Applying genre theories to a video textual analysis (Guns and Roses: Paradise city)

 

Guns and Roses were a heavy metal group in the late 80's and early 90's, a period dominated by pop music. Paradise city itself may be seen as a hybridisation of pop and rock.

 

As the video begins, we are shown what is assumed to be an empty baseball stadium. This could emphasise that the band produced music that was not nearly as popular as rock but was still popular enough to gain a substantial audience, supporting Fiske's generic conventions theory that it is there because, to a degree, people want it.

This image of the crowd flowing in further supports Fiske's theory; people are watching it because it is popular, likely to counter the hippie culture of the time. This also supports Hartley's theory that genres support ideological closure as it cements the gap between pop and heavy metal cultures, isolating them and preventing hybridisation.

This image was from a performance of the same song in the early 90's and supports Fiske's theory even further, the band are still popular half a decade later because people still like the music and what it represents. However, this also supports Hodge and Kress' theory that genres control the expectations of the audience, making it exceptionally difficult for the band to change it's type of music without losing it's audience and their credibility.

Her we see the older concert with a full house of fans, providing endless support for Fiske's generic conventions theory with it's clear popularity with the people. It can also, however, provide support for Hartley's theory hearkens back to the period when heavy metal and hippie culture were dominant and clashed over everything, making everything either hippie or metal.



I think that genres are ultimately defined by the people and control the behaviour of the producers as well as the audiences' expectations.

Textual analysis (Alice Cooper's 'Poison' 1989)

Focus: Hall's reception theory.

The Dominant meaning gathered from Cooper's entrance is of gothic design. Gothic iconography is quite clear the shape of the door way and the dark colours with the light blue mist emphasising the dark colour of his own clothes.
However, his entrance is in opposition to the general pop genre of music prevalent in the 1980's and adopts a darker theme that is more common in the 1990's.

The Dominant meaning we might gather from Cooper staring directly at the camera is that he is imposing the macabre feeling of the video upon the audience as if seeping through the screen into the surrounding area.
This is in direct opposition of the typical 80's genre as it is directly opposed to the general dance-rock and pop-rock of that era.
A Negotiated meaning is that it could be one of the heralds of the 90's era of music which was more dark and centred around grunge and punk, due to it's close proximity to the 90's.

In this scene we see Cooper walking amongst chains in an almost dungeon like scenario, this could portray a sense of imprisonment and no escape as it's Dominant meaning.
This is in direct opposition with the general light, upbeat pop music of the 80's as it emphasises a dark, gothic style.

The Dominant meaning that can be taken away from this shot, and coopers posture, is a sense of hopelessness and despair as the strength to live wanes with loss.
This is in obvious opposition to the hyper, lively theme of the 1980s which emphasises bright happy music, which this is clearly not.


















It could be negotiated that this song is one that heralded the coming of 90's music with it's mixture of dark colours and setting, for example, despite the relatively light blue, in comparison to the other colours, used in the background, it still appears artificial and unnatural in nature.

Textual analysis (Music video older than yourself)

Bonjovi: you give love a bad name (Mise-en-scene and camera)

The video begins as the camera fades in onto a horde of screaming fans, this emphasises that they have a lot of fans whereas the screaming shows that the crowd is almost fanatical in their support of the band.

The entrance of the band is flashy and ostentatious and plays off of the crowds desperation to see/hear the band, and presents the band in an exciting manner as opposed to them walking on stage, the fireworks are clearly the main focus in the shot as to draw the audience's eye away from the band, making the band's appearance more surprising, electrifying the crowd further. This shot is a low angle shot and shows the band standing above the crowd whilst both the band and the crowd take up the shot in equal measure.

The camera is at a slight low-angle shot emphasising that both the crowd and the viewer look up to Bonjovi as well as his importance to the band. The way he stands shows him as theatrical and flamboyant, this is emphasised by him taking up almost the entirety of the shot aside from the one band member to the camera's left. The fact he is also pointing to the camera can also be interpreted as breaking the 4th wall and is performing for those who are not there as much as for the crowd who are.

In this shot, Bonjovi is seen twirling the stand that the microphone was attached to, again, this is an ostentatious display of vainglory. However, this could also be something to excite the crowd as showy moves are often done for the crowd's benefit to keep them excited and focused on the performance.

This medium shot shows both Bonjovi and the crowd. Bonjovi is seen directly facing the audience, addressing them personally. The crowd themselves can be seen reacting to this, as confirmed by the fan scrambling over the other fans to get closer to the stage. Somehow, neither ardent or fanatical can describe the crowd.




In conclusion, the band are shown as ostentatious and extravagant in their actions and movement as well as just about anything they did on stage, and the crowd cheer all the more because of it, validating the success of said theatrics.



Recreation Task

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5UGAdCEci4

Significant Moments in Music Video History

1/1/64
On the 1st of January 1964 the "iconic" top of the pops was created and with it, a way to find out which songs were number 1 in the charts. The artists who wanted their song to be premiered on the show, but couldn't perform in person had music videos made.


25/10/67
The Monkees were a band formed in the 1960's who were completely fabricated and loosely based on the Beatles. They had a Television Show, hence there presence in the list. Coincidentally, they are also a good example of convergence.


18/6/72
David Bowie created various alter egos such as Jean Genie and Ziggy Stardust as well as several others. These alter egos were used in his music videos and attracted many views as they gave his videos character. He also used a variety of special effects, something that was both expensive and difficult back in the 70's.


4/10/75
Queens Bohemian Rhapsody video broke records so far as special effects in music videos are concerned and went on to inspire many more directors to be more creative. The video also broke conventions in regards to the length of the video, and bands also focused more on creating music video's for their songs. Effectively, it made music videos popular.


10/11/81
MTV was launched and was known as the first television channel to play only music videos. This pointed out the importance of the music videos to artists and also helped artists gain attention through their music videos.


10/10/83
The music video for Thriller by Michael Jackson is "iconic" in many ways. Firstly it's length: over 14 minutes long and broke conventions much like Queen with regards to music videos. It also tells a narrative with the video, to keep fans intrigued. On top of this, the video was screened after the water shed as it was deemed to be that scary - creating a hype.


1/1/14
On the 1st of January 2014, Beyoncé released her self titled album to an outburst of surprise and excitement, without any previous marketing or promotion. As well as this, Beyoncé released music videos simultaneously to go with the tracks, to highlight the importance of music videos to shape meaning, inevitably increasing her views and subsequent profits.

Introductory note

My task for A2 is to analyse various music videos and produce a promotion package for the reelease of an album and to include a music promo video along with 2 of the following: A website homepage for the band. A CD inlay for it's release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package). A magazine advertisement for the digipak.