1. Analysis of a Music Video Cigarettes and Alcohol

2. Production Choices and the Audience The producers of 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' aimed to portray Oasis as having this desired 'rock and roll lifestyle' which is why the producers would have chose to use the locations of a stage, and the backstage area. The scenes in the backstage area makes the audience feel included and part of the band. The video reflects how at the time the song was released, how influential and interested the British audience was with the rock genre. It is a good representation of the audience wants to see the band on stage and off stage. The black and white theme is also very stereotypical of the rock genre because the colours signify danger and rebelliousness. The black and white theme is also present throughout many Oasis videos such as 'Wonderwall'. The low quality camera's and effects that are used in the 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' video are commonly used now in video's a lot more recent such as 'R U Mine' - Arctic Monkeys, 'Supersoaker' and 'Radioactive' - Kings of Leon. Elements of of mise-en-scene such as props of cigarettes and alcohol bottles are a convention of music videos because they link closely to the lyrics of the song. 3. Andrew Goodwin's theory says that music videos will have the general conventions of the genre such as for pop there would be dance routines and for rock there would be a live performance. In 'Cigarettes and Alcohol', Oasis are performing a live rock performance to an audience. This is different to one of our first lessons on analysing music videos where we looked at the Foo Fighters 'Pretender' where the band were doing a rock performance however to no audience. Goodwin's theory also suggests that there is always references to looking, and a voyeuristic treatment of the female body. In 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' there are low angle shots of what seems to be a point of view of someone looking up at an intoxicated women which therefore links the music video to Goodwin's theory. There is also a close link between the music video and the lyrics as well as intertextual links to films/TV etc. Throughout the music video there is shots of boisterous teenagers smoking and drinking which both links with the lyrics of the song and any TV or film that captures teen culture of that era. Genre and Applying Goodwins Theory 4. Theorist Brief on theory Applied Saussure Meaning is constructed by signs Signifier + Signified =Sign 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' conforms to this theory because the video include a lot of people smoking and drinking, which is the signifier. This signifies the reckless stereotypical view of the 'rock and roll lifestyle' Oasis portray. Mulvey Music videos contain a voyeuristic view of the female body and that females are objectified by male gazers. Mulvey's theory suggest that woman are represented as passive characters to be looked at and are objectified. I think that 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' does conform in some ways to this theory because the female characters are all highly intoxicated and dressed very provocatively which indicates that they are represented at objects of gaze and two dimensional characters. Dyer This theory is reliant on stereotypes and suggests that representations are developments of stereotypes Dyer focuses on stereotypes which are present in the video for 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' because the band are represented in a very stereotypical way of living the rock and roll lifestyle of smoking, drinking and being slightly taboo. Baudrillard Representations become more real that reality and therefore hyperreality is created. Hyperreality is created through the medias representations Baudrillard's theory focuses on the question of what is reality. This theory is based on hyperreality where the media constructs a representation of what is normal. This is present in the video for 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' because Oasis are an example of hyperreality. The way they are represented in the video of having this rock and roll lifestyle is portrayed as normal which links to the theory of the what is normal, and what is reality. Representations 5. Narrative Propp's theory is that there are different character types in the narrative such as a hero, a princess, a donor etc. Similarly to how Todorov's theory is disregarded by 'Cigarettes and Alcohol's lack of narrative structure and characters it is hard to apply Propp's theory to this video. Todorov theorises that there should be a narrative structure of equilibrium, disruption, recognition and attempt the repair and resolution. In 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' it can be argued that because there is no direct narrative that there is no equilibrium to be disturbed or resolved. Barthes' theory is that there are 5 key codes to every narrative - enigma, action, semic, symbolic and cultural. 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' can be argued to conform with certain aspects of Barthes' theory about narrative codes. The video for 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' creates senses of enigma and disorientation for the audience which fits into the enigma, action and semic codes. Also the video is a representation of the teen culture, and the stereotypical 'rock and roll lifestyle' which therefore fits into the cultural code. the only code that the music video struggles to conform to the symbolic code. Levi-Strauss' theory is that in the narrative there are two opposing sides which are binary oppositions. Similar to Todorov's and Propp's theories and how they cannot be applied to 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' because of the lack of narrative.