Textual Analysis
Popular Music Video
Technical Conventions
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Technical conventions:
Band shots, whole band shots and performance clips
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Technical conventions: Shadows, mise-en-scène reflects atmosphere,
equal division of shots upon band members
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Technical conventions: High lighting
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Technical conventions: Bright lighting
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Technical conventions: High angle/low angle
Special lighting effects
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Technical conventions: Close-ups
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Technical conventions: Animation
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Technical conventions: Colour effects – often monochrome
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
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Technical terms check list:
Performance clips and band shots
Fast-pace of editing
Mainly straight cuts
Bright lighting
High angle/low angle
Bright colours against black and white background
Panning
Editing to reflect pace of music
Special lighting effects
High lighting
Equal division of shots upon band members
Whole band shots
No real sound effects
Colour effects – often monochrome
Dubbed sound
Zooming out
Shadows
Mise-en-scène reflects atmosphere
Animation
Does the music video adhere to or subvert these?
Representations
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Glamour/popstar lifestyle
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Playing out ‘pop star’ lifestyle within video
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation Mean and moody men
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Seductive poses from female artists
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Anti-establishment activity
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Deserted locations and straight forward narratives
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Guitar Solos
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: All playing to the audience
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Short Skirts
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Cleavage
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Trying to portray a certain image - intertextuality
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Voyeurism
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Urban Locations
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Dancing
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Crowd Shots
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation: Destroyed Environments
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
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Representations
Short skirts
Legs and low cut tops
Voyeurism
Glamour – lifestyle
Seductive poses from female artists
Urban locations
Dancing
Crowd shots
Playing out ‘pop star’ lifestyle within video
Fairly straight forward narrative
Group singing whilst chaos takes place around
Anti-establishment activity
Destroyed environments
Mean and moody men
Deserted locations
Singing whilst acting
Trying to portray a certain image
Self-appreciation
All playing to the audience
Does the music video adhere to or subvert these?
Textual Analysis 2
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Categories
Language
Narrative
Representations
Audience
Institutions
Technology
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Categories
Purpose: entertainment, persuasion, profit?
Form: live, recording, music video?
Genre: current and past pop music genres?
Tone: happy, serious, sad, celebratory, outrageous?
Style: conventional, unconventional, traditional, modern?
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Language
Examination of conventions of pop music genres in terms of:lyrics,
vocal style, instrumentation, rhythm, melody
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Narrative
Understanding lyric of song in terms of who, where, what,
when, why? Narrative elements in music video.
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Representation
Representations of age, gender and race in pop music.
Image of pop music stars used in marketing, press coverage,
etc.
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Audience
• Identification of target audiences for pop music by genre, pop video,
advertising.
• Pleasures of identification with/attraction to stars, expression of
emotions ideals/dreams,fandom, individual listening.
• Popular music and related social activities of teenage audience, eg,
fashion, dance, concerts, subcultures.
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Technology
Technology involved in production, distribution and
consumption of popular music.General effects on
product.New developments.
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Institutions
Ownership (eg, major, independents). Controls (legal, selfregulatory, market). General effects on product. Roles and choices
of main personnel. Links with other media (eg, charts, radio playlists, music press, concert tours, video).
Textual Analysis of Pop Music Video
Categories
Language
Narrative
Representations
Audience
Institutions
Technology