'Blank Space' - Music Video Write-Up

Taylor Swifts' song, Blank Space, consists of many non-literal metaphors, analogies, and phrases of speech. I chose this visual idea for this particular song because I had many ideas to ensure that my video would fit both lyrically and musically by connecting the figures of speech to a realistic scenario. The entire video is essentially based of off her lyrics, "love's a game. Wanna play?" So, I literally made a game, titled it Love, and the characters played it. When she says, "I could show you incredible things," her bottle of perfume is shown because Swifts' latest fragrance is literally titled Incredible Things. The video also shows a "list of ex-lovers", and the male character's name, Dylan, is written in the blank space. When Taylor Swift sings, "I get drunk on jealousy," she does not truly get drunk on jealousy. What she means is that jealousy is theoretically intoxicating her, perhaps taking over her whole body and effecting her actions and choices, as alcohol would. This is my personal favorite part of the video, as the girl character, Claudia, acts out actually having a drink called Jealousy. Due to these relations between the conjectures and the actions shown, this is an effective music video to sell this song.

Back to December - Music Video Analysis

An important part of analyzing a music video is understanding its construction of reality. From many people’s perspective, this is a realistic view of the world depending on the circumstances of a relationship. This song is exemplifies the feelings someone may have following a break-up that they regret intentionally ending. Therefore, it is supposed to be realistic, as it tells a story that the listeners and viewers may have a connection to. Reality would be portrayed in this way for the artist and the song because it is based off of a real event in the songwriters’ life, and emotes feelings that many others have experienced or are currently experiencing. The unique (and only unrealistic) part of the video is when it snows indoors. Majority of the video, she is just sitting around her house, her bedroom, her kitchen, her bathtub, clearly doing nothing more than being genuinely depressed about the situation, which is what many people would do in that same position. Over all, I would agree that the video fits the song’s meaning, along with the artists fan base/ the pop culture of today.

Next, there are codes & conventions. I would not say that the video displays many mentionable stereotypes or symbols of the genre, but I would agree that the song does. Taylor Swifts lyrics, "I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile..." may somewhat imply that it is important for men to have those things. Although a lot of our society would agree, it isn't. Also, Swift says, "How you held me in your arms that September night, the first time you ever saw me cry." These lyrics, in some perspectives, could represent the steriotype of women being weak and/or fragile. Again: although a lot of our society would agree, they aren't. Other than these two quotations, Taylor Swift actually does an effective job of going against stereotyping. A stereotipical thing for someone do to is always label the man as 'the bad guy' in all relationships. In this case, Taylor Swift is admitting to her faults and confessing her regret, stating that the man did everything right and she was the one who had taken advantage of him.

Other important factors to consider includes creeds and values. As she grieves around her house, in deep thought and rependant, it is evident that the biggest emotion this song expresses is regret. This can also be seen through her lyrics, "It turns out, freedom ain't nothing but missing you wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine. I'd go back to December, turn around and make it all right. I go back to December all the time." These lyrics prove that if she could restart, she would. And she would do it better - which is what regret is, isn't it? She regrets treating her significant other poorly, because he treated her how you should typically treat someone else when you are truly in love. This can most effectively be seen through her lyrics, "you gave me roses, and I left them there to die," and, "you gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye." This is where she confesses what lifestyle choices she did wrong. She explains this apology as swallowing her pride, as pride is important to her. Now, not only has she disappointed her boyfriend, she has also disappointed herself as she forgot about morals she had. Through her mistakes, she realizes how important the following values are to have within a relationship: love, commitment, effection, respect, and recognition when someone treats you well.

Commercial-wise, I think this is an effective way to sell the song because the video is different, and it is honest. Many people would disagree, but it is actually fairly rare for an artist to act-out such genuine emotions on camera that show a real connection to the song and the remorse that is emoted. The video effectively establishes the realism of the lyrics and music. It doesnt intend to emphasize the fact that Taylor Swift is famous in any way. It shows her as a normal person with real-life feelings. I would say that the target audience includes adolescents and young adults, which would mostly appeal to the ones who are dealing with heartbreak. Most break-ups usually happen in this age-group in people's lives, and a lot of the time, music is their go-to. Because of how genuine the lyrics, music, and video are, this music video definitely fits the song.

Overall, I think this is a good music video. It portrays a realistic construct of reality, expresses essential values in a relationship, and emotes real-life feelings that viewers may have a connection to. The video fits the song, and has been filmed in a way that tells a heartbreaking story. It causes the audience to be emotionally effected, which establishes the song and music video as art.

Watch Taylor Swift- Back to December
https://youtu.be/QUwxKWT6m7U or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUwxKWT6m7U

Reality TV, Music Videos & Internet Memes (Winnebago Man)

WINNEBAGO MAN DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

              Ultimately, we should care about the people behind our favorite YouTube videos. If they represent a character that who things that hurt himself or make a fool out of himself, even if it is accidental, I think that it is okay (within reason) for the viewer to see the humor in it. This is true especially for those who post the video on their own behalf. If they can look at themselves and enjoy what they are watching and confidently decide to publicize it, we are more-so laughing with them - not at them! Jack's story has not changed my opinion, overall. I don't always think we, as a culture, are only interested in the humiliation of others, but sometimes we definitely laugh when the situation is a non-laughing matter. No one should ever humiliate an unwilling victim, weather it is or is not media-involved.

              During the tape, Jack acts angry and frustrated, but his ruthless language is what makes it funny. Weather it is the light he would like to be seen in or not, I think he should have had a right to comment on whether or not he wanted the footage to be released in the first place. I am glad he ends up relatively happy with the overall situation and refers to the Found Footage Festival audience as "his people". I believe what he says, but I feel he often changes his mind on the circumstances of the video depending on the benefits he gets from it.

              I am surprised that so many people wished for Winnebago Man to still be very angry, because I would think that some people would find it rather enlightening and interesting to view him in a new perspective. This proves that we just see some of our celebrities as crazy and perhaps self-absorbed, and consistent in whatever emotion they are often shown with. Sometimes we do not always remember that they are still human and experience various feelings every day, just like the rest of us.

              In my opinion, Jacks opinion changed because he has realized that there are cons and pros to come from every experience, including the video and documentary.

              A quotation from one of the fans is, "The Internet is like a modern day freak show. Except you don't have to pay a nickel to see it." This is a good analogy because it is a positive point of view to recognize and appreciate what you see on the Internet, and it costs next to nothing. However, the Internet has a lot more to offer than just a "modern day freak show," and I feel that many of us take it for granted.

              I think that the lives and stories of Internet celebrities are probably as interesting, if not more interesting than traditional celebrities. This is for a few reasons. First of all, Internet celebrities have ways of communicating with their fans. Many of us use social media such as Facebook and Twitter, where celebrities can almost always keep us updated. I also feel that Internet celebrities have more of a variety of reasons they became famous. The celebrity could have posted a funny video, or meaningful blog, or have a well-known Facebook page, whereas more traditional celebrities are commonly known for either singing or acting. Lastly, internet celebrities, in my opinion, have more information online that fans or non-fans can retrieve from the internet. Although not all of what the reader sees could be true, it definitely excites some of us who read things we are not expecting. Some of the things Internet celebrities expose can be very surprising, and that is what keeps us interested.

              Overall, I see us at a low point in modern popular culture. Sometimes it is disappointing to see how many views a ridiculous video gets, how many 'likes' that a terrible meme gets, and how popular some reality TV shows get when they are thought to be terrible by so many people. The good thing about modern popular culture is that there are many subcultures within it, and it wouldn't be fair to globalize by saying, "Everyone thinks that Greatest Freak-Out video is funny," or, "Wow, why does everyone hate the Kardashians?!" Everyone has their own opinions, but I feel that many of us would agree that we would be seen in a 'higher point' in our modern popular culture if more of what we watched consisted of positivity, humiliating humor, and realism.

Thinking About the Media

 

              I believe that media is very important in my life. This is because different forms of media provide us with entertainment and an infinite amount of information, and is a huge part of daily life for many people, (myself included.) I feel that media has a tremendous effect on today’s society, and the benefits of media definitely outweighs the negative effects.

              A few types of media that I feel are most important includes TV, music, and Internet. TV is one of the first few forms of media, but never gets old. The television may help provide shows for all ages and for all interests, and is, in my opinion, a very beneficial way to educate visual learners such as myself. Music is an amazing form of media because it is something that has existed for almost as long as humans have. Music is important to me because it can help me by impacting my feelings and emotions a certain way. Different types of music have been proven to impact people's brains and attitudes, and even behaviors. Lastly, Internet is an important part of media because it includes so many other media forms ex. TV, film, music, games, comics, and the list goes on. Internet helps entertain me, educate me, and just overall has such an amazing impact. Internet provides us with more information than a single person could come close to comprehending, and I think that is pretty extraordinary.

              I do not have a strong opinion on our modern popular culture. It has pros and cons, just like every other part of media. I understand that commercial products are often aimed at the tastes of general masses of people, and I think that's fine. The only 'con' would be the negative bias that these commercials may come with. I like that some of the new technology is helping us communicate in better ways, but I still think that in-person communication often works most effectively because gestures, facial expression, and tone play a huge part in communication, and I feel that the media cannot emote these factors the same way. I mostly use media for entertainment and to communicate through social networks, but I also use it for information because it is very helpful when I am researching for assignments.

 

Mean Girls Movie Clip!

              I feel that teenagers are definitely not portrayed honestly in the media. They commonly show girls as either really smart, or really dumb, or “blonde” as some would say. Boys are often shown to be either a nerd or some kind of a rebel, theirs usually no in-between in the movies. What I notice the most is that in the movies and TV shows with a teen audience, or even a child audience like Lizzie McGuire, there are always people who are divided in specific social groups based on their personalities. This is true and false. In mean girls, for example, the friendships and social norms are unrealistic. Besides the fact that they only wear their hair in a ponytail once a week and on Wednesdays they wear pink, they are only aloud to talk to a limited amount of people within their group of peers. These are unrealistic “rules” that most people don’t follow in real life. Of course we all have some preferences of how we dress and what is trending in fashion, and there are certain people we talk to more than others. A similarity, though, is that teen drama in the movies is very sneaky, just like in reality. Some teens lie, cheat, etcetera, and some are usually pretty chill and do their own thing. (At least, that’s what it seems like). However, everyone has different interests. Then there’s those movies like The Breakfast Club that only ever ALWAYS has a happy ending. In real life, the girl doesn’t always just get the boy she wants, and vice versa. And no matter what, some people will always be alone. Some people will always have enemies. Of course, this isn’t always a bad thing, but its real life. And in real life, at the end of the day, not everyone is going to be your best friend, and you don’t always get what you want.