Vance Joy - Riptide (2013)
Australian singer/songwriter signed with Atlantic Records which is a major subsidiary of Warner.
Riptide was his first single and became a platinum selling single and has had roughly 210 million views on youtube. His music is categorised as indie folk-pop genre.
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| Polysemic readings - metaphorical readings, the splitting ice cream could be symbolic of a broken relationship. Therefore the cheery mise en scene presents a creepy and troubling binary opposition |
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| Horror film conventions - stereotypically attractive 'horror film victim' breaks free from being tied to a tree. Connotative of kidnapping and a violent threat. Contrapuntal imagery compared to the chirpy pop song |
- Extremely postmodern video - use of distressing horror imagery deliberately positioning the audience in a confusing and distressing situation.
- Extremely strong link between lyrical content and on screen visuals - an explicit description, perhaps a binary opposition between a conventional and subversive music video
- On the word 'riptide' a L/S high angle establishing shot of the sea, connoting danger and death
- A montage of C/Us of everyday items establishes to the audience themes of travel and solidify the overarching theme of escapism
- Mixture of continuous and discontinuous editing - some shots lack cause cause and effect
- Much imagery seems to be conventional of occult horror - Blair Witch Project, Ouija, The Conjuring, The Omen
- Continual, reoccurring shots of female characters being dragged under beds etc. Gender emphasised through the connotations of costume, for example high heals, red lipstick and so on
- Lacks the conventional element of performance, subversively omitting the metanarrative of celebrity
- Lacks a coherent narrative
- Unconventional master shot of middle aged women lip syncing to the track. Lip syncing gradually deteriorates and gets less professional. MES of blood and smeared makeup could connote abuse, violence. Additionally the use of incorrect lyrics, signposted with the on-screen subtitles, might suggest a code word, further emphasising the themes of abuse and escape
- Fully polysemic, with absolutely meaning explicitly anchored by the producer. Is she drunk? Is she in danger?
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| Mid/LS of feet being dragged under a bed, low angled shot, low key blue/purple lighting which connotes darkness, misery and threat |
Voyeuristic M/S high-angled POV shot of young blonde woman removing a one-piece yellow swimsuit, slow zoom on to naked back, intertextual reference to early Bond films, even Baywatch! General theme and narrative - montage of shots suggests themes of drowning, dying and death- Alternative theme and narrative - an unpredictable and deliberately misleading montage of shots
- Deliberately invites polysemic interpretations
- Emotional response - cold, confusing
- Montage consistently matches the themes of the lyrics, eg 'cowboy running' is matched with long shot, canted angle, symbolic of dual personalities, afraid of what he has become
- Intertextuality - the mise-en-scene suggests the conventions of an Western film, and therefore functions as a referential code
- Referential codes create audience appeal, as only certain audiences will understand the reference
- Additionally, the mid shot of the seance and the mise en scene of the ouija board is referential of horror cinema, in particular 70's horror film
- Mid shot of letter dated august 1974 anchors the audience in to a particular time period, because it's cool
- Denies the audience a definitive reading
- "techniques of photographing girls' heavily manicured female hand pushes red leather bound book in to frame in a manner which seems rehearsed, robotic and non-consensual
- Positions the audience in a voyeuristic, even perverted perspective, forcing the audience to consider Van Zoonen's notion of a predatory male gaze
Representation (Done by the producer to gain money from representing groups of society)
Objectification - when someone is portrayed as an object
Male gaze - Women are only placed in media products to be viewed by straight men
Sexualisation - Presenting someone in an overtly sexual nature and for sex
Voyeurism - Taking pleasure from watching someone without their knowledge
Scopophilia - The love of watching (essentially voyeurism)
Audience is positioned directly behind her. Connotations of voyeurism and scopophilia. Staring at her with only her in focus - objectifying. Focal point of this image. Can't see her face so no personality and not connected to her. Creates unsettling hermeneutic code of mystery around her.
Midshot of a young blonde woman staring out to the sea
Romanticization through mise en scene of the beach and focus on her, generic beauty standard, male gaze of audience looking at her.
High angle shot shows audience is superior. If audience is heterosexual man that is disturbing because she is unaware of someone approaching her while she is vulnerable.
Intertextuality referential code of slasher films.
Sexualisation of her as she takes off her swimming costume and buttocks in shot. Slow zoom to naked back. Intertextuality to Bond films or maybe Baywatch.
IMPORTANT:
Consistent sexualisation, voyeurism and objectification of women reinforces patriarchal hegemony. However, the creepiness constructed through shots makes this confrontational to the content of the video.
However, within a variety of horror films when women are killed or tortured women are sexualised while this takes place.
Vastly polysemic. Women are simultaneously objectified and given forced sympathy tot he audience.
Intertextuality
Many intertextual links to horror films. Young stereotypically beautiful women represented as vulnerable and attacked by a masculine threat throughout the video. Disturbing images of women being dragged away, tied up, scared.
IS IT IRONIC?
Ironic because he is going through a heartbreak and playing with hegemonic stereotypes of women by sexualising them but making the audience confused and creeped out with the occult imagery placed throughout the video. The video is presented in a way to be almost too random and surealist to not be intentional.
Sexualised images utilised as referential codes for films draw attention to the negative representation of women in cinema. Ironic representation of patriarchal hegemony - M/S of man standing in front of woman protecting her exaggerated, graveyard.
Music video lacks anchorage forcing the audience to make their own assumptions about the representation of women. Many images of females in distress subvert hegemonic norms and ideologies of music videos where the audience is heterosexual men (van zoonen) and women are used for their pleasure. Polysemic audiovisual. Subversive.
Sexualised images utilised as referential codes for films draw attention to the negative representation of women in cinema. Ironic representation of patriarchal hegemony - M/S of man standing in front of woman protecting her exaggerated, graveyard.
Music video lacks anchorage forcing the audience to make their own assumptions about the representation of women. Many images of females in distress subvert hegemonic norms and ideologies of music videos where the audience is heterosexual men (van zoonen) and women are used for their pleasure. Polysemic audiovisual. Subversive.
Women continuously abused/placed in threatening situations.
Audience positioned in a privileged position by placing them close to the performer. In her personal space - judging and extremely creepy. Directly underneath high key light (symbolic of a spotlight) but standing in darkness (symbolises loneliness as well as her glamorous/sophisticated nature). No direct mode of address. Subtle use of makeup - not over the top. Her face is chiseled and more structured implying sophistication. Middle aged woman implying sophistication through age while performing.
Moves her lips less when lipsyncing - connotes something is wrong. Smudged makeup implies crying, abuse, something has happened to her. Lighting is more lowkey and loses some sense of glamour.
Shallow depth of field mid shot uses a tracking shot as she runs away. Positions audience as the antagonist chasing her away. Also places her buttocks and short-shorts. Use of low-key and high-key lighting creates a darker background and places her in centre focus in the middle of the shot. Low-key lighting - hermeneutic code - mystery and suspense. Costume of small shirt and short shorts stereotypical of teenagers/young adults (stereotypically more beautiful and featured more in media) (more creepiness)
Eye line match - When someone turns and stares at something off screen we expect the next shot to be what they are looking at.
Continuity editing - editing in such a way the narrative flows. Music videos do not need to worry about continuity and so have more freedom from the break of realism which is experience through continuity errors in films.
Surrealism - Something that follows the logic of dreams. AKA you don't question it. Shit happens. It doesn't make sense but it does. Possible reason for using surrealism is to create discussion. Also putting across abstract concepts e.g. representation fo women in cinema.
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