Carol Vernallis

Carol Vernallis says the camera in MV seems to mimic the way we view sonic space…do you agree? Do you think we are conditioned by MV to read sonic space in particular ways?


She suggests that the jumping camera focus is like the camera in place of our eyes, doing what we do when we listen. However this is predefined for us by the Director – we have even less choice to look away/outside of the Director’s choice than we do in film – do you agree?
Yes I agree slightly because a director’s choice of shots in a music video tends to be more specific, showing only what they want the audience to see. These shots can’t be too complicated as music videos tend to be very choppy and a lot must be shown to the audience in a very short amount of time, therefore there isn’t a chance for the audiences attention to divert away from or outside of what the director wants us to focus on.

She says MV experience is more like listening than viewing – do you agree?
I think the music video is there to enhance the viewer’s experience of the music; however I don’t necessarily think that it is more about the listening. The visuals generally add something new to the song and emphasise an aspect of the music such as the lyrics or the beat/rhythm. The music video is there to promote the artist and their music, as well as captivate an audience; therefore it is as much about the listening as it is about the viewing.
　
“We compensate imaginatively for what we do not see in the frame” pg41 Agreed?
Yes, often the audience isn’t given the full picture; therefore we use our imagination to fill in the gaps as to what we think is happening.

The constant motion in a MV and the variances it shows mean that a strong CU is a stable point. The MV ‘brings us towards these peaks, holds us against them, and then releases us’ p43 Do you agree?
Yes I agree because it is a strong CU that draws the audience in and grabs their attention, before moving out to another shot and ‘releasing us.’ These ‘beauty’ or ‘money’ shots of the artist are what draws the audience closer and helps them feel involved, being able to relate more to the artist and to recognise familiarity.

Is the viewer being ‘sutured’ (stitched) into the diegesis of the film world through the editing?
Yes, it is the editing that controls what we see and in what order, and therefore brings us into this world of film.

MV is freer in terms of viewer identification and perspective – agreed?
Yes because people can take on different perspectives with the video. Some may understand it in different ways and identify with it differently. The director will often guide the audiences in a certain direction, but they can usually read into it differently and create their own perspective on both the visuals and the song.

Carol Vernallis believes the image alone cannot tell the story – do you agree?
Yes mostly because the music and lyrics are what anchor the images and give the visuals real meaning. The visuals will sometimes tell a story to a certain extent; however it is the music that creates the right atmosphere and mood for the story, which is needed to tell it fully.