The video I am looking at here is ‘The Wanted – All Time Low’.
I feel with this video the record label would play a large role within the promotion of the video as at the time The Wanted were quite a new boy band trying to conquer the pop boy band world, so reaching out to the audience would have been vital. Their website even describes the boys as ‘a million miles away from the ‘stand-up-for-the-key-change’ school of dewy-eyed balladry and cheesy co-ordinated outfits usually associated with the term.’ Clearly the record label was trying to market the band as a new, fresh group, which will bring something different. They are signed to the record label ‘Def Jam’ who is one of the most notorious labels around, and are owned by Universal Music Group. This will mean media synergy would be the best way of creating these promotional texts due to the large platform release they can achieve through a popular boy band due to the large target audience. The access to large media conglomerates such a company as Universal with have will mean they can use different contexts to promote the band and their music over a large distribution. This is an example of The Wanted however when we produce our music video we have chosen ‘JLS – Close To You’ who are owned Jive Records is owned by Sony BMG, nevertheless their strategy would be very similar, with Sony being such a mass worldwide company.
Theorist Andrew Goodwin identifies features within a music video which are either evident or absent. In the video ‘All Time Low’ it is clear that there are key genre characteristics which connote the boy band persona which Goodwin speaks of such as exciting dance routines along with the video being primarily performance based. Goodwin states there is always a relationship between the lyrics and performance of a music video, which is present through this video with the lyrics being amplified, showing the song’s meaning and effect being portrayed.
Also within this video there is a clear commercialisation of the boy band, especially them being a new band which was being released. The video is most likely a high budget production with the setting being a set location most likely designed for the video with big lighting and effects of explosions connoting the band are coming into the music industry with a bang. There is a clear sign of the demands of the record label with lots of close-ups (meat shots) of the band together and as individuals which will ultimately attract an audience. They’re breaking the fourth wall by performing with a gaze into the camera, which will be commonly seen in boy band videos giving the audience a closer feel to the group which is what every fan wants.
I feel this video is more inherently commercial than art, however could be seen as a type of art with the creative infrastructure of the location and explosions being seen as a form of performance art, however the key idea of the video is the commercial side, and to market the boy band to the targeted audience. The record label clearly has a good knowledge of the audience trying to be reached, so the uses of camera shots of the band will clearly being an influential factor to attract them. There are no clear challenging ideas amongst the video, and fits into the common boy band characteristics of having fun and being wild throughout.
Here I am looking at Olly Murs’ latest single ‘Heart Skips a Beat’.
Within this music video I feel the purpose is more of a social message for the audience to reflect on, although as well as building his star image which Steve Archer talks about. The camera is very dominant of his movement and actions throughout the video focusing the audience on his character and action. I feel the location where the video is being shot is suggesting a social message, as it’s an urban, ‘street’ setting compared to a pop stars usual studio video. I feel this gives the audience an understanding of the type of character Olly Murs is and is building on his ‘star image’ as a lively, likeable character which people know him as, who likes to have a good time and appreciates where he is nowadays, coming from a show such as the X Factor, which produces new stars from nothing.
The fast pace cutting rates give the video an up beat feeling to which coincide with the lyrics and the beat and creates a synaesthesia when listening to it. It also works with the characters being used in it being young youths playing and having fun which supports the meaning of the video. The shots which are slowed down in the video create the sense that he’s almost reminiscing of his childhood as a past, and how he has developed as a person and an artist.
The semiotics of the mise-en-scene with his bright clothing along with the colourful graffiti in the background all produce a cultural code, which Roland Barthes talks about, and connote the message of a working class environment bringing a sense of a community coming together enjoying themselves with a feel good atmosphere. I also feel the performance of the actors involved within the video bring a second meaning to the video and produce the myth that even though if you’re brought up in a working class area, you can still be talented and become successful if you try, as they are all talented in what they’re doing.
JLS – One Shot
When looking at representation issues within popular music, you need to consider how a star/artist is a text that can reinforce or challenge existing stereotypes. In this JLS video I feel they are represented in positive way with a feminine touch to their performance based video through their dance moves and specifically Aston’s hand action creating a heart, which will attract the dominant target audience being females. The dominant value of an aggressive male role isn’t evident, which is common amongst male boy bands as it doesn’t fit to the taste of the target audience, and they portray the male gender in a positive manner, with the lyrics of the song giving the consumer thought that they are deep within their emotions. They apply the common value of a boy band through sexual magnetisation wearing clothing which reveals their body features which will attract an audience.
Richard Dyer talks about two paradoxes within music videos which represent music stars which are; the star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer, which is present within One Shot with meat shots of the band with them breaking the fourth wall and interacting to the audience, however also with the effects when they ‘magically’ appear the microphones giving that extraordinary feeling to their stardom. His second paradox is the star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumers, this is evident in the video with them being present performing to the camera, however absent as the setting of their performance in amongst the stars, conveying that feeling of them being ‘amongst the stars’ and not in reality.
