“Music videos reflect the social and cultural context in
which they were made” Discuss this statement through a comparison of the two
music videos you have studied. One mv from list A (CBR) and one from list B
(DG)
The music video ‘Titanium’ takes your through the journey of
a young boy whom has just discovered his supernatural powers and is facing
diversity from society as he’s struggling to understand his new identity.
Whilst society is trying to catch up to him, the boy uses his newly found
powers to escape and continue ignoring the help he needs in order to understand
himself. A shot displays a retro TV, with the local live news playing. The
retro TV is used as a prop in the video to show audiences the time frame of the
music video. Furthermore, the live news displays the boy as a criminal, causing
audiences to create a second, negative opinion of the boy. This also causes the
boy to second guess himself, due to how the local news displays, and make him
wonder whether his powers are for the good or the bad. Another shot displays
the boy rushing into his room to pack clothes/supplies to run away with. The
shot focuses on the boy picking up and shoving items into his bag, however when
the boy got hold of his teddy bear, he threw it behind him. This may be
inferring that the boy is ‘throwing’ away his childhood and has begun to
realise the real life world. Furthermore, the solar system is displayed in the
background. This may infer that the boy believes interested in sci-fi and has
wished for something to help him ‘stand’ out or be recognised. He may have
wished for this as throughout the video, he is portrayed to be alone and
secluded from everyone else. Furthermore, he is shown to be a threat, causing
him to isolate himself even more.
The music video ‘Stop Where You Are’ is a video displaying
the typical stereotypes of society as a whole, by showing you perspectives of
what teens, homeless people, ‘gangsters’ and adults experience from a day to
day basis. The music video purposely makes you judge a book by its cover, but
then makes you second guess your judgement seconds after through the use of
cuts, camera angles and shot types. One shot displays a teenager being
portrayed as the typical stereotype; lonely, unknown identity, typical
clothing, hood up etc. The unidentified person’s body language is slouched and
backed up into a wall. This could suggest they need support and is using the
wall to aid them. The blue hoodie infers a symbol of sadness, whilst covering
her identity simultaneously, suggesting her sadness is overpowering her true
emotions. Then, a sudden jump cut is used to surprise audiences the gender of
the teen. Previous shot displayed an unidentified teen with their hood up, and
immediately audiences typically assume the teen is male due to stereotypes.
Shot displays the girl looking behind her shoulder. This could suggest she's
running away from her troubles and constantly has to watch her back. She is
using the hoodie as a shield to hide her identity from her troubles.
