Media Revision 2

Media Revision 2

How does media language and intertextuality create meaning in this video?

Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

• Mid shot - It is positioned with the audience, they both sway with him, diegetic sound of him panting heavy and non-diegetic sound of the music sounding suspenseful and links to the horror genre through this convention of sound, proairetic and hermeneutic code. He is wondering around aimlessly and looking for something, the swaying motion could have connotations of being drunk, the setting is a street with bright highkey lighting and neon signs, intertextual reference to Vegas or Hollywood.
• When the artist enters the car, the audience sees a variety of shots at a fast pace (montage) a close up of his foot on the pedal, shaking close up of the speed metre going at high speeds, fast close up of highkey neon lights that becomes a blur - symbolic code of being high.
• The music video gives pleasure to the audience through the use of intertextual references.
• It is a conventional music video in terms of singing, dancing and narrative of the romance between the man and woman.

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• Very fast paced editing --> connotations of tripping/cocaine --> speed up drug.
• Product placement - Mercedes-Benz recurring throughout video, with flashes of the logo occurring frequently.
• Fast paced montage editing, beat matched to the song
• The mise-en-scene of the red lighting and colour pallet that is constant throughout the video symbolises love and romance, which mirrors the lyrics.
• The lyrics reference 'Sin City' and the video is partly shot in Sin City (Las Vegas)
• A feeling of chaos and excitement is constructed through fast paced, beat-matched editing.
• There are a lot of intertextual references throughout the video, making reference to multiple movies like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas through the use of distorted cinematography and fast-paced editing, and other films like After Hours, Blade Runner, and Joker. The Mise-en-scene of the setting also creates intertextuality. Inside the club where The Weeknd becomes infatuated with the Asian singer, the patterning on the walls is an intertextual reference to the red room from Twin Peaks, mirroring the red colour pallet of the video. This intertextual reference could imply that the narrative of the video is a fantasy of the performer's. 
• The initial close up conforms to the hermeneutic code which is portrayed through the man in the clip having blood dripping down his face, looking like he’s been beaten up. His facial expression conveys agony and as a result makes the audience feel tense and feel empathetic towards him. The red jacket and blood symbolises danger which makes the audience want to protect the man; The audience carry on watching the music video in order to establish what has happened to the man . 
• Close up slow zooming in camera shot, flashy transition between the end of first shot and and black screen, high-key red neon lighting, dynamic and tracking shots facing and following weeknd, contrast of lowkey and highkey lighting, headshots, dolly shots, persistent colour of red throughout. 
• There is a birds-eye-view shot of The Weeknd dancing on a bridge and he is in the centre of the shot, reinforcing that he is the performer and the focus of the video.
• The binary opposition between low-key lit shots of a city at night and bright car headlights creates a sense of bewilderment/confusion, interpreting the lyrics “I’m blinded by the lights” in a literal sense 
• Video is a follow up to his latest music video 'heartless', as he is running a billboard behind him displays the title 'heartless' --> an example of intertextuality 
• The mise-on-scene is very closely linked to an older film called Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The location and costume are similar; the hallucinogenic editing is also very similar.
• Mid-way through the music video, the sound slows down and warps as the camera angle changes to a first person shot and bright, vibrant lights flash past, giving it more of a drug-like feel and makes the audience see what the performer's character is seeing. 
• The opening shot is an extreme close up, blood is coming from his mouth, his facial expression symbolises he is in pain which creates an hermeneutic code for the audience 
• Cherries - Common connotations of sex, further implied whilst slowly floating towards stereotypically attractive woman, who appears to be working (bell hooks, feminist theory) 
• The club setting, and simplistic narrative of 'getting the girl', paired with the generic leather-jacketed thugs fighting back against the red-suited, and glove adorning The Weekend. Makes the music video incredibly reminiscent of a Michael Jackson music video, this reference is reinforced by his dance moves within his performance, as well as the 80s adjacent setting.
• Another intetertexual reference: The 80s - Both via through the film grain filter, cinematic aspect ratio, as well as the mise-en-scene and heavy incorporation of synths within the song.
• Mise-en-scene --> the Asian woman is wearing a full face of make-up along with a silver dress, this implies she is glamorous and is an example of gender performativity --> she is presented as nothing more than a possible love interest. --> often east asian women are presented as accessories within media 
• The song is synth-pop and uses synthesisers, typically a futuristic type of music, and the futuristic, high-key lights in the video reflect this 
• The shot types change drastically, edited in a montage, going from close ups of faces to distant long shots of the erratic movements performed by the artist. Its inconsistent nature implies the instability of the artist, which is making reference to drug abuse. 
• 2/4 time music anchors the fast paced feel of the music video, heavy use of drum cements this 
• East Asian performer is established and represented through an establishing montage of close-up and mysterious mid shots, emphasizing her beautiful and exotic status to the audience. Presented as spectacle for a heterosexual male gaze, her mysterious 'power' is made evident through her ability to cause the performer to literally levitate off the ground. This digital special effect is also a clear intertextual reference to cartoons from the 1940's and further reinforces hegemonic gender stereotypes 
• Album is called After Hours.
• In the club; the singer dances on the table --> possible reference to pulp fiction.
• MES of film grain, providing a binary opposition to the harsh, neon digital shots elsewhere in video. Film grain here is connotative of a classic crime dramas and Hollywood cinema, and reinforces the notion that the song is classic and noteworthy.