The purpose of music videos is to promote the artist to their audience. The representation of Corrine Bailey Rae (CBR) in her music video Stop Where You Are associates her with the idea of transcending prejudice and inequality. In the video the artist is seen to transcend prejudice. This is achieved by placing the artist in an urban environment encountering young characters who are stereotypically on the edge of society. We see the artist interact with these characters at different points in the video. For example, she goes up to the lonely girl and touches her shoulder as she walks past; she stops the girl gang from fighting by holding up her hands with the lyrics ‘stop where you are’ and she dances with the black youths at the end of the music video. The use of constructing two sides to the characters’ representation, firstly as a threat and then as people with qualities and skills, helps to reinforce that young people are approachable and valuable and that the artist not only believes this but can make the lives of these people better. These representations would appeal to the target audience either through identification with the characters, their age or cultural diversity, or the idea that the artist accepts them all regardless of social stereotyping. The representation of the artist through the production values used in the music video is another way in which the representations of CBR can be seen to appeal to her target audience. Although the video has a social realist, urban theme, the production values are artistic and the way the urban environment, the artist and the characters are represented is stylized. This suggests that the artist is concerned with urban and social commentary but is artistic and stylish regardless. This representation is achieved in a number of ways. The introduction of the artist is very conventional fading her in from a black screen, cutting to her face, her legs and back to her face when singing. The cross cutting of these shots of the artist with the urban location using low angle shots to reinforce the extreme angles of the building with glimpses of the blue sky above creates a meaningful connection between the artist and her environment and suggests that it is one that she, and her target audience, can transcend. The framing of the stairwells and corridors serves to create a sense of entrapment for the characters, especially when contrasted with the placement of the artist with the characters in more open spaces in the choruses and towards the end of the music video. A further way in which the artist is promoted to her target audience is by the use of costume. The red dress is a powerful symbol in the music video. The use of the red provides the only colour in the video and this contrasts vividly against the Exemplar 1 – Level 3 answer, 10 marks
Examiner commentary This is a comprehensive response which addresses the question set and supports its arguments with a range of references and textual examples from the music video Stop Where You Are. There is demonstration of knowledge and understanding of representations and how this is constructed in the text with comprehensive, detailed and accurate knowledge and understanding of music video conventions and its form as a promotional tool. The response is a clear and balanced explanation of how representations are chosen to promote the artist with reference to how the technical aspects of the video are used in composition of star image. desaturated colour palette. This simple use of costume helps to construct the artist as feminine and unthreatening but also as powerful to her target audience and further enhances her appeal as she stands out against the everyday. To conclude, representations in music videos are chosen by producers to promote the artist to their audience. This is apparent in a number of ways in CBR’s music video which construct an image of the artist as powerful, open minded and as a musician with important social values and messages that will appeal to her audience.
BIG ISSUE question (Abba cover) 13/15
Analyse why The Big Issue magazine has used an intertextual approach to the referendum on its front cover. In your answer you must:
• Analyse the use of intertextuality to create meaning in the source
• Make judgements and reach a conclusion about the advantages of this use of intertextuality to The Big Issue magazine.
The Big Issue magazine prides itself as niche and providing a critical view that is outside mainstream journalism. Intertextuality refers to the process of creating references to any kind of media text through another text. The intertextual reference to 70s pop band Abba and their song Winner Takes It All to represent the referendum is to reflect the status and identity of the magazine, to appeal to the target audience and to give additional meaning to the referendum vote. One reason why The Big Issue magazine has used an intertextual approach could be to identify the magazine as niche and outside mainstream reporting. The use of the intertextual reference to Abba presents The Big Issue as a magazine that looks at events critically and would likely contrast with reports on the referendum found in newspapers or more mainstream magazines. This approach to reporting the referendum highlights that The Big Issue can be relied on to offer fresh perspectives on current affairs. The representation of the politicians as pop musicians also helps to position the magazine as informal and witty. The use of intertextuality through inclusion of the song’s lyrics is a further way in which the magazine has adopted a witty approach to the event. The lyrics have been adapted to reinforce the viewpoint each politician on the referendum. This shows that the magazine is confident that the lyrics have cultural significance and are well known by its readers. They are also assuming their target audience will have a good grasp of current affairs and will appreciate the personalised link between lyrics and politician. An intertextual approach through the use of text is further achieved with the issue’s headline: Winner Takes It All. This is used to develop the Abba reference and the band’s song but, in terms of the political context, it is also highlighting that the result of the referendum will only have one outcome and it will be significant for whichever side wins the vote. By using the intertextual approach with Abba in this way, The Big Issue has cleverly managed to satirize the event and the politicians involved, yet remain impartial politically. This helps the magazine to take a more neutral position on the referendum and offers balance for their target audience. This is important because, as a charity, The Big Issue wouldn’t want to alienate readers for fear of disadvantaging the street vendors who sell the magazine. From this front cover, it is evident that the intertextual approach helps to identify The Big Issue as a provocative magazine that provides independent journalism and in doing so, is able to challenge people’s perceptions. A further reason why intertextuality has been used by The Big Issue magazine is to address and appeal to their target audience. The magazine’s audience is 72% ABC1 and 43% AB. This indicates their target audience are likely to be educated professionals and a sophisticated audience who will understand the intertextual reference to Abba, the personalisation of the lyrics and the satire they offer of the issues about the referendum. Through using this intertextual approach, the magazine addresses an aware audience and the references to Abba indicate the audience will enjoy recognising cultural references and satirical representations of current affairs and international politics. A final reason why The Big Issue may have used an intertextual approach on their front cover is to represent the referendum from a particular point of view and in an engaging way. In order to represent their story about the referendum vote, the magazine has placed the heads of the four politicians onto the bodies of Abba’s band members. The use of this intertextual reference, and the construction of the politicians as band members is very humorous. The heads of the politicians, the facial expressions they are making and their body language, through the performance of the original members, fit but look odd. The oversized heads on smaller bodies make the politicians look like puppets and foolish, indicating that the magazine doesn’t hold them in very high regard. It could also suggest that through using the intertextual reference to Abba, by presenting the politicians as a pop group performing on stage, it works as a metaphor to highlight the performance of the politicians courting popularity for their views on Leave or Remain. Through using this intertextual reference, The Big Issue is continuing the history of satirical cartoons that combine political images with popular culture which helps us to see the referendum in a new way, and leads us to question the motives of the politicians involved. Therefore, there are a number of reasons why The Big Issue magazine has used an intertextual approach to the referendum on its front cover. The identity of the magazine as intelligent, witty and both politically and culturally relevant is expressed through this approach and helps the magazine appeal to its educated and intelligent audience, whilst taking a satirical approach to the politicians involved in the referendum.
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