Over the years there has been a drastic change in what people consider 'controversial' music videos. In this post I will be showing you some of the most controversial music videos over the years.
1980's: Girls on Film - Duran Duran
Girls on Film was Duran Duran's 3rd single released on July 13th 1981. The single became Duran Duran's Top 10 breakthrough in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at Number 5 in July 1981. The video was made with directing duo Godley & Creme at Shepperton Studios in July 1981. It was filmed just weeks before MTV was launched in the United States and before anyone knew what an impact the music channel would have on the industry.
The raunchy video created an uproar, and it was consequently banned by the BBC and heavily edited for its original run on MTV; the band unabashedly enjoyed and capitalised on the controversy.
Here are some screen shots from this so called 'controversial' music video
Personally I feel the music video overshadowed the song's message of fashion model exploitation.
The raunchy aspect is shown through possible 'sexy' situations like the pretty woman massaging the man and the mud wrestling scene.
The song is pop/rock and the video is very fitting to the genre. The band are performing throughout the video which is linked to the rock genre. Also the bands outfits are also of the pop/rock genre as they;re wearing bandanas, and tight clothing. Furthermore pop and rock bands are often associated with beautiful women which is definitely included in this video! There are numerous amounts of women scantily clad throughout the video.
When it comes to editing most shots are 2-3 seconds long, there is an establishing shot of the ban which is longer but this helps set the scene and give the audience an idea of what is going on. The editing isn't exceptionally fast paced but this fits in with the pace of the song making it more aesthetically pleasing.
The mise en scene fits with the raunchiness of the song: massage oil, mud wrestling, alcohol, which all fits in with the mood of the song
The video uses a huge range of camera shots; from close-ups, long shots, low angle shots - which are mostly used on the band and so makes them seem more powerful and having a higher status than the others in the video.
OKAY, HOLD UP, SO I ACTUALLY WATCHED THE WHOLE UNCENSORED VERSION AND HOLY MOLY NO WONDER IS WAS CONSIDERED CONTROVERSIAL!!!!! I THINK MY RETINAS ARE SCARRED.
2010's: Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke
"Blurred Lines" is a song recorded by American recording artist Robin Thicke for his 2013 album. The single peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, as well as topping the Billboard R&B Songs chart. It became Thicke's most successful song on the Billboard Hot 100, being his first to reach number one on the chart.
The music video was released on March 20, 2013, and was made in two versions; the first video features models Emily Ratajkowski (bit of a mouthful), Jessi M'Bengue, and Elle Evans being topless, the second features them covered. On March 30, 2013, the topless version of the video was removed from YouTube for violating the site's terms of service regarding nudity, though it was later restored, but flagged as inappropriate.
The genre of this music video is “Pop”, we get this impression through the clothing of the men and the modern day society of how stereotypical women are dressed - mise en scene. The men characters are dressed casually smart and trendy, whereas the women are dressed sexually and look inferior to the men. This music video can be controversial to the target audience as the main conventions are stereotypical to gender.
The ‘Mise en scene’ has been based in one set. The background is consistently light pink throughout the whole music video which could be a stereotype of women as the colour pink is a connotation for women. This can also be seen as feminism as this music video has been targeted at women who struggle to obtain equal rights in society.
The low angle shot is another convention of where the men look more dominant and powerful than the women. The sexual, bite lipping face the female character is making is sexual and provocative to men as the male gaze is a key aspect in this music video. The close shot of the women lighting the cigarette is another form of stereotype as women being taken for advantage.
Editing wise Thicke has used his hashtag #THICKE which is plastered across the music video. The hashtag trend is extremely popular in modern day society hence why Robin Thicke has used it. This will gain his media attention through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The hashtag will be a common trend and lead people to follow the trend
So when I compare the two videos, I do not know which one is worse. Personally I find Blurred Lines disgusting and it actually makes me want to be sick. I feel that girls on film is more subtle in the ways it portrays women, but only slightly. The women in their video aren't constantly topless.
Needless to say I did not enjoy analysing these music videos. *throws up*
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