Introduction:
The arts of music and television
have been weaved together for decades, producing a deeper meaning within the
text. Through the use of indexical,
iconic, and symbolic signs, messages are conveyed through the art of music
videos, portraying the story a specific song suggests. Just as commercials and television shows can
be analyzed through semiotics, music videos can be studied using the same
philosophy. Using semiotic analysis, I
will break down the various signs within the music video for Paramore’s hit
“Brick By Boring Brick”. Following the
semiotic analysis, I will outline and design an audience research study, based
on the ideas of David Morley and Ellen Seiter.
Semiotic Analysis:
The music video for the song “Brick
By Boring Brick” alternates between two different scenes, which represent two
distinctive worlds. One world symbolizes
make-believe and the world of magic, while the other symbolizes reality. Along with these two distinct worlds, three
main characters are also present. There
is a young female child, who travels between reality and make-believe, along
with a young adult female, who stays in reality. Lastly, there is a gravedigger, who stays in
the realistic section of the video. Each
of these characters possesses specific signs, which denote and connote
different meanings.
During the opening sequence of the
music video, the young female child is introduced. She is wearing a fluffy pink dress; butterfly
wings, and carries a doll. This young
female child denotes a young child; this young child is the signifier. On the other hand, this young female child
represents something more when the influence of social media is considered. Children, especially young female children,
connote the idea of naivety, dependence, and weakness. Both of these ideas are stereotypes
associated with children, especially female children. In this way, the child connotes
weakness, and is the signified. When
analyzing the female child, other signs are present within this aspect of the
video.
As the child is running through the
forest in the beginning of the video, she is wearing butterfly wings, and
carrying a doll. Regarding the sign of
butterfly wings, this object denotes the idea of orange and black butterfly
wings, which is the signifier. While,
when speaking of the connoted idea, the wings represent the idea of flying and
escaping. In many forms of social media,
the idea of flying is associated with escaping.
Therefore, the wings connote the idea of escaping reality. This conclusion is further supported at the
end of the music video, when the child leaves the magical world without her
wings. In turn, she is returning to
reality to deal with the present. This
idea of escape is the signified.
Similar to the butterfly wings, the
doll also denotes and connotes certain meanings. This sign denotes the image of
a doll, being the signifier. Although,
the image of a doll, based on social exposure to the media, connotes the idea
of childhood and naivety. In the beginning of the film, the child carries the
doll with her while she is in the real world.
She does not carry this doll with her into the world of make-believe,
but does carry it with her when in the real world. At the end of the music video, the child
falls into the grave, and the young woman picks up the doll. The young woman then throws the doll into the
grave, and the gravedigger begins tossing dirt back into the grave. In this way, the actions of the young woman
connote the idea of burying the past, growing up, and facing reality. With this, we begin to discuss the young
woman as a sign.
The young woman in this music video
denotes a young blonde woman, wearing a white dress. This view of the woman is known as the
signifier. On the other hand, the young
woman connotes the ideas of strength and independence. This contrast between the young woman and
child suggests that the story is about the young woman, or about an individual
the young woman knows. Furthermore, the
young woman is signing the song in the video.
She is also the lead singer of the band Paramore. In turn, the actual lead singer of Paramore
is the referent in this case.
Lastly, the character of the
gravedigger also plays an important role within this music video. The gravedigger denotes the image of a man
digging a grave, acting as a signifier.
While the gravedigger denotes this image, this character connotes to idea
of death and relief. This idea of death
and relief are examples of the signified.
The development of these associations is based on the exposure to
culture and the social media. In the
music video for “Brick By Boring Brick”, this theory is highlighted when the
gravedigger begins to bury the female child, and her doll, at the end of the
music video. Furthermore, through this form of media, it is also possible to
discuss the idea of a syntagm and paradigm.
When
discussing the syntagm and paradigm of visual media, it is possible to break
down these definitions more clearly. In other
words, the syntagmatic dimensions of the video would include its structural
elements, while the paradigmatic dimensions would include its content. With regards to “Brick By boring Brick”, the
syntagm is structured in the following way.
First, the child escapes reality by crawling through the woods. Next, the child enjoys the world of
make-believe. The child then becomes
frightened when the magical world turns evil.
Lastly, the child escapes the world of make-believe and returns to
reality. Weaved between this chronological
steps are shots of the young woman and gravedigger. By changing the order of these steps, the
meaning would change.
Regarding
the paradigmatic dimensions of the music video, we must examine the content
presented to the audience. The content
in this music video can be divided up into various categories. There is a list of characters, including
the young woman, female child, and gravedigger.
Under the category of props, the doll, butterfly wings, grave, shovel,
and swing are listed. Lastly, the music
video includes two settings: the graveyard in the woods, and the world of
make-believe. If an elderly woman
replaced the female child, or if the butterfly wings became a witch’s hat, the
meaning behind the music video would change.
Audience Research Study:
When
discussing research methodology, there are specific aspects that must be
considered. In order to design a study,
one must decide whether they will question subjects on an individual basis, or
in a group. As discussed by Seiter and
Morley, there are both positive and negative aspects to each type of
study. According to Morley’s essay, the
difficulty with asking questions in a group setting is that the dominant
individuals of the group make sure their views are heard. Less assertive individuals may not share
their opinions, leaving the study with an inaccurate conclusion. When designing
my study, I took this theory into consideration. When questioning my subjects,
I will ask each individual separately, allowing every person in each social
class to voice their opinions. The type
of questioning also needs to be considered when creating a research study.
According
to Morley and Seiter, there are two types of questions a person can ask. For example, an individual may be asked
open-ended questions, or questions that prompt a specific type of answer. When individuals are asked an open-ended
question at the beginning of an interview, all questions that follow are
designed based on the subject’s unique answer.
Using this method, it is difficult to separate the results into groups
due to their wide range of conclusions.
Keeping this in mind, I would not begin my research with this type of
questioning. In turn, I would create a
list of questions that would prompt answers that would be easily grouped and
organized.
Now
that I have clarified the reasoning behind the design of my research study, I
will begin detailing the steps of my research methodology. In order to divide up the population, I would
consider social class, age, education, and race. Also, I would create a group based on
individuals who identify, and who do not identify with the song the music video
was created to represent. Each
individual would be asked questions individually, and their answers would be
placed in the corresponding categories.
Also, these questions would be specific enough to allow for conclusions
to be easily drawn.
Regarding
the type of questions I would ask, they would call for simple answers. I would ask what they notice about the color
scene of the video. Also, I would focus
on their interpretation of each individual character, along with their
wardrobe. I would call attention to the
child’s wardrobe, and its individual pieces, but first I would ask if they
noticed the significance of the butterfly wings and doll. Each of these interviews would be conducted
one-on-one. When analyzing the
individuals’ responses, I would look at them from an ideological standpoint;
although, I would also focus on specific patterns that developed over
time. With this approach, I would be
able to understand the logic behind each viewpoint. Furthermore, I would be able to develop a philosophy
that would further my understanding of the music video as a whole, and the
effect its contents has on its viewers.
Conclusion:
In
conclusion, Paramore’s music video for their song “Brick By Boring Brick”
contains many signs, which connote and denote different meanings. For example, the butterfly wings denote the idea of orange and black
butterfly wings, and connote idea the idea of flying and escaping. The wings connote the idea of escaping
reality. Furthermore, the young girl denotes a young child, but connotes the
idea of naivety and innocence. Also, I formulated an audience study. If this study was conducted, I would ask individuals
specific questions that prompted a simple answer, and would not conduct this
interviews in a group setting. In this way, Paramore’s music video establishes
semiotic concepts.
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