GEN CONVENTIONS 3: Intertextuality + Postmodernism

My Chemical Romance - The Ghost Of You

...

Intertextuality in music videos from James Clinnick

...
These are the gifs used for the "Intertextuality from saving private Ryan" slide, they are a comparison between the music video and the movie

...

My chemical romance's music video

Saving private Ryan

Music video

Movie

...

Christian - Katy Perry - Swish Swish

Possible Influences

• Maybe intertextuality to other music videos 

Intertextuality is part of Andrew Goodwin's 6 conventions to music video. "There are often intertextual references".  The song I have chosen for intertextuality is Swish Swish from Katy Perry. The song features a large variety of intertextuality mainly with memes and other forms of existing media texts. Intertextuality also links into Stuart Hall's preferred readingtheory in which everyone sees a text differently and may find intertextuality to different things than others.

Genre: Pop
Lyrics 



Analysing the Intertextuality

I made a power point below about all the intertextuality in the music video I could find.
...
 

Analysis of intertextuality from ChristianStricks

...

Simon - Maroon 5 - Girls Like You

...

...
The video is riddled with famous actresses, musicians (female only), models, sportswomen and female influencers such as Rita Ora, Millie Bobby Brown, Alex Morgan, Ellen DeGeneres
...

Alex Morgan - Professional soccer player from US, Women's WC champion

...
...

Ashley Graham - one of the most influential plus-sized models of this generation, has appeared on the front cover of Elle, Vogue and Glamour

...
...

Ellen DeGeneres - hosted one of the most popular talkshows in history, Producer, writer and LGTB activist

...
...

Millie Bobby Brown - Youngest person to feature in Time's top 100 list, and earned an Emmy at only age 13

...

Other Examples:

• Childish Gambino - this is America 
• Taylor Swift - Bad Blood
• Eminem - Just lose it
• Taylor Swift - Love Story

VID ANALYSIS: Childish Gambino - This Is America

Director(s): Hiro Murai
Act: Childish Gambino
Genre: Trap - Afrobeat
Track: This is America
Released: 2018

The opening shot lasts a total of 1:41 and features a man sitting in a empty warehouse with a guitar, the camera spins to Glover who holds a gun up to the mans head that is now covered by a bag and shoots him.
...
...
This music video was extremely well received by most critics for its representation and statements towards the state of America at the moment and the oppression of the black community. There are many moments of symbolism throughout the whole video, many more easier to spot then others which is part of what made the video so special.

Andrew Goodwin: The 6 defining features of a music video

Throughout the entirety of the music video there is a very strong relationship between the visuals and the music - The pace and beat of the music seems to rely on the visuals rather then vice versa. For example:

...

...

At the point of the gunshot the music changes drastically from the upbeat, joyful afrobeat music too the more aggressive trap. This change is used to great effect and makes the statement that this killing is what is going on in America at the moment as the line "This is America" immediately precedes.

Through a lot of Childish Gambino's music videos, especially those directed by Hiro Murai, there is a noticeable style that emerges. These videos seem to feature long takes and feature Gambino up close and personal to the camera. This is extremely noticeable in "Sweatpants" which shares a lot of similar characteristics in how it is filmed.
...

"Sweatpants"

...
The video seems to be one huge continuous shot and features again, like This is America, Gambino singing/rapping directly into the camera whilst moving around the set.

Another defining feature which is mentioned above is the use of intertextual references in "This is America," although instead of being to films or other videos its to the history of America, for example Gambinos pose is meant to resemble the Jim Crow poster which was used to ridicule freed black slaves.
...

comparison of Gambino's pose to Jim Crow 

...
Another reference which is quite brutal is that of the 2015 Charleston Shooting at an African Methodist Episcopal Church. In which Gambino is seen dancing into the room and then has a gun thrown at him which he then uses to fire at the singers.
...

Charleston Shooting reference

...

VID ANALYSIS: Guns N' Roses - November Rain

Director(s): Andy Morahan
Act: Guns N' Roses
Genre: Hard Rock - Symphonic Rock
Track: November Rain
Released: 1992

The narrative of the music video is linear it opens with Axl alone in a dim-lit bedroom swallowing a handful of pills and progresses through 2 paths, the first the "lost love" story and the other the performance. The "lost-love" is about Axl rose marrying his girlfriend however by the end of the video we see his bride in a open coffin at her funeral.

...
...

Andrew Goodwin: The 6 defining features of a music video

November rain features a lot of Andrew Goodwin 6 features:

Firstly, the video demonstrates the genre characteristic for hard rock of having a performance on stage. This is done using a variety of techniques, there are many panning/ moving shots from the point of the crowd, shots behind the band looking over at the instruments, close-ups of band members and my favourite shot which is of slash in the desert outside the church playing guitar shot from a helicopter which sweeps in front of him blowing all the sand into shot.

...

Slash in desert playing guitar

...

There is a relationship between the music and the visuals, for example, at the beginning of the song, the music is softer, more calm, the imagery reflects this, the stage is very dark with the band barely visible, however, when the song progresses and becomes more uplifting the stage brightens up and there are many more stage lights. 

Stage during slower section

Stage during upbeat section

Also, there are many close-ups of the artists, not only on stage but also through the wedding etc.

Lastly, the intertextuality of the video linked to two other Guns videos, estranged and don't cry, is possible, all three videos follow similar plots and production style.

VID ANALYSIS: Iron Maiden - Can I Play With Madness

Director(s): Unknown
Act: Iron Maiden
Genre: Heavy metal
Track: Can I Play With Madness
Released: 1988

The video features a school class on a Art trip, the Art teacher, played by Graham Chapman (Monty Python) criticises a young student for drawing Eddie (Iron Maidens mascot)
...

...

Andrew Goodwin: The 6 defining features of a music video

The students drawing of Eddie

Parts of the video feature iron maiden during a stage performance, a defining feature for metal videos. Iron Maiden can be seen live at there life after death concert on a small TV covered in cob webs, another Goodwin feature. This is part of the many intertextual references shown in the video, the first being Eddie both being drawn and appearing in the sky.

Iron Maiden playing live on the TV

There is also multiple "references to notion of looking," firstly is the picture of the band inside the magazine and the other is the band on the TV playing live in concert.

Picture of Iron Maiden inside the magazine

Andrew Goodwin: The 6 defining features of a music video

1. The music video demonstrates the characteristic of the genre, e.g, dance routines for bands, stage performances for metal and aspiration for hip-hop

2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals

4. Lots of close ups of the artist due to demands from record labels that need the band shown

5. References to the notion of looking: Band can be seen on TV, in mirrors, screens within screens etc.

6. Intertextual references to films, TV, other music videos, culture