Revision - Representation in Riptide by Vance Joy

Women

• women in riptide seem to be mostly objectified and victimised in some way
• e.g roped up to a tree, tortured at a 'dentist'
• the video uses high camera angles, terrified facial expressions, low key lighting, etc to add to the representation of women as fearful
• representations often make audiences feel uncomfortable, which encourages us to see the victimisation of women as undesirable
• long takes are hard to look away from, and often make viewers feel uncomfortable and force us to question why it is happening
• sections of fast paced editing create representations of women that seem scared and jumpy which feel 'horror' like
• some women act as their own 'hero' in the music video, creating more powerful, independent representations of women

Objectification

• shots that only show parts of women's bodies help to 'dehumanise' them and make them seem like objects to be admired
• these representations might appeal to a male heterosexual target audience
• low angle shots from behind a bush create a voyeuristic view of women, as though they are being watched/stalked

Makeup

• glamorous make up and outfit plus spotlight make the women seem important, but also highlight her sexualised image and traditional ideas about beauty for women
• the choice to cut back again and again to the woman singing and her deteriorating make-up shocks the audience, creates enigma about what has happened to her, and emphasises the way women are often the victims of violence and control

Violence

• the shocking representation of her face covered in blood and bruises and makeup encourage the audience to sympathise with her
• the on screen lyrics help us to see she is singing the words wrong and this signifies she is panicked, emotional and scared
• other images of weapons might reflect the increase in the rates of violence against women, and also help us to see women as victims
• maybe the images of violence and objectification of women are supposed to encourage us to think about this social issue. But maybe they might just entertain audiences

Representation

• representations of women are quite diverse. Although there is a lot of victimisation and objectification, there are some images of women as powerful and dominant too
• the 'intellectual montage' means there isn't ONE clear specific representation, but many. And audiences can interpret the images themselves
• may be difficult for feminist theorists to decide if the video is 'feminist', and trying to support women, or if it is just like many music videos, offering them up for male entertainment

Men

• men are seen in typically powerful positions (e.g as directors, producers, etc) and we often see them as 'voyeurs' looking at women through a 'male gaze'
• the indie genre often take an unconventional approach to many things such as media language and representation
• perhaps Vance Joy's record label chose to include such shocking representations of women being tortured in order to gain publicity and market the song