Portfolio work- Class Work- Geri Halliwell -" It's Raining Men."

During class we have looked at Geri Halliwell’s re-adaptation of the song “It’s Raining Men” originally by the Weather Girl. After watching the clip we were given a sheet of questions and we answered them by looking at intertextuality and other media language.

What film does this song feature in? – Bridget Jones’s Diary.

Does that have any significance in term of the way Geri is represented in the video? -  Geri is represented as a totally different woman to Bridget Jones as Bridget Jones as portrayed as clumsy/shy/girly and curvy whereas Geri is portrayed as toned/strong/confident and tom-boy.

Before Geri became a solo artist, she was a member of The Spice Girls. This song was the first single from her second solo album. Consider the significance of this.-This shows her growth in in her confidence and gives her a high profile. This video is all about her.

Intertextuality-can you think of any films this video relates too?-The beginning of the video reflects some scenes from “Flash Dance” and when Geri falls over this could be linked to how Bridget Jones is always falling over in the movie. The costumes and audition theme also links to the film “Fame”.

Are there any contrasts in the video? – Ballet and boxing. (Feminine and masculine.)

Consider the mise-en-scene- Throughout the music video Geri is wearing very 70s styled clothing which can be linked back to the film “Fame”. Also one of her last costumes have the word ‘Famous’ written across her top, hinting to the film “Fame” and her profile growing in her career.

Diegetic and non-diegetic sound. - Music record and footsteps, judges and Geri’s dialogue- Diegetic. Audio of music-Non-diegetic.

Are there any really significant shots that are worth mentioning? (Think about the links between the visuals and the audio)- The camera reflects the lyrics to the song in some shots and the shot when Geri is stood in front of a green screen storm before the shot of her dancing in the rain. This is called word painting. There is also the scene when Geri is dancing in the rain and there is the classic wet T-shirt look which could link back to Geri’s past career as a page 3 model. Finally there is the shot of her training at home. Her dog is sat in the background, which links back to previous press coverage; the dog was placed there to make the video seem more realistic.

Who do you think is the audience of the video is? –I think that the audience for this video would be younger people of both gender, maybe middle aged audience as well as the song is a 80s classic.

Consider voyeurism- Throughout the video there is a lot of camera shots that are focusing on Geri’s toned and tanned body, and it brings to mind the Laura Mulvey’s theory of Male Gaze. It could also be linked to Geri’s career in The Spice Girl’s as she was known as the more average and less skinny one in the group.

The streets of London are made out to look like another city. How do we know this and why do you think the director has decided to do this?- In the video London has been made to look more like New York city by placing yellow taxi cabs in the street. The director has done this to portray fame (Hollywood) and the overall idea of following the American dream.


The video is also always looking at Geri's power and dominance. This begins when the camera cuts to a shot of the judges tapping there feet showing that the power in the room has shifted from them to Geri. Then whilst dancing Geri crawls across the judge table as kisses one of the male judges. This is also showing her power and how she is using her sexuality to gain control. The scene when Geri is practising ballet and her partner struggles to hold her up and then Geri walks out shows a power struggle between the two and that Geri gained more dominance as she was able to walk off. The low angle of the camera on the green screen storm scene also shows her dominance as she is high up than her audience and also makes her seem like she has power over the weather, (linking to the lyrics of Mother nature). Finally she blows a kiss at the camera in the closing scene, showing her overall cheekiness and control.