Riptide- analysis, themes and concept
Riptide- analysis, themes and concept
Riptide by Vance Joy (2013)
- indie pop song written and performed by Australian artist Vance Joy
- song was a hit in Australia and abroad, particularly after being featured in a Gopro advert
- it's straightforward, run-of-the-mill pop music
Today's task - analyse and apply semiotic and structuralist theory to the video Riptide, and research the video's intertextual influences
semiotics-
• Media products communicate a complex series of meanings to their audiences through a range of visual codes and technical codes. These codes can broadly be divided in to proairetic, symbolic, hermeneutic, referential, and so on.
• After many years of codes being repeated, their meaning can become generally agreed upon by society. For example, a scar on the face of a character can function as a hermeneutic code, indicating to the audience that they are ‘the villain’.
structuralism-
Task: draw two columns, and list ALL the differences between music videos and films.
music video
semiotics-
• Media products communicate a complex series of meanings to their audiences through a range of visual codes and technical codes. These codes can broadly be divided in to proairetic, symbolic, hermeneutic, referential, and so on.
• After many years of codes being repeated, their meaning can become generally agreed upon by society. For example, a scar on the face of a character can function as a hermeneutic code, indicating to the audience that they are ‘the villain’.
structuralism-
Task: draw two columns, and list ALL the differences between music videos and films.
music video
- approx. 3mins
- doesn't always have a narrative
- more aesthetically pleasing, uses more over the top editing
- often uses lyrics from the song to determine the shots
- includes the singer
- uses lip syncing
- free to watch e.g. youtube
films
- approx. 90mins
- pay to watch
- come complex narratives and story line
- can be seen in cinemas or subscription streaming platforms e.g. netfilx
celebrity - "The attribution of glamorous or notorious status to somebody in the public sphere" (Rojec, cited in Abercrombie & Longhurst, 2007:54)
when the music starts she is the person in the centre of the shot making her the focus. along with her singing the lyrics it makes her the focus as all the other characters are only dancing and do not have any focus within the shot. the camera motion also circles lady gaga, further reinforcing her being the focus of the shot.
when there is a scene change and other dancers continue to change and where different outfits she continues to wear pink making her stand out and reinforcing her importance.
in many cases she is also wearing the most revealing outfits making her stand out and reinforcing her celebrity status. she is always in the foreground in the centre of the shot.
Task: watch the video to Riptide. Keep the video open in another tab. You'll be watching it LOTS!
Task: analyse and make notes on the video to Riptide
unconventional- 'the celebrity' is never in it
Codes and conventions – performance/narrative/experimental features
Camera work (framing – shot types, angle, position, movement)
each shot only lasts a couple of seconds with the song narrating the images
Editing – beat-matched?
the fast beat and tempo of the song then allows the quick
Elements of continuity/montage
the short shots often of singular images or focusing on singular images such as a dollar bill creates a montage like video. especially as not all images follow an exact story order, rather a collection of elements of a story.
How does the video interpret the music and/or lyrics?
Structure/narrative
the song narrates the scenes, however, is the story is not clear as the story and scene order does not flow clearly, this may also be because the song goes back to the chorus breaking the narrative.
Intertextuality
Sound
Mise-en-scene – colour, lighting, location, costume/dress, hair/make-up
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