NEA RESEARCH PART 5- MEDIA THEORY RESEARCH

NEA RESEARCH PART 5- MEDIA THEORY RESEARCH


In this post I will be researching 2 media products and linking them to media theories that we have previously learnt. From these media theories I will link it to the media products and how they make the text appealing to the intended audience. By doing this, it will help me when creating my own music video and linking it to media theories.

Taylor Swift- ME:

Throughout the Taylor Swift, Intertextuality has been used effectively to appeal to the intended audience. Intertextuality is used in media products to attract a wide range of audience as the audience is able to link the media product to other media products. In one of the scenes in the music video, Taylor has decided to recreate a well-known scene from Mary Poppins when she comes down from the sky on an umbrella. Mary Poppins is a classic Disney film, therefore by recreating a scene in the music video makes the music video more effective, interesting and allows the audience to make their own interpretation of the text through the use of intertextuality. In addition, the ME music video has also used intertextuality through the use of 'The Wizard of Oz' which is again another popular, well-known film. This therefore creates a more interesting music video, engaging a wider audience as well as the intended audience.

Another media theory that is used throughout the 'ME' music video is Van Zoonen's feminist theory. Van Zoonen believes that the media/ media products portray images of stereotypical women and this behaviour reinforces societal views. However, in the music video Taylor goes against this idea and rejects the idea of stereotypical ideas of women. She shows this in the video when she walks outside wearing a suit. A suit is stereotypical seen as what men should wear, for example when going to work. Therefore by having Taylor wear a suit is showing that it shouldn't be seen as only men should wear suits because that's the stereotype, so is trying to influence the audience to reject such stereotypes of women and break these dominant social values. In addition, everyone on the street surrounding  is also wearing suit showing that there shouldn't be stereotypical differences in which the media and media products are portraying and they should in fact be equal which is what the music video is portraying.

Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines:

According to Laura Mulvey women are viewed from the eyes of a heterosexual man  and are represented as passive objects of male desire where in the media products the camera lingers on the females body.  Throughout this music video the females are majorly objectified and sexualised by wearing revealing, minimal clothing whereas the males are covered in suits. In addition, the females in the video strut and dance around acting quite sexual aswell as having 'THICKE" appear on the screen. The males in the video are treating the women as 'objects' by dancing around them and looking at them up and down in their minimal clothing. Therefore this links to the male gaze theory as women are being objectified by wearing revealing clothing and acting sexually, therefore attracting a male audience to the music video as they will be attracted by how the women are presented.

Conclusion:

One theory I may use in my music video is media effects by Bandura. This theory says that the media can influence people directly as well as indirectly so people can be influenced by media messages without being exposed to them. Therefore, within my music video this theory enables me to reflect a message which can be presented either directly or indirectly.