The document analyzes Katy Perry's music video for her song "California Gurls" using theories from Andrew Goodwin and Laura Mulvey. It discusses how the genre of pop music appeals to masses through catchy lyrics and scenes of partying. The relationship between the music and visuals is key, with the video matching the style and pace of the song. Goodwin's theory that record labels demand close ups of the artist is also evident. Mulvey's concept of the "male gaze", where women are viewed as objects for male pleasure, can be seen in examples of suggestive body language and point-of-view shots in the video.
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Analysing a music video
1. L.O: To analyse music
videos using Andrew
Goodwin and Laura
Mulvey’s theories.
2. Goodwin states that the genre of the music,
effects the characteristics of the music video.
One characteristic of the pop music genre is
its ability to appeal to the masses. This is
demonstrated through both the catchy
repetitive lyrics of the song, and the scenes of
young people partying in the video.
3. The relationship between lyrics and visuals is
key to an analysis of videos. In Perry‟s video
there are a number of examples of this.
4. The relationship between music and visuals is
evident throughout this video. The style and
pace of the video, match the style and pace of
the song. Longer cuts are used when the
pace of the music slows slightly. In
contrast, the faster sections of the song are
illustrated by shorter scenes and rapid
movements between shots.
5. According to Goodwin, demands of the record
label often leads to close ups of the artist.
This is evident throughout this video.
6. There are a number of instances of looking
seen in this video. The most common
example of this is through shot reverse shot,
allowing the viewer to see “through the eyes”
of the videos star.
7. Whilethere are no specific references to other
media such as film and television in this
video, there are references to Perry‟s own
back catalogue. This is demonstrated in the
scene where we see a small boy in a hospital
watching a music video on a television
screen.
8. Mulvey, „Visual Pleasure and Narrative
Laura
Cinema‟ (1975)
Stated that, because the dominant male society
held power in the media. The view we get
through the camera is essentially male.
This is known as “The male gaze”
9. This is the pleasure we get through looking.
Inthe media as the gaze is male this means
that we as the viewer are place in the position
of a heterosexual male.
Women are seen as sexual objects on display
for the pleasure of the male viewer.
10. This video is littered with suggestive body
language and the dolls are subjected to the gaze
of Snoop.
The audience is invited to join in with this gaze
through the use of point of view shots and shot
reverse shot.
There are points in the video where the dolls are
literally used as object, scattered across the floor
to produce patterns.