Comparison Essay

'Music videos reflect the social and cultural context in which they were made' Discuss this statement in a comparison of two videos you have studied. 

In the music videos for 'Titanium' by David Guetta and 'Heaven' by Emeli Sande, both videos reflect the social and cultural context in which they were made in some way. The 'Titanium' video is an alternative music video which reaches out to sci-fi lovers whereas the 'Heaven' video is a mainstream video which promotes the artist to be an inspirational figure. 

In the 'Titanium' video it is set in the 80's with a Spielbergian influence on the video. This makes it enjoyable for sci-fi lovers and people who enjoy these types of media as it is increasingly popular among young people today with media such as the TV show 'Stranger Things' being such a successful sensation. However, if we consider Hall's reception theory it can be argued that since the video is set in a different time period it doesn't reflect much of the modern life we live in today so it makes it hard to relate to it or allow it to reflect the audience's personal lives. On the other hand, the music video 'Heaven' by Emeli Sande does reflect the social and cultural context in which it was made as it is set in modern day and includes shots of real people in real life situation. The video is set in the part of London which Sande herself lived in at the time when it was made. It shows themes such as poverty, drugs and daily struggles of ordinary people from around that area which makes it easier for people of a modern audience to relate to. The setting of both videos greatly impacts the reflection of the social and cultural context of the video as it makes it easier for an audience to relate with a setting in a time period that they are familiar with. 

Furthermore, both videos include themes from the narrative which are accessible and relatable for a modern audience. 'Titanium' loosely follows Todorov's narrative structure with a clear beginning, problem, complication, climax and resolution, as it includes a narrative of an isolated teenage boy who doesn’t fit in with the rest of society due to his special power which separates him from everyone else. This is a kind of feeling that a lot of Guetta's audience would relate to, the feeling of isolation and separation from society is something that most teenagers feel so from watching Guetta's video they would understand what the protagonist is going through and would find the video and narrative accessible. This is a reflection of the social and cultural context as the video reflects the modern teenage isolation that most people in our current society feel or experience at some point in their life. Similarly, in the 'Heaven' video similar senses of isolation are shown as the video includes shots of homeless people, drug abusers and ordinary people who look depressed. Sande's video shows a more subtle narrative which encourages these people to have good in their hearts and reach heaven as Sande believes in God and heaven but doesn't consider herself religious, she only cares about the message and teachings that religion implies which she believes leads you to have a good heart. Her audience may understand the isolation that they see in the video as they would see it in everyday life.     

Sande's video also has an aim to make people have a good heart and follow the message of religion. According to Bathe's semiotic theories, signs and symbols are used in the video to represent key ideas: she is presented as an angel in her video as she has bright lights around her silhouette and is clean and following those who are still in the dark so she can help them reach the light. Her aim in her video is to affect the lives of those feeling alone or like they are trapped in the darkness of life and society and to help them reach the light and live a good life which will lead to them getting to heaven. Her video reflects social and cultural context as at the time when it was made, 2011, there was a lot of building in violence and disturbance which led to the 2011 riots. Sande asks in her video that people remain good and keep peaceful as a disturb in the peace and causing chaos is not the answer. On the other hand, Guetta's 'Titanium' video gives the message to young people that they should be strong and individual as the boy causes an explosion at the end of the video and shows his real strength and power. This is a message for his audience showing them that they need to stand up for themselves which is important in everyday life especially areas such as bullying which many young people experience. The video reflects the social context of being individual as being the same as everybody else isn't the best thing in all cases which Guetta is trying to show. 

In conclusion, the settings of the video affects how the contexts are related; especially in the Heaven video which relates to modern day. Both videos also show themes which are current and relatable for their audience and the messages that the artists put across are things which can be easily applied to everyone's lives currently. Therefore, the videos do reflect the social and cultural context in which they were made.