Evaluate your Music Video in Relation to Representation Theories

For my A2 production (Advanced Portfolio)  I created a linear hip hop music video, the artist that we choice was Carl Carlton ‘She’s a bad mama jama’. Our music video is focused on skating and young love. We filmed our music video in a skate park in South Bank up in London. It’s about a young man skating around and meeting a young woman who he believes is a ‘bad mama jama’.

We used stereotypical codes and conventions which linked with the funk of the song from the 80’s. We used the stereotypical funky/urban clothes to represented the 80’s/90’s urban song. The bright baggy shirts with slim jeans and hoody created the stereotypical urban character.
We used different camera angles and camera shots to represent how the main character is interaction. For example, we used over the shoulder shots, and various medium and close ups to show our main characters emotions and actions.

Stereotypes are compressed and shorthand ways of referring to quite complex social relationships’ (Tessa Perkins 1979). Therefore, in our music video we would have the conventionally dressed stereotypical women that all the men would be attracted to, however, in our music video we have subverted to the stereotypical women, as we dressed our main actress in more casual clothes which were less sexual or attractive like the usual short skirts and low cut tops.

‘Differences are inborn’ (Richard Dyer 1977). Our music video partly conformed to our music video as it showed that the male character was approaching the women which are very stereotypical and common in most music videos and movies, therefore, it shows the male dominance. However, that is a minor dominance in the music video, other than that there is no other dominance over sexes; therefore, it also subverts Richard Dyers theory.

The main questions that arise in our production were the dress codes of our female character as it didn’t conform to our music video. The other critics we had about the music video was the lighting as it tended to go from light to dark, therefore, it didn’t represent our funky mood correctly.