Music video research

- Above shows the mind map I completed in the first lesson after filming the prelim task. As a class, we looked into the purpose of a music video in detail. The answers that are in bubbles are my answers when we were asked to put down what we thought. I thought of the idea that music videos portray a form of synergy between both music and photography/camera work.

I was quite surprised as to how much thought has gone in behind this concept. A purpose of a music video has several different answers and argument, including theories. There are 4 theories that state their own opinions:

 1. Keith Negus' theory - 'producing pop' Organic and synthetic ideology of creative. This means that artists that are signed by labels now are either in it for the long run such as the Rolling Stones, decades of writing their own music. Then the likes of one hit wonders such as the boy group Hanson who had split up when their voices dropped. The synthetic side is to quickly earn rapid earnings through a hit that would sell to a mass audience.

2. Adornos theory - 'Culture industries sell a mass of sentimental products which replace more critical art forms' This is basically explaining that the likes of new innovations such as 3DTV's and laptops/tablets etc are replacing art forms that make an individuals brain think and figure out what is happening such as the theatre.

3. Dick Hebdige' theory - 'Consumption is an active process in which alters towards differences in audiences social construction' This theory states Adoros theory is wrong and overly pessimistic. He believes that mass audiences are easily manipulated and not judged as individual groups. It is said by Dick that people are easily led by subcultures and should be their own self and like what they like. There is a sense of competition when the latest gadget in technology is released, this is known as a subcultures. Everyone feels the irrelevant need to quickly purchase it, which Dick Hebdige disobeys. You should get what you enjoy and want, not what others decide on doing/getting.

4. Dyers 'Stardom' theory - Dyer believes that the whole idea of a music video is to create quite simply a star in the eyes of an audience. Once an artist is seen in their own music video on TV, it is classed as stardom by the public. Dyer thinks that is primarily the objective behind music videos. An example of this is One Direction. The boy band sensation have taken over the world from tour to tour, purely on their looks. This is portrayed in their music videos, advertising what they are releasing and how they look. 

He believes that stars are constructed to represent 'real people' experiencing real emotions. Stars are manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose; to make money out of audience, who respond to various elements of a star’s personality by buying records and becoming fans. 

His theory is split into three sections:

1. Audiences and Institutions 

2. Constitutions 

3. Hegemony

What is a star? Am image of a star is created by many different media connections such as interviews, photo shoots etc.