Initially, I was struck by the “voyeuristic” themes of the Fiona Apple video. This is a theme that’s often been visited in film, especially by Alfred Hitchcock in films such as Rear Window, Vertigo Psycho and Notorious. All movie goers, TV watchers, and filmmakers are essentially voyeurs. So it comes as no surprise that a talented filmmaker like Romanek would be drawn to further exploration of this idea. Romanek even alludes to one of the most famous voyeuristic scenes in film history, the shower scene from Psycho, with his inclusion of shots of a shower.
While I agree with some of what Zeltner has to say about Fiona Apple’s video for “Criminal,” I disagree with his critique of the video as merely "women-as-sexual-backdrop" and I do think that the filmmaker was trying to make the viewer feel a conflict of emotions (“I’m enjoying this,” versus “watching this makes me feel bad”). Romanek wants you to feel that there is something wrong with watching and enjoying these images. Similar to how Apple sings about being a “bad, bad girl,” the video is also “a bad, bad,” thing.
In some ways, the video is like “a coming of age” story, where the girl is no longer a child (we are shown images of stuffed animals, and what might be her parents 70s style rec. room/basement), and she is just beginning to understand the difficulties and complexities involved in an adult sexual relationship. Like Adam and Eve, she’s experiencing shame, and the video makes viewers feel a similar emotion simply by showing these images.
While I can see Zeltner’s point in regards to the video being created for the “male gaze” and thus harkening back to the early days of music videos, the video is more complicated than that. Zeltner says that the TV that rises out of the floor seems out of place in this rather low budget, "tacky" setting. It's supposed to; Romanek wants to draw our attention to the television as a medium. It rises both ominously but also gloriously, almost like magic, yet the image shown on the TV is static. Romanek seems to be criticizing the very medium he employs.
Zeltner says that focus on the male gaze is portrayed in an unironic way but the shots of the car tell a different story. While Zeltner says that the various shots of the engine are seemingly unrelated to the rest of the video (until we discover that Apple is in the car), I would argue that these shots mock the “male gaze.” The male gaze approaches automobiles in a similar way to how it approaches women. Consider car commercials where a car is shot lovingly, as though it were a woman’s body, to be admired and appreciated. Or consider the covers of car magazines which seem to inexplicably link beautiful women and beautiful cars:
I also wonder about the current state of music videos and their impact on audiences as both the financial backing and delivery of music videos has changed dramatically in the last decade. As the record industry struggles, less money is being invested in the promotion of artists through music videos. I saw this deterioration first hand as I used to work for a company that made music videos (for bands such as Prince, Bare Naked Ladies, etc). While videos for bands on major labels use to have budgets in the hundreds of thousands of dollars (true, some still do), that is increasingly rare. Eventually the company had to throw in the towel as the budgets became too constricting for a production company that was trying to make a profit.
The second major change the video industry has seen is that while audiences used to have videos delivered primarily through the filter of the powers that be at MTV, now audiences are in control, as they must actively seek out the videos that they want to see. In some ways this levels the playing field, as any musician, regardless of how popular they are, can create and post a video.
Now for your viewing pleasure is one of the greatest music videos of all time, "Around the World," by Daft Punk. Directed by Michel Gondry.
I wonder about the state of the music video as well with the major label backing. However, I think the use of the user-created content/videos to create a buzz for a song is the direction that major label are being forced to move in. To tap the viral market with either genuine or purchased sharing can be a huge score for the label. With the internet becoming more democratizing on many different levels, the labels have consider is pushing out a shiny music video worth it or should it be outsourced to the users. I remember sometime in '99, Beck opened up all of the audio tracks to a few songs and let users of Soundforge's ACID create remixes.
ReplyDeleteMr. Center,
ReplyDeleteExcellent blog post as usual. I learned more about the Fiona Apple video than I did from the Zeltner article. Well done. On that note, I agree with you in the sense that this video was not meant to be a (as you say) "women-as-sexual-backdrop" music video. As a one-time die hard Fiona Apple fan, I know that this song and this video are semi-autobiographical for her. I don't think her intention was to exploit or objectify women in anyway, more than tell her story - the story of someone who was sexually abused at a young age (hence, the coming of age story). Which is especially why lyrics like, "I've been careless with a delicate man" and "A girl breaks a boy just because she can" seem pretty ironic. What if the gender roles were reversed?
You also make very interesting points about the progression of music videos being more consumer driven than industry driven. The one thing (well, one of many things) that bothered me about the Lil Kim video is that the song (as GREAT as those lyrics were), was overshadowed by a high-budget music video where she literally is the woman-as-sexual-backdrop, blatantly telling her male audience about her sexual conquests. I agree that people are able to see (or buy, or download) whatever music videos they want.... so where do you see the trend for this going? What about MTV?! Not that they show music videos anymore anyway, but does this mean a swing back towards the Leslie Gore days of solo singing and background dancers? hmmm...
Holy complex choreography! I've never seen that video before. That's amazing! Now to your post.
ReplyDeleteI think what you say about "Criminal" as being a coming-of-age thing to be really interesting. My interpretation of the video was so jaded by the critique that I had little new to say about it. I think it's a really interesting notion and sort of explains the dual nature to Apple's character in the video. The video definitely shows the complexity of still being young, but being involved in adult things. She feels like a criminal because she is becoming involved in something that she may not yet be ready for. I think you make a good analysis of the video and other images of women in society.
Hi Matt,
ReplyDeleteI like your discussion about the car scene. I agreed that the car was not out of place and unrelated. The focus of the car was what's inside, the engine and the girl. A sort of getting under the clothes of the car just like we were getting under the clothes of fiona apple. (sorry for the lude language:-) But it defintely seemed symbolic and as though it belonged to me as well.
I learned a lot about the Fiona Apple video from your knowledge of film and the director of her video. And while your post had me thinking the whole time, it was your questions about the future of the music video industry that got me riled up! Music videos and access to music videos have changed dramatically over the last few years. It is no surprise that those who are looking to profit from music videos are rethinking their business model.
ReplyDeleteI was listening to npr recently and they were talking to artists who were no longer able to make money easily selling their art. This allowed them permission to experiment with new concepts without feeling that they were turning down income. I wonder if the change in financial input for music videos will suppress artists. Or will it provide them freedom to do what they want, not what their handlers recommend.
By the way, I really enjoyed the Daft Punk video. Thank you!