actuality- filming or reporting of real events...how far from the reality of woemn is hip hop viedos.
american dream- the idea that america is the land of oppurtunity and it is a meritocratic society...is the women a symbol of achievement in hip hop?
archetype- an often repeated charcter type or representation which is instantly recognisable to an audience...are the women an archetype?
audience profile- finding out the characteristics of a demographic...is this what men really want?
black feminism- black females opressed by gender and race...is this the only way thses black females can live?
bricolage- random assembly by culture groups of various cultural signifiers to form new and often unintended meanings.
capitalism- the set up economic structure...women are selling their bodies.
chiaroscuro lighting- extremes of lighting used for extreme portrayal of characteristics...this lighting in these videos usually portray women as purely seductive.
cognition- the process of percieving, collecting and organsisng info...what do the audience do with what they see?
common sense- the consensus attitude of society...is their a lack present within the hip hop demographic, is this being exploited?
construction- the process behind creating a media text...why does this process result in mysoginistic texts?
consumerism- the economic system and variation of capitalism based around the compulsive consumption of goods and services...do we as an audience allow this consumption?
consensus- the middle ground of the views...why has this been created, look into historical factors, male backlash?
connotation- essentail to look into what connotations follow women.
counterculture- a subculture or group which goes against the mainstream norms...feminists and balck feminists and anti racists, what affect do they have?..how powerful is their voice?
critical autonomy- coming to educated and informed opinions...something through research i will acquire.
cultivation theory- a theroy which states that audiences views of the world are affected by what they see... is this the case with male views of black females?
cultural imperialism- the dominance of western in particular us ideology acroos the world...as most of these texts are american, is it more credible and bainwashing?
Monday, 29 October 2007
key words...30 of them
active audince theory- the idea that the audience is plays an active role in decoding and creating the meaning of the text...this is useful to my study as it will act as a counter argument to the passive audience which i speak of.
american dream- a cultural myth based on the belief that the usa is a land of oppurtunity and promise where hard work enables a good lifestyle...this is relevant to my study as the women in hip hop videos have an integral part in creating the american dream.
archetype- an often repeated character type or representation which is instantly recognisable to an audience...maybe degrading archetypes for women in hip hop.
audience profile- personal charcteristics of the target audience and finding out what appeals to this audience... the usage of women to appeal to its audience.
black feminism- a female perspective that says that as well as being restricted by their gender, black women are also opressed by their race...most women present in the music videos are black.
bricolage- random assembly by culture groups of various cultural signifiers to form new and often unintended meanings...black ladies in hip hop maybe setting a bad representation across of black females.
censorship- the practice, excersized by elite groups of authority, of monitoring and controlling media content by removing, supressing or classifying content...should the authorites be doing more?
chiaroscuro lighting- extremeties of dark and light are used to create effective communication of the charter to the audience...how they use it in music videos to portray women.
cognition- the mental process involved in percieving, collecting and organising information about the world into a consistent and comprehensive framework of knowledge that reflects cultural environkment...the attitude of society.
common sense- the concensus in public opinion...is there a lack of it present when decoding hip hop texts?
connotation- we all know what this means...its important in all of our studies.
consensus- the middle ground opinion and attitude of society...why is it acceptable for this to continue?
construction- the process behind the creation of a media text...why does this process result in mainly mysoginistic texts?
consumerism- the econominc system and variation of capitalism based around the compulsive consumption of goods and services within the framework of lifestyle marketing and advertising... this is key when looking at audience.
counterculture- a subculture that opposes the mainstream views and material...some groups and movements such as the feminists.
critical autonomy- the ability to research a topic, to assess and evaluate evidence and come to an informed personal judgement.
culture- a social practice with its own set of rules and stereotypes...hip hop culture, are half naked women a part of this?
demographics- information corcerning the social status, class, gender and age of the population...this is a key aspect as i can look into which demographic is most appealed by hip hop and decide whether the videos are a result of the demographic.
dominant ideology- the belief that serves the interests of the dominant ruling elite within a society...is this all a result of this.
dominant or hegemonic reading- a response to a text in which the reader shares the value system of the text and accepts the preferred reading without question.
encode- the process of constructing a media message in a form suitable for transmission to a reciever
american dream- a cultural myth based on the belief that the usa is a land of oppurtunity and promise where hard work enables a good lifestyle...this is relevant to my study as the women in hip hop videos have an integral part in creating the american dream.
archetype- an often repeated character type or representation which is instantly recognisable to an audience...maybe degrading archetypes for women in hip hop.
audience profile- personal charcteristics of the target audience and finding out what appeals to this audience... the usage of women to appeal to its audience.
black feminism- a female perspective that says that as well as being restricted by their gender, black women are also opressed by their race...most women present in the music videos are black.
bricolage- random assembly by culture groups of various cultural signifiers to form new and often unintended meanings...black ladies in hip hop maybe setting a bad representation across of black females.
censorship- the practice, excersized by elite groups of authority, of monitoring and controlling media content by removing, supressing or classifying content...should the authorites be doing more?
chiaroscuro lighting- extremeties of dark and light are used to create effective communication of the charter to the audience...how they use it in music videos to portray women.
cognition- the mental process involved in percieving, collecting and organising information about the world into a consistent and comprehensive framework of knowledge that reflects cultural environkment...the attitude of society.
common sense- the concensus in public opinion...is there a lack of it present when decoding hip hop texts?
connotation- we all know what this means...its important in all of our studies.
consensus- the middle ground opinion and attitude of society...why is it acceptable for this to continue?
construction- the process behind the creation of a media text...why does this process result in mainly mysoginistic texts?
consumerism- the econominc system and variation of capitalism based around the compulsive consumption of goods and services within the framework of lifestyle marketing and advertising... this is key when looking at audience.
counterculture- a subculture that opposes the mainstream views and material...some groups and movements such as the feminists.
critical autonomy- the ability to research a topic, to assess and evaluate evidence and come to an informed personal judgement.
culture- a social practice with its own set of rules and stereotypes...hip hop culture, are half naked women a part of this?
demographics- information corcerning the social status, class, gender and age of the population...this is a key aspect as i can look into which demographic is most appealed by hip hop and decide whether the videos are a result of the demographic.
dominant ideology- the belief that serves the interests of the dominant ruling elite within a society...is this all a result of this.
dominant or hegemonic reading- a response to a text in which the reader shares the value system of the text and accepts the preferred reading without question.
encode- the process of constructing a media message in a form suitable for transmission to a reciever
Sunday, 14 October 2007
Bartender- T-pain
this video is once again a prime example of how footage is mediated to portray a degrading female stereotype which seems to be present in the greater side of hip hop.
from the very initial shot of this music video, a materialistic value is portrayed. a slow motion close up of a car with expensive rims is shown. in this shot the audience also becomes aware of a pair of female legs, however the audience cannot see the womens face, therefore by placing the womens legs synonomously with the expensive possessions, women are already objectified and are shown to be objects used to satisfy the male audience sex drive. in contrast to many shots which portray women sexually, there are numerous shots of the protagonist (artist) of this video, all of his shots coincidentally focus on his face and on him performing his song, thus creating the contrast between the talented man and the passive and insignificant women.
another shot which carries much weight is when the artist is shown at the bar and is approached by a woman behind him and the woman is simply dismissed without thought. this shows the male position and stature and his ability to be in control of his sexuality. the positioning of the woman being behind his back is also in some ways a metaphor of how society has been and still is on some level. with the female always being subordinate and second to men in developing as powerful roles.
a personal interpretation of mine in this video in particular came through me analysing the editing. the editing is very typical of a hip hop video as it is fast paced, often suiting the tempo of the song. however, through analysing how women in particular are being represented, i noticed that quick glimpses of facial expression are exposed to the audience, these facial expressions being mainly seductive, and these shots tend to be directly followed by a slow motion shot of their sexual body parts. it is almost as if the text is saying to the audience, that a womans mind is less significant than her body. this text through editing has proven to be quite mysoginistic.
as well as this, the bartender in this music video is a female. although it may seem humorous to some, it has a deeper meaning. i believe that the fact that the bartender "serves" a man is quite impactful. there are numerous shots where the bartender is shown pouring a drink for the man and therefore the man is in control of what the woman does. links being serving a drink and sexually serving someone can be suggested.
lighting is a very important aspect of this video. the main male protagonist is shown in a very high key light and his surroundings and the woman all fall under the low key lighting. the low key lighting firstly creates a more sexual and seductive atmosphere which is synonomus with the song..however, the female in the low key lighting makes her seem as if she is vampish and sexual and therefore the sexual characteristaion present is created even further. as well as this, the fact that the man is shown in good visible light against the female is low key lighting shows that the man is more important and that he should be focused on over the woman. the fact that the light doesnt attempt to separate the female from the background is also a metaphor the women seem to take the non leading role in society.
Sunday, 23 September 2007
Make it rain analysis boyyeeeeeeeeeeeee
Representation
In “Make it rain” there are various different people being represented. Although I will be focusing on the representation of women, I will be looking into how men are represented in counter and how this affects the way women are seen. Women are being represented as sex objects and in a very derogatory manor. The male characters in this music video are shown to be very powerful. This contrast between the statuses of each sex has the affect on the audience that the men are further heightened in status and the women are further degrading. In retrospect it is unfair to suggest that women are all subject to the male gaze and that they are purely sex objects. Times have changed and women have progressively become more equal, especially in recent years. I believe that women are represented in this way to appeal to the male audience. As the hip hop industry is predominantly male, it is in a certain way a marketing tactic to increase the popularity of the record, therefore discarding the female controversy. However, there is some evidence of a male being degraded. In a shot of Fat Joe rapping, he has a member of his entourage holding an umbrella over his head. This job is associated with a low position, such as being a butler and therefore can be seen as quite degrading.
Media language
As you can imagine this video showcases a lot of fast paced editing. Therefore a range of shots are on display. Many high angle slow motion shots are used to look down on the women. There are many women who are dressed very scarcely and these women are generally shown under a high angle shot. Thus looking down on them, making them look inferior to the predominantly male audience. Low angle shots are used for the rappers themselves who are male to make them seem powerful. As well as this many close ups are used on both genders. However, in the case of the females, it is usually close ups of sexual body parts and for the males; it is usually of expensive possessions and there faces. The texts connotations run parallel to the message of the song, the chorus goes as follows “make it rain on these hoes”…through the use of the degrading address of women the audience can now understand on a literal sense why there are shots of half dressed women with money raining down on them, an idea usually associated with strippers and whores. Another point of discussion is the non verbal structures of meaning, many of the women seem to have a sexually aroused expression on their face, as well as this some seem to have seductive looks on their faces, as well as this their dancing is seems as a form of flaunting as much skin as they possibly can and finally the money raining down on them. All these factors combine to create a strong communication to the audience about how females are represented. These factors combine to make women seem inferior and as objects rather than people.
Narrative
In this video there doesn’t seem to be much as far as narrative is concerned. It just seems as if this video was an opportunity to represent the rappers in a flashy way and women as their lower counterparts. The audience through the use of camera angles have a feeling that they are part of the music video and they are in the position to be looking down on the women. However, even as there is a lack of narrative involved, it doesn’t interfere with the communication of messages that women are lower than men.
Genre
This text has in a way over a certain number of years become its own genre. It is indeed a music video but nonetheless due to the fact that it belongs to the hip hop industry it can be said that it has created its own sub genre. In recent years you can argue that videos of this nature are highly conventional. The changing roles of women in society and how women are represented in hip hop music videos seem to be moving in opposite directions. Typically speaking, the new hip hop music genre entails loads of indecently dressed women and a lot of showcasing of possessions of high expense. Women in these videos are as a rule portrayed to be passive sex objects who give in to the male demand. In this sense this music is highly stereotypical. The main rapper, Fat Joe, has some what a notorious status for producing controversial videos, with much sex and luxurious lifestyle on display.
In “Make it rain” there are various different people being represented. Although I will be focusing on the representation of women, I will be looking into how men are represented in counter and how this affects the way women are seen. Women are being represented as sex objects and in a very derogatory manor. The male characters in this music video are shown to be very powerful. This contrast between the statuses of each sex has the affect on the audience that the men are further heightened in status and the women are further degrading. In retrospect it is unfair to suggest that women are all subject to the male gaze and that they are purely sex objects. Times have changed and women have progressively become more equal, especially in recent years. I believe that women are represented in this way to appeal to the male audience. As the hip hop industry is predominantly male, it is in a certain way a marketing tactic to increase the popularity of the record, therefore discarding the female controversy. However, there is some evidence of a male being degraded. In a shot of Fat Joe rapping, he has a member of his entourage holding an umbrella over his head. This job is associated with a low position, such as being a butler and therefore can be seen as quite degrading.
Media language
As you can imagine this video showcases a lot of fast paced editing. Therefore a range of shots are on display. Many high angle slow motion shots are used to look down on the women. There are many women who are dressed very scarcely and these women are generally shown under a high angle shot. Thus looking down on them, making them look inferior to the predominantly male audience. Low angle shots are used for the rappers themselves who are male to make them seem powerful. As well as this many close ups are used on both genders. However, in the case of the females, it is usually close ups of sexual body parts and for the males; it is usually of expensive possessions and there faces. The texts connotations run parallel to the message of the song, the chorus goes as follows “make it rain on these hoes”…through the use of the degrading address of women the audience can now understand on a literal sense why there are shots of half dressed women with money raining down on them, an idea usually associated with strippers and whores. Another point of discussion is the non verbal structures of meaning, many of the women seem to have a sexually aroused expression on their face, as well as this some seem to have seductive looks on their faces, as well as this their dancing is seems as a form of flaunting as much skin as they possibly can and finally the money raining down on them. All these factors combine to create a strong communication to the audience about how females are represented. These factors combine to make women seem inferior and as objects rather than people.
Narrative
In this video there doesn’t seem to be much as far as narrative is concerned. It just seems as if this video was an opportunity to represent the rappers in a flashy way and women as their lower counterparts. The audience through the use of camera angles have a feeling that they are part of the music video and they are in the position to be looking down on the women. However, even as there is a lack of narrative involved, it doesn’t interfere with the communication of messages that women are lower than men.
Genre
This text has in a way over a certain number of years become its own genre. It is indeed a music video but nonetheless due to the fact that it belongs to the hip hop industry it can be said that it has created its own sub genre. In recent years you can argue that videos of this nature are highly conventional. The changing roles of women in society and how women are represented in hip hop music videos seem to be moving in opposite directions. Typically speaking, the new hip hop music genre entails loads of indecently dressed women and a lot of showcasing of possessions of high expense. Women in these videos are as a rule portrayed to be passive sex objects who give in to the male demand. In this sense this music is highly stereotypical. The main rapper, Fat Joe, has some what a notorious status for producing controversial videos, with much sex and luxurious lifestyle on display.
WHAT I PROPOSE TO DO MY STUDY ABOUT...
Summary of my study
My study will focus on the representation of women in the hip hop music industry. My study will particularly examine how females are represented through music videos. I will be analysing all different aspects of these music videos in order to fully understand how a particular representation is created and why this is so. I will be focusing on many different music videos in order to get an idea of the broader picture of this topic, however, I will be looking more closely at R-Kelly’s “I’m a flirt” and Fat Joe’s “Make it rain”. I believe by more closely focusing on certain texts I can create a solid argument.
I believe that my study will show that women are represented as being inferior to men and also that females are heavily objectified. I believe that women will be subject to Laura Maulvey’s theory of the ‘male gaze’.
There are many aspects to a music video one must consider when analysing how a certain representation is created, one of which is media language. I will look closely at the cinematography, costumes, lighting, editing etc. and hopefully conclude on how a certain representation of women is created. I will also look into how this affects the audience and how the audience affects the content of the music video. The audience is a vital aspect of this case study as the soul purpose of a music video is to sell the record and through this study I will be able to accurately examine how this is done. As well as this, some feminist groups may have problems with how females are represented and therefore may have an affect on the content of videos in some cases. It is also interesting to look into different institutions and directors of music videos, such as the record label ‘Rocafella’ and the music video director ‘Hype Williams’ and what messages as very influential figures in the industry portray to their audience.
The Social, Historical, Economical and Political aspects must also be considered in order to understand why the content is appropriate for its time and how the industry has evolved to become like this. When considering the social aspect, it is important in my study to understand what women are seen as in society and whether inferiority still exists. It is also good to consider influential groups such as the feminists who have an effect on what is correct or not. Other media content in different genres may also be looked into when looking at the social aspect. When looking into history, I must definitely consider the feminist movement as this was groundbreaking in the changing representation of women. As well as this I will look into traditional norms and values in which society more so based itself upon in previous decades. The political state will also affect what is portrayed in these texts. The idea that American texts such as the ones that I am studying can be made like this because of the right wing government is one definite possibility.
My study will focus on the representation of women in the hip hop music industry. My study will particularly examine how females are represented through music videos. I will be analysing all different aspects of these music videos in order to fully understand how a particular representation is created and why this is so. I will be focusing on many different music videos in order to get an idea of the broader picture of this topic, however, I will be looking more closely at R-Kelly’s “I’m a flirt” and Fat Joe’s “Make it rain”. I believe by more closely focusing on certain texts I can create a solid argument.
I believe that my study will show that women are represented as being inferior to men and also that females are heavily objectified. I believe that women will be subject to Laura Maulvey’s theory of the ‘male gaze’.
There are many aspects to a music video one must consider when analysing how a certain representation is created, one of which is media language. I will look closely at the cinematography, costumes, lighting, editing etc. and hopefully conclude on how a certain representation of women is created. I will also look into how this affects the audience and how the audience affects the content of the music video. The audience is a vital aspect of this case study as the soul purpose of a music video is to sell the record and through this study I will be able to accurately examine how this is done. As well as this, some feminist groups may have problems with how females are represented and therefore may have an affect on the content of videos in some cases. It is also interesting to look into different institutions and directors of music videos, such as the record label ‘Rocafella’ and the music video director ‘Hype Williams’ and what messages as very influential figures in the industry portray to their audience.
The Social, Historical, Economical and Political aspects must also be considered in order to understand why the content is appropriate for its time and how the industry has evolved to become like this. When considering the social aspect, it is important in my study to understand what women are seen as in society and whether inferiority still exists. It is also good to consider influential groups such as the feminists who have an effect on what is correct or not. Other media content in different genres may also be looked into when looking at the social aspect. When looking into history, I must definitely consider the feminist movement as this was groundbreaking in the changing representation of women. As well as this I will look into traditional norms and values in which society more so based itself upon in previous decades. The political state will also affect what is portrayed in these texts. The idea that American texts such as the ones that I am studying can be made like this because of the right wing government is one definite possibility.
Friday, 13 July 2007
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