Musical Multimedia - Research Paper Example

Task: Musical Multimedia Introduction There are positive elements found in IMM both as a constituent media and the categorization of other forms of multimedia as observed in songs and musical videos. It, therefore, suggests that before delving on the similarities of IMM in relation to a broader framework of consumerism culture and religious affiliations, an understanding of the guiding factors is crucial. Additionally, performance and projection equally differ in most IMM representations in the media platform and hence should not feature in conventional and postmodernist interpretations. This is notable in Madonna’s song Material Girl that critics and scholars have hailed as an embodiment of feminism and gender equality. Despite the success of songs and musical videos in the modern age of technology and other advancements in human skill to streamline production, a sickening culture of consumerism is threatening the musical industry because artists produce shoddy works for fame. Analyzing musical multimedia requires a deeper understanding of how they relate to communication and the overall dissemination of positive or negative message to the society. For example, Cook discusses the image presented by Madonna’s Material Girl that was released in 1985 amid critical acclaim1. Representations of feminism and a combination of independence for women echo from Madonna’s song where she gained a place in the academic world. According to scholars, the singer emerged as a new voice in the post-modernist arena where composition was pegged on identities and images to reach out to an audience. Therefore, the theorization of Madonna’s video equally demonstrates the role of the media in determining new perspectives while also influencing the traditions associated with musical harmonies. Additionally, the incorporation of the aspects of love and money largely manifest a wider scheme in the performance of ballads while also connecting with varying models of multimedia. However, it is fundamental to acknowledge that songs and music videos have a disparity based on the message reflected to the listeners as compared to music videos as observed in Madonna’s Material Girl. There are three models that, according to Nicholas Cook, play an integral in defining the consistency of various forms of multimedia in the scheme of communications. The similarity test, for instance, takes into consideration the coherent and consistent metaphors that sometimes are identical to another. In using metaphorical expressions, Cook observes that varying emerging multimedia forms tend to communicate a message by associating meaning with the expected message as noted in Madonna’s song. This is complimented by the whirring sound found in the film production of Madonna’s song that tells a story based on broken love and the essence of becoming rich to win women. According to Cook, the untraditional mode found in Material Girl espouses a new reception in the academic world whereby the song is connected to a love for money through the intertexual reference made in the creation of effect2. Elements of fragmentation and discontinuity are also apparent in post-modernist constructs whereby artists such as Madonna present visual imagery in recreating narrative models to suit a particular audience. This differs from the models that base their argument on coherence, consistence and similarity test. Additionally, the disintegration of the studio systems heralded numerous changes in Hollywood with emphasis on exhibition, creation and even distribution leading to the collapse of vintage film production. On that note, the songs and musical videos underwent a new revolution compounded by complicated technology that produced 3 dimension (3D) flicks for audiences with diverse beliefs and values. A difference also exists between a love story and romantic story in regards to the projection of identity and image. In a love story, for instance, imagery is critical during the representation of conventions that directly associated with other musical mediums. Contrastingly, for a romantic story such as Madonna’s Material Girl, relevance relies on the music video that has a special musical performance called diegesis. Accordingly, being a first person musical narrative, Madonna acts as the spoilt character in the story while equally embodying the overall picture of the story-teller to a particular audience. This suggests that a representation of future feminism and avant-garde in Madonna’s song is a larger representation of what Cook notes as serious musicology in the realms of multimedia mediums. It also evokes musical meaning by assisting critics in making varied interpretations that defy tradition while also embracing a postmodernist approach in pop culture. In other words, meaning should transcend the vocal effects and presentation when attempting to deduce meaning because that fails to link both the aesthetic and deeper import of any artistic form of multimedia. In the same capacity, contradictions emanate from a postmodernism aspect whereby a consumer culture remains the long-term recipients of musical videos and songs in shaping their beliefs and values in life. This is another representation of culture clash in which issues of gender and entertainment merge in commercial framework to embody female desires as noted in Madonna’s song. It helps in gender address through making self-parodies of female identities while depicting young teenagers as the epitome of conventional changes in an evolving society. Alternatively, the rock-video phenomenon establishes a new format of attaining musical pleasure from a sociological perspective. Contrastingly, in content analysis, lyrical standardization influences the culture’s industry success through the influences observed in the market choices equally apparent in Marxist critique of radio music. This is evident in Material Girl by Madonna where the singer makes reflections on value change through high and low notes. Additionally she represents the liberation of sexual mores attached to hedonism and consumer culture in both sensitive teenagers and liberated women. Contradiction and contrariety remains the hallmark of understanding how music videos differ from other forms of IMM characterized by modernist postmodernist production such as in Material Girl. It is also accompanied by complementation through the exhibition of character subjectivity both in performance and overall projection according to postmodernist standards approved by Cook in the interpretation of multimedia forms. In other words, music and words enjoy a common ground based on form and substance that heavily differs from the textual analyses recommended by academicians and university scholars in comprehending the pop consumerism in the digital age. According to scholars, an intertextual relationship is what defines the musicality in videos and songs in the representation of conventional narratives to either deconstruct particular meanings or attain objectives desired by listeners. The role of IMM’s conversation in the subjects of religion, media and pop culture is also an aspect that cannot be ignored. This begins by assessing the connection between culture and music involvement among community members. From critics’ point of view, the principal features found in songs and music videos begin by noting the vocal notes and jazz improvisation that emanate when examined from multiple prisms. It equally spreads to sound transformation during recording toward separating it from the earlier records that defined the consumerism culture of the 1960s until the 1970s. Similarly, the exploration of classical music that has dominated the contemporary media is a symbolism of the uniqueness that characterizes the music scene since collapse of traditional film production. According to Cook, analysis of multimedia could assume a broader aspect by understanding hoe IMM differs from the media framework in this modern age. A sensitive application, for example, is directly, linked with the expression theory where categorization ranges between traditional and modern. Other comparisons could also include either contrapuntal or parallel in which there exists an element of consciousness as noted in the theorization of multimedia from the ancient times. It implies that while songs have words to communicate, videos have pictures to stimulate visual sensations. The Madonna’s song was instrumental in displaying the state of advancement of the given society. In a society that had long fooled the woman about her value, Madonna rose to establish a new foundation. In the new world, a woman would be free to stay around a man solely for material benefits. This was the kind of freedom that surpassed the traditional realm of societal expectations. In this sense, a woman could manipulate her personal freedom towards personal benefits and recklessness without facing reproach from the society. The Madonna’s song is a manifestation of the blurriness that exists between the popular cultures and real music. A popular culture normally manifest through the visuals in videos. With the emergence of new technological capacities, directors could enact extreme visuals. The visuals, in this sense, become vital in defining music. In the academic analysis of music, the analysts cannot ignore the huge role that visuals play in enhancing the consumption of music. The visuals aid in the consumption of music. Such visuals, however, impede the conception of music. This suggests that even poorly composed music may end up attracting audiences because of glitzy visuals. This, therefore, has a profound effect on the transmission of cultural elements. Cultural notions, hence, are transmitted through visuals rather than lyrics. This element eventually affects the analysis of music. The inception of film music marked a transition into a new world that would fast replace the concert music. In turn, videos would become a critical element in displaying the cultural attitudes of a generation. The film music seems to reflect the Hollywood impressions that have been employed to understand real world scenarios. When music operates as a movie, audiences become engrossed in the plots of songs rather than content. The idea that Material Girl relates to an earlier Monroe’s performance in music displays the relative insignificance of words in songs3. This suggests that words, sometimes, may receive limited attention in intellectual circles because they entail repetition of other people’s ideas. This suggests that lyrics may only be rearrangement of other people’s ideas rather than a creation of new content. For instance, in the 1950’s and 1960’s, sociologists analyzed songs by dissecting words. In addition, the intellectuals emphasized on songs rather than singers in examining the cultural notions of music because of established content analysis procedures. These procedures did not provide mechanism for interpreting other forms of musical elements other than lyrics. In this perspective, songs that were hit records made given lyrics social symbols. Songs followed these established rigidities in their composition. New musicians would compose songs as based on the market notions of good music. Cook argues that in as much as this attitude might be true, it compromises on the understanding of music. It is crucial to highlight that analysis of music may take many forms. To begin with, a cultural or a musical expert may analyze a song from the words. On the other hand, an analyst may examine a song from the visuals. Cook introduces a third type of analysis that examines a song through the relationships of its elements. In this perspective, it is essential to examine songs from the relationships of the visuals and the lyrics4. This relationship is essential in determining the impact of both visuals and words in songs. For instance, in the visuals, Madonna has a coherent persona. She has a materialistic streak that defines her relationship with the individuals around her. This seems to correspond with the progress of the visuals as a straightforward story. Madonna possesses a liberal attitude in terms of words such as pennies, credit, and cash. In the visuals, Madonna also surrounds herself with glitziness in terms of her clothes and the well-dressed individuals that pursue her. It is notable that music has prominent sociological elements. Sociological elements entail the attitudes, emotions, and aspirations of a generation. Music seems to correspond to consumerism in the world cultures. In this view, individuals produce music that obeys the market notions of good music. In analyzing multimedia musical multimedia, Cook proposes a view that regards examining the negative and positive images that songs confer. Madonna seems to display concepts of feminism and materialism that was manifesting in her own age. This highlights contemporary attitudes about love and relationships. It is essential to obey the relationships that visuals share with lyrics in examining the content of music. In the Material girl video, Madonna adores flashiness and wealth. This also reflects in the carefree attitude that Madonna displays in the visuals. Works cited Cook, Nicholas. Analyzing musical multimedia. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print. Kaplan, Ann. Rocking around the clock: music television, postmodernism, and consumer culture. Methuen Inc, 1987. Frith, Simon. Music for pleasure: essays in the sociology of pop. New York, NY: Routledge, 1988. Read More