By James Taylor and Joel Guest

BRITNEY SPEARS Toxic

Lyrics
There's no escape, I can't wait I need a hit, baby give me it You're dangerous, I'm lovin' it [Chorus:] With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride You're toxic, I'm slippin' under taste of a poison paradise I'm addicted to you Don't you know that you're toxic? And I love what you do Don't you know that you're toxic? It's getting late to give you up I took a sip from my devil's cup slowly, It's taking over me (I think I'm ready now) Intoxicate me now With your lovin' now These lyrics are taken from Britney Spears top-hit pop song Toxic. From these we can see that Britney Spears is turning into an adult and trying to appeal to a male audience. These terms all appear to be very sexual and some can be seen to relate to drugs, this shows Britney is trying to prove to her audience that she has now grown up and wants that audience to expand by trying to appeal to an older audience. This is because the older audience will understand these sexual terms and relate to them. The lyrics become a metaphor for teenagers life with sex and drugs being mentioned, this shows Britney is trying to appeal to all audiences.

Music
Britney Spears Toxic is a fast paced dance track which is commonly associated with Britney herself. This is the reason behind the high tempo editing.

Genre/Mise en scene
Movement and dance is heavily displayed in this video due to the fact it is a pop song. The dance routines appear very simple, yet sexual. In one scene however, Britney Spears pretends to escape from a laser which is showing off her moves which have attracted young audiences over the years. Younger audiences aspire to be like their idols and so will copy Britney when dancing to the song. The dance moves, on the other hand, also attract an older audience as Britney is proving she is more mature now and is showing off her body and sexuality. We see this sexual content when Britney appears to be grinding an elder man which is aimed get older men to watch the video. Also voyeurism is shown from Britney

By James Taylor and Joel Guest when she is wearing a near nude outfit which is also used to attract the male audience. This is what fans have become to expect from Britney and female pop artists of a similar nature. This becomes apparent in another one of Britneys videos, Baby where she is showing scenes of a sexual nature, wearing a school uniform. Britney is arguably better known for her costumes and dance routines than her singing voice. This can also be linked to artists such as Lady Gaga who is always turning heads with her in some ways ridiculous costumes. To remain recognised and well-known Britney relies heavily on her sex appeal, knowing near naked costumes will attract media attention. Britney wears various sexual costumes in the video which relate back to Mulveys study of the male gaze. In various shots and costumes Britneys underwear is seen which continuingly adds to Britneys sex appeal, backing up Mulveys study. To ensure the viewer does not turn the video off Britney is shown with three different hair colours in different shots. This gives the video a sense of variety and shows Britney in all different lights. Freedom and escape are almost always the theme of Britney Spears videos and Toxic is no different. The video opens with a shot of a plane and two birds, these symbolic of Britneys desire to be free from the image she has been portrayed by the public. The media have been following Britney since she was 17 when appearing on Disney shows. This fame became too much for her as her breakdown confirmed the pressures of fame became too much for her. The videos that Britney appears in always seem to mirror her desire to be set free; either through costumes and mise en scene, or just the basic desire to be an individual. Her first video was for Baby hit... the mise en scene of a ticking clock and small classroom highlighted this freedom theme which Toxic continues. The different disguises that Britney portrays; the props of many vehicles all give the idea that Britney wants to escape her manufactured image. In terms of the audience teenagers, also want to escape from school or like to play dress up so Britneys mise en scene is relatable for her target audience, this makes them buy Britneys records and look up to her. This for freedom is taken to the extreme in the video for Everytime where Britney attempts suicide; again a very public plead for support which foreshadows the breakdown which came later on in her life. Camerawork

Britney Spears is the focus of the music video Toxic. Through camera angles such as close ups and mid shots, the camera is always centred on the main singer. Any long shots that are used are usually shown to illustrate some kind of triumph for the star or to show off her body, which Britney is extremely well known for. Long shots are also used to show her dancing skills, which are essential when making a pop video. The other performers in the video are kept in the background, so the viewer can clearly see the product that is being displayed, Britney Spears who is looking to attract all types of audiences. Editing Due to the fast paced nature of the song, rapid editing is evident throughout the music video. This consistent changing matches the lyrics and pace of the song, therefore following similar music videos related to pop music such as Justin Timberlake Take Back the Night, another example of rapid editing and quick cuts.

By James Taylor and Joel Guest

Intertextuality During the video, Britney Spears is occasionally seen in a near nude, see through suit flaunting her natural assets and portraying her in a sexual viewpoint. It is possible Britney got inspiration from the hit song Kiss Kiss by Holly Valence, in which Valence is seen in similar attire. Britney is also seen sporting a number of different outfits throughout the video, and appears to be playing more than one role. Around the time of the release of Britneys hit song and video, 2003, a TV show called Alias was very popular, and stars a young woman who is an international spy who dresses up in different costumes and disguises to achieve her job. Britney shares a similar look throughout the video and therefore could have been a possibility that Alias was an influence. One of the final shots of the video shows Britney sporting a black haircut similar to Manga cartoon characters from comic books, popular at the time of Britneys child years (1980s). It could also be homage to the comic strip Witch Blade which centre on female superheroes. Britney returned to this Magna style in her video Break the Ice. Narrative/Contextuality Not only is Britney Spears famed for her singing which have led to hit songs, she is also an extremely talented dancer, seen in many of her music videos. This is one of her main selling points, and is also portraying her ability to show herself as not only a singer but a performer and all round pop star. This adheres to Steve Archers definition of a music video, as she almost tells a story through some of her dances, showing herself as a female spy who will go to any lengths to reach the object of the quest, marking Britneys request to escape the confines of music as I have stated. There is also close ups of Britney lip synching, common in many music videos especially in the pop genre. Star Image/ The Brand The look of the music video and band are vital in a music video, as they allow the viewer to determine whether they like what they see or not. This is also important to the record company as they need to advertise their property and stamp authority on the market, making people want to listen to the song and listen to the music videos, whilst at the same time appealing to the artists fans and keeping them happy and connected. Voyeurism/ Looking Voyeurism is the simple idea that humans gain erotic pleasure by looking at a sexual object (preferably when the object is unaware of being watched). It is becoming frequent in the majority of music videos in the 21st century, a strong example being

By James Taylor and Joel Guest

the hit single Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, which has one music video so explicit it was banned from YouTube. In 1975, Laura Mulvey proposed the idea that because most directors are male (a presence of women in film, and by extension music videos is often solely one of the purposes of display for a male audience. This still rings true in todays society, as the majority of directors are still male. The women in music videos are portrayed not as a female, but more so a sexual figure by frequently focusing on body parts such as breasts, legs and bum. Voyeurism is common throughout Toxic, as Britney is seen as an attractive, almost bad young woman who not only aims to reach out to her female fans through her lyrics, but also a male audience who will watch the video and hopefully have a strong attraction to Britney, common in many music videos now.