Post 4: Representation

With most popular dance music videos in the recent times, representations of all ages, genders and race has been prominent. There has been many positive, as well as negative representations of these issues throughout the years.

Examples of this include:

Sia - "Elastic Heart"

Despite the lack of dancers, the emotional performance is still effectively portrayed by an older man and a young girl. This is due to the exaggerated dance moves and facial expressions paired along with the song lyrics, which conveys the true intentions behind the video adequately. This defeats the controversial idea upon the video's initial release, as many people felt that there was a "perverted undertone". The older man in the video was meant to represent "the embodiment of thought and reasoning", which is linked to adulthood, whereas the young girl represents "the embodiment of freedom and carefree nature", which is associated with childhood. We see that they are both trapped in the cage, which is meant to represent how the characters are trapped within their minds. This abstract way of representing common issues allowed the music video to be nominated as the best female video at the VMA awards in 2015.

Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance"

In popular music videos, representations of females may vary due to the intentions of the artist/ producer. In this case, Gaga is presented in a number of ways for example, she is seen as a stereotypical emotional female, crying due to relationship issues, which is emphasised when the lyrics is heard, and is therefore seen as vulnerable. On the contrary, in the same music video, she is also seen as empowering and in control of the situation, which is also evident in many more popular music videos, as it has become a significant topic in recent times. This is supported by the narrative of the music video, as Gaga has overwhelmed the people who tried to kidnap her. This was also one of Gaga's intentions as she wanted to "project the tough female spirit". 

Van Zoonen believes that "the media portray images of stereotypical women and this behaviour reinforces societal views". Although this was not Gaga's intentions to present images of scopophilia, there are still some shots that appeal more to the "Male Gaze", where she is seen wearing minimal clothing whilst performing. 

Logic - "1-800-273-8255"

The representations of different sexualities has also been prevalant in the media, as well as music videos. The video at first shows the father, proud of having a son, however when he grew up, the father did not know how to handle the situation when he found out that his son was gay. Although after taking time to reconsider the situation, he was able to accept the fact that his son was gay, and therefore supporting the idea that made him happy. In addition to this, the music video also depicts the struggles of a teenager, representing it in a positive manner, as they are reminded that there will always be support, in this case the teacher in the video providing support when necessary. This therefore spreads a positive message to teenagers about being able to express their sexualities without being judged, as well as "delivering a message of hope", which was the intention of the artist. The title of the song itself is a suicide prevention hotline, where everyone is reminded that they will always receive emotional support. 

Sigala - Sweet Lovin' 

There is a wide range of representations within this music video; including race, gender, age and sexuality. However this was done in a positive manner, as the music video reinforces happiness of everyone. The music video begins with a female performer on skates leaving a trail of pink/red smoke, which causes anyone she passes by to feel a sudden burst of happiness and therefore breaking into their dance moves. 

The positive and active lifestyle represented within this music video are both ideas I plan on incorporating into my own music video. This is done by quick cuts from LS to CU of the constant upbeat performance whilst taking place in bright daylight, connoting positive vibes throughout the video. Sigala is well known for making upbeat music videos, as this represents their brand identity, therefore I plan on using this as inspiration when creating my own fictional artist. However, I will add a twist at the beginning of my music video, representing emotional struggle of being in relationships but will the mood will lift with the beginning of the performance, showing the positive way to cope with breakups.