R&P Post 9: Music videos that have inspired and influenced my ideas

I have looked into many various music videos to get inspiration for my own project.

My ideas were largely inspired by Meghan Trainor's music video "All About that Bass". The music video is pleasant and I like that the song promotes body positivity.

The music video is very brightly lit and has vivid colours. This makes it really eye-catching and reflects the upbeat poppy nature of the song. I like that it is mainly set in a studio because we can use similar setups for our own production, which will be filmed in the studio.

After conducting further research, we discovered that the music video for "All About that Bass" was directed by Fatima Robinson who also directed "Dear Future Husband". This director has a very distinct style which has influenced both music videos.

Application of Andrew Goodwin's theory to "All About That Bass"

(Dancing in the Distraction Factory)

Goodwin identified the main features of a music video:

1. Genre characteristics
   Genre: "bubblegum pop/ doo wop and retro R&B that draws inspiration from various music genres including hip hop, country and rock and roll".
   
   The genre characteristics are connoted in the visuals. Bubblegum pop and doo wop is an upbeat genre and that is shown in the bright colours and the retro clothing that she wears. The dance routine is also fun and poppy. The dance moves are accentuated by the use of rapid cuts to the beat. Also, the doo wop genre is connoted in the scatting that the backup singers do in the background as scatting is often associated with retro, jazz and doo wop music. All in all, the music video is conventional of the music genre.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Relationship between music, lyrics and visuals
   
   Music videos tend to have a visual match to the music and the lyrics. In this case, the dance movements are in time to the beat of the song and Meghan Trainor raises two fingers and the same time that she says "two". This emphasises certain lyrics and makes them more pertinent.
   
   

   

   
   
   
3. Star image
   There are many CU shots of Meghan Trainor as she sings. This is a typical convention in music videos because  the artist must be shown off to the viewers in order to present them as the main protagonist in the video. The beauty shots allow the artist to promote their brand image and to make the music video more appealing.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Voyeurism of the female body (the male gaze)
   
   The theory of the male gaze is that the camera lingers on the female body. In these shots, Meghan Trainor is viewed from a birds eye view and she is lying down on the floor. In comparison to other music videos, Meghan Trainor is not oversexualised, but rather, she is in control of the camera's gaze. This gives her power over the audience and gives her a sexual demeanour without causing the audience to feel uncomfortable.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Intertextual reference
   The song references to "silicone barbie doll". This is emphasising the fact that female ideals are unattainable. The whole concept of Barbie dolls being unrealistic and unhealthy for young girls to play with has certainly had a lot of opinions on the matter. The fact that a human Barbie doll would not even be able to stay upright due to disproportionate limbs is troublesome given that many young girls will have a tinted view of self beauty.