Intertextuality in music videos

This video contains more nerdy references than any other music video i could find. The list is as follows:

Sega - 0:33
Sunset Riders - 0:35
Super Mario Bros. - 0:43
Rick Roll'd! - 0:46
Star Wars - 0:50
Excite Bike - 1:00
Bubble Bobble - 1:01
Angry Birds - 1:04
Super Mario Bros. - 1:06
Ballon Fight - 1:06
T&C Surfing - 1:06
Elevator Action - 1:11
Pitfall - 1:13
Q*Bert - 1:16
X-Box Achievement Easter Egg - 1:31
Super Mario Bros. - 1:39
Street Fighter II - 1:42
Marvel vs Capcom - 1:44
Ke$ha - 1:48
Grand Theft Auto - 1:58
Pac-Man - 2:01
Grand Theft Auto - 2:03
PaRappa The Rapper - 2:06
The Orange Box - 2:10
The Legend of Zelda - 2:13
Metal Gear Solid - 2:17
Pokemon - 2:23
Hello Kitty - 2:23
Felix the Cat - 2:23
Super Mario Bros. - 2:24
Star Wars - 2:25
Donkey Kong - 2:26
The Impossible Cube - 2:27
Tintin - 2:27
Keyboard Cat - 2:28
Hello Kitty - 2:31
Angry Birds - 2:40
Donkey Kong - 2:40
Darth Vader - 2:40
Pac-Man - 2:43
Zero Wing - 2:43
Twinsen's Odyssey - 2:47
Street Fighter II - 2:50
Mortal Kombat - 2:53
Duck Hunt - 2:54
Sam and Max - 3:00
Kenny G - 3:04
Rise of the Triad - 3:12
The Simpsons - 3:13
Bomberman - 3:17
Final Fantasy - 3:29
PaRappa The Rapper - 3:30
Pac-Man - 3:32
Adventure Time - 3:34
Katamari Damacy - 3:38
Sonic the Hedgehog - 3:46
Sad Cat - 4:14
Garfield - 4:17
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - 4:21
Street Fighter - 4:21
Super Mario Bros. - 4:29
Pro Wrestling - 4:34
Clayfighter - 4:40
The Neverhood - 4:44
The video is made by Goldfish and all of the hidden references are in some way related to the band. For example all enemies are represented as cats, like the stormtroopers, all the people in the bar and bomberman, while the band and friends (like princess peach) are all fish/goldfish related. The intertextual references span from memes to original/classic gaming as well as modern games. These references don't add to the lyrics or music but make for a fun viewing experience that's juxtaposed to the song.

Music videos and their representations of males

Masculine identities in music videos

Here are a variety of different representations of the male identity in music videos. The first of which is "mockingbird" by eminem. The video depicts an unusual stereotype of male father figures, as in this video the father has left home but still cares very much for what he's lost, rather than feeling free and not caring for his children.
The second image is from the video of the famous world cup hit "three lions on a shirt." The image is of one of the "lads" leading his son out to play a match against the Germans. This male image is very stereotypical to English men.
The third image is from the beloved hit by lonely island "I just had sex ft. akon" The male image represented here is obviously one of the "sex obsessed" young adult which is a trend throughout the whole video; with the band bragging constantly about sexual conquest.
The fourth image is another eminem video "I love the way you lie" In this the male character is seen to dominate his female counterpart and is viewed as cheating scum. This is an unfortunately common stereotype in the media industry, however in this video his girlfriend is seen to fight back, and hard!
The final image is of the well loved Cee Lo Green with his hit "F**k You" this video represents the loveliest of male images in my mind; one of a man who couldn't care less that a girl he likes doesn't like him back. It is an uncommon image of men and that is why it was so famous.

Research: Album Covers

1. What are the typical features that an album cover has?

Album covers vary in so many ways between artists. From the variety of images I have above I can see that they often contain images of the band or artist, the title of the album and/or name of the artist. However even those features aren't necessarily a part of the album work. Most commonly among these images however, you can see that they represent the artist/genre/songs through the use of imagery. The primary example would be 'My Chemical Romance' with their album 'The Black Parade' which uses very dark and creepy imagery to represent the "emo" genre.

2. How would you categorise the covers in front of you?
The albums here could be categorised in so niche spectrum's as genre or even artists! Some of them can even be a product of the year they were designed in, for example the 'Beatles' album which is clearly late 60's work. There are some very broad categories that they can come under however:

Band photo: This covers everything from a simple but meaningful image of Ed Sheeran in orange, to the Beatles crossing a road stricken with imagery and conspiracy. The images are never simple and always contain some special methods of representation for the band.

Creative Photography: This is used in many album covers and is often combined with the title of the album or band to anchor the image. It can also contain some hidden message (or blatant at that) but will occasionally just be a symbol for the band or genre, like the killers image of the tops of London apartment blocks.

Digital Design: Much like creative photography these images are computer designed and generally couple with genre's like

3. What do you think the different functions/purposes of album covers?
The obvious answer to this is to sell the music. As they say the first bite is with the eye, and these album covers are the very first taste that the audience get of the music before they buy it. They display clearly what to expect i.e. genre, style and intertextual references.  I guess another function of it is an expression for the artist, regarding their thoughts, perhaps during the writing or to show what influences them.

Looking at a music video director: Francis Lawrence

Francis Lawrence has always been one of my favorite directors. He's directed some major hits like "I Am Legend" and "Water For Elephants" which are two films that i have always loved. He was born in Vienna, Austria and moved to Los Angeles at the age of three. The first music video shot with him as head director was Tidal Force - A Man Rides Through. He quickly became known for his original and imaginative music video scripts and visual directing style. He has now directed a massive range of music videos for major artists.

P!nk - Just Like A Pill

This video always intrigued me. I first saw it on singstar when i was much younger than i am today. I felt the video brilliantly captured the feeling of loosing yourself (drug induced or not) and the performance that he gets out of pink is just fantastic. The video remains constantly eye catching and seems to flow with the disjointed sounding song so perfectly.

Green Day - Warning

In this video you continue to get a sense of Francis Lawrence's style. He loves confusing the audience in terms of placement in the scene, keeping attention and at the same time not causing you to suspend your disbelief and get too immersed in the digesis and listen to the track instead. He also loves the bad boy image, as is seen in the shot where the protagonist is running in a swimming pool under a clearly marked "do not run sign"

Justin Timberlake - Rock Your Body

I chose this video because it differs so much from the first two. However, you can still see Francis Lawrence's style peeking through. The video plays with the placement of the audience in the small space of the lighted room. The high key lighting and grungy look are also common across these videos. However the genre of this song requires more dance troops and choreography than the first two which were primarily performance based pop rock.

Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For?

this is another song I first saw on singstar (which is where I first found Francis Lawrence) This video contains his beloved transition, his lighting styles, strange juxtaposed images and use of super imposing the same person into a shot twice. I love all his videos because they are all so different and yet so similar. He never looses the things he loves yet keeps each artist unique. If I am able to replicate just a few of his styles and looks  into my videos I will be very happy.

What Music Means To Me

Childhood

Anyone who was born in the 90's who claims they don't go mental every time they hear this song is a liar. The song was one of my favourites and I even remember singing it during long car journeys and while shopping with my mother. It continues to represent me today, as I sit on the brink between adulthood and my childhood years. I can't remember how long ago it was that I first heard it but this song will always hold a strong place in my memories.

Teens
This song is one that I have never particularly enjoyed, however not only does it hold very strong sentimental value for me, the uplifting beat and yet somehow sombre acoustic ukulele seem to sum up for me my teenage years. I first heard the song when it was played to me by an old girlfriend, as one of the pieces she would be singing in a competition. It was later a song that featured on a mixed tape that a girl I was very interested in gave to me. The song always reminds me of my mid teens and (although it's not the best of songs) it will surely be a song that I continue to like throughout my life.

Today

This is a song that recently was added to my spotify. As my recent enjoyment of "Chase & Status" hit a bit of a high, I felt it was an appropriate choice for my modern choice. The song hits home well for me, the attitude and feel to it seem to reflect me in some ways. It is also slightly uncharacteristic of "Chase & Status" as a song. I feel that the slightly different aspect of it represents my unusual characteristics and attitudes.

Added Bonus

As a special treat I give you (in true glee style) an acoustic mash up of all three songs. I apologise in advance for its shoddiness, but regardless, here is the song that represents my life as a whole, the ups and downs, the flow (and lack of it in places) and of course my terrible voice.