Intertextuality- Eminem:Stan

In this Video, Eminem appears in flashbacks in the first three verses of the song, however his presense seems as if it is throughout through the memorial of his fan, Stan. Looking at the basement scene, Stan has re-built Eminem in his basement using the posters and photos which conveys the audience his obsession and the fact that we can hear Eminem rap whilst looking at Stan, this delivers Stan's monologue, and Stan's appearance as a look-alike. This situation echoes many films about obsessive fans such as, The Fan (Ridley Scott, 1996) and The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1982).

As soon as the video starts, the audience is forced into claustrophobic rain soaked worlds. Stan has created himself a world in which his obsession has taken over his actions to the extreme that even his girlfriend says to him "Don't you think you're taking this too far?", hence the reason why he comitts suicide. The camera enters a building through window at night in a middle of a song which is significant as this image is repeated again in the last shot where the car plunges off the bridge in a night storm. In the bathroom, Stan his bleeching his hair, transforming himself into an Eminem look-alike. In the style of a horror film, the mise-en-scene with the storm raging in the background, is reminiscent of the killer's lair in Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1990).

Just before the song begins, the first cutaway to the artist himself occurs as we see Eminem, reading a letter as Stan continues writing. The feeling of unease is emphasised when the fragmented cutting and the roving camera is in use. The narrative then developes when we see one of Stan's letters left behind at the office. The character of Matthew is introduced when we are shown a flashback backstage, the victim of the star's apparent lack of interest in his fans, though what the camera shows us which is repeated later from Eminems point of view, is at odds with Stan's interpretation of the scene.

The final sequence begins when Stan's girlfriend finds a photograph where she has been replaced with the star. We are then shown that Stan is speeding with his girlfriend in the boot of the car while he is recording a suicide note to the star who is apparently ignoring him.

As the car sinks, it cuts to Eminem reading the letter, not knowing what has happened. Because the audience has seen a shot of Stan writing a letter, we are again shown a similar shot of Eminem writing a letter, however, to differentiate the two, Eminem is wearing spectacles to give him an intellectual look. As he responds to Stan's letter-writing it in pencil like Stan did- and tells him to seek help, the camera cuts back to the car and then to a cemetery where we see a woman and Matthew in the rain. As we see Matthew's hair bleached like Stan's and Eminem's, it is then the star realises that the tragic story herd on the news must have been from his fan. This sequence unravels with a montage of shots and images from the letter he has read, which completes the narrative for Eminem.

In this video, it portrays star image and a clear powerful story which has references to intertextuality. The visual imagery is closely linked to the lyrics and the camerawork and editing emphasise the impatience of the music. There is strong emphasise on looking; as viewers, we look into people's private lives- in the basement there is a video which plays footage on a screen within a screen.

Preliminary Task

This was my Preliminary task which was to create an extract of a music video of our choice. In my group there was four of us altogether; myself, Adam, Faisal and Ishma.
This task helped me get an understanding of the music video as a whole. What I had learnt was that creating a music video is different to creating a short film clip. This is because in music videos a lot of close-ups are used; it is important for the artist to look at the camera when appropriate to connect with the audience; no wide shots should portrayed in your videos; etc.

Little Red Riding Hood

Before creating our own music video, we did a warm up task to give us a clear understanding of what we were going to do. What we were given was the story of Little Red Riding hood and were told to storyboard what it would be as a music video. Previously, we learnt about the three ways in which  music videos can be related to the visuals of the song. These were; illustration, such as image of what the lyrics describe; amplification, such like illustration but going to the extra mile to add new meaning; and lastly disjuncture, the method in which something completely nonrelated to the song is shown adding new meaning to the whole music video. For the task we were given, we were asked to experiment with disjuncture as it was the hardest one to grasp accurately and professionally. Initially, we were asked to make as many as 30 images for our music video, keeping in mind the conventions of music videos; do just about anything you want. We worked with obscure angles and voyeuristic based shots, making sure that the narrative was ambiguous. After we had completed this, we were asked to take away half of the images leaving us with an obscure music video storyboard. from this, what I learnt was that all codes of films and TV programmes (that is; consistency, chronology and logic) is not to be used for a music video. instead, you should be using, illustration, amplification and disjuncture.

Disjuncture is used to describe those music videos that seem to work by ignoring the original song and creating a whole new set of meanings. This is a radical technique and used by arty bands in order to assert their difference and originality. Using this technique, I did my own example for 'Little Red Riding Hood'. Some of the images were completely random and some images had matched the lyrics. This therefore links to Goodwins theory as he suggested that lyrics will make a constant reference to the visuals on screen.

                                      

Goodwin’s Theory Adele- ‘Rolling in the Deep’

Goodwin’s theory is based on 6 main principles:

¢Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, for example, strange performance in a metal video, dance routine for a boy/girl band, etc.

¢There is a relationship between music and visuals. This could either be illustrative, amplifying or contradicting.

¢There is a relationship between music and visuals which could be illustrative, amplifying or contradicting.

¢The demands of a record label will include the need for many close-ups of the artist which may develop motifs which recur across their work (visual style).

¢There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

¢There is often intertextual reference to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc.    

Lyrics and Visuals:

Goodwin suggests that lyrics will make constant references to visuals on screen. An example of this is seen in Adele’s video in ‘Rolling in the Deep’. The lyrics depict a beautiful love that has shattered. It seems that this relationship has gone through destruction, heated fights, which has hurt her. She expresses the loss of their love and how they could have been something special as she loved him deeply as suggested when she says, “We could've had it all”. After all the pain and chaos, she realises the type of person he is and at the same time she is saying this, the audience is shown a medium close-up of glasses that are full. The fact that we are shown this could be because she wants to convey the audience that everything is ‘crystal clear’ to her giving us a literal and visual example. This therefore exemplifies the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals are illustrative as the audience is involved a lot more as you not only hear how the singer feels but also see it for yourself making it easier to understand. 

     

  “Finally, I can see you crystal clear”

Music and Visuals:

Goodwin suggests that there is a relationship between the music and the visuals. In Adele’s video, an example of this would be when we are shown a medium wide shot of the glasses filled with water. When the beat starts, the water inside the glasses ripple in time with the beat which could represent Adele’s heart beat. Before this, we are shown a man about to play the drums. You could say that this man is controlling her heart beat as she was in love with him. The fact that this beat is constant throughout the video, it could symbolise her anger as it gets louder and faster. Each glass has its own ripple which could represent her individuality as a person. She is showing her strength as a person as it is her music that is giving these glasses their ripple effect; this could furthermore convey that in her own experiences, through music she plans to release others, her being the sound and the glasses being others.  

 

Demand of the Record Label:

The record label has a control over the artist they sign to a certain extent. Ultimately, it is up to the record label to decide what the artist should be represented as. For example, usually for women, the label requires them to come off as ‘sexy’ in order to appeal to men and reach that target audience. However, Adele has been represented in a different way as she is not shown as people would stereotypically expect. She is represented with a lot of emotion and class which relates to all women as it is more realistic. This is clear from the way she is dressed in her videos seeing that she wears simple clothes. In her videos, she wears mostly dark colours which could symbolise her pain and loss as her songs are based around that. Also, the demand of the record label includes the need for many close-ups of the artist which develops motifs which recur across her work.

Notions of Looking:

The notion of looking at the camera allows the audience to engage with the artist as you feel part of the video. However, in this music video there is no notion of looking as the artist does not look at the camera at all. One could say that the audience does not feel part of the video but it seems as if Adele does not want the audience to go through the same pain she went through. You could also say that she is too hurt and ashamed of her situation and is not able to look into our eyes to connect with the audience.

Voyeurism refers to the idea of looking in order to gain sexual pleasure. In this video there is no link to voyeurism as the artist is sitting down throughout the whole video.

Intertextual Reference:

One of the pleasures that audiences experience in the consumption of media texts is the joy of recognition. One form of this pleasure comes in recognising the reference in one media text to other media texts. This process of referencing is called intertextuality. In this video, there is no link to intertextuality.

   

            

Star Image

Richard Dyer has noted: " a star is an image constructed from a range of materials"

Construction of a pop star:
These materials include:

• The songs- their lyrical themes and musical structures/ genres
• The record covers- singles and albums and the image of the star they present
• Music videos
• Magazines- Newspapers- Celebrity gossip
• Concerts- Live performances.

A good example of this would be Lady Gaga. Her real name is Stefani Joanna Germanotta who comes from an italian, french and canadian heritage. She played the piano at the age of 4 and began performing at open mike nights by the age of 14. Gaga has recorded a couple of hip-hop songs and has also began a band called the Stefani Germanotta Bnad (SGBand) with some friends in NYU. At the peak of the band in 2006, Gaga was scouted by Rob Fusari. The band grew apart and she therefore began her career in New Jersy. Her name came from the Queen song 'Radio Gaga'. Her image became fasinating with some of the emerging neo- burlesque shows, Gaga began go-go dancing in bars and dressed in little more than bikini. She was then re-located to LA where big celebrities are and she is able to control her own look as she is successful; this exemplifies that she has that freedom that most other smaller artists don't. When we compare her first music video- Just Dance- to her most recent music video- You and I, it is easy to pick up that she wears more clothes in her first video and as she progresses, they get less and less. This is maybe because the audience is not ready to see someone new in a way she portrays herself like she does now. Also, her image is changing constantly to keep viewers interested:

   

Beyoncé- run the world (girls) analysis

 This music video starts with a medium close-up of the main singer but has her back towards the audience. Already, we are engaged and being a part of it as it seems as if we are following the singer. Her back is portraying her as the leader, reminding the listeners of the title of the song “Run the world” This also represents her power and authority as she is in front of us riding on a horse.

The camera then zooms out showing the audience the run down area symbolising chaos and destruction. However, because the singer is dressed in white, it could signify peace and harmony, so it seems as if she is bringing peace to the run down society. 

As the clip goes on, this long shot again symbolises her power, authority, strength and the fact that she is above everyone else as the audience have to look up to her.  The long shot makes her look above the land and mountains, it is as if she is up in the sky to rule. The rule of three is being used here as she is in the centre of the shot, making her the predominant focus of the shot. By wearing white and sitting on top of the black horse, this symbolises evil being taken over by purity and goodness hence white over black. 



The vandalised car and bull are used to introduce the men in the song as they are usually used to portray masculinity. The car says ‘revolution’ signifying the war destruction, and the women's rebellious attitude. The fact that it is in red stands out  to the audience as it is surrounded with dim colours. The red shows a contrast as it signifies love and danger; these are the two emotions which could be perceived as extreme.

The bull symbolises the women's power which is eccentric because bull fighting is a masculine sport  so the audience would associate this with the men. 

 The clip goes onto a medium shot of a woman coming out of a cage. This links to voyeurism as she is wearing short clothes and is in a cage. This signifies the stereotypical view of a woman from a mans perspective. There is a contrast between the spacing and the element used; the woman is placed on the right hand side of the shot so it seems as if she is about to escape, however, as she is inside a cage which represents her isolation and entrapment.     

The use of the mise-en-scene in this wide shot is symbolising the power and unity of women as they are all standing together like an army. Their Gestures are feminine yet they are portraying their strength and determination to face anything and everything. The lion represents bravery and again reminds the audience of the title because lions are king of the jungle, the same way the women are ruling the world.



The lighting in this video is quiet dark highlighting the destruction and chaos the girls have caused. Reading the title, you would expect the video to have bright colours, however, it is a complete contrast of a stereotypical view from a woman which makes it interesting for the viewers to watch. In the first few shots, we are shown the main singer in an area which has dull and dim colours with low lighting in which the audience can constantly see the sunset. This could represent the girls bringing a new beginning for the world and an end to the destruction caused by men. An example of a powerful shot with the use of different lighting is when the singer is standing on the car. Half  of this medium  wide shot  is light and the other half is dark which could represent the good and evil in this world. Her body language looks as if she is trying to come out of the dark side and bring goodness into the world hence  the reason why there is more light then dark. Also, the camera is tilted upwards which makes us as the audience look up at her emphasising her power and authority.