Representation in Music Video

Due to our A2 exam being based on our coursework productions, the class decided that it was compulsory to begin looking at the different concepts which had a chance of being brought up in the exam. In one section of the exam, we had to focus on either our foundation portfolio or our advanced portfolio when analysing the coursework. There was the possibilities of one of the exam questions being based on genre, narrative, representation, audience and media language. We decided to look at representation in particular, then later on begin analysing the other concepts of our coursework productions. I decided to focus my analysis on my advanced portfolio for the exam due to it being fresh in my mind. I looked at the aspects that I wanted to represent, then looking at how I represented them.

- Typical teenage girl : She could make her own choice as to who she wanted to go out with. She appears dominant. Use of male gaze as shots of her chest are used - also adds to the dating atmosphere (subverts patriarchy) - female dominance.

- Three male stereotypes : Used the idea of the signifier and the signified (Saussure) with the costume designs such as ''glasses'' for the ''geek'' and black eye make up for the ''goth''. Cutting is also used to represent difference between the stereotypes.

- Youth : Swings in the playground represent young activity and having fun. Also cartoon effect is used to represent child like features, however also links in to the genre and the name of the song.

- Class/region : Represents urban area when walking down the streets as streets are relatively wide with buildings in the background (wide shots used) and people walking casually down the road.

- Sexuality and relationships : Appearing that straight relationships as the norm as there is no sign of homosexuality (two shots used to emphasize this)(romantic effect also used to represent the norm for the use of romance in heterosexual relationships).

- Ethnicity : Coincidence that the ''Superman'' was of the same ethnicity as the protagonist female character.


Many of the ways in which we emphasized our representations was through the idea of the ''signifier'' and the ''signified''. This idea was developed by Ferdinand Saussure in which the signifier was the physical aspect of something and the signifiedis the meaning attached to the signifier which makes people immediately understand what the physical aspect is associated with.

Roland Barthes took Ferdinand de Saussure's ideas and consolidated onto them. He called the way these signifiers were organised and put together the ''symbolic code'' if the text.