Music video revision

Explore how intertextuality creates meaning in the videos to Riptide by Vance Joy and 7 Rings by Ariana Grande

Reasons producers use intertextuality:
- To provide a special individual response to the target audience 

- To create a narrative utilising genre conventions (e.g. Simpsons halloween specials)

- It is a tried and tested method if increasing audience engagement 

7 Rings analysis:

- Barbie doll - tight pink outfit with mise en scene of a small sofa and other house items, she is a barbie girl in a barbie wold 

- Colour grading - pink and purple hue throughout the video, key links to ideas of femininity.

- Coluring also links to the neo-tokyop aesthetic of neon colours and japanese influence seen in 'lucky cats' and champagne bottles with japanese writing on it. This can be seen in many different media forms and is a hyper-referential code due to its vast and widespread usage in media. The film 'Enter the Void' was one of the first to use this colour palette as well as 'Blade Runner' which greatly inspired the neo-tokyo aesthetic. 

- References to asian culture both to attract a wider audience and a 'cool' aesthetic

- 'My favourite things' by Julie Andrews in the 'Sound of Music'. Subverts genre expectations to turn a sweet and gentle song into a consumerist and 

- Contrasting representation of her as cute and innocent (anchorage of mise en scene with dollhouse) contrasted with a heavily sexualised appearance (e.g. on all fours in shiny clothes staring directly into the camera)

- Many conventions of the rap music genre e.g. emphasis on 'bling' in her diamond outfit, rampant consumerism bragging about money, reference to luxury brands like Loubouitins, 

- Reference to breakfast at tiffanys, in some shots her jewelery looks like audrey hepbern 

- Ear jewelery referencing 'geisha buns' and harajuku girls // or a reference to her appearance on the disney channel?

- Song and miseenscene reference east asian pop music like k and j pop

Riptide:

'Style over substance' however purpose of music videos are advertisement for songs so this does not matter as much 

- Woman with metal forced into her mouth is an intertextual reference to Saw and other torutistic horror films 

- Cognitive dissonance between lips, lyrics and song. The master shot of the singer deliberately appears to be out of sync and each time we return to the shot the singer appears more distressed/injured . Once more hermenutic code to horror genre which makes the audience feel uncomfortable.

- Lack of a specific narrative is a deliberate postmodern feature which makes reference to surrealist art and cinema, using dreamlike narrative and logic. 

- Artist is never featured in the video singing or playing music, highly atypical for a music video. 

HOWEVER...

Intertextuality is not as important in creating meaning as:

Anchorage - Riptide creates an uncomfortable and disturbing experience for its audience. Audiences are anchored through elements of mise en scene including blood, and close up shots that uncomfortably position the audience with a woman hose thoughts and motives are unclear. 

Audience are put in a voyeuristic position, staring at a stereotypically attractive woman, undressing, undetected. Intertextual reference to slasher horror films.