Symbolism and the representation of women
Last time, we looked at the idea that Riptide is exploring 'the logic of dreams'. We can use Roland Barthes's notion of symbolic codes to explore Riptide, and to try ad pull out a deeper meaning from it
Task - Slowly watch the video to Riptide, and make a screenshot EVERY time a woman is on screen
This is going to take some time, there are a lot of women in this video! (If you cannot make screenshots, you can simply watch the video and write written descriptions)
Now make notes under the following headings:
- How are women represented in this video?
- What is the symbolism of the mise en scene of the rope and the dental brace?
- In what ways are we positioned as an audience?
- What links all the women in this video?
- What message about women is constructed in this video, and what hegemonic expectations does this reinforce?
Genre conventions
While the music video to Riptide may be a promotional video to an indie pop song, the video itself has many references to other genres of film. We saw in the last session how the video shares many thematic and visual similarities with the surrealist genre. However, the video also makes explicit reference to the horror genre, in particular classic horror films from the 1970's.
Task - watch the trailer to Suspiria (1977), and then rewatch the video to Riptide. Make notes of all the similarities between the two videos
It would be ideal if you could make side by side screenshot comparisons between the two films.
Does the video to Riptide make explicit reference to Suspira? Probably not. But it is making reference to this style of european horror cinema, as well as italian crime films.
But why?
Postmodernism
Riptide combines a range of startling images, including images that are symbolically violent and sexual. We have explored the violent and negative representation of women, but there is another possibility: the director has chucked lots of things together in order to make a cool video!
Task - Click this link, and read all about postmodernism. Make notes under the different aspects of postmodernism, and give one example for each from Riptide
This is a difficult concept to get your head around, but for the time being, it helps to think of the video for Riptide as offering 'style over substance' . We can argue it offers a deliberately meaningless experience for the audience, and instead combines a range of visually interesting and confusing images. And what is the only reason for a media product to exist? To make money!
Bonus - exam question: Explore the ways in which Riptide uses intertextuality to make meaning for it's audiences.
You can use everything from this session, from genre conventions, the representation of women and postmodern theory to answer this question. So give it a go!