2. Representation refers to the construction in
any medium (especially the mass media) of
aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places,
objects, events, cultural identities and other
abstract concepts. Such representations may
be in speech or writing as well as still or
moving pictures.
WHAT IS REPRESENTATION?

3. “Andrew Goodwin’s 6 Features of Music Videos
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage
performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration
in Hip Hop). [this is also known as iconography]
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are
represented with images. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and
atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. (either illustrative,
amplifying, contradicting).
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close
ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across
their work (a visual style).
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within
screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of
the female body.
6. There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other
music videos etc).”
Theorists: Andrew Goodwin

4. At the beginning of the clip a
car enters the frame and
transforms into a male which
directly relates to the movie
‘Transformers’ therefore
illustrating Andrew
Goodwin’s Theory that
typically there are references
to movies within a lot of
music videos.
We also view the singer
spraying graffiti on a
wall, highlighting his
rebellious and masculine
ways which artists of this
genre typically try to
convey.
EXAMPLE ANALYSIS
Chris Brown - Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

5. This is the first example of the
voyeuristic treatment of the female
body. The woman is in a provocative
position and her face is barely shown,
showing that her body is the most
important part of her: This is portrayed a
lot in this hip-hop/rap genre.
The music video also includes
lots of cars and other vehicles,
this one looking particularly like
an army vehicle to emphasise the
males’ power and authority.

6. Here is another example of how women
are objectified in hip-hop/rap videos.
The woman is not facing the camera,
the audience can not even see her face,
highlighting that only her body is worth
looking at. This agrees with Goodwins’
theory as he suggests one of the six
features of a music video is ‘voyeuristic
treatment of the female body’
The lyrics:
The lyrics not only provide intertextual references to the
‘Tranformers’ franchise but also suggest that they can ‘transform’
a woman to be what they want her to be; another example of the
imbalanced treatment of women in music videos.
The reference to ‘Transformers’ therefore amplifies the lyrics and
the relationship between the lyrics and visuals

7. A Counter Example:
Missy Elliott
Rejects conventional representations of
women – free from objectification
Does not conform to stereotypical gender
representations
Missy is not passive; she narrates the
action – lyrics are not self exploiting

8. What is the male gaze?
A technical term in Media Studies.
Refers to how an audience views the way people are represented in the
Media.
The concept of gaze is one that deals with how an audience views the
people presented.
For feminists it can be thought of in 3 ways:
How men look at women
How women look at themselves
How women look at other women
Laura Mulvey coined the term ‘male gaze’ in 1975. She believes that in
film audiences to have to ‘view’ characters from the perspective of a
hetrosexual male.
Laura Mulvey
The Gaze

9. Features of the male gaze
The camera lingers on the curves of the female body,
and events which occur to women are presented largely
in the context of the man’s reaction to these events.
It relegates women to the status of objects. The female
viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by
identification with the male.

10. One of the most obvious developments in recent pop culture has been the
emergence of the icons and rhetoric of 'girl power', a phrase slapped into
mainstream culture by the Spice Girls and subsequently incorporated into
the language of government bodies as well as journalists, educationalists,
culture critics, and pop fans themselves. Magazines for young women are
emphatic in their determination that women must do their own thing, be
themselves, and be as outrageously sassy and sexy as possible. Several
recent movies have featured self-confident, tough, intelligent female lead
characters. Female pop stars sing about financial and emotional
independence, inner strength, and how they don't need a man; and the
self-help books make women think they can become just as powerful as
these icons, if they cultivate their confidence and self-belief.
David Gauntlett Theory – Girl Power

11. Rihanna – Te Amo
Analyse this music video using Goodwin’s theory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe4Ic7fHWf8