Media Analysis and Evaluation Project

A. Name of Presenter: Kelly Dancy

B. Connection to the Curriculum:

Curricular Area and Age: Reading: Literature, Grades 9-10 (English, Secondary
Education)

Curricular Connections: Listed Below

Craft and Structure:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative
and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on
meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a
formal or informal tone).

How I will achieve this: Media is shaped largely by things like production value and the
perspective of the audience. I also believe that the power of language shapes all media. By
first showing students the lyrics to the song and then the videos, I can effectively illustrate
the way in which language is the basis upon which most media is constructed.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5
Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it
(e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as
mystery, tension, or surprise. The videos do this very well, especially the original. They are
very dramatic.
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Information and Technology Essential Standards Curriculum:

HS.TT.1.1 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to access

information (multi-database search engines, online primary resources, virtual interviews
with content experts). I will be using a Prezi to present the lesson to the class, with link
to videos from YouTube and a safe lyrics website.

HS.TT.1.3 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to design

products to share information with others (e.g. multimedia presentations, Web 2.0 tools,
graphics, podcasts, and audio files). Besides using my own Prezi, I will encourage
students to make their own.

HS.SE.1.1 Analyze ethical issues and practices related to copyright, not

plagiarizing, and netiquette. The Literal Video Version face some copyright issues at

first My students will analyze the causes and effects of copyright infringement and
how we can avoid it.

The NC Professional Teaching Standards:

Teachers make instruction relevant to students. YouTube videos are fun and exciting and
the parody one is educational and funny at the same time.
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Demonstrate the relationship between the core content and 21st Century content
that includes global awareness; financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial
literacy; civic literacy; and health and wellness awareness
Teachers align their instruction with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study

Teach the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. I am following

Common Core closely.

Develop and apply strategies to make the curriculum rigorous and

relevant. The curriculum is relevant even if the music video is from 1983 because
the parody was made recently and it is getting easier and easier to plagiarize. Also,
analyzing the constructed meaning of a complex text will never go out of style.

Develop literacy skills appropriate to specialty area

Teachers know the content appropriate to their teaching ability

Direct students curiosity into an interest in learning. I think that

this lesson will pique students curiosity because it is fun and they get to work in
groups.

Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content

areas/disciplines

Relate content to other disciplines. I will be not only

teaching rhetoric, but also media analysis and web etiquette.
Teachers integrate and utilize technology in their

instruction

Know appropriate use. YouTube is a great resource

and can be used to access a great deal of educational material.

Help students use technology to learn content, think

critically, solve problems, discern reliability, use information,
communicate, innovate, and collaborate
Teachers help students work in teams and develop

leadership qualities

Teach the importance of cooperation and

collaboration

C. Title of Media You Will Analyze: Total Eclipse of the Heart music video & Literal Video
Version
D. Type of Media: 2 Music Videos and Lyrics https://prezi.com/fd5xswpcqbkb/total-eclipse-ofthe-heart/

E. Media Materials:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bonnietyler/totaleclipseoftheheart.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOxhH8N3Bo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsgWUq0fdKk

F. Your Analysis:
1. How do the different presentations of nearly the same media change the way in which it is
perceived? Who made each piece of media? What were their goals? Did they achieve them?
Each student will interpret the media in their own way, so I would expect answers to vary for the
first part of this question. I would expect something along the lines of:
The lyrics presented the media in a way that was much more straightforward. Although one can
still interpret the meaning of written text, the addition of a complex visual add layers of meaning
that can sometimes be seen as contradictory, especially in this video. I am not sure what they are
trying to accomplish in the video, but I see a lot of romantic and gothic imagery. If the goals of
the creators of the video were to make the meaning clearer, then they failed.
2. What kinds of messages are sent by the media? How might they change if the media were a
movie or a book? Are these messages positive?

The song Total Eclipse of the Heart sends a message of loneliness and longing. The original
video sends a similar message, but the setting of a school and Tylers character of a school
master add different shades of meaning to the text. The parody alters the meaning by pointing out
flaws in production and highlighting the oddities of the video. It goes from somewhat sad to
pretty funny. If the media was changed to something longer like a book or a movie, the meaning
could be made clearer because the themes, symbols, and motifs could be expanded upon.
3. Which of these messages are explicit and which are implicit?
The messages about love, loss, and loneliness are very much explicit and intended by the
creators. Some other messages about healthy versus unhealthy relationships are more
unintentional. Also, the schoolteacher vibes are borderline creepy.
4. How might different audiences view the two videos differently? Do you think that your
interpretation might be different from your parents or a member of a different generation?
Which video is your favorite and why?
Members of older generations might view these types of media differently because they feel a
connection to the song. Someone who is viewing these texts for the first time and with no prior
connection to the song might be more open to interpreting it without bias. Also, older audiences
may connect more to the themes of love and mature relationships. My favorite video is the
parody version, because it is tongue-in-cheek and makes many references to what is part of
popular culture today.
5. Who was the target audience for each piece of media (text, original video, parody)?
The target audience for the lyrics on the website was probably the general masses. Lyrics
websites tend to receive a lot of traffic from all kinds of internet users. The original video is
meant for people of around the same generation as Bonnie Tyler, the singer. One resource points
out that her dress is reminiscent of Princess Leia, a detail that many young people today may not
catch. The Literal Video Version was intended for teens and adults today. There is a reference
to the book Lord of the Flies, a popular book among people in their early teens, as well as a jab
at the Glee club of the damned reference joke! which is interesting, since the show Glee
covered the original song.
6. How might someone from the other side of the world view this media? What if they were a
non-English speaker?
Someone who is not a native speaker of English may not understand why one video is seen as
serious and somber while the other is funny. When you think about it, it is strange that the funny
song in the parody that pokes fun at the original is juxtaposed with such romantic, gothic
imagery. This adds to the humor.
7. Could factors like religion, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status alter the meaning of the
videos/song itself?
Religion could definitely alter the meaning of the video because there are some angel motifs
throughout, as well as doves. Ethnicity could also play a role because the only skin color that is

represented in all of the texts is white. For someone who is white, this may not immediately pose
an issue, but for a person of color the underrepresentation could be obvious.
8. What kind of production methods were used in the creation of the original video versus the
parody? What about the lyrics? In other words, how do we know that these texts are
constructed?
The creation of the original video was probably quite the process, not only did it require use of
hair makeup, multiple cameras, acting, and dove-handling, but it also had to be edited to fit
together and to supplement the song. The parody also had to be edited and the song had to fit the
video (like, for instance, when the white door bursts open on a high note).
9. What kinds of messages do the videos send about relationships or between people and the
world? Does the video reinforce the same messages that the song itself sends?
The song, upon first listen, seems to be about unrequited love or loneliness or desperation, and
the more I listen to it, the more it seems like the speaker might rely too heavily on her significant
other, or might be too stuck on the lack of a significant other. The video juxtaposes the grown
woman singer with pubescent boys while she sings about love, which is weird and unhealthy.
10. The writer of the song, Jim Steinman, also planned the video. Is this surprising to you? What
do you think he was trying to accomplish? Do his goals translate?
This is surprising to me, because I would have thought that the song is about lovers who are both
of the same name, a relationship that is mature. However, the video suggests something like
mania on the part of a schoolteacher, like perhaps she is fantasizing about relations with her
students?
11. How could the creators of the Literal Video Version parody have avoided copyright issues?
Despite the fact that their video was funny and enjoyable, do you think that it was proper internet
etiquette to create the video without permission?
The creators of the parody could have avoided trouble by asking permission from the record
label. Permission probably would not have been granted right away, but they would have avoided
the trouble.
12. Is parody always plagiarism?
Parody is not always plagiarism. There is an understood license that creators of parody seem to
have, although the line seems to be blurred sometimes, as in this case.
13. How have music videos changed from 1983 to today? What does this reflect (if anything)
about our society?
Most music videos today do not incorporate as many symbols and themes. Most of the music
videos of today do not require the audience to read between the lines to understand meaning.
14. How does the statement All media are products apply to the three texts? Do you feel like a
consumer?

I do feel like a consumer after watching and analyzing these videos. Each text had a different
purpose and aimed to affect their audience in a different way. Even though I was not sold a
product, I definitely feel that I have been marketed to.
15. Do you feel that media in generals meaning is shaped more by commercial considerations or
the position of the viewer? Explain why.
I feel that medias meaning is shaped more by the audience. Even if a corporation or a
commercial entity spent billions of dollars on a single piece of media, it is ultimately up to the
viewer to interpret and understand the media in their own way.

G. Possible Production Connection:

Now that my students have learned what a parody is, I want them to produce their own. These
projects can be done in the form of whatever media they prefer a commercial, a skit, a script, a
poem, or even a song.
-Take into consideration who your audience is. What kinds of messages are you trying to send
and to whom? How can you do this successfully?
Example:
I wrote a parody of Taylor Swifts Bad Blood and called it Bad Grade. Its on the following
page.

Bad Grades
Well, baby, now Ive got bad grades
Oh, why didnt I study?
So say goodbye to my GPA
Cause, baby, now Ive got bad grades
Hey!
Now Ive got problems
Like where will I go to college?
Tell me what will my parents say?
Cause, baby, now Ive got bad grades
Hey!
Whyd I have to do this?
Should have studied instead of that party

No more social time!

Grounded for life, dont even need to tell me
Oh, Im so sad I dropped a whole letter grade
What can I say?
Well, baby, now Ive got bad grades
Oh, why didnt I study?
So say goodbye to my GPA
Cause, baby, now Ive got bad grades
Hey!
Now Ive got problems
Like where will I go to college?
Tell me what will my parents say?
Cause, baby, now Ive got bad grades
Hey!
Good grades cant fix zeroes.
Asked for extra credit and got a NO
Ive learned my lesson, I suppose
Good grades cant fix zeroes (Hey)
Asked for extra credit and got a NO (Hey)
Ive learned my lesson, I suppose
Mmmmm
With grades like this, Im a joke!