Viewpoints and Ideologies & theories (complete)

Fenders viewpoints:

• Fenders ideologies are gained from his own experience and his viewpoint that there are groups in society that are under represented and forgotten

• E.g his mothers situation in the narrative — shot of her with the crumpled letters and the bottle of gin is a direct criticism of the social systems who let her down and couldn’t support her when she was ill

• Past experiences do not define what happens in the future — media form can be used to raise awareness of social issues

Semiotics: Barthes

• many of the images illustrate the lyrics but also connote deeper meanings — relation to inequality and signifiers of place/class

→ e.g social housing blocks — audience will attach meanings to these signifiers and their association with working class youth

• the idea of ‘myth’ (Barthes) relates to if something is used repeatedly as a message it becomes like a fact — so the repeated used of the iconography of the social housing blocks have almost become a recognisable symbol of social status which contributes to stereotypical assumptions about places an people

• The iconography acts as a visual signifier

Structuralism: Levi-Strauss

• Music videos create meanings through a structure that is recognisable to audiences.

→ this music video employs the codes and conventions of the narrative/ performance form — cutting between the constructed narrative and the performance

→ music videos have a set time (length of the song) to convey meanings and messages therefore use recognisable conventions (clothing, iconography and setting) to do so rapidly

• Binary opposition for personal, introspective older Fender vs the anrgy confused 17 year old.

• Binary opposition in visual signifiers bloody knuckles = violence but wearing rings etc = style, identity suggesting inner conflicts