Supercurricular

BFI - ‘a short history of the British music video’ https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/short-history-british-music-video

I decided to look into this article, to help me see the trends in music videos. This is helpful for my coursework if I choose a music video or the magazine as the focus is about music.

Summary of findings:

1960s Beginnings

  - The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" (1964) and The Rolling Stones' early promotional films set the stage for music videos.

  - These early videos were primarily performance-based, aimed at promoting singles.

1970s and Early 1980s

  - Music videos became more artistic and experimental with the advent of glam rock.

  - David Bowie’s "Life on Mars?" (1973) is a notable example.

  - Independent production companies in Soho began specializing in music video production.

MTV Launch (1981)

  - Although American, MTV heavily featured British acts, boosting the prominence of British music videos.

  - Iconic videos from this era include Duran Duran’s "Rio" (1982) and The Human League’s "Don’t You Want Me" (1981).

1990s Innovation

  - Jonathan Glazer directed groundbreaking videos like Radiohead’s "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" (1996).

  - Sophie Muller’s work with artists like Blur and Eurythmics became highly influential.

2000s Grime and DIY Aesthetic

  - The rise of grime music and channels like Channel U brought a raw, authentic visual style.

  - Artists like Dizzee Rascal and Wiley used low-budget, high-impact videos to reach audiences.

Social Media Era

  - Platforms like YouTube changed how videos were distributed and consumed.

  - This democratized music video production, allowing independent artists to reach global audiences without traditional gatekeepers.

THE MEDIA MAGAZINE

Curran and Seaton and the Murdoch Dynasty:

Thesis: profit leads to power and power over a successful industry in turn leads to further profit.

1. the global capitalist companies that control most of the western media, are fixated on obtaining two things- Profit and Power. - a company like Disney will buy out/bankrupt it’s competitors to remove direct market competition and increase their dominance within the holywood film industry
2. more concentration of ownership = more restrictions to products the vertically and horizontally integrated conglomerates want to provide
3. more concentration of ownership = concentration of financial power - heavily influences politics and economy
4. Rupert Murdoch news corp passed chairmanship to his son Lachlan  September 2023- his child with most right-wing & similar views to Rupert Murdoch himself - prior to this it was a very ongoing question who it would be, documentaries and to series ‘succession’ were made due to this
5. Murdoch’s newspapers enabled him to manipulate politicians - what was shared on newspapers in the UK and US have heavily impacted politics - the newspapers supported the original trump election and Brexit referendum - world may not have been subject to either if he did not have this control.

Barbie: A Feminist Movie?

1. bell hooks said feminism is a struggle to end patriarchal oppression and the ideology of domination. In other words, you cannot challenge an oppressive system and uphold it at the same time. Barbie attempts to do both and in doing so, says nothing.
2. Barbie is still very much shaped by the male gaze and the white western beauty ideal - Margot Robbie looks like Barrie - strong appeal of film - overrules idea of plot
3. Barbie’s narrative is resolved when she enters our world and becomes human – in a sense she literally stops being an object and becomes a woman.  - however she now has no power
4. The feminist speeches said valuable things, however, would have been more impactful if the suffering was shown rather than said. - seemed very serious considering the meta and parodic world of the film 
5. could be argued the film is  essentially an advert that seeks to convince a generation of women that buying a Barbie for their child is feminist choice. Mattel have sought to change the meaning of Barbie and turn the Barbie doll into a symbol for progressiveness. Through the film and the marketing, they have created a ‘myth’ of feminism.