GM - Madonna: Material Girl

Artist: Madonna

Track: Material Girl
Year Released: 1985
Director: Mary Lambert
Genre: Pop
Main Audience: 15-24years old, both male and female

• The wider genre of this music video is Pop however the synth arrangements and the robotic voice alterations bring it into the New Wave.
• I think that the main audience is for 15-24year olds however it could extend to 15-34years old including mature youths. The video is appealing for both males and females for a variety of reasons. The performers in the video are fairly young which means the audience will be able to relate and also aspire to the artist.
• Madonna is the only female on screen (wearing pink), surrounded by males dressed in smart suits. This makes her stand out. The dress is long but tight and low cut around the cleavage which is providing male gaze. In addition to this Madonna is blonde, young, attractive, wearing red lipstick and makes frequent eye contact, seductively, to the camera. This video also attracts a strong female audience, women may aspire to be like her and be able to relate to the assumptions of what the women want from a relationship.
• It presents an example of heterosexual romance as she dances and flirts with many of the males onset, with the video ending with a kiss.
• The music video doesn't meet all the expected codes and conventions as there is a lack of variety of locations. The background is very simple so all the attention of the viewer is on her. It is also pink which could be seen as stereotypically 'girly'.
• It is a narrative performance which has opted to include diagetic sound - at the beginning (0.00s-0.32s) there are scenes without any music to explain what is going on and to start the narrative.
• In comparison to other music videos the editing of this one is fairly slow paced. Many of the shots are long, with little variation in shot type. Close ups and medium close ups have been used to
  focus on Madonna's chest and mouth, the more suductive areas of her which attracts the male audience. Other close ups of her face have also been included to convey her emotions. Extreme close ups have been used to emphasis significant props for example the jewellery.
• Few effects have been added during the editing process however in the opening scenes whilst she is in her dressing room the room appears lighter with a white screen over it. This could have been chosen to highlight the fact that it is a dream.
• Intertextuality has been used within the video with  Marilyn Monroe (Madonna: top image, Monroe: bottom image). It was after the release of this music video that Madonna was regularly compared to her. -

"The music video was inspired by Madonna's admiration of Marilyn Monroe and mimicked the latter's performance of the song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." Wikipedia