Adorno & Horkeimer's Theory

The Culture Industry
The culture industry is the way Adorno and Horkheimer ' argue which items are produced and how they can be compared to other industries manufactured vast quantities of consumer goods. This means that  the culture industry is always made up of the same things and a pattern can be seen between how some items are produced compared to other items within the culture industry. Adorno and Horkheimer also argued that the culture industry showed an 'assembly-line character' which could be observed in the synthetic, planned method of turning out its product. Adorno and Horkheimer's are trying to say that the the industry don't promote artist's because of their talent, but they promote the artists which they can make most money out of even if they haven't got as good as a voice as another person. 

The X-Factor Machine 
Adorno and Horkeimer linked the 'culture industry' theory to a type of 'mass culture' in which cultural production had become a routine and made the audience expect nothing more but pop artists as it is what they became used to. This makes it a lot easier to meet an audiences expectations and therefore sells more records and the artist to its full extent. Standardisation is a repetitive operation that produced undemanding cultural commodities which in turn resulted in a type of consumption that was also standardised, distracted and passive. 

The X-Factor
Adorno and Horkheimer argued that the 'culture industry' operated in the same way as other producing industries. All the work and publicity had become formalised and products were made according to rationalised organisational procedures that were established for the sole purpose of making money.Adorno and Horkheimer is arguing that everything is extended and dragged out to having a duration as long as possible in order to gain a lot more money from the audience as it remains in the public eye for a longer time. An example of this is X factor as their series consists of many stages such as auditions, boot camp, judges houses, live shows, semi final, celebrity duets and then the final.

Standardisation
Adorno and Horkheimer argued that all products produced by the culture industry exhibited standardised features. The argument here is that there is nothing special or different about the process of cultural production. It has become a recognisable operation that can be carried out in an office by the application of specific formulae. Adorno noted that songs which became successful over time were often referred to as 'standards', a category that clearly drew attention to their formulaic character. From the 'plan' to the details, songs were based around repetitive sequences and frequently recurring refrains. This strategy has been done for the sole purpose that the song would imprint itself on the mind of the listener and then provoke a purchase. For Adorno, the production of bit songs had become a mechanical and manipulative operation motivated purely by commercial gain. Think about the popular songs that you might hear throughout an average day (radio, shopping, television, club or bar). Are songs becoming too predictable? are they becoming standardised. This is stating that we have to look for different/alternative songs as the only songs played buy the media and advertised are the the typical ones and doesn't sound like a different song that you've already heard.

Pseudo Individuality (false Individuality)
Adorno and Horkheimer were also critical of what they referred to as pseudo individuality. By this they meant the way that the culture industry assembled products that made claims to 'originality' but which when examined more critically exhibited little more than superficial differences. Adorno and Horkheimer evoked the image of the lock and key, an item that is mass produced in millions, whose uniqueness lies in only very minor modifications. What Adorno and Horkheimer are trying to state is that the X factor winners are all the same and have very minimal differences or any unique style.

Conclusion
Adorno and Horkheimer believe that the culture industry allows people to become 'masses' and be easily manipulated by capitalist corporations and authoritarian governments. Adorno and Horkheimer thus present us with a powerful arguement about what happens to culture when it is subect to the structural control and organisation of industrial capitalist production, it becomes merely a standardised, formulaic and repetitive element of 'mass culture'. It has no aesthetic value whatsoever and leads to a very specific type of consumption that is passive, obedient and easily manipulated for the purpose propaganda or advertising.

Music Video Brief Options



Here is the brief i decided to stick to for my music video. The song i have decided on is Alright (Supergrass) and this is because i feel it has most potential and made me think of a few ideas that can be featured that could match goodwins theory. I feel it would be easy to shoot this video as the song could be related to teenagers and therefore i could get aload of pupils to feature in it. I found this brief very appealing and the best one out of them all. I will now go on to create my own brief and think of a band name, logo, etc.



Music Video Director

Taylor Swift - We are never getting back together 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64

Independant Work

Maroon 5 Ft. Wiz Khalifa - Payphone - Analysis:

• As the video starts Adam Levine the lead signer of Maroon 5 stands in front of a car on fire and a city that has been destructed. The mise en scene signify s a form of disruption to the city and his clothes have been destroyed by dirt and smoke showing he was part of it. He is wearing a vest top with his arms out to appeal to the female audience and represents a stereotypical boy getting into no good and creating chaos. 
• He goes to a payphone and when a girl answers the lyrics start by saying ''I'm at a payphone trying to go home all of my change I spent on you'' This shows there is a relationship between the visuals and lyrics. 
• Flashbacks are used of him working in a bank and showing an interest to a specific women letting the audience know it was her that answered the phone.
• A robbery within the bank occurs and everyone panics, The cuts become slower and Adam Levine remains calm and begins to help the women making him look like a form of 'Hero' which most young girls fantasies other and therefore makes him more appealing to that specific audience. Adam is the only person that begins to fight back in the bank and therefore once again symbolises him as a hero, He grabs the girl and runs showing he will not go on without her and makes the music video seem like a short film. 
• The lyrics ''I wish to be holding you like this'' are used whilst the couple begin to run away holding hands, this once again shows a relationship between the song and the visuals. A slow motion effect is used to make the runaway seem more dramatic. 
• The couple are chased by police even though they are the innocent ones, Adam then uses someone's car as a getaway whilst leaving the women behind showing he will do anything to protect her and make sure she's safe and reassures her.
• The car getaway is made more effective by using fast cuts which once again refers to a action film. Adam is made to look fearless which can be effective to again drawing in the female audience. 
• A notion of looking is used when Wiz Khalifa has a solo in a song, it isn't for long and he looks directly at the camera but with glasses on. 
• Towards the end Adam manages to escape a police chase which involved cars and helicopters. As soon as he exits the car it explodes causing panic throughout the audience and relief. He heads straight to the payphone and takes us back to the beginning of the video showing he done all of that for her. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Independant Work

Coldplay - The Scientist - Analysis:

                    

• As the video begins, a close up is used of the man face and the camera slowly starts to zoom out. The notion of looking is used as he looks directly into the camera enabling the audience to feel part of the song. The man speaks the lyrics to the audience and therefore shows a relationship. 
• The man is wearing black trousers and a white top connoting dullness buy using very plain colours and therefore this combines with the lyrics as it is a emotional song.
• The video begins to go backwards and therefore shows there is some kind of narrative. The lyrics 'take me back to the start' is used and therefore matches the visual of the man going backwards in time.
• He carries on to sing about going back to somewhere and the audience are shown many different locations he has had to pass to get to where the video started, this shows the audience he has travelled along way from happiness. As the video gets closer to the end more natural and beautiful things are shown such as fields, the woods and high key lighting, this connotes the close he gets the happier he is. 
• A wide shot is used to show the man still walking back whilst a woman lays still on the ground, because of the use of the rewind/time lapse it shows the woman is dead and this is the moment he wanted to go back to maybe to prevent it.
• He goes all the way back to before a car crash and when him and the woman were together showing that was when he was at his happiness point. It shows he has finally got back to start and therefore the visuals and lyrics match. 

Lesson 2 - 14/09/12

In todays lesson as it was a short one we decided to just analyse one music video. I found analysing the music video was very informal and helpful as it helped to to carry on developing my analysis skills. It showed me how different music genres hold different codes and conventions within their video as they all appeal to separate audiences. It also showed me an example of how all videos don't completely match up to Goodwin's theory. 

Coldplay - Paradise - Analysis.

• Holds up words on cardboard in sync with lyrics.
• Shows a live performance - Genre characteristics.
• Located in London and symbolises some form of poverty and hows he escapes it.
• Notion of looking as the man in the elephant costume looks directly at the audience.
• Shows the difference between fantasy and reality and how their joint (Paradise).
• Made to look like a short film
• Maybe referencing 'Madagascar'.
• Animalisation.
• Mentions a girl but the visions don't match.

Lesson 1 - 13/09/12

What is the point of a music video? 

• To create a recognisable image that will appeal to a target audience.
• Marketing tool for the Artist/Band. 
• To increase airplay of the song,
• It creates more interest within the album.
• Sells Singles/Albums and the Artist.

Media Theorist:

• Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin was a media theorist in who wrote about music videos and suggested that basically all of them follow certain rules/ codes and conventions.

The Codes and Conventions:

1. The record company's demand for exposure of the artist will mean a lot of close-up shots of the singer/band.
2. There will be a relationship between the music and the video
3. There will be a relationship between the lyrics and vision. 
4. Genre characteristics will be shown for example rock music videos show live perormances, hip hop videos show images of wealth and a 'gangster' lifestyle and boy bands will feature dance routines.
5. There will be references to the notion of looking, for example - TV screens, mirrors and people looking at the audience. (Voyeurism)
6. The video will include some form of a inter-textual reference.

Ways to analyse a music video: 

• Performance
• Narrative and other visual elements
• Genre characteristics
• Cinematography
• Mise en scene
• Editing
• Notion of looking
• Intertextual referencing 

A lot of the above will overlap, it will be easier to analyse the video chronologically.

Jay Z- 99 Problems - Analysis

• Scopophillia is not used that frequently therefore the visuals are portraying a relationship to the song. 
• Shows a typical 'thug life' through the use of narrative and genre characteristics - Hip Hop.
• Close ups of street signs to create awareness of the location.
• Relationship between visuals and lyrics ''I got 99 problems but a bitch aint one'' zooms into a woman.
• Jay Z always features a notion of looking as he looks directly at the audience.
• Relationship between lyrics and visuals 'Talks to the lord'' Zooms into Jesus.
• Hip Hop genre shows typical characteristics; graffiti, police, criminality, style, chains around neck, baseball caps, big jacket, baggy jeans, derogatory treatment towards women 'Bitch' -focusing on a dog and then cuts to a woman, women in bikinis, illegal dog fighting, prison fences, set in Brooklyn, run down, basketball courts, balaclavas, gun shoots, murder, street dancing. 
• The black and white effect represents a ghetto style and maybe contradicting old American films that make everything seem perfect - The American Dream. It also creates a more dull and run-down effect.