Representation Theory Image Essay: The Rolling Stones - Waiting on a Friend

I’ve chosen to analyse the music video for ‘Waiting on a Friend’ by The Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones are a British rock band that formed in 1962 and are still together today, despite their many changing line-ups.  The Rolling Stones currently consist of original members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and newest member Ronnie Wood, who has been working with the band since 1976. ‘Waiting on a Friend’ was originally recorded in the later years of 1972/early 1973, when Mick Taylor was still a member of the band. The single was re-worked in 1981, with additional lyrics that were considered for the possibility of a future music video, which made the video for ‘waiting on a friend’ the first promotional video by the Rolling Stones to appear on the emerging MTV channel, which was established in 1981. Michael Lindsay-Hogg  - who directed a number of videos for The Beatles and Wings - directed the video. He had worked with the Stones on previous projects and succeeded in creating a popular video for the MTV channel as ‘waiting on a friend’ was well received by the public.
I will start by discussing Tessa Perkins’ stereotype theory. The Rolling Stones are a rock ‘n’ roll band. The rock genre of music had a lot of stereotypes surrounding it, and was well known for the musician’s behaviours around drugs, alcohol and women – which was pretty much the stereotypical lifestyles of these musicians. As Tessa points out, not all stereotypes are true but they must have been true at some point otherwise they wouldn’t exist. In the late 60s, this was the lifestyle for The Rolling Stones – thus proving the stereotype to be true – however in the lyrics for ‘Waiting on a Friend’, the band do discuss ‘women’ and ‘booze’ in the sense that they do not need them anymore. Even though they are saying that they do not need these things, the stereotype still remains as stereotypes are very difficult to change.  The very mention of women and booze in the song alone are stereotypical of the rock genre. The location used in the video is of a dirty area of New York. There is a lot of different cultures. People would expect to see a Rock band in this location as it supports their careless attitude and thus re-enforces the stereotype they created for themselves. In the 60s the Rolling Stones were thought to have a ‘fake rivalry’ with the Beatles which was created by the media. The media would say that the Beatles wore the White Hat and the Rolling Stones wore the Black Hat. This is a perfect example of how the media stereotyped the Rolling Stones into being the more devilish version of The Beatles. Because of this assumption, we would not expect to see The Rolling Stones in a clean, upper class location – which is why the location in this video works cohesively with their image. We also see Keith Richards staggering down a street smoking a cigarette. This is conventional of their stereotype (in particular Keith’s) – however it is also ironic as in the lyrics they are talking about how they don’t need any of their vices. At the end of the video we also see all of The Rolling Stones in a pub, drinking booze – which is ironic as they’re saying they don’t need it.
There aren’t any other stereotypes to discuss in the video as it only focuses on the band; which brings me onto my next topic; Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory. The video itself does not sexualise women in any way. Perhaps this is because the moral of the song is about how they don’t need women or alcohol, all they need is their friends. A lot of people would expect to see the sexualisation of women from a rock band – so in this sense the video contradicts Mulvey’s theory. However, in the lyrics to the song, Jagger refers to women as ‘whores’ which still infers that Jagger sees women as un-important objects. At this time music videos were relatively new and it is quite clear that this music video was created to promote the band. The majority of Mulvey’s theory (which was relatively new at the time) focused on old Hollywood Movies, which had a different motive to that of the music video. Music videos today are a lot different as they are often made into short films, therefore I believe Mulvey’s theory would be more relevant in modern day music videos.
Richard Dyer’s star theory can be proven in this video. First of all, we see the members of the Rolling Stones centre frame which identifies them as the star. Their clothing is also a lot more extravagant and flashy in comparison to the other people within the mise-en-scene – which makes them stand out. The message they put forward is the ideology the band want to promote, as is their image, thus creating a star persona. People who followed the Rolling Stones in the late 60s and 70s probably agreed with their ideology surrounding the rock ‘n’ roll culture, however since this song was released in the early 80s their ideology probably changed along with the band. This helps the band sell records as their persona and ideologies reach out to their target audience, therefore making them want to consume The Rolling Stones. In the video at the beginning we see Mick Jagger dancing in an unusual fashion. This is expected of Mick as he has created this character for himself. The same goes for Keith Richards when he is walking down the street smoking a cigarette. These are the star personas that the band members have created for themselves in order to put across their ideologies and sell products. Although they come across like this in the video, it does not mean that they are actually like that in real life.

Media Language Essay: The Rolling Stones - Waiting on a Friend

Media Language Essay

I’ve chosen to analyse the music video for ‘Waiting on a Friend’ by The Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones are a British rock band that formed in 1962 and are still together today, despite their many changing line-ups.  The Rolling Stones currently consist of original members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and newest member Ronnie Wood, who has been working with the band since 1976. ‘Waiting on a Friend’ was originally recorded in the later years of 1972/early 1973, when Mick Taylor was still a member of the band. The single was re-worked in 1981, with additional lyrics that were considered for the possibility of a future music video, which made the video for ‘waiting on a friend’ the first promotional video by the Rolling Stones to appear on the emerging MTV channel, which was established in 1981. Michael Lindsay-Hogg  - who directed a number of videos for The Beatles and Wings - directed the video. He had worked with the Stones on previous projects and succeeded in creating a popular video for the MTV channel as ‘waiting on a friend’ was well received by the public. 

Every medium has its own language that it uses to communicate meaning. For example, music videos use written and the language of moving image and sound. They are called languages because they use familiar codes and conventions that are largely understood by the audience.

Semiotics is the science of signs. According to Charles Sanders Peirce (1931), who said ‘we think only in signs’, signs take the form of words, images, sounds, odours, flavours, acts or objects; but such things have no intrinsic meaning and become signs only when we invest them with meaning. This is also known as connotation and denotation. Peirce also said ‘Nothing is a sign unless it is interpreted as sign’. Anything can be a sign as long as someone interprets is as signifying something or standing for something other than its true self. We interpret things as signs unconsciously. This meaningful use of signs is the core of the concerns of semiotics. A sign is made up of: 

• a signifier – the form which the sign takes (the signs true self/denotation)

• the signified – the concept it represents (the interpretation/connotation)

Peirce believes that there are 3 types of signs:

• Icon/Iconic: A mode in which the denotation is perceived as resembling or imitating the signified. This means that it would be similar in the sense that it possesses some of its qualities (e.g. onomatopoeia, metaphors, portraits, ‘realistic’ sounds).

• Index/indexical: A mode in which the signifier is not subjective but is directly connected to the signified in some way (e.g. medical symptoms: pain, a rash, pulse-rate).

• Symbol/symbolic: A mode in which the signifier does not resemble the signified but is fundamentally random or purely conventional; so the relationship must be learnt (e.g. language, letter, vocabulary, phrases, numbers, Morse code, traffic lights).

Semiotics are used in every media text, and are therefore visible in the video for ‘Waiting on a Friend’. There is an endless amount of examples, such as the tall, urban buildings which connotes New York and the cigarette and shaggy clothing Keith Richard’s is wearing which connotes that he is a rock star. One could say Mick Jagger is an iconic sign as he is signified in today’s media a lot, particularly his movements and facial expressions.

Roland Barthes (1967) noted that the model of the sign focused on denotation at the expense of connotation and that it was left to the subsequent theorists to offer an account of this important dimension of meaning. He argued that in photography connotation can be distinguished from denotation in an analytic manner. In the music video I agree with this to be true as you can take denotation from almost anything in the video, such as the drinks in the bar which connotes that the Rolling Stones are still into the behaviours of stereotypical rock stars and the behaviours that they mention in the lyrics.

Roland Barthes also refers to another semiotic called a myth. He says that myths are the dominant ideologies of our time, for example, if we were to see a red light the myth would be the action to stop, as that is the dominant connotation that is taken from the denotation. Fiske and Hartley (1982) refer to denotation and connotation as the 1st and 2nd orders of signification, which are combined to produce ideology – which they describe as a third order of signification.  The third order of signification behind this video would be to value friendships over your vices, which is understood through the media language, such as the song and the visual images. The shot at the end where the band are all in the bar enjoying a drink together would be the denotation, the connotation would be that they are all friends enjoying each other’s company while enjoying some alcohol, the third order of signification would be that you should enjoy your time and your interests with your friends.

Genre Theory Essay: The Rolling Stones - Waiting on a Friend

Genre Essay

I’ve chosen to analyse the music video for ‘Waiting on a Friend’ by The Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones are a British rock band that formed in 1962 and are still together today, despite their many changing line-ups.  The Rolling Stones currently consist of original members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and newest member Ronnie Wood, who has been working with the band since 1976. ‘Waiting on a Friend’ was originally recorded in the later years of 1972/early 1973, when Mick Taylor was still a member of the band. The single was re-worked in 1981, with additional lyrics that were considered for the possibility of a future music video, which made the video for ‘waiting on a friend’ the first promotional video by the Rolling Stones to appear on the emerging MTV channel, which was established in 1981. Michael Lindsay-Hogg  - who directed a number of videos for The Beatles and Wings - directed the video. He had worked with the Stones on previous projects and succeeded in creating a popular video for the MTV channel as ‘waiting on a friend’ was well received by the public.

The first theorist I am going to discuss is Steve Neale. Steve Neale (1995) stresses that genres are not ‘systems’, they are processes of systematization. This means that they are dynamic and evolve over time. An example of this would be the iconography changing over a period of time. The video I am analysing was created around the time music videos first became popular due to the rise of technology, therefore there isn’t any videos of the genre beforehand to compare its change to. If I was to compare the Rolling Stones’ video to a modern day Rolling Stones’ music video, there would be some considerable differences in the iconography. For example, in their video for ‘Doom and Gloom’ (2012), they have actresses playing characters and use a variety of locations which look as though they are in an empty building or on set. There is also a bigger variety of camera angles used and the majority of the video is in black and white, with the band members wearing black clothing. This is different in comparison to their early videos as they always wore extravagant, brightly coloured clothing.

Jason Mittell is the next theorist I’m going to discuss. Jason Mittell (2001) believes that genres are cultural categories that surpass media texts and operate within industry, audience, and cultural practices as well. By saying this he is suggesting that producers and institutions use familiar codes and conventions that make cultural references to their audience and their audience’s knowledge of society. For example, the video for ‘Waiting on a Friend’ will appeal more to its audience as the location (rough area of New York and a bar), people, lyrics and props used in the video/song will relate to the audience more on a personal level as it is what they know. By saying this, one would assume that people who live in that area of New York and dress in that way and enjoy going to the bar with their friends would consume this media text and other texts of the same genre.
Theorist Rick Altman (1999) disputes that genre offers audiences a set of pleasures. These pleasures consist of emotional pleasures, visceral pleasures and intellectual puzzles. The emotional pleasures offered to an audience of a specific genre are significant when they produce a strong audience response. An example of this in the Rolling Stones video would be if an audience member strongly connected to the lyrics of the song or the shot of the band members enjoying a drink in the bar at the end of the video as they may have personally experience that themselves. This will make them more likely to consume the product. Visceral pleasures are gut responses that are defined by how the texts stylistic construction provokes a physical effect on its audience. In the video for Waiting on a Friend, the audience could have a gut response of content-ness or security, as the hand held camera shots make the video seem more personal and the message of the song is a positive one. Intellectual puzzles are when a certain genre i.e thriller offers the pleasure in trying to unravel a mystery; in this case the pleasure would derive from cracking the plot or being surprised. The video for Waiting on a Friend hardly has this pleasure; however, one could say that the mystery of whether or not they’re going to be up to their old behaviours mentioned in the lyrics could be a puzzle.
Music videos are intended to appeal to youth and sub-cultures by reinforcing codes and conventions of musical genres. Music videos are postmodern texts with a core purpose to promote a star persona. Nicholas Abercrombie (1996) argues that ‘Boundaries between genres are shifting and becoming more permeable’. This is evident in media texts as there are more hybrid genres and a less evident, clear boundary between certain genres. An example of this would be the genre of The Rolling Stones often being referred to as ‘pop/rock’. David Buckingham (1993) argues that ‘genre is not simply given by the culture; rather, it is in a constant process of negotiation and change’. By this, he means that genre is not set in stone. His theory is similar to Steve Neal’s in the way that they both believe that genre changes over time. As the culture changes, the genre changes with it. People who listen to rock music now will not necessarily dress or even behave the same way as they did in the 60s/70s, which means that modern day rock music videos and artists will present themselves in media texts differently to as the genre has changed with the culture.

Audience Theory Essay: The Rolling Stones - Waiting on a Friend

Audience Theory Essay

I’ve chosen to analyse the music video for ‘Waiting on a Friend’ by The Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones are a British rock band that formed in 1962 and are still together today, despite their many changing line-ups.  The Rolling Stones currently consist of original members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and newest member Ronnie Wood, who has been working with the band since 1976. ‘Waiting on a Friend’ was originally recorded in the later years of 1972/early 1973, when Mick Taylor was still a member of the band. The single was re-worked in 1981, with additional lyrics that were considered for the possibility of a future music video, which made the video for ‘waiting on a friend’ the first promotional video by the Rolling Stones to appear on the emerging MTV channel, which was established in 1981. Michael Lindsay-Hogg  - who directed a number of videos for The Beatles and Wings - directed the video. He had worked with the Stones on previous projects and succeeded in creating a popular video for the MTV channel as ‘waiting on a friend’ was well received by the public.
Bulmer and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory is represented in the video. This is easy to assume as I am a member of the audience who would choose to consume the Rolling Stones. The uses and gratifications theory suggests that the audience have more control than what was once believed and that we are not manipulated by the media. The theory looks at the motives of those who consume the product and why they choose to consume it. The theory argues that the audience is active as they have a choice and are not forced into consumption. The audience have social and psychological needs which generate certain expectations about the media. The theory suggests that the audience has 4 needs, these are: Surveillance, Personal Identity, Personal Relationships and Diversion. People use surveillance to understand what is happening around them and to make themselves more aware. The audience could use this song for their surveillance need by understanding what that area of New York looks like and what the people living in that area appear like. They could also use it to be aware of how the world is changing by listening and interpreting the lyrics that Mick is singing. It may make them feel more secure about the feelings that they’re having or give them more of an understanding as to why change is happening in the world around them or why the Rolling Stones are behaving differently. An example of this would be how Mick sings about not needing alcohol and women, which he once sang about his love for. Personal identity is how the audience relates to certain situations. This is quite self-explanatory. Members of the audience could relate to what Mick is singing about or look up to him as a role model and copy his behaviour, which is how to identify themselves. People could also copy the style and behaviour of other members in the video, for example Keith’s scruffy clothing and smoking habit.  Personal relations is split into two categories; how we create personal relationships with the media and how we use the media to create relationships. The audience will fulfil this need by creating a personal relationship with the people in the video (for example they may agree with Mick’s point of view so much that they feel as though they know him and feel like they’re friends) or they may use to video as a platform to start a conversation with someone else. With the up rise in technology this is becoming increasingly easy as you can now comment and reply to comments on YouTube videos. The last need, Diversion, is used when the audience wants to divert their thoughts. As an audience member myself I understand that members of the audience often consume products to forget about their own troubles and distract themselves from a mundane task that may need to be completed. People will consume this video in order to be diverted from their everyday lives and forget about their troubles for a while.
Stuart Hall created the reception theory, which suggests that whoever produces the text encodes the product with values and messages (their ideology). Different spectators will decode the text in different ways, not always the way the producer intended. This is based on the audience’s own ideologies and life experiences. There are three types of readings: Dominant/Preferred, Negotiated and Oppositional. The dominant reading is what the producer intends the audience to read the product as. In the case of this video, the producer would intend for the audience to feel uplifted and appreciative of their friends as they will be there for you more than your vices. A negotiated reading is when the audience understands the message but think differently from the dominant reading. An example of this would be someone understanding what the producer is saying but disagreeing with the message by believing that maybe your friends will not always be there for you or maybe the representation of friends being there for you is unrealistic. An opposition reading is when the audience does not agree with the dominant reading at all. An example of this would be if an audience member was to watch the video and think it doesn’t make sense because none of the messages are meaningful, realistic or important and that they are just there to sell the product.
The hypodermic needle theory is the final audience theory. It implies that the media have a direct and powerful effect on audiences.  The mass media from the 20s to the 50s were perceived as a powerful influence on behaviour change. Several factors contributed to the strong effects on audiences created by the media these were: The rise of TV and Radio and the emergence of advertisements. The theory believes that mass media influence a large group of people by injecting them with appropriate messages designed to trigger a desired response. An example of this would be the lyrics sung in the video. The cinematography makes the band appear powerful, desirable and believable. This makes their actions and beliefs (lyrics) more trustworthy to the audience, thus making them behave like the Rolling Stones. This theory is quite outdated, as we now understand that the audience is active and makes their own decision about the media they consume and can have different readings of a product.

Richard Dyer Star Theory Essay: The Rolling Stones - Waiting On A Friend

Richard Dyer Essay

Richard Dyer's star theory is accurately represented in The Rolling Stones' video for 'Waiting On A Friend'. The Rolling Stones are a British rock band that formed in 1962 and are still together today, despite their many changing line-ups.  The Rolling Stones currently consist of original members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and newest member Ronnie Wood, who has been working with the band since 1976. ‘Waiting on a Friend’ was originally recorded in the later years of 1972/early 1973, when Mick Taylor was still a member of the band. The single was re-worked in 1981, with additional lyrics that were considered for the possibility of a future music video, which made the video for ‘waiting on a friend’ the first promotional video by the Rolling Stones to appear on the emerging MTV channel, which was established in 1981. Michael Lindsay-Hogg  - who directed a number of videos for The Beatles and Wings - directed the video. He had worked with the Stones on previous projects and succeeded in creating a popular video for the MTV channel as ‘waiting on a friend’ was well received by the public.

In the first shot of the video we see Mick Jagger standing confidently above the other people in the video. Mick is wearing bright clothes which stands out against the other people, as they are wearing dull clothes. Because Mick is higher positioned in the frame and dressed more fancy than the others in the shot, we automatically assume that he is more important. Richard Dyer's star theory suggests that stars are constructs created  by the institution and the artist. Stars are the ideologies the person wants to put forward in order to sell more products. When we think of rock stars or Mick Jagger, we think of confident wealthy men who live their life wildly without a care in the world. Mick's outfit clearly shows his wealth, however the location and surroundings suggest that he doesn't have a care in the world.

The lyrics in this song suggest that Mick and the rest of the band are tired of women, drugs and alcohol, which is essential to the rock and roll genre and their previous ideology. Rock and roll was pretty much coming to an end in the early 80s, which is when this video was released. The band were attempting to change their ideologies in order to appeal to their audience, who's ideologies would've also been changing with the culture of the time since it was no longer the 1960s or 1970s and the ideologies of the time were changing. If the Stones had continued to sing about the same stuff as they did in the 60s and 70s, they would'nt have connected with the ageing audience or attracted new fans of a younger more relevant generation. Their sudden change in ideologies helps them gain respect and dedication from fans who also have that ideology, although behind closed doors The Rolling Stones were probably still taking drugs, fooling around with women and drinking a lot of alcohol. The audience become a part of the fantasy themselves, thinking 'If Mick is sick of this stuff, I'm sick of it. Things are changing'. This reinforces Richard Dyer's ideology that 'Stars are commodities produced by institutions in order to create a greater consumption of media texts'.

The representation of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in particular is metonymic. With Mick, we can symbolise his facial expressions and movements and identify them with him. With Keith, we can symbolise his scruffy dress sense and hair, and the fact that he always tends to be smoking and looking a bit rough with his image. These metonymic representations of the two make them identifiable as stars. If you were to dress a stranger up in Keith Richards attire, makes them walk in a slightly drunken way whilst smoking and talking with a slight slur; they would instantly think of Keith Richards or that the person is impersonating Keith. A lot of people do impressions of Mick Jagger, as the things that symbolise him are easy to recognise.

Narrative Theory Visual Essay: The Rolling Stones - Waiting on a Friend

Narrative Theory

Visual Essay

I’ve chosen to analyse the music video for ‘Waiting on a Friend’ by The Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones are a British rock band that formed in 1962 and are still together today, despite their many changing line-ups.  The Rolling Stones currently consist of original members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and newest member Ronnie Wood, who has been working with the band since 1976. ‘Waiting on a Friend’ was originally recorded in the later years of 1972/early 1973, when Mick Taylor was still a member of the band. The single was re-worked in 1981, with additional lyrics that were considered for the possibility of a future music video, which made the video for ‘waiting on a friend’ the first promotional video by the Rolling Stones to appear on the emerging MTV channel, which was established in 1981. Michael Lindsay-Hogg  - who directed a number of videos for The Beatles and Wings - directed the video. He had worked with the Stones on previous projects and succeeded in creating a popular video for the MTV channel as ‘waiting on a friend’ was well received by the public.

The story starts with Mick Jagger waiting for a friend (as the lyrics suggest) in front of an apartment block in New York. We can tell he’s waiting as Jagger is tapping his foot and looking left to right, which connotes typical impatient behavior.  After we see him waiting the camera cuts to a close up hand held shot of Keith Richards walking in what appears to be the same street that Mick is on, as the mise-en-scene is the same, and the following shot is of Mick, which creates a shot-reverse-shot element , thus reinforcing the verisimilitude within the text. This puts the audience in a situation where they can infer that Mick is in fact waiting for Keith. The next few shots cut between Jagger lip-syncing and Keith walking in the direction of Jagger. They are both positioned centre frame throughout this section of the video, which highlights their importance above the other people in the mise-en-scene.
The song structure is conventional as it contains an instrumental introduction, verses and a chorus, however,  the song is much shorter in length that most songs you would see being released today – as ‘waiting on a friend’ contains very short verses and only two of them.
 
The lyrics are conventional of the rock genre as there is mention of ‘booze’ and ‘women’.  People would expect to see women and alcohol mentioned in rock music as rock music was primarily alive in the late 60s/1970s, and that was very much a part of the culture surrounding the rock music scene then and also reinforces the ideology of the band. This supports Tim O’sullivan’s theory that media texts represent the ideology behind the institution and cultural beliefs at the time the text was created. The song was released in 1981, which is when rock was coming to an end – which means the culture if rock and roll was also dying.  In this song, Mick is singing about how he doesn’t need booze and he doesn’t need women, all he needs is a friend.  This symbolizes rock and roll coming to an end, as he doesn’t see much importance in any of his vices anymore.

Up to this point we can see that the video contains both narrative and performance elements. We’ve seen Mick waiting on a doorstep for Keith Richards – which was established in the shot-reverse shot edit. This creates the first level of narrative as what we are shown through the use of the macro-elements matches the lyrics, thus creating a story narrative. Mick is also lip synching and doing a little dance in the video which creates the performance element. There is no abstract part to this video as there isn’t anything that doesn’t make sense.
Like all videos with a story element to the narrative, this video follows Bordwell and Thomspon’s (1997) theory that each narrative is presented in three ways; inferred events, explicitly shown events and non-diegetic material. First of all, we see Mick outside a building. We are not shown how he gets to that building, but as an audience we infer that he didn’t just appear there and that he had things to do before he was arrived there. It’s easier to read this in the present day as we are more media literate as a generation. Next comes the explicitly shown events, which would be the shot of Mick waiting outside the building. Lastly would be the non-diegetic material, which includes elements such as the background music.





The music video for the song contains both performance and narrative.  The structure follows N/P/N/P/N/P/N/P/N/N/N/P/P/P/P+N. The shots also last for a considerable amount of time which matches the tone of the song. The video is also self-reflexive as the location was chosen carefully as to appeal to its target audience. The first location we see in the video is Saint Marks Place in New York. St Marks Place is in the East Village area of Manhattan, which became a thriving and popular area in the 60s – which is when the Rolling Stones formed as a band. This further enforces the assumption that this location was chosen to appeal to its target audience. The locations used in the mise-en-scene are of the dirty streets of New York and later on in the video, a bar. The reason I recognize this as New York is because the architecture, culture and props. The props are iconographic of a lower-class New York area. In the 60s-70s this area of New York contained a lot of working class families but was also booming with different cultures. This supports the ideology behind the band as they want to come across as rebellious, bold and popular, and by hanging around in a working class area with different cultures they show that they are not afraid. The media created a fake rivalry between the Stones and The Beatles in the 1960s. People would refer to the Beatles as wearing the white hat and the Stones wearing the black hat.   The audience at the time would not expect to see the Stones in a clean, upper class location, as it wouldn’t suit their media persona. Because of this, we can say they are commercial exhibitionists as in real life outside of the diegesis of this media text, they are in fact living in upper-class areas.

The building we see Mick Jagger standing in front of in the opening shot is the building used for the cover of Led Zeppelin’s album ‘Physical Graffiti’ which reached number one on Billboard’s chart when it was released in in 1975. This supports Michael Shore’s theory that media products contain recycled styles, which causes immediate gratification and matches the Stones’ desired aesthetic. The Rolling Stones have a similar target audience to that of Led Zeppelin, which makes the video have the potential to attract to more Led Zeppelin fans as well as Rolling Stones fans.
   

The video also follows Todorov’s theory that each story narrative must contain a protagonist and an antagonist coming together (in this case it would be Mick and Keith), which is then followed by a disruption (they don’t have any of their other friends in their company), followed by a quest (Mick and Keith going to the pub to find their friends), and finally ends with a resolution (which would be Mick and Keith meeting up with the rest of the band members at the pub).  Pam Cook would also argue that the linearity of cause and effect works within the trajectory of enigma resolution. She is also correct in saying this, as it all happens in order to reach a re-equilibrium.

Overall, to support Tim O’Sullivan’s theory I would say that this video has a message that is put together by the ideology of the band and the culture at the time. The message of this video is to value friendship over your vices, which is a mature and wise thing to say and is relevant of the time as rock ’n’ roll was coming to an end – and the band are saying that with rock ‘n’ roll coming to an end, their lifestyle has too.

Likes and Dislikes of Music Videos recommended by Other Media Students

I asked other media students for their favourite music videos of all time and decided to watch a select few in order to see what I liked and disliked about them and to give me ideas for my music video. Here is a list of the music videos recommended to me:

The first video I chose to watch was Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers. My reason for choosing this video was the pure fact that it appeared on the list more than once and therefore stood out. Considering it was recommended to me more than once there must be something different about it.
Likes - First of all, the opening shot is very fun and bright. It puts the audience in an unusual position, rather than just watching a performer sing and dance. They're taken through the twists and turns of the tube which matches the non-diegetic music. I like all of the props used in the video and the mise-en-scene as it works together as a whole to create a very interesting video. The video is abstract with elements of performance which I find very intriguing. The song is very upbeat and fast paced, as is the editing. Although most of the props are very bland and just everyday items (e.g. bottles), the band find ways to make these items entertaining. As there is always something new happening in every shot it keeps the audience entertained and creates a high amount of voyeurism. The band members are also iconographic of the genre, which is alternative. They do not look like typical models you would see in pop music videos. This creates verisimilitude. The lead singer (Anthony Keidis) is shirtless throughout the video. This is iconographic and expected of from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I also like the different use of cinematography which gives the audience different views of things (for example the point of view shot of the drums which gives the audience the same view as the actual drummer) - which makes the audience feel more involved. This is unusual and not often seen in music videos - however I think it works to their advantage.
Dislikes - There is nothing I dislike about this video as I think it fits the genre very well and uses conventions in an interesting and unique way to create the perfect amount of voyeurism. If I had to find a fault with it, it would be that it does not appeal to every audience group. However; I also see this as a positive thing as they're sticking to what they want to do and what they want to create rather than giving in to the system.

The next video I chose to watch is You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift.

Likes - The narrative for this video is the same as the Cinderella story which is where the dream comes true. An example of this is the movie 'Pretty Woman'. The use of props and mise-en-scene is also conventional of the genre, for example the white dress connotes purity and makes Taylor Swift look Cinderella-like, which is conventional of the story. The cinematography is good and the performance is also convincing. The use of props and locations within the mise-en-scene creates verisimilitude within the diegesis. You can see a huge contrast between Taylor in the first scenes and the last. At first, we see her wearing glasses, little makeup and a baggy tshirt. These semiotics denote that she is a nerd. She also sings "But she wears short skirts,I wear t-shirts,She's cheer captain And I'm on the bleachers" The lyrics match up with the narrative as Nerdy Taylor Swift is wearing a baggy t-shirt, and later in the video we see her on the bleachers. The popular Taylor Swift is wearing revealing clothes (i.e short skirts) and she is cheer captain,

Dislikes - The music video is too cliche and therefore loses it's meaning and provides no voyeurism for me, however I do not think I am the desired audience that this genre is aimed at. I also find the use of cinematography very boring and un-inventive. 

The final video I chose to analyse was Hardest Button to Button - The White Stripes.

Likes -I particularly like the mise-en-scene in this video. I like how the props and costumes are both matching with the performers as it creates voyeurism and also creates an iconographic image for the band. The video is filmed in stop motion and edited to the beat which makes it very appealing and unique. The location used and quality of the camera also create an urban and alternative feel which works cohesively with the genre. The use of  repeatitive use of stop motion has also made the video very memorable and re-reinforce it's place as a promotional device, since the image of the instruments being duplicated in a trail formation has been copied many times, even on 'The Simpsons'.

Dislikes-There is not much I dislike about this video, however that could be because I like the genre. If I was to choose one thing I dislike it would be the repetitive nature of the stop motion as towards the end I already know what is going to happen and get slightly bored of it, however this is not a huge concern as the video would not be as effective or memorable without it. 

Narrative Thoery: Sven Carlsson 1999

An example of a video  which uses all 3 areas of narrative would be bohemian rhapsody by queen.

Narrative Theory: Bordwell and Thompson 1997

Likes and Dislikes of Existing music Videos from Different Genres

Likes - In this video I liked the use of cinematography as the different shots which made it conventional - thus making it a lot easier to watch. It was also edited to the beat very well. The use of different locations also helped create voyeurism. The use of lighting is also very interesting and complimentary and creates verisimilitude within the diegesis. Overall, this video was put together quite well.

Dislike - I didn't like the close ups of Cheryl in provocative poses as I felt that they were irrelevant and primarily aimed at men. Given the genre, this video and style of music is not aimed at me, therefore i would not willingly consume this product.

The second video I watched was Love on Top - Beyonce. 

Likes - In this video I liked the colouring as it was all very neutral. I also liked how there were different ethnicities in the video as it promotes equality. We also see a long shot which shows Beyonce in front of the other performers wearing all black and a hat. The performers however, are wearing very casual clothing which makes Beyonce stand out rather than blending in with the rest of them - which helps identify her as the star. The use of mise-en-scene in this sense was good for promoting Beyonce, and suited the genre well. The use of cinematography is also conventional which makes the video easier to watch.

Dislikes - I dislike how you have to wait half way through the video for the location to change as it gets very tedious an boring. If I was watching this video on the television I would not be entertained in the slightest and would feel the need to turn the channel over. If there were different locations early on then it would convince me to stay tuned as it would have more elements of voyeurism to it. I have taken on board the fact that I am not the desired target audience for this genre of music, which is porbably why I disliked it more than I enjoyed it.

The next video I watched was Ella Henderson - Glow.

Likes - In this video I liked the cuts to different locations as it kept me entertained. The fades to black were also edited to the beat and fit the colour of the music video as it is very dark and spooky. The song also has that feel to it. We also see a medium long shot of Ella standing alone in a field singing. She is wearing black which fits in with the rest of the iconography. She is also centre frame. This shot cuts to a close up of her in the same location. The fact that Ella is alone in these shots which have more attention on them than the other shots proves that she is the main person in this video and supports Richard Dyer's star theory.

Dislikes - The first few locations were repeated for almost the entire first minute of the music video which I found to be boring and lost interest quite easily. I can't find many faults with this video as it seems like a lot of thought, planning and effort was put into it. Once again, I am not the intended target audience but I did appreciate this video a lot more than the previous videos as I felt it showcased a lot of talents from the produces and crew rather than just showcasing the star. 

I then watched J Lo - If you had my love.

Likes - I enjoyed the different use of shots in the introduction and the lighting as J Lo was in the darkness which made it appear more mysterious and put all of the focus on her, which once again supports Richard Dyer's star theory. The shots were also edited together at a fast pace and cut from location to location which kept me entertained. We then see J Lo centre frame in a medium long shot. She is wearing white and the location is also white which creates voyeurism as it is very aesthetically pleasing. There is also a clear narrative in the video which is apparent from the very start. This video looks like a lot of time and effort was put into it, much more than the previous Beyonce video I analysed. 

Dislikes - I didn't like the dance scene as it felt really out of place and I think the video would be much better without it as it made it drag and unenjoyable to watch, however I am not the desired target audience so that may be why I didn't like it.

The final video I watched was Happy - Pharrell. 

Likes - I liked the use of locations and different performers in the video as it kept me entertained and made me want to watch more. It was also edited well to the beat. The use of framing is also good as the long shots reveal more interesting parts of the location whereas the close ups of Pharrell inform the audience that he is the main performer - showing Richard Dyer's star theory to be true once again. There are also a few celebrities and familiar faces featured in the video which makes the video consumable to people who aren't fans of Pharrell as they may watch it to see the famous face they like.

Dislikes - It gets very repetitive after a while because everyone is doing the same thing. It is the same thing happening throughout the entire video and I just think it was a very simple idea, which does appeal to some but not to me.

Overview

I selected these videos by watching music channels on the tv and seeing which ones came up on different channels. All of the genres seem to be pop. I noticed that Richard Dyer's 'Star Theory' is very apparent in all of them. The star of the video is always made to stand out more than the other people in the video, who are essentially props. The use of mise-en-scene and cinematography are the main macro elements that make the star stand out, for example the use of close ups and the performer always being centre fram and the mise-en-scene always being more interesting on the star and very plain on the other people in the video. The costumes on the star are also things that people would not wear everyday, whereas the costumes on the other people could quite easily be passed off as everyday outfits. I also noticed that the videos by the most famous stars i.e Pharrell and Beyonce, use more simple narratives as they don't need much to sell themselves as just showing their face is enough - whereas the more unknown acts such as Ella Henderson have much more interesting videos with better thought out narratives as they need help to promote themselves and having a good music video increases the artists' chances in increasing their fanbase. 

Lyric Analysis

This is an overview of the lyrics for my chosen song. The song doesn't contain many lyrics as the majority of it is instrumental, and all of the lyrics are repeated at least once - which is great for repetition which informs me that the writer had a strong ideology to put across.

Narrative Idea from the Lyric Analysis

From the lyric analysis I understood that the writer is dreaming about this ethereal character, Julia. My video will look very soft and dreamy and will focus around this Julia character.

Lyric analysis: Julia Dream

Song Change

I've decided to change my song to Julia Dream by Pink Floyd.
It is the same genre and and decade as Julia by the Beatles, it just has more of an upbeat sound to it and I think my editing will look better to this song.

Text to arrange actress in my music video