How is the representation of gender reflected in Jess Glynnes Right Now

Lydia McCarthy How is the representation of gender reflected in Jess Glynnes Right Now The Editing One way that women are shown within this video is through the use of certain editing skills such as:The rapid editing ensure that not only is Jess constantly being reintroduced to the audience but it could also be seen as showing her as having a fast paced life. This fits the conventions of the dance music genre as its generally appealing to a teenage audience and therefore has to be fast but goes against the more traditional viewing of women in media who are usually shown as slow. Another editing skill used is the motivated edit, this is the idea that the protagonist artist, Jess, is constantly being followed by the camera and therefore the audience. This means that she is seen as the central character and the most superior person within the video. Dyer would argue that this fits with his theory of Star Image as it concentrates on the importance of the female role and therefore goes against the norms of the dance music genre as often the songs are shown from a male gaze and therefore are biased against women.

Editing The use if the number of repeated rapid editing shots re-alliterates the idea that the female character takes centre stage and importance of the situation as she's constantly being tracked and is a key aspect of the song as she is the performer and artist. This however also fits the stereotypes of dance music as the repeated shots means that the viewer becomes familiar with the video and therefore it will have a larger impact and remain more memorable. This is an essential element for the artists and their label as the majority of labels money now comes in from the sales of artists concert tickets and therefore their reputation that they gain from videos determines the audience and profit they are able to bring into the label. The use of the eyeline match shots reoccurring numeral times within the video also plays a big role in determining the representation of women within music videos as the use of the sexualised eyeline match shots with the audience show the artist to be having a personal interaction with the audience and therefore fitting Goodwins idea that relationship between the lyrics and video must match as she says I'm ready, therefore suggesting a sexual undertone that she's ready for the audience and therefore fitting the idea that female artists are often shown as fitting the male gaze as it fits the codes and conventions of the audiences that often watch these videos. Mise En SceneThe way that the producer cleverly uses Mise En Scene means that the audiences opinion on the artist or the song can change rapidly as it manipulates the opinion of the listener. Some of the ways that the producer does this is by; The use of the black and white filter covering the whole frame for the first few shots of the video can suggest power and strength as black is often given these connotations and therefore creates the idea that the female artist is powerful and has a clear message and therefore the viewers are swayed to hear the song from the artists perspective. This is supported by the lip-synching which is concentrated on her and therefore suggest she's a main and important character within the video even though she's just playing herself. This is often an option chosen for dance music as the artists are purposely sexualised and therefore need to be familiarised with the audience. The use of the bold costumes actually go against the stereotypical sexualised image of women within the music industry as all though they are fashionable and modern (which is essential for her to fit into the style of the genre.) It also is not an overly sexualised costume as it shows her simply in a top and trouser outfit and therefore rebels against the sexualised view if women in videos.

Cinematography The use of the wide angles, especially that at the very beginning of the video, showing her on a thrown surrounded by men can suggest that she's unreachable by men and therefore that she's superior to them. This therefore shows women to be seen in a positive light as she's is important and dominant in the video. The close up shots however go against this progression as they show her to be sexualised as they reveal certain sexual dance moves or her body and therefore fit with Carol Vernallis theory that women must appear sexualised within video to appeal to the male gaze and maintain a constant audience who are interested in her other music. The low angle shot however supports the idea that she is seen as vital and looked up to by the audience.