Timed Essay Question 2

 

Explain how media language in music video incorporates viewpoints and ideologies. Refer to one of the music videos you have studied to support your answer.

 

In 2004 Bailey Rae made her breakthrough when she was signed by Global Talent Publishing and then approached by Craig David’s mentor. She then went on to release her self-titled debut album in 2006, debuting at No.1 in the UK and No.4 in the US. Her song ‘Stop Where You Are’ came out on April 1st, 2016, accumulating over 850,000 views upon the initial release. The lyrics are very meaningful and convey as much meaning as the visuals of the music video do. The narrative structure of the music helps convey the different social groups that Baily Rae is trying to show. At the beginning we see the different groups, such as gangs, people who have immigrated and the homeless in the stereotypical ways we have all grown up and known. But as Bailey Rae sings and we watch as she walks through the buildings seeing these different people in their social groups, she soon shows us what we can do to help and teaches us that we shouldn’t be so judgmental and help those around us. Different people are going to look at these different social groups represented in the music video and some may identify with certain people in the music video, and some people are going to look at these different social groups and agree with the way they are represented, whereas other people are going to look at them and completely disagree with them and strive to have them changed, not wanting people to be looked at and judged by the harsh stereotypes that have been created.

At around one minute of the music video Bailey Rae sings the line “caught up in the chase” which is echoed by the actions shown in the music video. We see a group of girls attacking another girl which connotates that ‘caught up’ means being caught in a bad situation and not being able to get out of it when you really want to. Similarly, at around 1:17 the chorus begins, and she sings the line “stop where you are” whilst making the motion if her hands pushing out wanting to people to stop. Further on in the video when verse 2 begins, she sings “underneath the blanket of the cold” whilst showing what seems to be a homeless man begging for money or food and a man in a suit walking off which makes us feeling sympathy for the homeless man as this is something that they have to deal with in a daily basis as people either don’t want to or don’t have the time to stop and help them out. But a few moments later in the music video the man in the suit comes back and offers something to drink to the homeless man. This creates pathos towards the homeless man; however, Baily Rae is trying to show the audience that this is an ongoing issue and that there are ways that we can help these people out and help them feel less lonely and scared through hard times. She is influencing us as an audience to care for others, through creating sympathy for these people in the lower social classes in society.

The music and the visuals of the song help show the representations of these people in society as there is a relationship between the music and the visuals. For example, at the beginning of the song there is a slow pace which reflects the slow walking and the calm and almost laid-back movements are reflected with the calm light music. As the song continues the instrumental power increases, this is in order for the song to move one reflection Bailey Rae’s message of moving on from these stereotypical views of people in lower class society and to move away from that, helping out anyone on need who is struggling because everyone deserves to live their life to the fullest. At 2:54 the chorus is sung for the last time and the man is filmed doing a backflip in slow motion almost as if he is flying and the slow-motion aspect of stopping time which is a reflection of the whole message of the song.

Bailey Rae isn't just trying to make a song and make money; she is using the song to speak to people and present different ideology about the different social groups and situations that she shows in the music video. The actions she makes herself, accompanied by the different types of shots and camera angles help convey her message and allow people to see their own ideology. She isn’t forcing her own ideology on people, but showing people who wouldn’t think the way these people are represented, in a different light and trying to get people to consider a different ideology and to see things from a different viewpoint.