Music Video Part 2 Michael Jackson

Billie Jean first impression:

MJ - Hero - Innocence/Purity

Detective - Bad - Papparazzi

Light effects + steps

Religious/spiritual

In bed - but disappears

"Billie jean is not my lover"

"The kid is not my son"

Disappears by light post

Sophisticated editing

First black person on MTV

Iconic television moment with the first 'Moonwalk Dance'

"Musical Innovator"

"Clean guy next door image"

"Hero""Innocent"

Magical Negro

Strauss theory - binary opposites

She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene
I said don't mind, but what do you mean, I am the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round
She said I am the one, who will dance on the floor in the round
She told me her name was Billie Jean, as she caused a scene
Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round
People always told me be careful of what you do
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts
And mother always told me be careful of who you love
And be careful of what you do 'cause the lie becomes the truth
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
For forty days and forty nights
The law was on her side
But who can stand when she's in demand
Her schemes and plans
'Cause we danced on the floor in the round
So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice
(Don't think twice, don't think twice)
She told my baby we'd danced till three, then she looked at me
Then showed a photo my baby cried his eyes were like mine (oh, no!)
'Cause we danced on the floor in the round, baby
People always told me be careful of what you do
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts
She came and stood right by me
Just the smell of sweet perfume
This happened much too soon
She called me to her room
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
She says I am the one,
(You know what you did, (she says he is my son)breaking my heart babe)
She says I am the one
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover (don't Billie Jean)
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover

Synopsis - MJ was accused by a women that she had his child,  this links to "She's just a girl that claims that I am the one, the kid is not my son." She went to court and attempted to get money from him, There was a law suit, this links to the line " the law was on her side" and "the lie becomes the truth."

Lady Gaga Essay

Q)Analyse how the Million Reasons music video by Lady Gaga uses stereotypes to represent a variety of images of feminine identity.


Apply comparative stereotypes and theory in the development of your arguments

Word count minimum 700

Q) The Million Reasons Video represented a change of direction for Lady Gaga, as she then began to target a wider audience, which is partially symbolised in this music video, as it could be interpreted that she took over a new leaf, after she broke up with her fiance.

She starts off saying"You're giving me a million reasons to let you go; You're giving me a million reasons to quit the show." Immediately she references her relationship with her fiance, and her relationship with her career. This could be a double meaning. As we know her ex-fiance was an actor, who felt jealous after she appeared in the movie A Star Is Born, this link to "You're giving me a million reasons to quit the show", as she thought about quitting her career for him.

This links to how she repeats "You're givin' me a million reasons." This emphasises the insecurity Gaga feels about this relationship. She’s constantly questioning the state of their romance and whether it’s worth pursuing. Time after time, he forces herself to reconsider their future together. At the same time, this could link to how she feels about her career. On one hand she wants to quit for herself, but on the other hand she cannot quit, as her team relies on her, as they make a living through her career. The latter links to the "If I had a highway, I would run for the hills; If you could find a dry way, I'd forever be still" she plays with words here, using “highway” and “dry way” to create a parallel to the phrase “high and dry.” Leaving someone “high and dry” means you’ve put them in a difficult position by failing to support them.

In the video, she is laying on a dry patch of land, clearly looking distraught and tired. A close-up shot is used. Immediately after, a wideshot is used, when multiple cars appear, pick her up, and take her to her show. Whilst she is in the car, another close-up shot is used, where she wears glasses to cover her emotions. All 3 of these shots link to how she is mentally in a bad place, but no matter what the show goes on, and she is not allowed to show her emotions.

Also, she continued her tour, despite having a hip injury. This contradicts the original stereotype of women being weak and feeble. This links to the full-body shot, where she wears a suit and a cowboy hat, but in pink and with high heels. Both a suit and a cowboy hat are typically masculine outfit, but they have been given a feminine twist. This links to the fact that she followed a male stereotype of being strong, despite being a female. This brings awareness to how women are depicted, and implies that stereotypes are not always correct. This links to bell hooks' theory that you arent a feminist if you arent an activist.

When she is picked up by the cars, this links to how women can be exploited and discriminated against. This links to bell hooks' theory that women are discriminated against.

Music Videos Part 1 Lady Gaga

1. Make-up
2. Pink
3. Attitude - sassy
4. Selfish
5. Caring (children) - expressive nurturing
6. Weak(physically and mentally)
7. Emotional
8. Need to conform(cooking, cleaning etc)
9. Bad drivers

Million Reasons is a contrasting example of a contemporary music video from a world famous, white, female artist. This particular video (from the album Joanne) marks a change in direction for the artist as media producers make use of media language to construct representations that might attract a broader, more mainstream market whilst not alienating the artist’s core fan base. 

Lyric Analysis

"You're giving me a million reasons to let you go; You're giving me a million reasons to quit the show" -The song opens with a quiet guitar riff and low piano buzzing in the background, setting the more somber tone straight away. Even in the first line, it’s clear Gaga isn’t happy with the state of their relationship. It’s easy to find flaws in the subject, they give Gaga every justification to cut the affair off. Like other songs on Joanne, there may be a double meaning in these lyrics between an unstable relationship with a man, and Gaga’s own unstable relationship with her fame. In Lady Gaga’s 2015 Billboard Woman of the Year interview, she admitted that she had been very depressed and wanted to quit music: At the end of 2014, my stylist asked, “Do you even want to be a pop star anymore?” I looked at him and I go, “You know, if I could just stop this train right now, today, I would. I just can’t. [But] I need to get off now because I’m going to die.”

"You're givin' me a million reasons; Give me a million reasons; Givin' me a million reasons; About a million reasons" - The repetition of this line emphasizes the insecurity Gaga feels about this relationship. She’s constantly questioning the state of their romance and whether it’s worth pursuing. Time after time, he forces her to reconsider their future together.

"If I had a highway, I would run for the hills; If you could find a dry way, I'd forever be still" Lady Gaga plays with words here, using “highway” and “dry way” to create a parallel to the phrase “high and dry.” Leaving someone “high and dry” means you’ve put them in a difficult position by failing to support them. In this way, the composition of these two lines echoes the overall message of this song—this man has given Gaga a million reasons to cut him out of her life, but she keeps hoping he’ll get his shit together and she won’t have to. “Dry way” alludes to “drying out” or sobering up, implying that the person Gaga is singing about has issues with substance abuse, either in reality or as a metaphor for being an unstable presence in her life.

"I bow down to pray; I try to make the worst seem better; Lord, show me the way" - Gaga’s always been open about her faith. Throughout her career, she’s made several references to God and the importance of religion in her life. Songs like “Electric Chapel” & “Fashion of His Love” marry religion and music, and that’s how Gaga tries to improve her outlook on life. It’s important to note she says she makes life “seem better” rather than simply “better,” perhaps alluding to the power of perception in any situation.

"To cut through all his worn out leather" - Leather is usually thick and tough when compared to other materials, and the fact that it is “worn out” implies that it is strained from continuous use and the buildup of debris. Leather clothing is a hallmark of various “tough guy” personas such as bikers and cowboys—archetypes which Gaga depicts on songs such as Joanne’s “John Wayne.” Though Lady Gaga admits that she’s attracted to bad boys, here leather represents the “armor” these men wear that keeps her from having a stable and open relationship with them. In another sense, “his worn out leather” may represent Gaga’s own scars from these strained relationships that keep her from forming new, healthier bonds. Gaga wants the Lord to guide her on her desire to “cut through” all of her trials and tribulations in order to leave the past behind and move on from it.

"I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away; But baby, I just need one good one to stay" and "But baby, I just need one good one; Good one, good one, good one, good one, good one" - - Contrasting with the repetitive “million reasons” lyrics in the verses, Gaga turns the phrase on its head: though there’s an endless number of rationales for why she should leave the relationship, all she needs is one good reason to cancel out all the bad ones. Given the entertainment-related lyricism of the first verse, Gaga could also be referring to her relationship with show business. There are so many reasons she should just leave the business: relationships in need of attention, a more than sufficient amount of money and power, a clear legacy. Yet she only needs one good reason — her fans — to stay attached. It’s important that Gaga never really explains what this one particular reason is. Perhaps Gaga’s ambiguity is intentional: she leaves it vague so that it can be applicable to anything.

"Head stuck in a cycle, I look off and I stare; It's like that I've stopped breathing, but completely aware" - Many of us know that “head stuck in a cycle” feeling, but she explains that she just “looks off and stare”, holding on to the hopes of a better day, even though there is nothing more to do. She manifests the desperate pain of being stuck in a cycle she cannot break, the feeling of wanting to end a battle she has no control over, plus facing the fact that she is “drowning” and suffering battling another person's battle. In the second line she exhibits how it really feels to be aware of all the damage that he has caused, but still being stuck in the cycle, which includes her endless attempts to help him, even though instead of helping him have destroyed her. She can’t let go.
"And if you say something that you might even mean; It's hard to even fathom which parts I should believe" - Perhaps one of the “million reasons” why Gaga is considering walking away from this relationship is because the man in question is dishonest. Gaga is obviously insecure about this relationship and seems to suspect that he’s been feeding her lies to keep her complacent and invested. However, she’s caught on, and she’s watched it become such a regular occurrence that she truly can’t separate his honesty from the sweet nothings he whispers into her ear. After all, her most recent ex Taylor Kinney was rumored to have had an affair.

"To cut through all his worn out leather" - Leather is usually thick and tough when compared to other materials, and the fact that it is “worn out” implies that it is strained from continuous use and the buildup of debris. Leather clothing is a hallmark of various “tough guy” personas such as bikers and cowboys—archetypes which Gaga depicts on songs such as Joanne’s “John Wayne.” Though Lady Gaga admits that she’s attracted to bad boys, here leather represents the “armor” these men wear that keeps her from having a stable and open relationship with them. In another sense, “his worn out leather” may represent Gaga’s own scars from these strained relationships that keep her from forming new, healthier bonds. Gaga wants the Lord to guide her on her desire to “cut through” all of her trials and tribulations in order to leave the past behind and move on from it.

"Hey, ehh, ehh, eyy; Baby I'm bleedin', bleedin'; Stay, ehh, ehhy; Can't you give me what I'm needin', needin'; Every heartbreak makes it hard to keep the faith" - Here, Lady Gaga expresses how much of a (somewhat literal, if she’s bleeding) fight she’s had to try to stay hopeful about their relationship. Perhaps more generally, each time someone lets her down and breaks her heart, she feels herself giving up on people more, making it difficult to trust those around her. By using the word “faith” specifically, she links her faith in these connections with the more religious faith that she displays in the chorus by praying to God.

Video Analysis
Black and White - Getting ready for her performance
Friends help - sisterhood
Religion - "Lord, show me the way"
Pink - Girls
Suit and hat - Boys
Depressed
Body language
Wants to quit music - has lots of reasons to leave the spotlight but she only needs one reason to not quit
Hiding emotions behind glasses
Insecure about relationship
Wearing outfit to go with guitar- usually worn by men
Just broke up with fiance - had been together for 5 years - rumors for him having an affairwhy
Has people who cares
Wrote the song with Mark Ronson
The music video was directed by the females
All of the people who helped her were her team, so they might only care about the show, and not her emotional/mental state
Doesn't portray a traditional love narrative, rather focussing on her team
Gaga is emotionally transparent

Assumptions that are held about a social group.

They are often used in a negative or prejudicial sense and are frequently used to justify certain discriminatory behaviours.

Stereotyping is an important concept in terms of representation.

They are shown as…
Young
Slim
Overwhelmingly white
Conforming to our image of ideal beauty (perfect skin, hair and alluring gaze).

Representations of women across all media tend to

highlight the following:

beauty (within narrow conventions) 

size/physique (again, within narrow conventions) 

sexuality (as expressed by the above) 

emotional (as opposed to intellectual) dealings 

relationships (as opposed to independence/

freedom) 

Minecraft Essay

1) Create an essay discussing the evolution of Minecraft as part of the essay you will discuss:

• How ownership of Minecraft has affected the games evolution
• How Minecraft is marketed to a variety of audiences
• The development of the game through technological change

1) Minecraft’s  creator, Markus Persson began creating the game in 2009 having been inspired by  Dwarf Fortress, a sandbox game; his goal was to produce a Role Playing Game variation. 

Minecraft’s was first seen more as a niche product for players with  knowledge of computers and programming.  

Originally, on May 13, 2009, Notch created the First Minecraft Test, which was Posted on Youtube, Notch played a small amount of his game during the test. Released on May 17th, 2009. The Classic Version of Minecraft can be played for free, with only basic settings. On September 1 2009

Survival Test released. On December 23, 2009, the Indev was released, which had Bigger Maps, 3D Clouds, New Terrian generation. Alpha is Released on June 28th 2010. This verison contains 2 different major updates ; Secert Friday Updates and the Halloween Updates. The Seecret Friday update is when updates were sent out every friday secertly. When all the Updates were finished, It was September 18, 2010. This current release added Beaches, Upgraded the Transitions of Biomes and fixed many bugs within the Game. It was released on June 10, 2011. On the November 18, 2011

Minecraft 1.0 was Released. he Final Release of Minecraft and exiting Beta. The game is fully done but will have future updates. On the 15 September 2014,Minecraft gets bought by Microsoft for 2.5 billion dollars. Although Microsoft owns the game, they still are leaving the development to the current team at Mojang. On September 20th, Minecraft got the award for Best Selling PC Game. This gives way to eventually hitting 20 million sales for the PC. January 10th marked a huge day for Minecraft Pocket Edition. This version hit 30 million sales combined from Andriod and IOS.

Due to its popularity, Minecraft was released across multiple platforms. Minecraft: Pocket Edition was released on Sony Xperia Play, available on Sony Xperia smartphones. Minecraft also become available on Android and iOS devices shortly after. By 2012, Minecraft was available for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. It was  available to download for Nintendo systems from December 2015 with physical copies from June 2016.

In, 2010 Minecraft was developed as a multiplayer game using JAVA code. Gamers were able to contribute to the development of the program . In September of 2013, Microsoft bought all rights to Minecraft from Mojang for 2.5 billion dollars. This opens up the market for the game (potentially increasing profits. Newer games ewere programmed in C++.

The PC version of the game was noted for its modding scene where fans would change  the gameplay mechanics, change the assets and develop new skins and textures for other fans of the game to use. he continued development of fan made media across social media platforms and dedicated fan sites and blogs means that there is an active community of gamers who share a common interest linked to Minecraft. Fan made clones of the game are now present across market place apps and various merchandise. Some fans across the internet share game footage, tutorials, mods and hacks so that gamers can get new experiences from the game. 

Print Media Minecraft

Digitally convergent media: Video games consoles are an excellent example of a digitally convergent device, you can not only play games but access social media, surf the internet, stream films and TV content and upload content into cloud based servers. Cross-media content helps maximise profits and also improve reach to new customers.
Production: This refers to all phases of designing, developing and making the media product;.
Distribution: This refers to all processes linked to delivering the media product to audiences both through tangible (disc) and digital (Cloud based) media.
Consumption: Explores the way in which the media text is used by audiences for pleasure but also explores the rise of user generated content across several platforms.

New media is on-demand content accessed via the internet through digital devices, such as personal computers and smartphones. New media texts can involve interactive elements such as audience engagement and feedback. ... Media convergence lets audiences use one platform to consume various types of media texts.

What is Minecraft

Minecraft is a 2011 sandbox video game created by Swedish game developer Markus Persson and later developed by Mojang. The game allows players to build with a variety of different blocks in a 3D procedurally generated world, requiring creativity from players.

• When was minecraft created.

17 May 2009

• By whom

Markus Alexej Persson

• How much was Minecraft sold for. 

$2.5 billion

This is a form of user generated content, which increases popularity for the product. It is a different kind of free marketing, and hits a younger audience.

Minecraft is the second most successful video game of all time behind Tetris. 

It was created and designed by Markus Persson, a game programmer, who also developed and published the game through his company Mojang. A full version of the game went on release in November 2011. 

To date, well over 121 million copies have been sold across all platforms, including over 27 million PC copies, making it the biggest selling PC game of all time. 

Without the commercial backing of a mainstream publisher, and no money spent on advertising revenue, the game relied on word of mouth between gamers and featured on sites such as the Penny Arcade web comic to generate interest amongst gamers.

by January 2011, the beta-version of the game had passed over one million purchases in just only a month, and by April 2011 Persson estimated that US$33 million of revenue had been made. 

TASK 1: students to find their own (Memorable) Minecraft parody, discuss the advantages of low cost user generated marketing.

2 RECORD HOW THE GAME “ SYNERGY WITH LEGO WAS HELPFUL IN TARGETING YOUNGER AUDIENCES.

The game was carefully marketed to audiences as identified above, as an online version of Lego and in doing so aligned itself with one of the most iconic ‘learning construction education products’ in history.  

Both Minecraft and Lego have the same audience of children, and are both similar sandbox games. If customers enjoy Lego, they may also like Minecraft.

how Minecraft is used within the education sector :

1. Learn Coding
2. Collaborative Work
3. Creative Problem Solving
4. Engineering

In November 2011, prior to the game’s official release, Minecraft had over 16 million registered users and 4 million purchases. 

Due to its popularity, Minecraft was released across multiple platforms becoming a commercially viable franchise with increased interactivity. In particular, Minecraft: Pocket Edition was released on Sony Xperia Play, available on Sony Xperia smartphones. Minecraft also become available on Android and iOS devices shortly after. 

Different game genres:

Action

Arcade

Adventure

Fighting

Racing

FPS

Sandbox

Due to the original nature of the game, most players simply logged in to play Minecraft and didn’t need a physical copy of the game.
When the Xbox and PlayStation versions were created there was often a chance to offer digital versions of the same game across the Windows 10 operating system
Users were often encouraged to download the game through the cloud servers rather than a physical copy of the game which would incur more of a cost for the institution.
Physical copies of the game were released 6 months after the cloud versions t encourage online purchase and reduce the risk of piracy

Minecraft Oculus Rift

• Highest selling 3d game ever with 150 million copies sold
• immersive
• forefront of technology
• people more active
• released 2016
• cross platform

2010 Minecraft was developed as a multiplayer game using JAVA code.. 

Gamers were able to contribute to the development of the program eliminating bugs and facilitating multiplayer capability

In September of 2013, Microsoft bought all rights to Minecraft from Mojang for $2.5 billion dollars.

2017 Microsoft ownership develops the cross platform capability of Minecraft which is now available on C gamers but those who own smartphones, Microsoft consoles (Xbox); Playstation 3, 4 and PS Vita; and more recently Nintendo consoles (Wii U) and hand-held devices (Nintendo Switch and Nintendo New 3DS, New 2DS XL and New 3DS XL) 

This opens up the market for the game (potentially increasing profits)

Newer games e.g. for smart phones were programmed in C++ (which limit the Minecraft community from modifying the code)

Newer games such as cross platform play are more complex and refined in their graphic content.   See https://www.pcgamesn.com/minecraft/microsoft-minecraft-java-edition

https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/20/16339242/minecraft-cross-platform-update-better-together-windows-10-pc-mobile-switch-xbox

Minecraft: Story Mode, follow more of the recognisable institutional conventions of game development including tutorials on how to play the game 

Minecraft Realms - payed for server space

Minecraft Story Mode has a narrative and a streamlined storyline.

Minecraft and subsequent versions and variations of the game offers familiar pleasures to existing fans (narrative features, open world gameplay etc.) along with new elements to target a wider audience (e.g. Story Mode). 

The creation of Minecraft Realms was a well-considered way to attract and encourage audiences to use the game on dedicated servers 

The interrelationship between media technologies and patterns of consumption and response. 

YouTube, Facebook and online fan communities has enabled Minecraft’s audience to have an active voice in its ongoing production through detailed feedback and commentary on modifications and beta tests. There are several niche forums that should also be investigated across the internet.

Minecraft Youtuber - 

1)Stampy

9 million subscribers

6.8 billion views in total

Minecraft videos

2)Preston 

8.1 million subscribers

2,738,976,896 views in total 

Posts videos, which are occasionally Minecraft related.

The establishment of Minecraft Marketplace is a great example of the industry listening to their audiences (fans) and allowing

 the trade of different maps, textures and ‘add ons’ in a legitimate setting.  - Look up Minecraft Market Place and discuss the opportunities for users to make money from their use of Minecraft

The nature of the game has also allowed audiences to learn new skills, such as programming. 

Minecraft Marketplace is a way to browse and purchase community made content from within the game. Content purchases in the Marketplace are made using a currency called Minecraft Coins, which is purchased in the game store.