A-Level Media Studies
Hayley Kiyoko- Girls Like Girls
This narrative tells the tale of a love story between two females, one of the girls are in a relationship with another man. The main character is in love with the other girl in a relationship. The story goes over the struggle the main character faces through the relationship and eventually showcases the break up of the other couple and the beginning of a homosexual relationship. This narrative supports Todorovs theory, the story starts with an equilibrium this being that the main characters feelings are sheltered and the other couple are in a content relationship. The equilibrium is the disrupted when the boyfriend finds the 2 girls kissing and then the equilibrium is reached again when the two girls begin their relationship.
Mise En Scene:
Lighting is used intelligently throughout the whole video, high key lighting is used in all of the happy moments, these moments usually occur when the male character is present. Whenever the male character is on screen the lighting is more low key, the reason behind this is because the audience are supposed to perceive the character as negative. The costume choices in this video are very casual, modern and summery. The main character is styled in denim shorts a jacket and a choker, this is done to make her fit the current fashion statements thus making her more relatable for the audience. The other female is styled in very revealing shorts and a vest top, this is done to allow the audience to see her through the eyes of the main character. The audience sees this character as beautiful and sexualised which allows them to empathise with the main characters emotions towards her crush and relate to the character because she is currently in style. Body language is used frequently throughout the entire music video, mainly with the main character. We see her frowning, and having a straight face all the way through the video up until she starts her relationship with her crush. Once she 'gets the girl' we see her smile for the first time and her overall posture is much more relaxed. This is done to portray the main characters feelings of uncomfortablility around the male character and her happiness once she gets what she wants.
Camera Work:
The first shot that we see is a high angle, establishing shot of the main character riding a bike. This shot is used to prepare the audience for the vulnerability of the main character, the use of this shot also sets the scene for the entire video. High angle shots are conventionally used to portray feelings of vulnerability, this is why this shot is perfect for this main character. The first proper shot we see of the main character is a mid shot, this shot is of a flashforward and through the video we learn how the character got to that stage. The use of the mid shot allows the audience to see the facial expressions and the bruises on the characters face, this allows the audience to understand the emotions that the character is feeling. Extreme close ups are used quite a few times in the video, they are usually used to show the intimacy between the two female characters. An example of where this type of shot is used is when the characters are lighting a cigarette and when the girls eventually kiss, this shot allows the audience to connect with the characters and their relationship. The allows the audience to form personal relationships gratification.
Editing:
The first use of editing that we saw was graphics at the very beginning of the video, the name of the track was placed across the entire screen in a yellow, capital sans serif font style. The use of these graphics and colours give a modern and happy vibe, the way they were placed across the screen is conventional for a short film which is how this music video was done. Short films are conventionally seen in the indie genre. Shot reverse shot is used a few times throughout this music video, they are typically seen when the two female characters are together. The use of this editing technique allows the audience to see the relationship between the two characters and the intimacy that they share. The main editing technique used in this video is continuity editing, the use of this technique allows the audience to focus on the narrative compared to highly technical editing strategies that could have been used.
Soundtrack:
The lyrics in this track outline the fact that girls can have feelings for girls just like boys can have feelings for girls, its aim is to normalise homosexual relationships and to allow the audience to get over homosexual stigma. The most repeted line in this track is 'Girls like girls like boys do'. Sending this message through a song and having a video that is synchronous with the track allows the audience to understand it as much as possible in a less intimidating way. Non dietetic sound is used in this video in the form of a voiceover, when the male character catches the two female characters kissing he throws the main character to the floor and begins screaming at his girlfriend, The use of this enables to video and soundtrack to link up allowing it to make sense. Diegetic sound is used during the fight scene, for example when the main character is beating up the male character we hear the sounds of the punches. This was most likely done using foley, adding the sounds in post production.