Theorists/Theories

During my research I will refer to three different theorists to analyse my music. These three people have studied music videos in the past and all have their own ideas about what the videos are trying to portray and how we subconsciously accept it.

The three people I will be referring to are Roland Bathes, Laura Mulvey and Karl Marx.

Roland Barthes

Bathes came up with the three stages theory when analysing a music video. The first level of signification is called Denotation. This is purely what we see in the video. The second level is called connotation and this is where you think about what the denotation actually means and represents. The third and final stage is called Myth Ideology. This is assessing what the connotation are actually saying.

Laura Mulvey

Mulvey came up with the idea that everything we see in a Music Video are through something she calls, the Male gaze. She is basically saying that all videos reflect males desires and fantasies. Men have all the power and a video is filmed from their point of view. This is particularly visible in rap videos.

Karl Marx

Marx came up with the idea that the most important thing for a music video is to make a profit. He says that capitalists just want profits and asks the question is music just about making profit?, What about creativity?