Research: Star Image

STAR IMAGE

Star image is the way an artist is represented to the audience. The most effective way to do this is through a music video. It can reach mainstream audiences on an international scale, bringing fame and success. 

How can a music video help an artist's career? 

• emphasize popularity
• express their thoughts and opinions
• show their name
• add to the promo package
• create longer lasting work
• create relationship with audience

How can it disgruntle them?

• loss of reputation 
• paparazzi that comes with fame
• offensive content
• controversial content
• losing fans due to change of style
• risking a large budget

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The evolution of star image is explored through popstar Kylie Minogue, from the 80s to present day. 

80s: Kylie ft Jason Donovan - Especially For You

• came from Neighbours, a popular Aussie soap
• first target audience: girls 10-13
• first appeared as innocent - baggy jeans and minimal amounts of makeup
• her dancing was energetic and fun; not intimidating and sexual
• values exhibited were also innocent and avoided deep meanings & sex
• the lyrics reflect this innocence and childishness - "in my imagination, there is no complication".
• Conclusion: Kylie entered the music industry as a young woman, role model to even younger girls by promoting innocence. 

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EARLY 90S:  'CONFIDE IN ME'

• Kylie demonstrates more glamour and sophistication in a sexual way to attract attention from the opposite sex.
• boys join her audience as they are attracted to her new look.
• young girls are intimidated by her sexuality.
• there are more choreographic dance routines in which she is the centre of attention. 
• values exhibited are less innocent and say that you should look attractive for the opposite sex.
• her lyrics get more mature and deeper meaning are built - "we all get hurt by love".
• Conclusion: sexuality is starting to be embraced as Kylie and her audience get older.

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LATE 90S: 'BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW'

• Kylie now has a wider mile audience because of her looks.
• cinematography expanded the focus on sexuality which introduced the empowerment of women.
• Kylie shows more of her skin, demonstrating a rise in confidence.
• values show that it's ok to flirt all of the time.
• lyrics are confident and daring toward the opposite sex, "I've got nothing left to hide".
• Conclusion: by this stage, Kylie is the image of female sexuality and empowerment.

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00'S (NOUGHTIES): 'SPINNING AROUND'

• target audience is now young adults in their 20's. This is because Kylie started making club hits.
• her seductive appeal began to get aggressive.
• confidence is still established through values. promiscuity is now embraced. 
• choreography introduces more backup dancers to enhance her star image. 

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How is star image enhanced?

• by exploiting or coming to terms with sexuality; fighting for the rights of people with different sexualities, etc. For example, Macklemore's 'Same Love' draws upon gay rights.
• express political views - for example, George Michael's 'Shoot The Dog' mocks political relations between the USA and the UK.
• expressing personal opinions on issues they believe are important; sharing morals and attitudes. For example, Michael Jackson's 'Black Or White' encourages equality and tries to dismiss the press attacking his change of skin colour.
• exhibiting social aspects; particular lifestyles and ideologies. For example, Lil Jon's 'Get Low' is all about life in clubs, strip clubs, while being a gangster and having a lot of money.

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CONCLUSION: I plan for my artist to have mild, if any, star image. This is because I want to focus on concepts and ideas behind the music video, rather than the person performing in them. I believe that aspects other than an artist's personality traits, can actually represent them in stronger ways. Therefore, I would like to attach meanings to objects rather than people, colours rather than clothes, etc.

Research: Intertextuality

INTERTEXTUALITY

An intertextual reference is something in a music video that acts as an ideology of something else - such as politics, personal beliefs, sexuality, etc. A soundtrack does not count. Some music videos show hints to a film, a TV show, other artists and anything else that can be easily recognized. Other references are extremely controversial. Despite it being a clever technique, it may not always work so is the least common one on Goodwin's list.

Why are interterxtual references used?

• For an artist's own entertainment
• For the audience's entertainment
• To strengthen the relationship between the artist and the audience
• To share different types of views e.g. political

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MAJOR LAZOR FT MO - LEAN ON

This video was filmed in Indian with Indian people and shows their cultural choreography. Also, the soundtrack itself is implemented with a Bollywood sound. The mise en scene of the characters includes traditional Indian clothing; e.g. Saris. Locations shown are very grand, which portray India for the wealth and royalty it truly has, unlike advertisements on TV that manipulate people into thinking the whole nation is living in poverty. 

LANA DEL REY - NATIONAL ANTHEM

In this video, there are intertextual references to American culture, shown through the American flag and an allusion to the president getting shot. The American flag itself is also shown a lot. Also, American culture of the 60's is replicated through her vintage-looking mise en scene. Additionally it references American politics as in the past, interracial couples were stigmatised. 

DRAKE - UNFORGETTABLE

In the beginning of this song is a reference to Aaliyah's 'Let Me Know'. Part of the track has been incorporated into Drake's own song. The intention of this was to keep Aaliyah's legacy alive, appeal to her fans, and pay tribute. The song ends with another snippet of her singing, to make us remember her success as an artist and individual.

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CRITICISMS OF INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCING

• references may be controversial
• content could offend audiences
• it influences opinions and beliefs
• unoriginal to an extent

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Research: Mulvey’s Male Gaze

MULVEY'S 'MALE GAZE'

The 'male gaze' is a theory which seeks to explain womens' role in music videos, via the way they are represented. 

Film theorist Laura Mulvey (1975) 

says that the camera is always in the perspective of a heterosexual male. Thus, the camera works around women's bodies to objectify them for the pleasure of an equally gendered audience as the camera. 

She outlines three ways in which women in music videos are responded to:

• how men look at women
• how women look at themselves
• how women look at other women

Stereo-typically, men look at women sexually, women look at themselves shamefully and women look at other women as morally wrong. 

In music videos, women are passive because they rely on the attention of men to earn their place in the video. Men are active, because they have control over the women and envied by male audiences. 

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EXAMPLES

Robin Thicke - 'Blurred Lines'

In the uncut version of this video, the women are completely naked. Mulvey would argue that this makes them look vulnerable and submissive to the power of men. Thicke himself is in a suit, which demonstrates that power and suggests women have to be naked to be viewed as attractive. 

Jennifer Lopez ft. Iggy Azalea - 'Booty'

Although the women in this video are clothed, what they are wearing is regarded as "skimpy", and throughout the video the focus of cinematography is directed onto their assets. A video like this supports the idea that development of music videos killed the musical star, as rather than promoting talent for entertainment, a particular body type is being promoted for pleasure. This video is also suggestive of a 'booty' only being attractive on women's bodies. 

Lily Allen - 'Hard Out Here'

Similar to 'Booty', many close-ups encourage the audience to look at women's assets. Though this video is different in terms of its' purpose - the artist is mocking music videos of today from a feminist perspective and shares the views of Mulvey.

Judging from the examples analysed, the 'male gaze' seems to be most prominent in the Pop genre. This may be because Pop has a larger audience than other genres, as well as more female artists. Therefore one of the biggest tools of promotion within the pop genre is sexually appealling visuals for the vast amount of men who are exposed to it. MusicMachinery.com states that the female artist with most male fans is Rihanna. This supports the theory, as she is heavily sexulised in everything she does. 

 

Rihanna, insiuating a sex act on a male

 

However, this is not taking into account diversity of gender and sexual orientation within a large audience. 

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CRITICISMS

• the theory ignores other genders and sexualities that could be a part of the audience.
• the portrayal of women might not be objectification, but empowerment or part of a narrative. 
• not all women are oblivious to how they are being shown - Lily Allen challenges this. 
• some women may enjoy being gazed upon!
• more recently, men are starting to be portrayed sexually too.
• the development in attitudes, such as 'sex sells', shows that it is compulsory for mainstream artists to do this.
• Mulvey only focused on mainstream music, other genres such as alternative do not rely on 'objectification' for success. 

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Because I am interested in creating a concept video, I don't want to use the 'male gaze'. Personally, other aspects of videos such as the visual artistry can make more of an impact, if enough people see it.

Research: History of music videos

HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS

Today, music videos are important for the promotion and star image of an artist. However, the beginnings of music videos had other uses. 

How can people consume music videos?

• TV
• YouTube
• Vevo
• Blogs e.g. Tumblr
• Social media
• Illegal downloads
• iTunes
• Tidal
• Worldstar

How has developments in music videos affected the way audiences consume them?

• easier access to videos
• larger interest and more diverse interests
• a cater to all of these interests
• something to keep up with, feel connected to

on the other hand,

• hype of new platform has dissolved
• overexposure led to mainstream ideas hard to replace
• loss of interest, no awareness of new niche ideas

A timeline with key events in music industry history explains how music videos have developed in terms of ideas and purpose. 

1929: SONGS AND MOVING IMAGES
Bessie Smith in a two-reel short film called Saint Louis Blues, featuring dramatized performance of the hit song.

This is not regarded as a music video as the intention was to promote the film, rather than the song - and no connection with an audience was established.

1940: WALT DISNEY
Released Fantasia, an animated film based around famous pieces of classical music.

This is not regarded as a music video, rather a genre associated with film.

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Moving images and animations are not considered as music videos; they are just basic editing of images to films and/or musicals, which was a big genre of film during this period. Ultimately, music videos did not exist. 

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1956: TONY BENNETT
Filmed walking in Hyde Park for his song Stranger In Paradise. The single/video wasddistributed in the US and UK. Bennett claims he made the first music video. He did not do it to promote, nor avoid a performance.

1964: THE BEATLES
Their video is arguably the first music video. It set out the basic foundations of today's music videos, influencing contemporary musicians at the time to create similar moving images to accompany their music. 

1966: 'THE MONKEES' 
TV show consisting of a specially made musical segment to accompany each episode. Eventually, they recognized their talent and began making music seriously. 

Though this may not be considered a music video because it was part of a TV show.

1966: TOP OF THE POPS
The formation of TOTP caused a rise in importance of promoting a single. Music videos now had a clear purpose. TOTP had a limited number of performances, which introduced competitions between mainstream artists. This was the beginning of pop culture and redefined music video standards. 

1967: THE BEATLES
More modern Beatles videos used new techniques, borrowed from film, such as effects, drmaatic lighting, camera angles and a rhythmic ending. Goodwin's theory comes into the equation as common conventions start to be established such as lyrics and visuals.

- AGE OF MODERN VIDEOS - 

1975: QUEEN
By some, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' music video is considered to be the first ever official music video. This is because it was the first to be recorded in 'video' format. The terms 'first music video' applies here, rather than 'first promo film' like that of Bessie Smith. 

Though others disagree that this is the first video, as it was only created to replace an unattended live performance.

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1970-80: KEY DEVELOPMENT
Between this time period, music videos were developing in their production style and quality. Videotape recorders and portable video cameras were coming into fashion. This allowed for an expanding array of cinematography techniques. Pop acts were now producing promotional videos quickly and cheaply to stay on Top Of The Pops. By the mid-80s, it became the standard thing to accompany a single with a music video. They started to invest within high budgets - creative effects were being achieved. For example, Blame It On The Boogie by Jackson 5 featured the use of green screens.

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1981: MTV LAUNCH
The first video aired on MTV was Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles. Today, this choice is regarded as highly controversial as the lyrics dwell on the issue of radio being replaced with visual arts. It claims that listening to, and appreciating musical talent has been overthrown by the demand for superficial entertainment, leading to the construction of pop-stars and commercialisation. 

Generally artists began to use more sophisticated effects in their videos, and added a story line or plot. Goodwin's theory starts to become more relevant  as these changes occur, e.g. the idea of a narrative based video.

1984: MICHAEL JACKSON
'Thriller', argued as the first concept of a short film, features an equilibrium, disequilibrium and new-equilibrium (as outlined by Todorov). This took music video format to a higher level; standards once again being redefined. A new approach was considered, inspired by Thriller - to produce a video that would be banned or edited, using controversy and publicity to promote the release. Top Of The Pops began to censor music video content, which is now what we know as the watershed. 

Another example of the beginnings of controversy in music videos is Girls on Film by Duran Duran. Today, the portrayal of women in this video is mainstream and no longer controversial to the public eye, though debatable to fall under objectification. 

MID 1980'S: MADONNA
Madonna grew in popularity due to skillful construction and seductive appeal of her music videos. Women were now more open in terms of portraying their sexuality through the media. 

To some, this was the start of a 'golden era' of music videos. Others see it as hastening the death of the musical artist, as the focus in the music industry has shifted from talent to appearance. Within mainstream genres, physical appearance is critical to the promotion of a product. 

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Why were music videos so controversial in the 80s? I think as they were a fresh concept, rules and regulations had not yet been established. People wanted to express regular parts of life through their production, and there was nobody to tell them it was wrong. Watersheds did not exist yet. People had never been offended by it before so there was no warning. In the early 20's, the only way to be public was the be modest - so these radical and raw music videos opened doors which shocked the nation. 

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HOW HAVE MUSIC VIDEOS CHANGED OVER TIME?

Music videos have grown in sync with technology. As new gadgets were being created, artists took advantage and enhanced their production techniques and styles with these. Other developments in technology, such as the internet, serves multiple platforms of international promotion for a single. The purpose of a video has also changed. In the beginning, they were made purely for the entertainment of the audience. Music videos are now designed for monetary needs; artists are in intense competition with each other to make a profit. Finally, the attitudes toward music videos are different now than they used to be - the portrayal of sexuality was once criticized, now it is highly appreciated and advertised. 

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It is important to know the history of music videos before making one. The way other people's ideas have shaped and formed are useful in creating your own. From a public point of view, it's useful to consider if the way one responds to ideas is a replica of past societies or not. 

Research: Diverse music videos

DIVERSITY OF MUSIC VIDEOS

Music videos have grown in their diversity. New formats, styles and types have made their way into the industry. Most significantly is the expansion of music genres which has led to these changes. Though an equally important factor is the changes of culture's ideologies, values and attitudes itself, which are reflected through music. As a result of all this, there is wider appreciation of niche genres and their concept-based videos. Artists are now experimenting artistically, thus a fraction of focus is steered away from mainstream music. Though, mainstream music remain dominant in the industry. 

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CHRIS CUNNINGHAM

British director Chris Cunningham is renowned for working with various niche artists and making them famous. He has worked with the likes of Bjork and Aphex Twins. His work is know as creative and highly controversial, as well as a rejection to age restrictions on media content. His influences include a background in cultural engineering, and a degree in engineering. 

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BJORK - ALL IS FULL OF LOVE

• The characters in the video are Bjork herself, being created as a robot, and her robot lover
• Narrative: robot gets built up and makes love with another robot.
• Visuals and lyrics: the idea of two robots, rather than humans, making love, brings 'all' to life in the sense that love can happen between anything/anyone.
• Star image: Bjork's face is the robot; through the idea of being a robot she is demonstrating uniqueness which her fan base will appreciate. 
• Relationship of images with audience: Loyal fans will learn to interpret and think about ideas they may not have come across before. The establishment of loyalty through the niche aspect secures this response. On the other hand, mainstream audiences will see it as 'weird' based on labels given to ideas external to the mainstream music culture.

BEHIND THE SCENES

• Bjork worked with Cunningham because she looked up to him and heard about his work previously. This shows that he is successful in his work. 
• She suggests that the music video is set in heaven whilst two robots make love. She wanted to demonstrate lust with erotic images. This is different from mainstream music which shows sex in a raunchy fashion, typically objectifying womens' bodies. 
• Cunningham was concerned about this music video because he has no faith in the computer technology used, so he began to change the ideas. He says it looked "cheap". This shows that niche genres are still developing, as there is more confidence among artists and directors in mainstream music. 

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APHEX TWIN - FLEX

• The characters in the video are a man and a woman, both with deformities in their facial features.
• Narrative: the humans are situated in a tranquil setting, then become engaged in what looks like violent sexual activity. At the end, a bright light shines upon them, disrupting their actions. Though the events don't create a story which makes it a concept music video.
• Star image: there appears to be no reference to the artist. It hasn't been included to direct the focus onto the ideas of the artist that they want to share. 
• Relationship of images with audience: mainstream audiences would struggle to appreciate and understand the visuals. As a distinct audience, they are conditioned into seeing the same conventional music videos. More niche audiences will, perhaps due to a lack of star image motif, take the time to look into the artist and understand ideas behind the video. 

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APHEX TWIN - COME TO DADDY

• The characters are an old woman, her dog, a crowd of children with deformed faces and a tall, thin man (or 'daddy').
• Narrative: there is no clear narrative - the bulk of the video consists of the children running around, causing trouble for no apparent reason. 
• Star image: again, there is no star image. Instead, the focus is on these deformed children and the horror of the old woman. 
• Relationship of images with audience: the old woman may be representative of mainstream audiences; those who feel frightened of these types of music videos. Glorifying deformity is received as controversial, so only niche audiences would enjoy the video. 

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COMMON CUNNINGHAM CONVENTIONS

• low-key lighting
• deformity
• innovative ideas
• deeper meanings
• no star images
• niche concept ideas
• extreme controversy
• trust within target audience

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MICHEL GONDRY

French director Michel Gondry is noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. He has worked with mainstream artists such as Kylie Minogue and Daft Punk and Radiohead. The degree of controversy in his work is less than that of Cunnigham's, resulting in more mainstream artists wanting to work with him in order to protect their reputation. 

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THE WHITE STRIPES - THE HARDEST BUTTON TO BUTTON

• The characters are the artists themselves, made clear as they visually play the instruments that are in the recording.
• Narrative: there is no clear narrative; the entire video is continuous movement from location to location.
• Star image: The artists are shown throughout the video performing the instrumental, to show off their musical talent. Moving around with numerous instruments, on what seems to be an otherwise regular journey, amplifies the rock star lifestyle.
• Editing: There is a new frame for every beat which confirms the relationship between visuals and sound. This brings attention to techniques of the guitar.
• Other: This video is low-budget and has many repetitive frames. Therefore any meanings depend on what is shown rather than how it's shown. 

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KYLIE MINOGUE - COME INTO MY WORLD

• The main character is Kylie herself, duplicated multiple times as the song progresses.
• Star image: The entire video is a panning shot of Kylie walking around town. This focus on her increases as she duplicates, challenging the eye to watch each Kylie at the same time and spot differences, mistakes, etc. 
• Editing: The visuals and images are synced through editing; when the hook starts again, the cycle of walking through town starts again and the panning circle starts again. Like The White Stripes video, the process is repetitive. 
• Relationship with visuals and audience: the visuals and lyrics link, with Kylie shown walking around her world as she repeatedly sings "come into my world". This appeals to audiences as they feel a stronger connection to the artist by seeing her in a less glamoured style.

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DAFT PUNK - AROUND THE WORLD

• The characters are an array of dancers in different costumes; none of their faces are being shown.
• Star image: Daft Punk either do not show their faces, or do not appear in the music video. For 'Around The World', they aren't present, which leaves the audiences focused on the dancers. Like the other videos, it is concept-based and repetitive, though unlike the others, Daft Punk didn't use themselves to demonstrate that repetition. 
• Editing: Like The White Stripes, every beat has a new frame. 
• Relationship with visuals are audience: This action-packed video of random concepts allow for an open mind among many audiences, considering Daft Punk are a mainstream band though within a niche genre (electronic).

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ADVANTAGES OF DIVERSE MUSIC VIDEOS

• lots of hype
• new ideas shared
• media caters to all interests of society
• bigger choice of what to listen to
• success for niche artists
• reinvent star image
• mentally challenging
• individual videos
• abstract ideas come to life
• true to our era; 1900s focused on realism

DISADVANTAGES OF DIVERSE MUSIC VIDEOS

• potentially offensive and/or controversial
• lack of understanding
• damage reputations
• unlikely to gain mainstream audiences
• massive risks with money
• time slot on channels after the watershed

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My favourite is Cunningham because his work, such as with Kylie, is recognised within music. This means that people have seen his work and are aware of it. I believe that all music should be mainstream because we should all have the opportunity to explore all kinds of ideas, not just dominant ideologies.

Should diverse music videos stay away from mainstream music culture?

No. Innovation has been the foundations of changing society for centuries. There shouldn't be a section of mainstream music and a section of niche music. All music should get created, live and then let the next set of ideas flow through society. Although the means of survival have expanded far beyond natural instincts; artists need to stay at the top. Within art history, proportions that we have today were not used until a certain point in time. Popular art worked around unrealistic paintings to represent higher beings in Christianity. Then ideas of realism started to form and the foundations of perspective started shaping the way artists made art. In essence, diversity can't stay separate from the mainstream - it evolves into that. Within the next 20 years, concept videos may be considered mainstream. 

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Research: Channels

MUSIC CHANNELS

Not long ago, there were only 2 TV channels. Then came another, and many more until the present day which consists of hundreds of channels. A selection of these are music channels, to offer audiences of artists the chance to see their work.

Some of these channels were created as synergies with radio stations. Advantages of this include:

• A larger audience (traditional & modern)
• Choice of format
• Hype and awe over the technology of a visual platform 

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Certain channels have evolved according to shifts in technology and society as a whole. Music videos are no longer as entertaining as they used to be, so other forms of entertainment have been devised for consumption so viewers continue to watch TV. MTV is an example, which once featured purely music videos, but have now drifted away from videos. Instead, they cater to different interests that have expanded, such as reality TV shows (e.g. Awkward). The responsibility of satisfying music audiences has been shifted onto MTV's sister channels. These are branches of the traditional channel, MTV.

• MTV HITS

Genres: Pop, Dance

Audience: young children/teens (6-13)

Key artists: Katy Perry, One Direction

• MTV BASE

Genres: Hip-Hop, Rap, Urban

Audience: ethnic minorities (18-15)

Key artists: Rihanna, Chris Brown

• MTV ROCKS

Genres: Rock, Metal, Screamo

Audience: older white males (26-35)

Key artists: Panic! At The Disco, Bring Me The Horizon

• MTV DANCE

Genres: House, Electronic, EDM

Audience: young adults (18-25)

Key artists: David Guetta, Diplo

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Other music channels include: Kiss, Heart, Kerrang, Flava, Capital, Viva, 4Music, Bliss, Clubland, BOX, etc. To access most the full package of music channels, a full subscription to Sky or Virgin TV is required. This is more expensive than other packages, such as NowTV, that include less. 

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UNREPRESENTATIVE?

It can be argued that there are a wider range of niche genres than mainstream genres. With music channels being dominated by mainstream music, there is a double imbalance, leading to niche genres being unrepresented. If a channel were to be established for a niche genre, it would most likely only air music beyond the watershed. This is because a lot of alternative music has controversial concepts that may offend or confuse young audiences. For example, Pop is highly mainstream, whereas Grunge lost recognition after the 90's. 

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ADVANTAGES OF MUSIC VIDEO CHANNELS

• more promotion
• audience satisfaction
• offering variety e.g. entertainment for other interests
• sweeping; all videos blocked together for easy access
• back-up platforms for industries
• open doors to negotiation with other channels

DISADVANTAGES OF MUSIC CHANNELS

• mainstream genre dominance; doesn't cater to all interests
• loss of interest in the present day
• can be a waste of money if it's unsuccessful 
• literal audiences may not be target audience

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CONCLUSION

I plan to include controversial and enigmatic elements in my music video. So it's unlikely to air on mainstream channels such as Kiss. I'm not sure what it would air on, so a whole new channel may have to be created for videos like mine.