John Stewart Music Video Theory

John Stewart Music Video Theory

"The aesthetics of a T.V commercial"

John Stewart's theory stated that music videos have the "aesthetics of a T.V commercial" with lots of close-ups and lighting being used to focus on the stars face.

This is evident in Ariana Grande's - "Focus" where she is using a Samsung Galaxy throughout the video.

Close ups of the artist as well as lighting are used in a song to help to sell them like a brand thus comparing them to a product that is being advertised.

Music videos will also often have a product placement within themselves where a company will pay an artist to feature their product within their video.

Music videos are also similar in terms of the pace, camera shots, as well as the link between the visuals and the sound to commercials.

John Stewarts description of music videos were "incorporating, raiding and reconstructing", is essentially the essence of intertextuality, which is where one media text references something else such as a visual reference within the video being linked to something that already exists as a cultural reference point.

This is done so that people can relate to a song and have something familiar with it that gives it a greater meaning.

Examples of this could be:

- A setting such as the supermarket or a park

- A character such as a parent or a friend

- An item such as a car or shoes

- A responsibility such as work or school

These help stimulate the nostalgia within towards the music video that is portraying that stimulant.

3 Visual areas are focused on: Fashion, cinema and art photography.

In music videos, performers will be wearing clothes, jewelery and other items that are in fashion and trendy, thus appealing to a modern audience, however it will often be the music videos / artists themselves who set these trends. An example of this would be Kanye West wearing his signature "Yeezy" trainers in his music videos that he himself developed and put into fashion.

The video allows more access to the performer than a stage performance can provide from the viewer's standpoint as more actions are able to be done as well as the inclusion of CGI. The mise-en-scene allows the creator to emphasise an their passions and point of view as well as the camera movement in terms of the distance and framing of the shot allow the performer to get more personal with the audience by demonstrating their proximity to the viewer.

A lot of the camerawork / cinematography will have huge influences from cinema and art photography, especially music videos that have a short film style.

John Stewart also believed that music videos were meant to allow more access to the performer. It seems to take you inside the imaginative minds of the band and a chance to see them doing bazaar things which is not usually what you see when they're performing on stage. This can therefore help the band to emphaise their overall image.