Critics of the male gaze have argued that the gaze could be adopted by both male and female subjects. It is noted that the male is not always the controlling subject nor is the female always the passive object. Teresa de Lauretis argued that the female spectator does not simply adopt a masculine reading position but is always involved in a ‘double-identification’ with both the passive and active subject positions. Jackie Stacey questioned ‘Do women necessarily take up a feminine and men a masculine spectator position?' It is widely noted that there has been an increasing display and sexualisation of the male body. Shots used when portraying the female gaze include close ups and tilts which reveal the man gradually. Here is a 30 second clip of the music video for Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. This clip shows evidence of the female gaze as Carly is watching the man, but he is unaware that he is being watched. As the video progresses, there are stunning shots of the mans body clearly showing off his chiseled physique. These are fragmented shots which show parts of his body at each time. The shots used are mid shots and close ups to draw in the gaze. Additionally, a tilt has been used to gradually reveal his body.
This shot shows Carly watching the man from behind the window, he in the moment cannot see her. This is important because as the audience we realise that it is from her perspective that we are seeing him.
This shot was taken from part of the tilt. It is a fragmented shot as we are only shown a particular part of his body which is where the gaze begins. It is a very defining shot.
This is a clear example of the female gaze. She is wrongfully watching him from her window and is essentially looking at something she shouldn't be looking at, but as the audience we are drawn in.
Jessie J's Do it like a dude video was very controversial, with many critics offering their opinions of it.
From Jessie's point of view she was illustrating the fact that women can do what men do, and she was essentially delivering a feminist text. The low angle shots that are used with the lyrics 'grab my crotch wear my hat low like you' match what is being said. Additionally, a variety of fragmented shots are used and there are close ups of her lips. The reference to grabbing the crotch, a sexual act, highlights the fact that men can do it and not care and that there are no consequences to their actions. This crotch grabbing was initially done by Michael Jackon:
From a post feminist point of view, the video shoes Jessie Jembracing her femininity and wearing whatever she wants, even if it is sexy. They see this as women empowering themselves. In the mid 90's the Ladette era emerged, in which women were drinking, partying and participating in activities seen as unladylike. Moreover, Jessie is seen kissing a girl in the video, which shows her teasing men as it is supposedly a lesbian fantasy.
However, other feminists have criticised this view and argue that Jessie is essentially objectifying herself and would go as far as saying she is encouraging the male gaze, seen through her make up, costume and racy dance moves. They see her as inviting a sexual reading of her video and in some sense, portraying the wrong types of equality, for why would women want to be equal to men in the way they wear their hats and crab their crotch!
Here is a short insight into what the video looked like:
This is my preliminary music video. Editing this proved difficult as it is crucial to make sure the lip sync is spot on which is why during filming, Romina was singing aloud. Just as we uploaded the footage and begun editing, we realised we had not recorded a base track which made our job so much harder then it needed to be. I was quickly on the case and we went outside and i filmed Romina singing the song the whole way through. I then uploaded the base track which was so helpful during the editing process and made my job a lot easier. I could use it to fill in the gaps for sections of the song that we did not have any recorded footage for. Also, it helped that we had footage of Romina singing, singing and dancing, and also just dancing. This provided me with an array of different shots to use.
Whilst editing, I played around with the opacity effect to blend one shot into another and have one shot faded in the background of the base track. This created an effect which worked well with the style of the video. At the start of the video I used numerous short shots to match the speed of the music and to change whenever the beat dropped.
Overall, this preliminary provided me with more knowledge as to how hard it is going to be to get my music video exactly right, and also how much time and effort will go into the editing of my video.
1. As it is a Gag video and will have lots of quick shots we need to ensure we have plenty of extra footage
2. Research other music videos with twins in them
3. Look at some examples of slapstick comedy (e.g. The three stooges)
4. Scout out the location and upload pictures to blog
5. Research videos with journeys in them
6. Watch other Gag videos for inspiration
As we are intending to use a variety of modes of transport in our music video, I did some research into already existing music videos that included these props. Here I have made a mood board of some examples of shots of roller skates, a unicycle, a skateboard and scooters. This has given me inspiration of all the different ways we can shoot our transport footage instead of repeatedly using the same ones.
Laura Mulvey created the term 'male gaze' in 1975. She believes that in film, audiences have to view characters from the perspective of a hetrosexual male. It is almost as if females are being viewed as objects. Also noted is the sexualising of the female body.
The 'male gaze' is a feminist theory that highlights the power imbalance between men and women. It explores how men see women, how women see other women, and how women see themselves.
An example of the 'male gaze' can be see in Scouting For Girls' video 'She's So Lovely'. Although there is a game of bowling taking place in the music video, the audience pay little if not no attention to this as they are watching the girl.
This collection of screenshots from the video of 'She's So Lovely' show the extent of the male gaze in just one music video! Not only is the gaze present, but it is used by around 7 men, all lusting after the same woman. I am a fan of Scouting For Girls and regularly listen to their music, and watch the videos. I'm familiar with this song, however with all the times I have viewed this video I have never been aware of how omnipresent the male gaze was in it, and I am stunned I never noticed it before looking into it for research.
This shot introduces the audience to the beautiful woman that all the men are watching throughout the video.
This shot on the other hand is quite sexual and shows she is aware of the attention she is getting and is essentially teasing all the men around her.
This shot is of no relevance to the narrative of the video, which most of the audience are not aware of as they are distracted. The narrative follows a game of bowling. Thus it shows this shot was put in there for the sole purpose of objectifying the woman.
Quite coincidentally after having chosen to do a music video for The Proclaimers 500 miles, a musical of their top hits has been set for general release on October 4th 2013.
''Sunshine On Leith is based on the sensational stage hit of the same name, featuring music by pop-folk band The Proclaimers. The film follows the stories of Davy and Ally, who have to re-learn how to live life in Edinburgh after coming home from serving in Afghanistan. Both struggle to learn to live a life outside the army and to deal with the everyday struggles of family, jobs and relationships.''
The process of creating this video was a tricky one. I didn't quite realise how difficult it was to match the visuals to the beat of the song. Many a times I was off and it didn't look quite right so I found myself having to delete and re size the shots. Furthermore I kept dropping frames so there was quick flashes of a black screen which were not intended to be there. This led to me having a few gaps in my sequence which I had to go back and change. All in all, this preliminary task has shown me how much work is going to have to be put into my real music video.
One of my ideas for certain parts of the music video is to have freeze frames where the screen is divided into 3 vertical sections. Additionally, I wanted to play with the colour and effects, and have decided to use Andy Warhol as my inspiration. Andy Warhol was a leading figure in the visual art movement aka pop art. His art uses a combination of photography, film, drawing and music to name but a few.
Here are some examples of Warhol's work in which I will hopefully take on board this style and use it briefly in my video.
To have different modes of transport (e.g. skateboard, roller skates, Pogo stick, bike, unicycle etc) whenever the chorus plays 'walk five hundred miles' to essentially show everything but walking in a humorous way.
To build on editing ideas such as freeze frame type effects
To use the idea of a Gag video with visual tricks and effects
For it to be random and fun and not contain a narrative as this type of song will allow risks to be taken with the music video
"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"
When I wake up, well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
When I go out, yeah, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
If I get drunk, well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver, hey, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you
But I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
When I'm working, yes, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you
And when the money comes in for the work I do
I'll pass almost every penny on to you
When I come home (When I come home), oh, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
And if I grow old, well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you
But I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da
Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da
When I'm lonely, well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you
And when I'm dreaming, well, I know I'm gonna dream
I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you
When I go out (When I go out), well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
And when I come home (When I come home), yes, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home with you
I'm gonna be the man who's coming home with you
But I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da
Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da
Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da
Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da
And I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
The song we have chosen to do is 500 miles by The Proclaimers.
The Proclaimers are a band made up of Scottish twins, who formed the band in 1983. I'm Gonna be (500 Miles) was released in 1988 on their Sunshine On Leith album and then re released in 2007. The genre of music that influenced them was Celtic Rock, Folk Pop and College Rock.
Many renditions of the song have been made since its original release and it has even been featured in tv shows. In 2007, Peter Kay and Matt Lucas teamed up with The Proclaimers to form a special edition of the song for Comic Relief. The lyrics were slightly altered with the worlds 'And I will roll 500 miles'' as they were performing in wheelchairs.
Other uses come in the form of Alvin and the Chipmunks who did a cover for their video game. The song was also remixed with David Guetta's Titanium for the use of the film Pitch Perfect.
These two versions of the song help it to be known with a different generation and a whole new audience. As The Proclaimers were at the peak of their fame in the 1980's, these versions introduce it to a younger audience who can appreciate it in different ways, whether this be the version on Comic Relief, the Alvin and the Chipmunks version (which brings audiences to a whole new level as it is on a video game rather than a music video) and even the remix in Pitch Perfect, again screened in a different type of media - a popular teen movie.
Intertextulity: Referring to other texts - in the scenario of music videos this would involve films, TV texts or even other music videos.
As videos go, Bob Dylan's subterranean homesick blues is arguably where modern music videos began. The iconic video was initially the opening of the film 'Don't Look Back', making it a prime example of Intertextuality. The video features Bob Dylan holding a selection of cue cards that read words from the lyrics of the song.
A more up to date example of intertextuality could be Christina Perri - A Thousand Years. This was the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 2. The video features scenes from the film, amongst shots of Christina Perri in a room surrounded by candles. Additionally, the video includes the voices of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson saying they love each other in the wedding scene.
It is not unusual that a vast amount of music videos incorporate cinema. The use of synergy when recording the soundtrack for a film not only promotes the film but also advertises the new music video. If this is successful, the artist themselves can become more known as a result.
Here are some screenshots that show the mixture of Christina Perri in her own video, but also shots of scenes from the film.
Disjuncture:A separation or disconnection. When the
meaning of the song is completely ignored.
An example of this can be seen in the
music video for Red Hot Chili Peppers -Can't Stop. Here, the video shows an
array of unrelated objects that have no relevance to the lyrics of the song
what so ever. These abstract objects include water bottles, a cardboard box,
rubbish bins, and even a tent! One reason an artist or group would chose to use
the disjuncture technique could be to set themselves aside from other alike
artists in the charts.
Generally speaking, disjuncture music
videos are looked down on as badly made; however, depending on the artist using
this technique for their music video, it can sometimes be pulled off. For
instance, a well established artist would tend to get away with this risk as
they have a secure fan base. However an emerging artist would fail to get the
same response and as a result, would probably not be taken seriously in the
music industry.
Voyeurism: The practice of obtaining sexual gratification by looking at sexual objects or acts, especially secretively.
In terms of music videos this can be seen through performing acts such as undressing or particular dance routines. Often, it is men's gaze towards women. Goodwin states that female performers are sexually objectified by camera work and editing, with fragmented body shots emphasizing a sexualised treatment of the performer.
The video for Call On Me by Eric Prydz is a prime example of female performers being objectified through fragmented body shots. The women are wearing next to nothing and the man is enjoying the experience of watching them.
I have used TubeChop to select certain points of the video that show evidence of voyeurism.
Here are some screenshots I took from the music video. They show examples of the objectification of women, and the male gaze where the man can be seen to be looking at things he shouldn't be looking at. Furthermore there is evidence of shots where womens bodies have been fragmented into certain parts such as chest, stomach and crotch.
This shot clearly shows the fragmentation of the female body. This objectifies women and instigates the male gaze.
The male gaze is seen at it's best here. The man is obviously getting pleasure out of watching the woman perform a racy routine.
Again, a prime example of the male gaze, he is looking at the woman as if she was an object and it is because of this gaze that as the audience we are forced to see the woman in the same way.
A close shot fragmenting the female body once again, by using a close up, it ensures we can see nothing else in the scene and are made to look at it, the fact the woman's hands are caressing her breasts show she may be aware of the attention she is getting from the man.
