Reasearch into choosen music genre

Research into chosen msuic genre

The genre my music video is the pop genre. The pop genre is quiet popular among today's mainstream music. The song that we are doing is 'Glassheart' by leona lewis and it follows the generic conventions of an pop music. I have chosen to analyze Alezandra Burke and Cheyral Cole. Alexandra is signed to the same record label as Leona Lewis as she also won the x factor like leona Lewis. Cheyral Cole is another known pop singer that won a similar show like x factor and is recognised worlwide.


Alexander Burke _ Broken Heels

This song involves Alexandra Burke singing and dancing to the camera. The song involves Alexandra Burke wearing heels and football uniform and dancing and singing in a football court. This song is very conventional to the pop genre. We see a lot of dancing throughout the music video which is very common of pop music videos. The dance moves go well with the upbeat music. 

Alexandra Burke  is seen wearing a crop top and shorts. This very fashionable and over the top. This is typical of pop music genre as she is dressed in a very stylish manner. Another typical feature of pop music videos is that the artist is seen happy and enjoying life. This is shown through the facial expressions and body language of the artist aswell as the artist at the back. They are jumping around to the beat of the music. The most common convention of pop music videos are is that they tend to follow the conventions rather than creating something completely different this is pretty evident throughout the music video. Pop music video are revolved around youth and them enjoying life and having fun. This compared a rock music video it is usually based on something different. 

This music video follows the Goodwin's theory. this music video is performance based only. This is because we see Alexandra Burke dressed up singing to the camera. We also see Alexandra Burke dancing when the beat is up towards the camera with back dancers. There is an obvious link between the lyrics and visuals on screen in this music video The lyrics says that 'we can do it better with broken heels" we see Alexandra Burke dancing in high heels on the court. 

Moreover there is also links between the music and visuals. This is when we see Alexandra Burke and the dancers dance when the beat of the music changes. 

Another aspect of Goodwin's theory is 'objectification of women'. In this music video the girls are wearing tight clothing this is done to appeal to men. Alexandra Burke is wearing a crop top and the viewers can see her belly button; this maybe is done to appeal to men. 

This music video also follows dyers start theory which suggests that stars are ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. We see Alexandra Burke wearing a golden crop top that is very shiny and and seems attractive. However she is isn't wearing that much makeup as she looks simple. 

Cheryl Cole_ Fight for this love

This music video by Cheryl Cole has her singing to the camera and dancing. The song starts with Cheryl Cole wearing a leopard print trouser and gloves. In the background we see bunch of dancers that are dressed as leopards. They are wearing clothes that are black, this compared to Cheryl Cole is wearing a white top and leopard pants which makes her stand out. This song is very conventional to the pop genre as Cheryl Cole is wearing many different outfits that is typically seen in pop music videos. Cheyral Cole is seen dancing with her background dancers. Every time the beat goes up the dancers strike a step. This shows that the movement in the music video is going well with the music.

Cheryl Cole is seen in many different costumes in the music video. From leopard print trousers , sequence dress , red and white stripped top , black jumpsuits with spikes etc. Each dress seem to present her feelings and this is typical of the pop genre as costumes are used to show the emotions of the artist. Cheryl Cole is wearing a black jumpsuit that has spikes on both edges which shows her harsh feelings. She has a serious look on her face and is dancing at a fast pace. 

The music video follows the features of Goodwin's theory as we see that there is a relationship between the music and visuals. Everytime the beat of the music is high that is shown through the dance. This music video is performance based as throughout the music video we see Cheryl Cole dancing and singing to the camera. She has different costumes change however there is no narrative to the music video. 

Dyers theory is also followed in this music video. Dyers theory shows that stars can be ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. This is clearly shown in this music as we see Cheryl Cole wearing different types of costumes and makeup. These makeup and costumes change with the lyrics of the msuic. We see Cheryl Cole wearing plain white top and pants then that changes to her wearing sequence dress. This clearly shows that stars can be ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. 

Initial planninng ideas post

My group includes Nadia Shah , Rhiann Johal and myself. We decided to be a group as we ll bring something different to the group. Nadia is really good  at the technical aspect such as editing using final cut pro. However Rhiann is good at the creative aspect of music videos such as designing the storyboards coming up with ideas on what to include in our music video. I have taken the responsibility of the practical aspect of crating a music video this includes finding locations , actors, iconography and camerawok.

Our first meeting was an hour long where we discussed the following things:

• The genre of music: We made a list of all the artists that we were  considering. We as a group decided to do a song by a female artist that has mainly done slow songs. We made a list of artist that we were considering these included artist such as Kelly Clarkson , Nelly Furtado , Alicia keys and Emeli Sandae. We decided to do Emile Sandae as she doesn have many music videos and the song we decided to do doesn't have a music video which means we can come up with our own ideas on what to include inn themsic video. Emile Sandae music genre is R&B , soul .and pop. We them made a list of the genre chracteristics ; This will help us plan what are the things that we can include in the music video.  

• The song: We decided to do 'Maybe' by EmelieSandae. To begin annotated the lyrics from the song. This allowed to know more about what the song is about. We decided to do 'Maybe' because its a slow song and that will allow us to focus more on the narrative of the song. For each verse of the song we decided what the verse is baout and th possible things we can include in the msuic video.

We divided our discussion into 10 parts. These were  as follows :

1. Mies-en-scene
2. Artist Represenaation
3. Cinematography
4. Editing
5. Style of Misc video
6. Codes and Conventions of muic Genres
7. Traget Audience
8. Music video theory
9. Research caried out / Music video inspirations
10. Annotation of lyrics

Group meeting 2
The next meeting ; all the group members were present during this group meeting. During this meeting we had a deep discussion on weather doing 'maybe' is a suitable song to do as it is a slow song and we as a group would have difficulties producing the digie-pack. We then started researching for a slight upbeat song which is more narrative based. We looked for a song that is not that known and doesn't have a music video. This will allow us to re-brand the artist and put our input in the song rather than doing what the artist does.

We came up with Leona Lewis's song 'Glassheart' ; We then made notes on the following :

1. Mies-en-scene
2. Artist Represenaation
3. Cinematography
4. Editing
5. Style of Misc video
6. Codes and Conventions of muic Genres
7. Traget Audience
8. Music video theory
9. Research caried out / Music video inspirations
10. Annotation of lyrics

 We made a draft of the storyboard just outlining what each shot will include and what props and camera shots will be used. We looked at each verse and made list of possible locations that each location can be shot in. This song has a lot of narrative to it as its about a girl who loves this guy and is afraid that he is going to leave her or cheat on her. This song has alot of narrative to it and beat to the song aswell. We also made a list of the props that we need which includes 'green screen' and how that will be used.

diversity of music videoas

Why would an artist  chose to create a diverse music video ?

There are various things that makes a music video unique. These things will include the following:

• Clothing worn by the artists: This can include all sorts of clothing colorful, dull or very revealing clothes. For example clothing worn by lady gaga in her music videos.
• Strong narrative: If a music video has a different narrative and the narrative has a deep meaning to it. Like Christina Aguilera music video 'beautiful' where she sings about being beautiful even if you are anorexic, obese , gay or ugly.
• Censorship: This means music videos that breaks the rules and makes a music video that cannot be played everywhere as it might not be appropriate for some people. For example S&M by Rhianna where her lyrics went appropriate as well as the music video itself. This is when she says 'sticks and stones may break my bone but chains and whips excite me' Music videos like these are played after watershed.
• Budget: The budget of a music video also makes a music video diverse. Big budget music videos will have more expensive props and locations which will make a long lasting effect on the audience. For example Michael Jackson's music video 'Scream'. The cost came up to $7,000,000.

I will be analysing two directors that create totally different types of music videos. There music videos are unique in their own way. These two directors include Chris Cunningham and Michael Gondry ; They produce music videos that don't conform to the stereotypical genre characteristics. The music videos produced by this artist are totally different from what an audience can expect. For e.g. in a dance music video one would expect a lot of dance but these videos are quiet diverse.  I will be analysing Music video by Aphex Twin – Come to daddy and Frozen – Madonna which are directed by Chris Cunningham. I will also be analysing Kylie Minogue’s come into my world and the white strips – the hardest button to button which are directed by Michael Gondry.

Chris Cunningham: Is a British music video director; He is known for his music videos such as Madonna’s frozen,  Alphex twin ‘come to daddy’ and windowlicker for which he won a Brit award.

The music video ‘come to daddy’ is from the dance genre but however it doesn’t follow any genre characteristics. Dance genre characteristics include a club setting, flashing lights, fast pace editing etc. It doesn’t consist of any of those things stated above. A dance music video is expected to be lively and upbeat. This music video compared to the usual dance music videos was completely opposite as it was cold and dark, the narrative involved an old granny walking her dog and she is terrifies by scary looking kids. It shows how vulnerable the old granny is and how terrified she becomes due to these kids terrifying her. It seems more like a short film then a music video. This music video doesn’t follow Goodwin’s theory which shows it’s diverse for a reason. Throughout the music video the artist isn’t shown and the music video is more about the narrative. .  This type of music video is unlikely to be shown on MTV as it breaks MTV’s censorship laws.

‘Frozen’ by Madonna is also a strange video. It shows Madonna on a deserted island where she is dressed in black has a really pale face. The can come across very Gothic as she long black hair but pale face. The genre of this music video is popular music but it goes against the conventions of a pop music video. There seem to be no colour or dancing in this music video which is typical of pop music.

There seems to be no relationship between the lyrics and the visuals in this music video as the music doesn’t follow the Goodwin’s theory. The music is performance based as their no concept or narrative to the video. The video involves Madonna singing to the camera and In the background the audience can see black pigeons flying which adds to the mood of the music video.

The representation of Madonna in a Gothic way can suggest the time of when this video came out which was in the 1990’s. Her images is shown to be rebellious as the music video doesn’t seem to follow the conventions of a popular music video.

Micheal Gondry is another director that creates diverse music videos but they are totally different to music videos created by Chris Cunningham.  Micheal Gondry is a french Academy award winner and also produces music videos.

One of the music videos he produced was 'come into my world' by Kylie Minogue. This music video is set in a realistic location and is a popular music video. His style of  directing music videos involves allot of repletion. Kylie Minogue sis wearing typical everyday clothing one would expect to wear on a trip outside. The music video is very conventional to the popular music genre. As she is dressed in a typical everyday clothing and is singing to the camera.
This music video follows Goodwin's Theory as we see Kylie going around doing the same thing again and again coming out , picking the newspaper , crossing the road. This suggest her typical day and she is singing about coming into her world. Kylie Minogue keeps doubling up as she keeps going round the same circle.
This music video is 90% performance and 10% narrative. This is because she is singing to the camera however the narrative is that her world involves doing the same thing everyday.

Another music video that is directed by Micheal Gondry is The hardest button to button by the white strips. This band is an alternative rock band. The genre conventions for an alternative rock band would be dark colours , high pitched music , and use of instruments. This music video follows these conventions as we see allot of use of black and red. We see the singers wearing eye liner which adds to the rock genre. They both have dark hair which suggests they are bit Gothic. There is allot of use of instruments as we see the 'red box' replicating itself with the beat as the drummer drums with the singer singing.

Th music video also uses Goodwin's theory as the visuals on screen matches the lyrics. With the beating of the drum and the strumming of the guitar the editing goes fast pace. It then stops when the singer sings and then goes fast with the drumming.

This music video is stereotypical to a rock music video and is all performance based music video. The artist are playing instruments and their is a constant location change.

There are many reasons why an artist  would choose to create a diverse music video is that they want to be 'different'. By being different the audience tends to remember that specific artist and its music video. Producing a diverse video can also start some sort of trend that everyone starts following. This can be something showed in the music video, clothes worn by an artist or maybe a dance step performed by the artist.These music videos break the generic conventions and have something completely different.
However, their are some down side to creating a diverse music video ; these can include the fact that it is hard for the audience to relate to the artist. This can mean that the audience wont have any intrest in the artist.

Chris Cunningham and Micheal Gondry are both very different types of music videos. Chris Cunningham creates very dark and strange videos. Micheal Gondry creates music videos that has a 'repetition' in it. Micheal Gondry's styles of directing music videos best suits the music video that i will be producing as the song i am doing is upbeat and is lyrics based. However Chris Cunningham's videos are dark and Gothic and strange and the song i have choose to do is a love story compared to the type of songs Chris Cunningham directs.

Research into music genres

How do music videos appeal to an audience ?

Music Videos should be entertaining and interesting as well as appealing to its target Audience. The music , dance , lyrics are all part of the music video that appeals an audience in a different way. The outfits that the artists wear in their music videos plays a big part as the target audiences look for the different outfits worn by their favourite artists. The outfits should stand out and be appealing to that target audience ; also the brands worn by the artists. The dancing is another aspect that appeals to an audience and the cheaography of the dance. The visuals on the screen appeals to an audience this can include the different colours and the props the artist uses on the screen.


Genre : Rap
Artist: Drak
Song : Over

Cinematography : The music video uses 'shallow focus' in the video as we can see the dancer in the background that has been blurred out and the camera focuses on Drake singing.This may suggest that it maybe a love triangle as we also see a girl that is full in focus. This may show his life and what he may been going through. 

The video also uses 'Establishing shot' as we see 'Drake' sitting in the bedroom and the projection behind moves very quickly this can relate how his life goes fast aswell. This may show his fans his life story and how far he has come with his music. This typical of the rap genre as a rapper usually raps about his life. 

Mies-en-scene:  The music video uses a mixture of low-key and high-key lighting. This gives the audience an on-edge vibe. This can relate back to his feelings and what may be going in his life. It shows the high and lows in his life.
There was also use of iconography in the music video. There was a constant uses of lamps which were placed on the bed sides. This creates low key lighting which adds effect in the room.

The facial expressions play a big part in this music video as the music changes with how Drake is feeling and the lyrics of the song.  He is wearing a red jacket when he is feeling angry ; this is when the projection goes really fast and moves around him really quickly. This shows his feelings. This can suggest maybe he is stressed out and the fame he has received is overwhelming as he went from nothing to something. 

Editing
There is a range of projection use behind him as he is sitting in the bedroom. The projection vary from being very bright to very dull. This suggests the artists life and the colours can suggest the things that go in his life. The projection is quiet fast moving this can suggest his life.

The music video also demonstrates part of goodwins theory. One of the points in goodwins theory is the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This is when he says 'i know way too many people here right now..that i didn't know last year' This is when there is a projection of people behind him which shows a time lapse and shows how far he has come.



Genre: Dance
Artist : Florida
Song: Club cant handle us

Editing
 The music video uses jump cut throughout the music video. The scene moves from florida dancing and singing in the club to clips from the film step up. This relates to the music video genre which is dance and how speedy the editing is with music.

There is a lot of uses of flashing lights. These flashing lights seem to be slows but gradually speeds up with beat of the song . The speeding up of the lighting with the music adds effect to the atmosphere. This relates back to the fact that it s a dance music video and the features of dance music videos is usually dance , party and music speeding up with the editing.


Mies-en-scene
Positioning of the characters: Positioning of characters plays a big part in the mies-en-scene. We see Flo-rida placed on the podium. He has been raised ; while the audience is looking up to him. He seems to be centre of attention. This relates back to him being in the club having fun and singing to the audience.

Lighting: The re is a mixture of high and low key lighting. The lighting varies as when they are dancing we see flashing lights which demonstrates goodwin's theory of relationship between lyrics and the visuals.

Iconography: There is use of iconography ; The audience sees women carrying bottles with sparkles. This show that it is not an ordinary club. This relates to the artists life and the money he has to afford luxuries.

The physical appearance: Florida is dressed in baggy clothes and is seen wearing chains and watches. This is typical clothing to wear to a club. He is seen wearing branded clothes and this relates again to the life of artists. florida is seen pointing at his watch in the music video when he says 'got plenty to blow. This agin relate to the goodwin's  theory when the lyrics and visuals have a relationship between them.

There is a use of long shot where the camera focuses on lambouginees and money flying in the air. This is shows wealth and power and relates to the party atmosphere. It also suggests the life of artists and how much money they have to spend.






There is also use of high angle to show the dance atmosphere in the club. The camera shows the people dancing which relates to the fact that its a dance music video and the people are part of a club and that is typical in a club.



Genre : Rock
Artist: muse
Song : feeling good

Cinematography
The music video starts with a long shot. The audience sees an empty room that is completed empty and there is a person with his back on the piano. This can represent being lonely or sad which relates to the fact that the genre of the music video is rock. However as the music video moves along we see people and confetti falling which means it is challenging the music genre which is rock as its unlikely to see something like that in a rock music video. The colour red can mean many things passion, love or a new sort of energy that gives them new   hope. We see the people coming together

Editing
There are various jump cuts in the music video. The scenes rapidly change from a shot of the sky to a shot of the artists drumming or singing. This relates to the fact that it’s a rock music video and the speed of the scenes changes goes with the beat of the music. 

Mies-en-scene
The characters in the music video are wearing everyday casual clothes but they look different. This suggests that they are normal people even though they do look a bit different. The video has a strong meaning just like other rock songs have deep meanings. This music video shows that maybe they all look different they are all equal people.

The lyrics have a quiet deep meaning and the visuals and lyrics have a relationship. As the singer is singing about ‘feeling good’ this shows that he is happy and everything maybe going the way he wants. This is obvious as we see red rose petals following from the sky which can show their happiness.

The facial expression is a big part of this music video as at the beginning the facial expressions of the people with strange faces is quiet sad and lonely. But as the songs progresses and the singer sings about ‘feeling good’ we see all women and men smiling. This can show them feeling ‘free’ and loved or appreciated. This was evident through their facial expressions.

In conclusion I would like to say that all genres are different from each other and there is something different about every genre. For example a dance song like ‘club can’t handle us’ has a club and partying shots and upbeat music. However rock music is loud and it has a lot of background music.

Analyzing different genres has assisted me in planning my music video as I know what certain generic conventions are needed that I need to follow in my music video. This will also allow me to decide what genre will my music video be and the certain generic conventions that I need to follow.

Summary
Analyzing different music genres was a good exercise to understand the codes and conventions of different genre'. It also made me understand the certain things that are done to attract specific target audience. I liked certain aspects of the music videos that I came across. The lighting used in 'club cant handle us' is very conventional to a dance genre music video. There is a major difference between rock, dance and rap music and this can clearly be seen in the analysis. The visuals in over by drake are stunning as drake is sitting in the bedroom and we see projections behind him.

Research and analysis of a star and dyer's theory

How much music videos are used to sustain an artist’s popularity

There are various things that an artist needs to maintain to keep their popularity. these things may include representation . Clothing the genre of music and content and style of their music video. Majority of artist have their on type of music they sing and and their own image which goes with the style of music they make. This is presented through their music videos. Lady gaga has a very unique way of dressing in her music videos. Her unique fashion sense includes provocative clothing. In her music videos she is represented as a dominant and flirtatious but in her interviews she is a different person. Her personality shown in her music videos are consistent. The content and style of artists also is a part of an artists image. Taylor Swift sings country music and all her songs are based on breakups. 

There are many Artists that reinvent their image over the years; an example of this is Miley Cyrus. Miley Cyrus started as Hannah Montana a TV show where she played two roles miley cyrus as herself and Hannah Montana as a part time famous singer. She was known for her blonde wig when she played miley cyrus. Miley started playing the role of Hannah Montana in 2006. She had an image of a sweet young disney star with a good singing voice. Miley Cyrus had received popularity through the show as it became the most watched disney show. Miley cyrus is recognised to be the most successful disney star. 

Best of both Worlds is Miley Cyrus first song which was also the title song to Hannah Monatna. The music video for the song was taken of her performing at a concert as her alter ego Hannah Montana. The pop rock music video which is performance shows her singing to her fans. She is dressed in jeans and a fancy top with her blonde wig. Her performances in Hannah Montana were childlike as compared to her provocative performances now. 

Her best of both worlds is a performance based video as she is just seen singing to the camera. Best of both worlds is a pop rock song and that is evident through her music video as we can see the guitarist and the the music in the background. She is represented as a young innocent girl with a great voice. 

The genre the music that Miley Cyrus plays is pop rock and that is evident through the music video she is wearing edgy clothes but not revealing much. The video follows the conventions of a pop rock music video which include the staging and the clothing she is wearing. 

The music video is about a girl that lives two lives one where she gets a to be a big star and do what she loves to do and one where she can be normal and have a life just like others. The song is her singing about the positives about having a star life and her having a normal life. 

Miley Cyrus's Hannah Montana career ended in 2011. This when her image started to change and she focused on her film career and trying to reach to a much older audience. She worked on different projects such as The last Song , According to box-office analyst Exhibitor Relations, the film marked "a successful transition to adult roles for Miley Cyrus. 

 Genre and Genric Conventions

Best of both worlds music video follows the right generic conventions of a popular music video. In this video miley cyrus has a young teenager vibe and her music is cheesey. The appearance of her in the music video show that she is famous but she is seen wearing clothes appropriate for her age. The music video is performance based where Miley Cyrus is seen holding the mic and singing to her fans. The emphasis of the music video is more on the voice as the main focus of the music video is of her singing. 

Artist’s image

The msuic video shows miley Cyrus with straight hair and highlights typical during that time. In the msuic video she is seen pouting her lips and pulling faces which is typical of a girl her age. She is shown as pretty , slim kind of 'the girl next door' that everyone wants to be. She is shown as a role model as she is one of the most popular Disney star. 

Target Audience

Her target Audience seems to be girls ages 9 -14 year olds. A school going girl that enjoys watching Hannah Montana and is oobssesed with all things Hannah  Montana. Throughout her music video she uses the word 'you' this addresses her fans those little girls that adore her. 

Miley Cyrus recorded 'Cant be Tamed' straight after ending Hannah Montana. This music video was completely different from the previous music videos of Miley Cyrys whether they were of her as herself or her as her alter ego. Can’t be tamed is a rather dark song as compared to other music videos of Miley Cyrus. Can’t be tamed is based on Miley Ccyrus who is shown as a creature and the message that she can’t be tamed. Can’t be tamed was Miley Cyrus’s album and was released June 18 in 2010.  The album cover included Miley Cyrus in all leather clothing. She was wearing a leather jacket and a crop top and a leather trouser. This represented a more hard side of Miley Cyrus as compared to before she used to dress in clothing appropriate for her age. Her stomach is bear and she is seen holding her trousers from the middle. This image was a very on the edge image of Miley Cyrus which was hard to digest by the Hannah Montana fans.  

 Genre and Generic Conventions

This song falls under category of a dance/ pop/electro music video. She is wearing minimal clothing and is seen dancing in a flirtatious behaviour. The atmosphere is quiet strong and that is shown by the heavy dancing clothing and dancing done. The music video also follows the generic conventions of an electro music video; the video consisted of fast lyrics and loud music. The video was rather strange but it didn’t have a proper narrative. 

Artist’s image 

Miley had a total image change as compared to her songs such as best of both worlds. Her makeup looks darker, her moves look older and mutterer.  She is seen wearing all black to give it an edgy look. Her dance moves are not cute anymore they are more considered as cute.

Target Audience

Her image in this music video shows that she is aiming to attract another target Audience. From little girls to much older teenagers. She i trying to appeal to another target Audience due to her changed look.  Much older audience includes girls ages 15 – 17 year olds. She is also trying to attract the male attraction as before it was more girls and now she is changing that and attracting guys due to her changed look and sexy attitude. 

We can’t stop

We cant stop is claimed as the ‘song of the summer’ is the song that came out in 2013. This song showed the totally different and more sexualised side of Miley Cyrus. Since the release of cant be tamed miley Cyrus has gone through alot of changes. This includes one of the biggest change was cutting her long brunette locks to one side shaved. She also got engaged to former co star of her movie ‘The last song’ liam Hemsworth. In her video we can’t stop we see Miley Cyrus doing things that are totally different from what her image used to be like. Over the years Miley Cyrus is seen change sexualising her image more; this is evident through her music video ‘we can’t stop’.  ‘We can’t stop’ is the song from Miley Cyrus’s new album ‘bangerz’. 

Target Audience

With is song Miley Cyrus is attracting the male attention as through out the video she is acted very sexualised. Her target Audience now is more 18 and over as her videos can be inappropriate for ages younger than eighteen. Through the music video it seems that she has ‘sexed’ up her image as before she was considered more as a ‘cute  girl’. Her target Audience was changing as Miley was acting totally different to what she was like before. She is seen dancing 'provocatively' which shows that the target audience has changed and she is aiming to attract male audience as before her main target audience was little girls through her show Hannah Montana.

Artist’s image 

Her image in this music video is totally different. She is wearing minimal clothing and reveals alot. She is wearing a tight crop top and white leggings and red lipstick.  It is evident she is attracting alot of male attraction. This is done by sexualising her image to create attention.

 Genre and Generic Conventions

Miley Cyrus has herself describes her music genre as ‘dirty south hip hop’.  This pretty evident throughout the video as she as Miley Cyrus is seen doing poses that can be classes as ‘dirty’. It can be also classed as hip hop as there is alot of dancing and playing around. 

Richard Dyer – Star Theory

The term (stars) is the meanings that are constructed around music performers in order to sell an artist. 

Common values of music stardom

• Rebelliousness
• Sexual magnetism
• Originality
• Aggression / anger
• Creativity
• Talent

Richard Dyer’s theory involves that stars are just an image not a real person and they are only constructed through the media and an example will be a music video. 

He also claims that stars are products and consumed on the strength of their meanings. Stars are also dependant on mediums such as magazines, TV, radio and internet. 

Dyer also says that a star’s image is always changing and this is based on two paradoxes. These are as follows:

Paradox 1

The star must me simontanouesly ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer

Paradox 2

The star must be simonataneously present and absent of the music video. 

How does the video represent the artist?

Miley Cyrus has been in the limelight since the age of 12 and the people have seen her develop as an artist aswell as a person. This includes her changes after puberty aswell as her star image. The people have witnessed how her image was shown in her first music video ‘best of both worlds’ and her image in ‘we can’t stop’.  This relates to Dyer’s theory as Miley Cyrus does start as a young very sexual image which is evident in her music video ‘we can’t stop’. 

Can the artist be viewed as a product?

In best of both worlds video Miley Cyrus I definitely as a product as compared to ‘we can’t stop’ and ‘can’t be tamed’ she is more shown as a star. Best of both worlds video is more of a product as it was done by Miley Cyrus’s alter ego Hannah Montana. Hannah Montana has itself become a brand.  Even after the end of Hannah Montana we still see Hannah Montana products being sold in Disney stores. When she was doing Hannah Montana she was a completely different person this shows that the record label is behind how she represents herself. 

Is this artist ordinary and extraordinary? 

Richard Dryer said that an artist should be ordinary yet at the same time extraordinary. This means that an artist’s image is completely coherent. This means that any star should have those qualities that an artist’s target audience wants; in Miley Cyrus case little girl look up to her as a cute innocent girl that leads a double life and loves singing. At the same time a star should be unique which means it has something different to her. In Miley Cyrus’s case the fact that she plays an alter ego on her show and how she is also known as Miley Cyrus which is her herself.

Miley Cyrus is definitely a star as she is also what her fans want to be such as going through the everyday girl problems such as relationships. She is definitely going through the same as now she is engaged to Liam Hemsworth. However, she has on edge image that is shown through her music video and her new music video wrecking ball’. 

Are the fans for or against artist’s image?

Miley changed her record label before working on her new album. It can be classes as a good idea as now she is targeting a much wider audience that includes both males and females. It also changes the age group of people that like her music. It can also affect her career as she is more known for her early songs and the sudden change of more a sexy attitude can have a negative effect on the fans. But a true Miley Cyrus fan that has been growing up with her music will listen to her explicit song that maybe not be appropriate for that age group. This can lead conflicts between parents Miley herself and the record label. 

Summary
The research into how artists image changes over years and what influences them to change was very helpful as it will allow me to decide on the image of my artist. Through the research i understood that the influence of target audience, record labels is alot. Dyer's theory was that stars are ordinary but extraordinary at the same time. This means that my artist should look extraordinary and her talent should be extraordinary. Howver she should be ordinary at the same time. It has allowed me to understand how image of the popular artists that we see have made as.

Goodwins theory

Goodwin’s Theory

Goodwin’s theory involves 8 principles. These principles are as follows:

1.     Links between the visuals and the lyrics

2.     Links between music and visuals (Complementary, Contradicting, Amplification)

3.     Genre characteristics

4.     Intertextual reference

5.     Notions of looking (objectification of women)

6.     Voyeurism insight in the artists life

7.     Demand of the record label representation of artists)

8.     Performance based, Narrative based or Concept based.

Analysis of Got to luv ya – Seam Paul ft Alexis Jordan

1.     Links between the lyrics and the visuals

  Got to luv ya by Sean Paul is a performance based music video. Sean Paul is singing ‘got to luv ya’ and we see him walking with a woman. There is jump cut to him in the bedroom singing to this woman that is dancing in front of him. This shows that maybe he is forced into loving her as the camera then cuts to Alexis Jordan who sings verses in the song. ‘I would do anything I could boy you my only ….’ This shows that maybe she loves him but she isn’t getting anything back from him as he is seen partying in the club and loving another girl. Alexis Jordon is on her in a room singing and stating that she would do anything for him but denoting that he won’t the same for her. This is evident through the visuals.

The lyrics ‘if you were the sun hard steppin girl were not stopping …….its me and you forever girl’ Sean Paul is singing these lyrics to another girl however Alexis Jordon is seen singing these lyrics to Sean Paul who hasn’t acknowledged he. 
The lyrics of different songs also depend on the target audience that the artists want to aim their music at. In this case we see Alexis Jordan trying to get Seam pauls attention however he is singing to someone else. This shows that this song has been aimed at young girls who are not treated right.

2.     Genre Characteristics

The genre of this music video is RB and electro pop. This is evident throughout the music video. The genre characteristics include edge, steady beat, sex, party, fast music, lighting and dance. Sean Paul is shown at a club dancing away; he is seen surrounded by lots of girls. The beat of the music changes with the lyrics. There are a lot of jump cuts as it changes from Sean Paul in the club then in the bedroom singing to the woman standing on the bed. The locations are very conventional to a song aimed at young people as young people like to party and have fun with girls. Sean Paul is shown as a womeniser as he is singing to different girls.

Lighting / club

Sex /dance

3.     Notions  of looking (objectification of women )

Notions of looking mean the way a particular person is seen, According to Goodwin’s Theory women are presented as ‘objects’. This doesn’t mean just women considered as ‘objects’ but men aswell can be classed as ‘bosy’ ‘violent’. In this video women are used as an object, something used for pleasure. We see Sean Paul sitting on the bed and the woman is seen dancing on the bed in a very provocative way and Sean Paul is sitting watching her. Women are treated as products that entertain as we see a woman standing on the bed dancing while sean paul is sitting watching her.

4.     Demand of the record label representation of artists

There are some demands of record labels that they want the artist to follow. For eg a female artist will be told to come off as sexy to attract male attention and thus get more attention. The character is represented as a bad boy and a player as we see him sitting relaxing and demanding the girl to dance in front of him. However at the same time we see Alexis Jordon wanting the same attention from Sean Paul but is unable to get it from him.Records Label ask artists to act and look in certain way that they know would appeal to the target audience. Women shown sexy and as an object and sean paul shown as a player and this may appeal to young guys.


       5.       Voyeurism insight in the artists life

As we see the artist which is sean Paul dancing in the club and having a Good time. He is also seen dancing with girls and sibnging to the girl which suggest that this maybe his typical life as heis a young male singer and one would excpet himt o be popular around woman.  


        6.     Demand of the record label representation of artists
 He is signed with VP record label. He is seen as a player as he is seen dancing in the club with a different girl and he is seen walking with three girls. Then the camera moves to him in the bedroom and he is seen singing to another girl. This can be some things that his record label demands him to act like this in his music video.



          7.      Links between music and visuals (Complementary, Contradicting, Amplification)

The music has links witgh the visuals on screen as we see editing speed up as the msuic goes fast. When the msuic is not upbeat the visuals are slow like  it. This is when we see sean paul singing to the girl in the bedroom the msuic viduals are both on the same pace.

8.     Performance based , Narrative based or Concept based

Goodwin’s Theory also includes a music video to be either narrative, performance or putting across a concept. This music video by Sean Paul is Performance based as we see Sean Paul singing to the woman.

Summary

Doing an analysis of Goodwin's theory will assist me planning my own music video as Goodwin's theory includes 8 aspects.I need to consider these when planning my music video. I need to make sure that I consider the characteristics of the genre I choose within my music videos. While planning my music video I have to make sure that the lyrics go well with the visuals that would be shown in the music video. When following these 8 rules I also need to make sure that I consider the target audience of my music video and what would they want to see in my music video.