Research: Hebdige's subcultures

What are subcultures ?

A subculture is a group of people who unite on their own accord through common values and tastes and do not fit the mainstream culture.

How are they evident in the music industry? (examples)
Subcultures are evident in the music industry as each subculture tend to all have the same taste in music genres. Examples of different subcultures are:

- Skinheads - Ska, Raggae, Soul music
- Teddy Boys - Rock 'N' Roll
- Queer - Pop, Classic Pop
- Hippy - Alternative, Indie
-Punks - Punk music, rock music

McCracken said that the world is full of diversity and creativity. He said that if we look at array of values and ideologies then we can't say all subcultures come from one culture.


Hebdige on the other hand said that although some people think subcultures appear to be different, deep down they are the same. Subcultures are seen as 'little cultures' at they are doing the same thing of resistance. People try to resist main stream culture and create a subculture.

Subcultures and historical times in relation to music - images

It is argued that cultural music tastes depend on the historical time and structure of social, economic and political change. For example, Skinheads were around in the 60s and were known for their racial beliefs and actions. Now we rarely hear about them in todays day as racism is less accepted and its something less tolerated. It's not something people would now be proud of.

Research: dyers star theory

The star theory is the idea that a performer has more than just a good voice to be a star. Such as:

- having a loving personality 

- big fan base 

- be multi talented 

- experienced

- easily exposed to he public eye 

- fashionable 

Being a star in the music industry is different to being a star in the film industry as a music star has to focus on building star image more than a film star has to. 

Richard dyer said that there is a difference between a pop star and a performer. A performer may not be famous they just perform music; for example, foxes. 

A pop star's image is constructed to an audience; for example, usher, beyonce, Justin bieber.

He says that stars use synergy to promote their image and identified 4 elements to recognised a star: 

1. Stars and construction

Stars are artificially constructed to help their image contain unique selling point. 

Shows like X factor display how they construct ordinary people into stars by grooming, styling and coaching them. 

2. Industry and audience 

Pop stars are manufactured to make money. Pop stars are like products and are made to be sold. 

3. Ideology and culture 

Audience interest in the stars values enhance their star quality and create their   Star persona. 

4. Character and personality 

Although the star us constructed as a product they must have a foundation of realism. This makes them relatable to the audience. 

Pop stars don't have much control over their star image and would normally look for management to decide what their image should be like and to make business decisions for there career. 

From looking at the theory I will consider representing my artist as someone relatable to my target audience. 

Research: Star image

 Star image is the way an artist is represented to the audience. The most effective way to do this is through music video. Star image through music video allows artist to shape them self as an artist depending on their target audience and what the represent and want to portray themselves as.

music videos can help build an artists career as this is how they can build a direct relationship with the audience. This is where a lot of the audiences' opinions on them will be built from. The audience are able to see the artists personality through the music video they produce and how they showcase themselves. 



Case study: Omg Girlz

2009 - Pretty Girl Bag

 

 

Here their target audience are young girls. The video is about them showcasing their bags which is a very girly topic and appeals to young girls. Most of their dancing is more free and they have a little bit of choreographed dancing. Their whole image is very young and the concept of the video is them showcasing a life that a lot of young girls would like to have.

 

"This right here is my bag, OMG they only swag, all the haterz pay attention, cause this right here is my, pretty girl bag"

 

The lyrics are very basic and innocent and not speaking about any thing meaning for in life.

 

 

2012 - Where the boys at

 

 

 

Here their image has changed dramatically. They dropped one member and have replaced the youngest group member (Lolo) with a new older member (Babydoll). Their costumes have become a lot more colourful and they have introduced the purple, pink and blue theme to their identities. Their dancing has become very choreographed compared to the basic moved they used to do. They have now lost the tutu's and are wearing shorts which are abit more revealing. Their target audience has clearly changed towards teenaged girls as they are growing up and becoming more professional.

 

lyrics" Where the boys at? where the boys at? if I holla boy holla right back, where the boys at? where the boys at?"

 

They are now talking about older themes that appeal to a teenage audience. They are now about having fun and being a typical teenage girl wanting to go out and meet boys.

 

2013 - Baddie

 

 

 

Here they are clearly targeting an older audience of older teens from about 16 and up. They look a lot more sophisticated wearing black and white, bodycon outfits revealing their more mature figures. Although they still have their trade mark of purple, pink and blue; there is a lot less colour in the video setting and in their clothing. For example, Star has blue on the end of her hair or at the roots instead of the whole hair and Babydoll has a darker shade of purple. Their dancing is now professional choreography and their back up dancers showcase Sean Bankhead's (choreographer) logo on their T-shirt; this shows that they are now becoming a lot more professional with their dancing as well as their music and are now very committed in being big superstars.

 

Lyrics "Hit the scene and we turn up, yeah them boys choosing cause they love us, you know we be putting on a show (lego lego), when I break it down".

 

They are showing that they have the same values with most teens their age wanting to party, have a good time and get dressed up and showcase their sex appeal.

 

 

Other stars and their image:

 

- Justin beiber

 

Went from being a cute young that attracted young girls, now he is known for being the typical bad boy; getting arrested, rapping and doing drugs. He now has tattoos and is quite muscular. He attracts only girls and young women.

 

- Rihanna

 

Went from being the cute girl next door and is now known for being a bad girl with huge sex appeal. She is now known for her controversial  music videos which are often criticised and censored.

 

- Miley Cyrus

 

Has gone from being a young and innocent Disney star and is now known for her lack of clothing and 'twerking'. She is now seen hanging out with rappers and hip hop stars.

 

-Taylor Swift

 

Although she has grown up her she is still seen as America's sweet heart. Even though she is known to have dated different artists in the music industry she still remains innocent and appeals to a younger age group of girls.

 

 

 

Different things star image can be used for:

 

- Sexual reasons

 

Star image can be used to express sexuality and sexual beliefs. George Michael and Lady GaGa are known for doing this.

 

- Political reasons

 

Star image can be used to promote political opinions. George Michael is someone who is known for using star image for political reasons. An example is the music video "Shoot the dog"  where he makes fun out of President Bush and Tony Blaire. This was released shortly after 9/11.

 

- Moral reasons

 

Using star image for moral reasons means raising awareness for a cause. Michael Jackson is known for doing this. For example, his music video for "Earth song".

 

- Social reasons

 

 

 

Star image is important because the star image used will determine the way the audience view the star. I would like my star image to only be used for social reasons as using other reasons may be risky as some people may not agree with the message.

 



Research: Intertextual References

 Intertextual References

 

 

into: what is it? what did goodwin say?

 

Within Goodwin's theory of characteristics intertexual references was one of the eight that he suggested. This notion refers to the idea that a music video will touch upon or feature another person from the industry or an event from our history.

 

 

3 examples + analysis on where the reference is

 

1. Destiny's Child - Bootylicious

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here the group make an intertexual reference to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The trio dress up like him with his signature costumes such as,  white glitter socks, one sparkly glove and signature hat. Not only do they dress up like him but they also do some of his signature dance moves.

 

 

 

2. Kanye West -  Slow Jamz

 

Here the intertextual reference is again on Michael Jackson. This time it is referring to Michael Jackson's change in skin colour. Kanye says " She's got a light skinned friend, looks like Michael Jackson" we then see a light skinned girl dressed up like Michael Jackson. He then says, "She's got a dark skinned friend, looks like Michael Jackson" and we then see a dark skinned girl dressed up like Michael Jackson.

 

 

3. Keri Hilson - Pretty Girl Rock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole idea of this music video is based off intertexual references. Keri makes references so different African American women in this music industry. This includes 

 

 

Josephine Baker, Dorothy Dandridge. She is then shown portraying lead singer Patty from the singing group The Andrews Sisters.^[Then Diana Ross as lead singer of The Supremes, then switches to Donna Summer, then Janet Jackson from the military-inspired "Rhythm Nation" music video. Lastly, she makes an intertextual reference to T-Boz of the R&B girl group TLC, along with 2 girls dressed as Left-Eye and Chillie' wearing the costume from the video "Creep".

 

Advantages of making intertexual references:

- Paying homage to an artist can attract the fans of that artist.

- Can get people talking
- Raising awareness for a topic in the media can build a better reputation.


Disadvantages:

- Can be risky
- May ruin reputation
- Can get into legal problems

 

 

conclusion

I think that using intertexual references in a positive way is a good idea to use in my own music video in order to interest the audience and make my video more memorable.


Research: Mulvey's 'Male Gaze'

                   Mulvey's Male Gaze

 The 'male gaze' refers to the idea that the camera has the visual of a heterosexual man. This means that in music videos the camera views woman in a sexist way; representing them as sexual objects as it lingers around the women's assets.

Mulvey was a feminist who put forward the idea that women on camera are represented as sexual objects due to the theory that the camera is like a heterosexual man and lingers around the women's assets. She looks at how men look at women, how the women in the videos look at themselves and how other women look at those women. She also stated that this theory leave men in an active position; having the power over women and women are left passive.

Examples of where women are looked at with the 'male gaze':

1. Nelly - Tip drill

This video definitely supports Mulvey's idea as it shows women in such a degrading way. It displays a mansion full of both half naked and naked women dancing erotically and displaying sexual acts on each other; meanwhile a handful on men throw money and champagne on these women and touch them inappropriately. Most of these women's faces are not even shown as the camera has several close ups of these women's body parts with the men's faces in the shot. It is clear that the men are very active and the women are passive.

2. 50 Cent - Candy Shop
 This video also supports mulvey's theory as it showcases women dressed in little clothing with only one man in the video who is seen as active. The camera again lingers around the women's body parts as they danced and move seductively. There are also close ups of the women when they pull seductive facial expressions. 


3. Rihanna - pour it up

Although this video is by a female artisst it also displays ideas of the male gaze theory. From the beginning we see shadows of a female in sexual positions l. We then see low angles of Rihanna on a chair not wearing much, giving an inappropriate view of her body parts. Throughout the video the camera lingers around her body parts as she dances erotically, shaking her bum close up in the camera. Most of the long shots that we see are simply of girls pole dancing .

Criticisms of the male gaze theory:

- does not look at the view of other sexualities such as homosexual men and women

- doesn't account for women such as female artist who use the male gaze oin their own videos (e.g Rihanna , Nicki minaj)

Conclusion:

After looking at the theory it has allowed me to move away from doing this in my own video to avoid criticism on my own music video as it is seen as disrespectful to a lot of women and other people .

Research: History of Music videos

History Of Music Videos

Modern day music videos are different to traditional music videos due to a difference in technology, equipment, what the audience expects, how artist like to portray themselves, ect.

Timeline of the history of music video's:

• 1929 - Bessie Smith appeared in a two-reel  short film called 'Saint Louis Blues' displaying songs with moving images.

• 1940 - Disney, Fantasia: an animated film based around famous pieces of classical music.

• 1920 - 1940 - Many films were accompanied by sound, especially animations. These were not considered music videos, just basic editing of images to film/ musicals which was a big genre of film during this period.

• 1950 - 1960 - Tony Bennett is filmed walking through hype park, London for his song 'Stranger in Paradise', claims he made the first music video.

• 1964 - Beatles, Arguably set out the basic visual vocabulary of todays music videos, influencing a vast number of contemporary musicians at the time to create similar moving images to accompany their music.

• 1966 - 1986 - 'The monkeys' was a TV show specially made film segment that was created to accompany their songs that was used in their TV series.

• 1966 - The birth of  'Top Of The Pops' used to promote singles so artists had to create competitive videos to complete for airtime.

•  1967 - Videos used techniques borrowed from film ideas. The starts of ' The Beatles - Pennylane'.

• 1975 - Queen - 'Bohemian Rhapsody' created to replace a live TV performance.

• 1970 - 1980 - The  key development of the modern music videos were video recording with editing processes. High quality video tape recorders and portable cameras enabled pop artists such as ' The Jacksons'.

• 1971 - MTV is launched. First music video aired was 'buggles - video killed the radio star'.

• 1984 - Michael Jackson - Thriller took music video format to another level.

Music videos have changed over time as there is now better technology so different effects and editing can be used and more ideas can be brought to life. For example Queens' Bohemian Rhapsody' had very basic editing and wasn't shot form a lot of angles, also the idea behind it. Today music videos such as Rihanna's 'we found love' displays a lot better editing, better cinematography and overall a more creative idea.

 Also, society on a whole has changed which means the audience expectations have changed. When the idea of music video was new the audience didn't have much expectations, however, now an audience expects more excitement and entertainment from a music video and expect different things from different artists.

conclusion: why is it important to know about the history of music videos and what ideas have you gathered?

It is important to know about the history of music videos so that we can be aware of how music videos and what they showcase and represent have changed as society has changed. This allows us to make comparisons between music videos and the effects that they have on society; for example, how the ideas music videos put forward (e.g alcohol), effects the behaviour of teenagers in society.
Looking at the history of music videos have also helped me to create my own idea of what I would like my music video to be like and I would like it to stand out and for my ideas to be very modern.

Research: Diverse Music Videos

Diversity in music videos

 

A diverse music video appeals to a niche audience and often comes across as surreal and unusual. It is usually concept based and shows barely any performance from the artist. Genres such as dance, electro, alternated and pop are examples of genres that would use distinctive and diverse music videos.



Chris Cunningham

Cunningham is an award winning director who has also been nominated for many other awards. The include; the Gold Pencil award, 'Best video' at the Brit awards and was nominated for a Grammy for 'Best short film'. He is known and credited for his extremely distinctive and unique music videos, inspired by the old fashions, he isn't afraid to take risks. Working with artist such as, Madonna, Bjork and the Aphex Twins, his work is recognised internationally.

1. Bjork - All is love

This video is very unusual as the only 2 characters are 2 robots, one who is Bjork herself showing some star image which still allows the audience to develop some relationship. Its narrative is the 2 robots displaying and signifying scenes of sexual intercourse. This may leave the audience feeling quite disturbed or some may feel aroused.

2. Aphex Twins - Come to daddy

This video features an old woman, a dog and children with the faces of the artist. We also see the star on a TV screen which he eventually comes through. The narrative is the star that has taken over these children's souls and is trying to take the old woman's. This may leave the audience feeling disturbed and may feel the video is creepy and abnormal.

3. Aphes Twins - Flex



 Michel Gondry

Gondry is also know for his unique music videos; capturing the eye of several music artist including, Kylie Minogue, Daft Punk, The Vines, The Chemical Brothers, Gary Jules and The Rolling Stones. Developing a professional relationship with Bjork; he directed several of her music videos, starting with 'Human Behaviour'.

1. Chemical Brothers - Let it be forever

This is a concept based video which features a young woman dancing with quite repetitive moves. There isn't really any real narrative and the only type of star image we see is the drummer; we do not see the rest of the group. This doesn't allow the audience to develop a relationship with the audience.

2. Daft Punk - Around the world

This is also a concept based music video which shows different characters dancing showcasing repetitive moves. Here we can see that Gondry has a style of using repetition in his music videos. We do not see any star image as the artist do not feature in the video. Once again the audience are not able to develop a relationship with the artist.

3. Gary Jules - Mad George

This is yet another concept based on dancers who this time are making different shapes as a group. Gondrys style obviously focuses on dancing and repetition. We see a little bit of star image as we see Gary singing on top of a building but not for very long. Again the audience cannot develop a relationship with artist.

Advantages of diversity in music videos:

+ Allows artist to reinvent themselves.
+ Controversy  and uniqueness creates a buzz in media which means more publicity.
+ The video/Artist is more memorable.
+Can lead to success.

Disadvantages of diversity in music videos:

-Can get banned of censored.
-More money spent if you have to make a cleaner version for TV.
-Can't guarantee the audience will enjoy the video/ Risky.
-More bad reviews than the usual video.
-Can ruin artist reputation/director reputation.
-Limits target audience.
-Less likely to build a relationship with he audience.


From looking at some diverse music videos I think I will use some diversity in my music video in order to stand out; however I would not like to make it too diverse as it is a bit risky.

Research: Music Channels

Music channels are important because they help promote artist and their music through showcasing their music videos on TV. This allows a wide audience to have direct access to different artists and their work.

Music channels began when MTV was launched and today we have many, many more. Music channels have also expanded by not only showing music videos but showing TV shows in order to appeal to a wider audience. For example, Viva channel shows TV shows such as; 'The fresh prince of Bel Air' and 'My wife and kids'.

Examples of music channels:

- MTV: This channel has expanded by introducing more sister channels which are dedicated to a specific genre; allowing them to reach a very wide audience as they appeal to fans of different genres.

- MTV Base
- MTV Rocks
- MTV Hits
- MTV Dance






- Viva
- AKA
- Kerrang
- The box
- Kiss
- Classical

- Stars- BET
- Clubland

Although a lot of genres are represented by music video channels there are a few that are under represented, such as; religious music, which is represented on BET as they show gospel music. Also, country music is also under represented. This could be because in the UK these are not popular genres of music. Places like America may represent these genres more as it appeals to the American audience more.


Advantages of music channels:
- Increase in artist popularity as music videos allows an audience to recognise the artist and get to know what time of music they make and what genre they fit; it allows the audience to have a relationship with the artist.
- Lots of air play which promotes the music and the artist.

Research: Media institutions (Music Companies)

What is an institution?

 Media institutions are companies who help produce and fund music videos for their signed artist.

Four leading institutions:

EMI -
Artists: Katy Perry, Kylie Minoge, Tiny Tempah, Gorillas, Snoop Dogg, Lily Allen, The Beetles, Coldplay

They appeal to an alternative audience, however, they have a wide range of artist from different genres which means they can appeal to a wide audience. They are one of the worlds leading companies and  are an international institutions. They own record labels such as; angel, blue note, captiol. capitol latin.


Sony Music enternainment -

Artist: Avril Lavigne, Chris Brown, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, One Direction, Willow Smith, Pitbull

They provide music labels for international superstars and were formerly known as 'Sony BMG music entertainment'. It offers hip hop, classical, county, rock, gospel.

Universal Music Group -

Artists: Akon, Busta Rhymes, J Blige, Mariah, Nicki, Justin Bieber, Adele, Cheryl Cole.

They discover and develop recording artists and then markets and promotes their music across a wide array of formats and platforms.
Most of their artists are of an older age group.

Warner Music Group -

Artists: James Blunt, Kid Rock, Plan B. B.O.B, Bruno Mars, Estelle

They are not as popular as the other international institutions. They help artist achieve long-term creative and financial success by providing consumers with the highest quality music content.

Conclusion:
I think I would choose Sony Music Entertainment because it is international and have some of the biggest music artists in the world so I trust that they could make my artist a success.

Research: genre

What is a genre ?

Genre refers to the category that something (in this case music ) falls into. The characteristics it has will determine what genre it is conventional to. 

It is easy to identify different genres by looking at their characteristics. For example, I can automatically tell if a music video falls into the rock genre falls into the rock genre because it will have low key lighting and be performances based focusing on the band. 

Some examples of genres are:
 

R'n'B 

Chris Brown - Excuse me miss

Follows classic conventions of the R'n'B genre and also the hip hop genre such as:
- Hip hop, smooth dancing
- Trying to get the girl, singing and dancing to her
- intimate scene (in the car)
- Basketball court is conventional to the hip hop genre
- dressed in urban wear fro that time (boys , baggy trousers, hats - girls (short skirts, crop tops)
 

 

Pop

Lady Gaga - Just Dance

Just Dance - Lady GaGa ft. Colby O'Donis from Gaga Polska on Vimeo.
- Close ups of the artist (new artist)
- Party lifestyle
- Disco ball
- Artist = white, blonde
 

Uk grime 

J spades ft Waka flocka - 3000
 - set in London (Hackney)
- Shows tattoos, drugs

-
hip hop

Rock

Indie

Reggae

Bashment/dancehall 

Blues

Jazz

Rap

Dance

House 

Country

Folk

Classical

Funky house

Conclusion:
I will be using the hip hop genre for my music video which means I will include hip hop styled dancing, female dancers/extras, urban scenes (e.g basketball court) and my characters will be wearing urban wear.

Research: Goodwins Theroy

Intro
Goodwin is a theorist that came up with a theory  of music videos, discussing  that all music videos are made up of eight characteristics.
Goodwin's theory says that all music videos are created following 8 points; this is counted for all genres of music. These are: Genre Characteristics, Relationships between lyrics and visuals, Star image motifs, Notion of looking, Intertextual references, Performance, Narrative or concept and Technical elements.


Mention the 8 points and use examples to support your work

1. Genre Characteristics are the different characteristics each genre of music will have in their music videos which are conventional to that genre. For example, a Rap music video displaying half naked women and the artist wearing big chains.

2. Relationship between lyrics and visuals means that the visuals seen match the lyrics, amplifies the lyrics or exaggerates the lyrics. For example, in Kelly Rowland's music video for her single 'Stole' the visuals are fully matching the lyrics and it is like she is telling the story through song and we are watching it play out.

3. Relationship between music and visuals. This referrers to the pace of the video connecting to the pace of the visuals. For example, in Rihanna's 'we found love' the editing is fast paced and matches the upbeat music.

4. Star image motif. This includes close - ups of the artist to make them popular. The audience can identify them. For example, in Miley Cyrus' 'Wreckingball' there are many close ups.

5. Notion of looking is predatorily treatment of the female body and women are seen as sexual objects. This is often used in both R'n'B and Rap music videos. For example in 50 Cent's 'Candy shop'.

6. Intertextual references refer to when links from real life events, news, films ect, are used in the music video.

7. Performance, Narrative or Concept-based. Performance refers to the artist performing the song in the music video. Narrative is when the video has a story line matching the lyrics. A concept-based music video refers to a music video that has no relation to or doesn't make any sense to the music. This often involves a lot of special effects and comes across surreal. For example,


Include and state the Will Smith example

 biggie smalls - juicy

The notorious B.I.G's music video for his debut single 'Juicy' shows very good examples of Goodwin's theory. It displays characteristics that are conventional to its hip-hop/rap genre such as; portraying a flashy life style, girls and has a very urban theme. however, its relationship between the lyrics and the visuals is that the visuals are matching the lyrics which allows there to be a narrative telling the story where we see him coming from a poor upbringing in Brooklyn to a rich super star.
The video is also performance based where we see the artist performing the song, also showing star motif as we see a lot of close ups of him, which allows the audience to identify and remember him as a new artist at the time. The relationship between the music and the visuals also match as the music is not too slow or fast paced and is quite a chilled feel and the editing pace matches this. There is also an intertexual reference that the artist makes when he says 'Blow up like the world trade' , relating back to the world trade bombing that happening in that area of time.

Conclusion:
From looking at Goodwins theory I know that my music video will need to contain frequent close ups of the artist of the artist so that the audience can recognise and remember them. If possible I will try to use some inter textual references. 
My video will relate to my music and me a visual narrative of my lyrics. 
The pace of my edit will follow the pace of the music, if I choose a fast pace song I will make my editing fast paced. 
I will make my video both performance and narrative based to give the audience a clearer understanding.

Research: Purpose of a music video

Purpose of a music video:
A music video is a visual representation of lyrics. It also provides the audience with a visual memory of the song.
The purpose of a music video is to tell the story of the lyrics which gives the audience a better understanding of what the song is about and makes the message more effective by providing images to the lyrics.  A music video entertains a loyal audience and a new audience, represents an artist and can influence an audience.











Case study:
Eminem ft Rihanna - Love the way you lie

Eminem - Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna [HD] from Venom on Vimeo.









This is an alternative video  that is very controversial as the theme of domestic violence is included in the narrative and it may promote the idea of a violent relationship. It also promotes alcohol usage and extreme levels of violence when the male character  beats another man up in a pub. As well as scenes of sexual behaviour; all which may be unsuitable for Eminem's young fans but mainly Rihanna's.
The video also contains a lot of classical conventions such as, artist performance when Eminem is rapping in the field and with Rihanna when they are surrounded by fire.




classic conventions:

conventions of a music video are:
editing matching pace of the song
dancing
setting matches lyrics
has a narrative
theme



Examples of synergy:
Radio interviews and song airtime
Tv appearances
Film soundtracks
Internet (e.g adverts)



Audience impact:
Music videos can have a different impact on different groups of audiences. For example; how a young people view a video may be different to how an older person might view it. A younger person may view 'Rihanna - pour it up' as a normal because of the type of things they are usually exposed to, whereas someone of an older age may see it as inappropriate.






Rihanna - Pour It Up (Explicit) from AMCK on Vimeo.


conclusion