The Male Gaze theory

The theory of "The Male Gaze" was created by Laura Mulvey -"Visual pleasure and Narrative Cinema". She uses this to look at how male audiences view a female performer within a piece of visual media text i.e. Film, music video.
There are several features of the theory which must be taken to consideration: male ego

1.   The representation of women as a sexual fantasy and from a heterosexual male point of view
2. Scopophilia - The pleasures involved in looking at other peoples bodies
3. Patriarchal society
4. Objectification of female characters
5. Active male and Passive female
6. Men- the controlling subject
7. Women as an image
8. Men do the looking and the women are there to be looked at
9. Needs of the male Ego.

This is very common within music videos, especially the fact that men do the looking and the women are there to be looked at. The ways that the camera work presents a female to the audience - for example, a camera present at the woman's hips, face and clothing in which the camera shows the male looking at her in amazement. This is a classic example of this and backs up this theory.

Here is one video in which a female artists music video can be used to back up the "Male gaze" theory :


Miley Cyrus is a classic example to use as she is idolised, not only for the way she sings and presents the audience her songs, but the way she uses her body within the videos. here for example, there is one section where she is on the wrecking ball:

This scene would conform to pint two and how now the male audience is used to such indecent images such as this and crave in more music videos. however, this is the choice of many female artists to gain the attention as they crave of it and the success such attention brings.

Some women enjoy being ‘looked’ at e.g. beauty pageants. The gaze can also be directed toward members of the same gender for several reasons, not all of which are sexual, such as in comparison of body image or in clothing.

However, there are some women (Feminists) who believe that this type of attention is wrong and the fact that men should not do this as they belittle many women in to thinking that they are the object of men. Some feminists may find this good for the fact that these women are showing their full potential, but there will be some again who objectify these actions. For feminists it can be thought of in 3 ways:

How men look at women?, How women look at themselves?,  How women look at other women?

There are some theorists who have defined this theory and how a Gaze can be reflected - Here is one example:

• Jonathan Schroeder (1998), “to gaze implies more than to look at – it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze.”  - This I feel backs up the feminist view and how they would feel about the aspect of men viewing females as objects.

Overall The gaze theory has many valid points in which how a male viewer sees women  in such visual media. The example proves that women can chose what they want to do but proves that as nudity and other forms of revelations towards the female body, men will expect and continue to want such content later on in other visual products.

Initilal idea's for a CD cover

Cd cover analysis and idea’s for my CD 

The professional pitch

I have edited my pitch and have made it to a corporate level document. This makes my initial ideas stand out more and to show my skills to be organised:

This is my company logo which shall be used throughout the primary course of my project:

 

I have designed this to show that my company creates masterpieces and music "Stars" through the companies work. It is simple but will be highly effective to mark on the CD back cover.



My Pitch

I had presented my pitch earlier this month. This is my pitch which I presented to Frank Maloney- Maloney JR.

This is my pitch for my song and music video request which was one page and contained my innitial ideas for locations, equipment use and other relevant information. The interview with Mr Maloney was successful and we have agreed to go ahead with the project.

I will now begin to research for my project, then I shall begin to produce the music video in the coming months and should be completed by March of 2016.

Key music video director - Textual analysis

The music video director whom I shall be analysing is David Fincher.

He now directs films such as "Gone Girl" (2014), Alien 3 (1992) which David Fincher made his directorial debut with Alien³ in 1992, and "Seven" (1995), but directed music videos before this and even up to date he is still directing music videos. . He has won many awards such the MTV music choice awards along with Spike Jonze and even Grammies and Oscars for his artistically perfect and film like music videos. Fincher has worked with big music stars such as Michael Jackson and Roy Orbison. Working with the likes of Madonna, Don Henley, Aerosmith and many others, Fincher became a successful director of music videos. He also helped found Propaganda Films in the mid-1980s.

He has directed such videos for artists for example Madonna's music video for her single " Bad Girl" which is about a woman's resent relationship breakup and is hoeing her emotions. In this he uses techniques that he does in filming Hollywood blockbusters. He always uses the advice of Top producer Steven Spielberg on making a good film. He applies this in to many of his music videos which give them a movie feel and grips the audience in to watching the video as well as listening to the song. He has captured the genre within the choreography and the mise-en scene and is performed perfectly by Madonna.

Another music video which he applies his special skills to make the video. This video was called " The way that you love me". The song's video was Abdul's first with Fincher in July 1988, who would later direct her most successful videos. It consisted of Abdul dancing and singing with male dancers at a photo shoot, while expensive product shots were flashed in and out. The shots used were again what he learnt while training and practiced film experience and again from the advice of Spielberg. 
The use of special effects adds to the feel of this music video

 

He is a very good music video director whom uses his skills from film to make his music videos of best quality and that's wars made them very successful for not only him but for the artists he's created them for. This I feel makes him a very memorable person within not only the film industry, but also in the music video business, which is expertly made by David Fincher.


Source -  IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000399/

Iconic CD covers and music videos

Iconic music videos

 



One example of an iconic music is "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. This is because of the length of the video which is 13 minutes long and at the time had never been done because it was un ethical for a music video to be over 4 minutes long, and is now know to be one of his greatest songs that he has created to date up until his death. The 1980s would have been boring without this music video.

 

Another iconic music video of all time is Madonna's "Like a Prayer" which is famous for being controversial for its use of sexual activity an offence to religion. Many Religious figures took offense to this and had reported about it. It remains today as a iconic music video and possibly one of her best videos in her career.
This video links with the theory of the Zeitgeist through the rebellious attitudes of artists like Madonna beginning to dominate the music video and then headlines of national and international press

 

Iconic CD/Album covers

 



One iconic CD cover of all time is "Abbey Road" by the Beatles, released on September 26th 1969. This is iconic and has been created for many media over the years as a tribute to one of the Beatles greatest albums. The location used is now considered to be a national landmark. this was the last album that the Beatles recorded together. For the first time on a Beatles album, the front cover contained neither the group's name nor the album title just that iconic photograph taken on the zebra crossing near the entrance to the studios in London NW8 in August 1969. Abbey Road entered the British album chart at no.1 in October and stayed there for a total of seventeen of its 81 weeks in the chart. In the US, it spent eleven weeks at #1 during its initial chart stay of 83 weeks.

 

Another album cover which is iconic in today's culture is by Van Helen which portrays how the genre of rock and roll can corrupt anybody and shows rebellion. Especially in the 1980's when this album was released - Linking to the Zeitgeist. Some would find this offensive through the fact that a child is used smoking to promote the rock and roll genre. At the time of its release, much of the fuss surrounding 1984 involved Van Halen's adoption of synthesizers on this, their sixth album.

Another iconic CD/Album cover is "Dark side of the moon" by Pink Floyd. Released in 1973. The cover itself and its creation was debated - as shown from Shortlist's iconic covers

"Roger Waters, Pink Floyd's bassist and singer suggested to designer Storm that perhaps for the cover of Dark Side of the Moon, he might not use a photograph. He replied, “What do you mean? That’s what I do. Pictures...I don’t do graphics.” Thankfully, for the history of album cover design, he embraced the challenge laid down to him. Using twin inspirations of Floyd's live light show and a triangle - a symbol of thought and ambition - he created this cover and a piece of musical and art history." Although to me this cover seems very plain and unrelated, this has a big place in the music industry and so does the plain and simple design.

 

 

Unfortunately now because of the digital age in which we live in. These album covers are becoming obsolete and many people now prefer to watch music videos or download the song through the Internet, but the CD cover will always have a place in my heart and hopefully people can recognize this and keep the covers which are or will be iconic.

Sources- http://www.nme.com/list/100-greatest-music-videos/217342

http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/music/50-coolest-album-covers

http://www.thebeatles.com/album/abbey-road

http://www.allmusic.com/album/1984-mw0000196168

Music video controversies

Over the years of music video production, there have been a few which has raised concerns. These can be because of either lyrics, content or the entire video itself. One example is from the extract of an article in the entertainment magazine "Q". This talks about the song "B**ch better have my money" by Rihanna.

One example of a music video which as raised concerns within the music industry and the public is "Blurred Lines". This raised concerns due to the lyrics which are used within the song which follows - 

 

This is one example of controversy but is very popular in culture today, and because of this, Robin Thicke has made a better career in this type of work, but to many - women in particularly can be offended by the way that the artist has shown women as sex symbols, which many do disagree on but is still a well known and popular song to many teenagers (Not me).

Looking at the article from the magazine Q, the writer looks at how one music video by Rihanna called "B**ch better have my money" which contains graphic murder and sexual content. As the writer says "An event video is designed to project power and money" which is what the artist and the record producers want but the writer also explains the flaw of this "usually ends up revealing an artists fatal flaws"

I agree with this as many artist are taking this gamble and as a result had led to their downfall in the music industry and has painted the artist in a bad light, which in many respects is their own fault but it also comes down to the demand of the mass audience and their expectations of music genre and style of song in which they expect the artist to perform.
 

All in all in today's modern society, these things are very common and many are now not offended by the artists actions  because it is now common to do such things to gain a bigger audience base, but in many cases I agree that an artists attempt to rebrand themselves can be a big failure for not only them but for the produces and the record business.

 

Controversy has made a bad repetition within many music videos over the years, but does not last as long as other controversial topics. This is because as a generation, we (The audience) is not shocked as these types of videos are a part in a teenagers life, and to them may not seem so bad. However the older generation of people in society today believe that these music videos encourage bad behaviour and attitudes, in which people believe that the behaviour exhibited by the artist is ok to do. This can lead to many behaveial disformalaties such as excessive dieting or criminal acts which can tarnish the artists public image.

 

Sources

Q magazine extract

www.metrolyrics.com