Thoughts on the Discoveries
Objectives
The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between the song's lyrics and its music video and if the lyrics used to create the music video addressed any societal issues. How the music videos were created to deliver the messages or the meaning of the song lyrics will be discussed and elaborated first, and after that, some evidence of social issues will be presented.
The two song lyrics were transformed and interpreted into MVs using MDA elements which are to be described and discussed below.
Color and background
Both music videos used color and lighting to enhance the feeling of the protagonists and other characters in the scenes. The warm tone colors were usually found in scenes showing positivity or the happy scene while the cool tone colors appeared in scenes where the protagonist was alone or felt sad.
Lighting
Similar to the color and background elements, both music videos applied lighting to create mood, atmosphere, and a sense of meaning. Low-key lighting was mostly found in two music videos while high-key lighting was found less frequently used. High-key lighting represented the bright atmosphere and positive emotion of the protagonist and other characters in the scenes while low-key lighting represented the negative emotion, solitude, and dark atmosphere.
Distance
The distance element was apparent in both music videos. The far distance and closeness between the camera and the protagonist or the protagonist and the characters in the music videos represented the degrees or levels of their relationships.
Camera Movement
The camera movement mostly found in the two music videos was a dolly. Both music videos used the dolly technique to create the intimacy of the isolation of the protagonist. Moreover, it was also used to emphasize the protagonist's non-verbal expression, mainly invisible emotions and thoughts.
Camera Angle
The camera angle most found in the two music videos was a medium close-up shot. It was a shot that focused on mid-torso. It allowed the audience to notice the actor’s emotions, movements, and facial expressions while showing some settings in the background.
Symbols
The two music videos incorporated quite a number of objects that symbolized emotions, events, and stories. The symbols that appeared in the two music videos were the modal that helped to enhance and construct the atmosphere and the meaning of music videos (e.g., lighting, colors, text, movement of the protagonist, and objects from their ex-boyfriend). The objects or gifts represented the protagonist’s past or their ex-boyfriend. Both protagonists kept and took care of those objects which showed that they still valued and respected their past relationship.
Social Issues
Regarding social issues in MVs, it was found that there were issues of female identity constructions and different conceptualizations about conventional love relationships.
The ways the two protagonists were presented in the two music videos illustrated underlying idealized female characteristics: strong, independent, loyal, and honest. The similar styles of outfits with tops that revealed some body parts reflected their personality of the women with self-confidence who were not scared or ashamed of showing their body parts. Moreover, the similar lifestyle that the two protagonists of the two music videos had emphasized a sense that women nowadays were strong and independent even though they just broke up with their partners.
In the Salak-Jit music video, the protagonist lived by herself in her house. Even though she had a new relationship, she still lived alone and could take care of herself nicely and happily. In Son-Klin’s music video, the protagonist went to the reunion party alone. Moreover, they both were royalty. The Son-Klin protagonist had royalty only to one person who was her ex-boyfriend while the Salak-Jit protagonist had royalty and honesty to the man she was currently dating.
MDA Elements and Song Lyrics
Different Conceptualizations of Romantic Relationships
Through gestures and body language in the two music videos, the different conceptualizations of romantic love relationships were shown. In Son-Klin’s music video, loyalty, and even-lasting first love seemed to be conceptualized and interpreted into the music video. As shown throughout the music video, the protagonist in this music video still held on to the memories of the old days when her love for the man blossomed in their teens. On the other hand, in the Salak-Jit music video, letting go of past relationships and moving on to a new one with loyalty and honesty seemed to be the main theme. In this music video, the protagonist appeared to be sad when she first encountered her ex-boyfriend but at the end of the music video, both smiled at each other as a way to greet an old friend before moving on in their own way.
Based on the findings, the outstanding elements of the MDA elements that enhanced the meaning of the lyrics and the perception of love in both music videos were lighting, color, facial expression, and symbols.
Besides the music videos that helped to convey the meaning of the lyrics of the song, the lighting, and color could also help to convey and enhance the meaning and mood as well. The use of coherent modes effectively created mood and conveyed the meaning, theme, and main meaning of the lyrics. For example, the use of different degrees of lighting such as high-key and low-key set the atmosphere and moods of the protagonist. As in the two music videos, the high-key lighting represented brightness and more positive emotion while the low-key lighting represented darkness and more negative emotion such as sadness and loneliness. Different tones of color provided and enhanced different feelings and atmospheres. The warm tone colors represented the positive mood and happiness while the cool tone colors represented the negative mood and sadness.
Gestures, particularly facial expressions of the main characters, were also found to enhance the messages of the songs and the themes of the music videos in the same way as found in the study by Muliani and Ali (2022) who investigated the female protagonist’s facial expression in the music video. In this current study, the gesture of the protagonist shown in the Son-Klin music video represented the theme of the song that the protagonist was stuck in the past and had to hide her feeling. The protagonist avoided meeting the man by raising her left elbow and resting her hand on her left cheek as a way to block her view of the man. Moreover, in the Salak-Jit music video, the protagonist could directly face the man which was her ex-boyfriend. She also rejected her ex-boyfriend by taking her hand away from him. At the end of the music video, she smiled at her ex-boyfriend. These gestures represented the theme of positive perspectives on love relationships.
The symbol found in the Son-Klin music videos were lighting, colors, text, movement, frame, projector screen, and ring while the Salak-Jit music videos included lighting, colors, flower vase, rain, and butterfly tattoo. The use of symbols in the two music videos was also apparent which was similar to the study by Helland (2018), which showed that the mask in the music video represented “Mascara Tears” and “Laugh Now Cry Later”.
In short, the MDA elements found in the study were similar to the findings of the study by Muliani and Ali (2022) and Helland (2018) which were facial expression elements and symbol elements respectively.
Son-Klin and Salak-Jit’s lyrics described unsuccessful love relationships, separation, and the memories of the past love relationship which was similar to the findings by Dewi (2022) which discussed about divorce or separation.
To produce the lyrics into moving pictures, it is important to convey the message to be close to the main message intended by the songwriters. However, the interpretation and the narrative styles might not be accurate depending on the reinterpretation of the music video producers.