Example using screenshots

Pixie Lott is framed in this shot, descending stairs seductively and stops to pose in a provocative manner to address the camera directly.  This pose and the mise-en-scene of costume and make-up would support Mulvey’s theory that this video is made to appeal to a male audience.  The representation of the female artist has many similarities with the way female stars in the golden age of Hollywood(1930-1950) were portrayed in classic Hollywood Cinema. Mulvey states, ‘In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness’.

In another shot Pixie Lott is shown writhing on a dining table surrounded by male diners in evening wear.  This could connote that she is being literally consumed by men and one could argue that she is objectified as another expensive delicacy such as the lobster in the shot that is to be consumed by men. 

To research and apply a media theory to your research investigation

During your study of the media you will be introduced to a range of academic studies and approaches to media texts.  Academics have developed viewpoints and theories, particularly in literature and film, which allow them to create a framework to de-construct the texts. For example, ‘Marxist’ and ‘Feminist’ readings of texts suggest that texts are political in nature and have power over an audience to construct a vision of the world. They would argue that messages and values that a text upholds can have an effect on an audience that needs to be challenged.  Post-modernist theory suggest that texts are not wholly original anymore and are an intertextual patchwork of common cultural connections. 

In your research investigation you must engage with a theory and apply it to the texts that you are studying.  In this example you will look at the theories of the feminist film theorist, Laura Mulvey, and apply them to music videos.

This academic theory is a key part of higher education studies of the media and literature which you may want to follow at University.

You must research the theories that Laura Mulvey wrote about in ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ for Screen Journal in 1973.

Although writing about film you could apply her theories to the music videos that you are studying and discuss representation of gender using her ideas as a framework.

You must gain an understanding of the concept of the ‘male gaze’. This suggests that films and in your study music videos are made for the visual pleasure of a male audience.  Women are therefore represented to satisfy the  voyeuristic or fetishistic pleasure of the male viewpoint.   

You must watch the two music videos and decide how far you agree with Mulvey’s theory in relation to the texts you have chosen.

Focus on the way the camera is used to frame the artist and the way the artist is presented.

The essential question is about who you think the primary audience is.  If the video is made to gratify the needs of a male audience then how has the artist and director accomplished this through types of shots used and mise-en-scene?  If you think there is a different primary audience then you can debate how far Mulvey’s theory can be applied.

You must write a 300 word analysis of the music videos in which you apply the theory of the male gaze.

Go from the specific to the general by choosing key frames from the video to illustrate your points.