A quick look at some postmodern music videos.

Most media productions have some sort of postmodernism in them here are a few:

Keri Hilson- Pretty Girl Rock

In this video Keri Hilson plays a homage to her favourite artist that she sees as role models for her such including Josephine Baker, Dorothy Dandridge, the Andrews Sisters, Diana Ross,Donna Summer, Janet Jackson, and the girl band TLC. 


Eminem- Just lose it


This song is also post modern as there is parodies of Beavis/Cornholio, MC Hammer, Madonna and others however the major parody in the song, which caused so much controversy is the one of Michael Jackson, who was being accused of child molestation at the time.  


Rihanna- S and M




This video is post modern as it is almost suggesting that music videos are now overly sexual. There is therefore Rihanna's opinion in the video and it is a parody to other other music video such as Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl"and most pop women singers.

Artic Monkeys- Leave before the light come on

In this video at 2:56 the video changes to two still image which therefore takes the audience out of the video and makes them realise that this is a video not real life. This is a post modern convention making the audience conscious that they are not watching real life.

Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)

The edit in this video are very clear and obvious it is meant for the audience to notice. This is a sign on post modernism.

Eliza Doolittle- Skinny Jeans. How to create sex appeal in a music video

Although our group has not decided if we are going to use any sexual images to try and engage the audience i thought it would be beneficial in order to see what was available to us whilst not being to explicit. I saw this video about a month ago on a music channel and it striked me at how well the sexual references

were made.

These shots are close ups of the female body most are of erotic places. The one with the legs in the air is repeted several times although we do not get to see the rest of the women in the shot. This could lead to the audience thinking that the girls next to Eliza are naked once again created a sex appeal. The shot with the 3 girls is used more than once in the video seeing 3 girls like this makes the audience feel that it is a room with more women than female. The extreme close ups of the 1st to add to the erotic nature of the video.

This to photos are signifying a male orgasm. The one on the left is actually a champagne bottle maybe also showing the audience that it was good. The second is milk this is used in many erotic music videos such as Rhianna ft Drake- Whats my name. 

Both of these images are phallic images. The one of the light switch is very obvious and is meant to be obvious to the audience to see the sexual connotations however the one where the women is rolling the blue dough is a lot more hidden and you have to read the image rather than being told straight away. This makes the audience constantly think.

These photos signify male genitalia

This is clearly symbolic for the actual act of sex. It is clearly meant to represent this and is only in the video for this reason as it serves no over real purpose as there is no link between the characters and other shots with it.

Throughout the video the mise en scene has to be kept sexual throughout. Without the mise en scene the other sexual images would just look out of place and many people may find it harder to read the sexual and erotic connotations.

Although I have looked at all of these I will discuss with my group if we think it is a good idea to use sexual images in our media product or not.

Duffy- Well, well, well. The conventions

I have chosen to anaylse Duffy- Well, well, well. I have decided upon this music video as i thought the themes of the song are similar to Jessie J's song casualty of love. I believe that Jessie J's is something new in the music industry and therefore have struggled to find videos similar that i can analyze. Although many aspects of Duffys image is different to Jessie J's they have some similarities and as Duffy is a modern British phenomenon it will be beneficial to are image of Jessie J.

I am going to focus more on the conventions of the video rather than codes as i believe i need to know more conventions.

 There is a delay at the start of the music video around 3 seconds long. This is a convention of a music video. The close up of Duffy's legs shows she is moving. A convention of music videos is the camera angles and shots develop the story.

 A common convention of music video is having a close up of the singer singing. This therefore shows she is musically gifted and wants to show their talent off. Her walking down the road and singing is a convention of some music videos.

 Romance or lust between the artist and another person is a convention used in most music magazines.

 Close up of the legs once again shows she is walking and developing the plot.

A large group of good looking men creates a sex appeal for the women audience.






Titillation is used here as we see most of Duffys leg in a sexual way. A convention is most good looking women's music videos.

 A close up of erotic areas increases the sex appeal of this music video. This is a convention of many women artist songs.

A dance routine takes place in many music videos. This is trying to replicate the 50's where this sort of dancing was very fashionable

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 2

 3.






1,2,3 are used quickly after each other in the music video constantly going back to each other 5 or 6 times. This is a convention used in practically all conventions. A constant change of shot between close ups and long shots and other scenes makes the audience have to constantly think and stay focused.

 Duffy has been lifted up to a higher platform than everybody else and is dancing and singing. This is almost as if she is performing to the people she was just dancing with. This is a very clever slight twist on the usual convention in a music video of the artist plainly singing to and audience

We are left with a sort of cliff hanger a convention used in some music videos.
The fading edit at the end of the video is a key convention used in many music videos

Eminem- Love the way you lie ft. Rihanna

I have analyzed Love the way you lie as it is one of my favorite songs around at the moment and I believe the video has many media techniques that my group might be able to use in our video.

The opening shot of the two main characters involved in the music video is them lying together in a bed sleeping. This is code for intimacy and them being in a relationship.

The close up of the Rihannas face shows the emotion that she is putting into this song. This is clearly an emotional song to Rihanna after her public domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. Rihanna said it "was something that needed to be done" in order for her to move on.

The video has been edited in order to make it look like Megan Fox has fire in her hands. This is code for a fierce relationship and that Megan Fox can start an argument whenever she wants that will make the relationship fierce and "fiery". At the end of the video the the whole house sets on fire. Throughout the movie the house is a metaphor for their relationship therefore it is code for Megan Fox's anger destroying the relationship and everything around it. In the back ground we see that the curtains are closed this is code for the couple not caring what is happening in the world there focus is only on their relationship. However if we look through the gap in the curtains we see that it is sunny. This is code for if they stepped out of their relationship and moved away from each other, things would be better and they would be more happy.

The mise en scene inside the house, is realistic for a young american working class couple. The sofa looks like a relatively cheap one, with none matching cushions. On the right hand side we can see empty cans (presumably beer). This shows the dependance of alcohol in this relationship. Because the house is in a mess it is code for their relationship being in a bad state.

It looks like Eminem is performing live however he is actually lip sinking this is a convention of nearly all music videos. The low angle shot also makes it look like we are a live audience and that we are watching Eminem perform. 

A crane shot and a dolly shot is used in order to show the field is almost endless. This shows that Eminem has escaped from the type of relationship that Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan are still in. The sky is blue and there is a sun in the background this is code that he is out of the relationship and is now free and happy.

 In both these shots the narrative either does what the song ways or the narrative and song merge together. In the first one Eminem raps "I snap" and we see Fox "snap. And in the second one the actors say the words that eminem is rapping "I'm leaving you" "know you aint". This is code for the song being directly about them and them almost being the past Eminem and Rihanna or them being what Eminem has in his mind.


There is a non-chronological order used in this music video this could be becuase domestic violence can be spontaneous and can happen at any time, and so the edits reflect that with temporal continuity. This is a convention of some music videos as it is a reflection of the events. In this bit it is showing the start of their relationship and how everything use to be so much better than it is "now" and how there relationship has been ruined. Life was better when they wern't in the house (their depressing serious relationship). There is no actual dialogue we can hear from the actors so it is left to the actions in the video to let us understand what is happening. Throughout the video there is quick cuts, with each cut on average lasting no longer than 3 seconds this is a key convention of music videos especially ones with a high beat count like this song.

The burning house behind Rihanna and Eminem could once again be code that they managed to completely leave and with doing this song be able to forget about their past relationships. The artists and the actors worlds now merge into each others. This is because the artists are standing behind a burning house and the actors are in the burning house. The costumes they are both wearing is very important. The white vest that Eminem has almost become his iconic outfit. Whilst with Rihanna her short shorts give her a "sexy" look that is essential if you are aiming to be a successful women hip hop singer.

The directing here is very cleverly done. Although i wouldn't have the resources or funds to be able to do this it is a clever peice of footage. We can see that the actors are walking through the house, however instead of when walking through doors having to use a match on action shot, instead the is missing a wall so we can clearly see them walking through the different rooms. This also lets us see and know that the man is almost chasing the women.

The edititng used shows the man burning. As the house is also burning it could show that the man is nothing without the relationship and if it ends so does he. However the womens flame goes out suggesting that she will be better if she gets out of the relationship.

Dominic Monaghan and Megan Fox were used as the actors in this video, as they were two of the worlds most famous and important actors at the time the video was released. Because of this it got even bigger publicity than it would of before. It would of brought in people from normally different genres such as people who were intrested in the TV series Lost as that is what Monaghan is most famous for. Megan Fox has been in many movies and she is idolised by millions of women and loved by even more men. People would then deffiantly what to watch a video she is in. This proved to be successful as It broke a Youtube record for having the most views in 24 hours.

Telephone- Lady Gaga

Throughout this video there is explicit references to "Kill Bill" and "Thelma and Louis".  This is called intertextuality.

The first shot is an Establishing shot. This shows us where the action will be taking place. The barbed wire and watch tower in the background show us that we are looking at a high security prison. This is one of many establishing shots. This is also a low angle shot therefore making the fence look higher than it is.


The font used in almost cartoon. However it is also quite hard writing suggesting that the movie won't be a happy story. The outside of the writing is pink this colour is associated with feminism, this shows that women are the main characters in this music video.

There is a CCTV shot used to show that they are constantly being watched. This shot also progress the storyline and brings us inside the prison.



There is constant titillation throughout the whole of the video. This is one of the feature of many music videos especially hip hop which Lady gaga music is slightly involved in and Beyonce's.
The costume on the left is become iconic of Lady Gaga as it is different and a bit outrageous. The black and white costume is code for old style prison outfits. This is a jux to position as we have a stylised, iconic almost fake costume  in a completely realistic setting.




The 180 degree rule is broken non-stop throughout this video. This is breaking the conventions of film however is used a lot on films in order to make the audience seem disillusioned and confused. The whole impression we get of Lady Gaga is that she wants to be different almost a serial sort of camera breaking the 180 degree rule gives us that impressions.



There is clear advertising technique used in this video for brands such as Virgin mobile, Hp. This is called product placement. Lady Gaga would have done this in order to of gained more money to make the video and the companies would of used this as an advertising strategy as the know how famous Lady Gaga is and millions of people would watch it.


"Mr. Carter told Ad Age that several of the brands were Gaga's ideas and did not pay to be included. A scene in which Gaga curls her hair with Diet Coke cans was an homage to her mother, who used the exact same grooming technique in the '70s. Another sequence, in which Gaga poisons a whole diner full of patrons, is interspersed with footage of the singer making sandwiches with Wonder Bread and Miracle Whip. Mr. Carter said Gaga wanted to juxtapose the poison sequence with all-American brands, and suggested Wonder Bread for an unpaid placement. Miracle Whip, meanwhile, made a paid appearance to appear in the clip." 
This shows Lady Gaga as different and that she got what she exactly wanted.






There is a dolly shot used whilst Lady Gaga is walking through the prison cells. This is a point of view from Gaga's view. This therefore shows us what Gaga is looking at and the reaction she is getting from other people.




We are made conscious of the edits as they are done clearly on purpose. Some make noise when there is a change and this one has a telephone dial (which is related to the music title). This once again gives us a sense of serialism. 






There is a series of still pictures of lady gaga with no clothes on. This is a unrealistic camera technique and with the changes of techniques used it takes us into a new technological world.












The sausage roll is a phallic symbol. The fact that Beyonce throws it on the floor is code for Female dominance in the world.

The narrative film world joins in with the music several times. when Lady Gaga dances in the prison, when Beyonce signs along to the song and also the final dance with both Lady Gaga and Beyonce. This  shows the singers as creative as well.

Unrealistic camera work is used in these edits of Beyonce. This is used once again for serialism but also to make the edits in sync with the beat of the music.























There is match on action shots used now. As we see one person eating and then we see others eating. Then we see one person starting to die and then we see the other people dying. This is a match on action shot.












There is erotic camera work used. Lots of high and low angles are also used to produce this effect. Beyonce is known as being one of the "sexist" women in the music industry and having her looking erotic may attract a larger male audience to the video

Michael Jackson Thriller

Michael Jackson's Thriller was one of the most influential videos ever. It was one of the first to contain an actual story line and broke the normal conventions of a music video. The genre of the story is a horror movie.

The font at the start of the music video is related to the horror genre. This gives straight away allows us to know what type of story line this movie will take.


There is a diegetic sound. It is off crickets and frogs this then gives the video some realism. This sound is made louder than it would of been in real life, this could be to heighten the anxiety.

There is a tracking shot of the car. This shows how the conventions of film are used in this music video joining the two things together in this music film video.
The tracking shot also adds to the scariness of the video as it seems like somebody could be looking at them and stalking them this is very believable as the car goes out of sight due to the trees blocking it out. This therefore makes it more realistic

The close up of the feet is a story shot. This means that it is explaining what is happening in the story. In this shot we get a close up of the feet moving it is clear they are walking somewhere.
The jack ups that Michael Jackson is wearing with white socks was an iconic costume for him.



In the movie there is a non diegetic music track which is not the actual song that the movie is meant for. However this shows that the whole movie is meant to be a short story itself and that is why it can have a different sound track involved in it. The music also shows danger to us which would not be achieved by just pictures.


The editing in the video gives us a hint that the character of Michael Jackson is a werewolf. We therefore have more knowledge than the other character.

The series of close ups on Michael Jackson turning into a werewolf lets the audience fully understand what is happening and how much he is changing.
















The mise en scene throughout the music video is dark and gloomy.This is a convention of the horror film.

The start of the music video is a film within the film. This had not been in a music video before therefore this video is breaking the conventions of a music video and making Michael Jacksons thriller unique.




The introductory narrative has now finished and now the start of the song starts. This is after 4 minutes of narrative.

Through out the whole of the music the editing is in sync with the music. This is used in most music video's and must be one of the hardest bits of making a music video.

The character Michael Jackson is playing starts singing the words of the song. This is merging the song and narrative together. A technique used in many video's now.

The camera freezes when it goes past the graveyard, however it then zooms in on the supernatural things happening. We then get extreme close ups of the supernatural coming out of the ground. This shows us how important they are to the plot.



In this scene the whole of the narrative has now joined in with the song. One of the main things that separates Michael Jackson from most other pop stars was his dancing. It came to be one of the most iconic things about Michael Jackson.


There is an establishing shot of the old haunted house. This shows the audience where the people in the film are going to go. They end up going into the house. An old haunted house is a convention of a horror movie.

There is an extreme close up of the women characters eyes. This shows that she is completely scared due to the expression of fear in her eyes. This is another convention of a horror movie.

There is another twist in the plot. In many different horror movie's there are several twists in the films. Having a twist in the music horror movie is a convention taken from horror films.

At the end of the music video there are credits. This is a convention of a film. This shows that Michael Jackson wanted his music video to be recognised as more of a short movie rather than a music video. This shows that the song is a vehicle for the movie. Most music films try and make the video equal to the song. This shows that Jackson has broken the conventions of a music magazine.