. wearing hot = easy girls, strippers
Stereotypes of men: powerful, wealthy, strong, muscles = strong, violent
Slim = weak, no offensive, gay (probably), rich man = bold, fat and short
Age
Stereotypes of old people: intelligent, weak, slim, boring, talk a lot, illness, hardworking, nerd
Stereotypes of young people： play a lot, parties, sports ( usually in a university sport teams) lots of friends. Rebellious, not working hard (That could be linked together) Making troubles, frivolous.
Sexuality
Basically about the clothes wearing and places people go.
Revealing clothes = sexual
Bar and night clubs = sexual
Luxury cars and money = sexual
Parties and swimming pool = sexual
Usually money is linked to sexuality.
Class
Higher class people: rich, powerful, gentle, arrogant, (racist?), extravagance and waste, cold-blooded, violent, high education,
Lower class people: poor, emaciated, wear worn-out clothes, low education, pitiable,
starvation
Most common representation
Media representations theory
Individual song investigate
The song I choose is Mr. Bentley from Higher brothers (Dzknowknow)
The interest facts about this song is it did not followed stereotypes for Asian people but do followed stereotypes for rappers. It’s like a combined of stereotypes and counter types.
The stereotypes and counter types
It’s having stereotypes for rappers: rich, having luxury car, wearing very expensive and wealthy clothes (suit and tie) Also the man is showing off his money. All of these are included in rappers’ stereotypes
But on the other hand the counter types…
The stereotypes for Chinese people (Asian people) is friendly, not offensive, low key… But it was like exactly the opposite in this music videos. Higher brothers music videos always having binary opposites. Such as the stereotypes for Chinese people, against stereotypes for rappers. It is liked a combine of both, which had make higher brothers the most well-known Chinese rap group for foreign people.
Mise-EN-SCENE
-Car park
-Street
-inside the car
-Low key lighting - at night
-Costumes: wear in black suite and tie
-gold watches - wealth
-Lots of Bentley cars - symbol of this song - wealth
Camera
Having lots of close-up shots and long shots on the cars.
Some mid-shots and full shots but not much.
Usually high angle shots but include some of the Over the shoulder shots.
Sound
Cars roaring along the streets.
Also the rapper is saying "vroom" - an onomatopoeia for car's engine sound.
"Jo Jo" - an onomatopoeia for cheap cars (saying other rappers are driving cheap cars)
Editing
Lots of quick transitions from one shot to another: usually at night, its kind of the idea of “jumping thinking”.
Using Cut-away to change to another scene. (In this music video it’s using in the man changing clothes: it showed his gold watches, his wealthy suit)
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