DeCal

“No art form is as schizophrenic as the music video. In part a commercial and in part a short film, it has flaunted the line between art and commerce, undermined narrative and character development, and shortened an entire generation’s attention span.” - Neil Feineman

Underlying and often over-looked in our popular culture are the sounds and visuals of the Music Video. From first glance, it may seem as if the video solely acts as a visual aid to the purchased, or illegally retrieved, music.  But in actuality, is this really the primary role of the music video in our world? Why is it that this form of media is often over-looked and taken for granted, when it may have the ability to effect our very processes of consuming music itself?  Throughout this course, we will engage deeply into the medium and closely analyze the music video, learning the aesthetics of the music video from given articles, and applying these skills when analyzing the image itself.  Primarily, the aim of this course is to attempt to answer the following: Are music videos solely the product of money-hungry musicians, or an auteur's artistic expression? What kinds of themes, motifs, and patterns occur throughout the music video, and what message do they bring forth by way of the image? And finally, how does the cross between image and sound in the music video, ultimately shape our own cultural views and character?  Ranging from the advent of pop video in the 80s, the edgy and artistic visuals of 90s alternative, the glamour and gangsta of Hip-Hop, the squeeky-clean, yet, highly provocative moves of the late-90s pop scene, and into the independent/experimental "YouTube" voice of today's video, this course will be a journey into the video, as a means to reveal its overall meaning.  After viewing many videos in and out of class, by the end of this course, you will be expected to synthesize the material presented in class, to create your own voice, in your very own music video.  If you are a fan of film, music, or just want to uncover some of the hidden treasures of our popular culture, this course is just for you.