With the evolution of web 2.0 in the mid 1990’s, music labels
and producers have looked for new and innovative ways to push and sell their
artists into the limelight of commercial success. One effective and new product
is that of the music video, which provide a visual image for viewers to
associate with the music playing, as well as reinforcing an artist’s
meta-narrative and band image: thus creating an investible package.
At its very raw state the music video is a commercial, a
product designed to make money and generate interest. Without this many would
argue that a music video is pointless as it would be a waste of time and money.
A factor that readily backs the theory that music videos are in essence a
commercial is the director’s willingness to follow blindly genre stereotypes.
In many occasions an artist identifies their key demographic or ‘scene’ and plays
to audience expectations; as this is the sure fire way to make the largest
profit. A key example of this is Dog Is Dead’s “Glockenspiel Song” where the
genre expectations of an indie band are fulfilled through key mise-en-scene of
colourful, contemporary clothing, the location of middle class suburban streets
and through semiotics with youth connotations such as piercings, BMW cars and graffiti,
which all connote fun and rebellion. All these factors help appeal to a
demographic of affluent, white, middle class teens which is a direct connotation
with the music. Another example of commercialism in music videos can be seen in
more mainstream music such as pop chart music. Artists such as Rihanna and
Eminem nearly always express an image of celebrity lifestyle through indulgent luxuries
such as clothes, cars, holidays and houses. This promotes the ideology of
materialism which in turn reinforces the idea that the viewer can share a bit
of their success if they invest money into their product, which constructs the
idea that the album/song is something to be needed or desired.
Another view of music videos is that they are a form of soft
porn. This perspective is formed mainly due to the image and representation of
women in main stream music videos. The artificial look of a flawless,
physically altered ‘perfect woman’ is an image that is commonly repeated in
both female extra’s and artists. This appearance is inducted to satisfy the
male gaze, and thus attracting men to view the video. Consequently, as
described by Laura Mulvey, music videos are almost completely shown from the
view point of a heterosexual male, with camera shots often lingering over close
ups of female body parts for their pleasure; as described by Goffman as
dismemberment. On top of this many trends of the treatment of women have been
identified to be demeaning and detrimental. The writer Goffman notes a feature
he coins “Ritualization Of Subordination” which sees females in primarily inferior,
serving roles, through the construction of childlike, submissive character personas
who often tend or ‘care’ for the male character or serve as merely decorative
feature. It is in these voyeuristic and fetish like views that a music video can
often be interpreted as a product simply to serve as a soft porn film.
Finally a more positive outlook is that music and music
videos are in fact means for expression and therefore art. In this view the
music video is often seen as a individual entity to the artist or music, to
form new thoughts and emotions in the audience. Music videos that are often
considered as ‘art’ are ones which do not conform with the expectations of the
genre and generic conventions. Therefore music videos are often created with
innovative ideas and techniques to form polysemic, conceptual pieces that are
often disjunctive with the music they are playing with. In this format the
content is dependent on the individuals involved, and directorial styles
becomes a major factor used to create ‘cult’ followings, a key example being
John Glazer who is best known for his work with UNKLE and Radiohead music
videos.
In conclusion elements of commercialism, art and soft porn
can be seen in a vast amount of music videos, each being a valid perception on
the media we consume each day. However I believe that each criteria is relevant
to both the genre and audience of the individual artist or song. In the case of
main stream music I believe it is often the case that they take the form of a
commercial, which uses a soft porn element to attract and access their key
demographic to make a profit. On the other hand I do think that a music video can
be art, much like film or music, when it is used for expressive and creative
means.
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