Thursday, 20 September 2012

Case Study- Madonna- Material Girl

We used Madonna-Material Girl as a case study for our music video's. When we were watching it, we focused on the main conventions. They are:

- Star Image
- Intertxtuality
- Voyeurism
- Narrative/Performance based

Star Image is how an individual or group of people are presented in terms of a music video. In Madonna's video, her star image is presented as being quite prestigious. This is because throughout the video she tends to wear designer costumes. She wears a fur coat at certain parts which represents her as quite rich and posh. The men in the video dancing around her also wear designer suits- making everyone around her prestigious. It suggests that all of her friends are rich, or that she only associates with people of the same class as her. Linked in with mise en scene- a prop used in the video is an expensive car. She isn't driving it herself, she's getting driven around. This adds to the star image of her being rich and prestigious or 'too posh to drive'. Also linked to mise en scene, the lighting adds a romantic feel to the video, and pretty much all of the lighting used in the music video suggests love, as this is the main theme running through the music video. Lastly, Madonna is seen walking on the red carpet at one point in the video. This represents celebrity status and again, being prestigious.

Intertextuality is when one text references another. In terms of music videos, it's when a music video makes a reference or a 'mockery' of another music video. There is plenty of intertextuality in this video. Madonna makes a reference to Marilyn Monroe's famous video 'Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend'. It's similar choreography, costumes, makeup and jewellry. In my opinion, the main reason for her doing this was because Marilyn Monroe was very well known, and her video was quite famous. It reflected the glamorous world of Hollywood and was very materialistic- a play on the title 'Material Girl'.

Voyeurism is when someone gets pleasure out of looking at something or someone without them knowing. In simple terms, it's the notion of looking. There are several times in the music video where voyeurism can be seen. The first example is very clear at the start. This is when the two people are in a cinema watching Madonna on a screen. The camera then zooms into the screen, and the music video starts. This
is effective as it makes the audience feel involved and as though they are watching it too. Another part where voyeurism is shown is when Madonna is on the phone. I think this is a particularly effective use of voyeurism, because it may make people feel as though they shouldn't be listening in to their private conversation. This may add suspense to the audience, but ultimately it will make them feel involved and want to continue watching.

Lastly, the final key aspect of a music video is whether it's performance, concept or narrative based. This music video is a combination of performance and narrative based. The part in which its performance based is when Madonna is singing and all the men are dancing around her. This is because she is performing- singing to the audience. This technique is effective as it allows the audience to see what she is like when she's performing. The narrative side is the whole story line of the music video. The main story line running through this video is that Madonna is trying to find someone who will love her for who she is, and who will give her something other than just gifts. This is evident by when she is on the phone. The use of both of these helps keep the audience engaged, because they don't know what will happen next. 

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