I will be
analysing my music video, which I made for my Advanced Portfolio. I made a pop
music video to the song ‘Nasty’ by Pixie Lott. As I am the audience of this
genre, I was able to abide by and challenge the conventions, as I find this
genre very accessible, as David Gauntlett says ‘Making is connecting’; I am not
only a member of the audience, but I have also made something for the other
members of the audience.
The audience
for my pop music video is generally aged between twelve and eighteen and
female, however the pop music genre is accessible by anyone of any age. A
psychographic profile of my audience would show that they are ‘Mainstreamers’
however also ‘Aspirers’ and ‘Explorers’. Like the artist in the video, due to
their younger age, they have not yet come to a static identity. This genre
probably has the widest audience in the UK, which is reflected in the
performance style and representation in my music video that shows a feisty teenage
girl and focuses on asserting herself and having fun.
The
mise-en-scene is very colourful, particularly with the shots in front of the
graffiti wall; this presents how the performer is a fun-loving, bright girl,
representative of the audience. However I also mix the genres, such as using a
black and white green-screen scene, which is more common in the R&B genre,
however is becoming more common in pop music videos, such as in ‘Problem’ by
Ariana Grande and Iggy Azelea. In this way, my music video reflects the fact
that, with a young audience, genre conventions are constantly being updated and
changed. My intertextual references exemplify this idea, such as where the
background changes frequently behind my artist as she dances dynamically.
The editing in
my music video is fast paced, which is also conventional of the genre. It is
also dynamic and use elements of humour in order to appeal to the youth
audiences. I use multiple locations/scenes throughout the music video in order
to keep the audience entertained and wanting to replay the video over and over
again. My performer also wears lots of different outfits throughout the video.
She wears on-trend clothes such as crop-tops, which are currently very popular
amongst the target audience. Therefore the young girls do not only see her as a
performer and singer, but also a style icon.
This links to
Andrew Goodwin’s Music Video Theory from his 1992 book ‘Dancing in the
Distraction Factory’, as he states that music videos typically have iconography,
which appears across their work, since on the digipak, magazine advert, and in
the video, she wears crop tops. Music Video Theory also suggests that music
videos present a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This is true
for my Advanced Portfolio video as at the beginning of the song, the words of
the rap appear on the screen, this makes it clearer for the audience as they
are able to read the words, as well as hear them. My video also includes lots
of close ups of the artist, particularly as she sings significant words in the
song, such as ‘nasty’. This is in order to build up a relationship with the
audience so they can feel drawn into the performer’s celebrity world.
Blumler and
Katz’s ‘Uses and Gratifications Theory’ is also significant to my advanced
portfolio music video. Personal relationships were established through my
performer constantly looking into the camera as she sings, in order to seem as
if the is talking to her ‘friends’ (the audience). The audience are able to see
my performer as a role model, and identify with her, as she is of a similar age
to them and therefore they are able to feel closer to her. Obviously, my music
video is designed to entertain my audience as it provides enjoyment and
escapism from the real world, into an idealistic teenage lifestyle, which the
young audience can aspire to.
I also enabled
my audience to identify with my artist over several different platforms, by
creating synergy between my digipak, magazine advert and video. The font is a
pinky-red, which is stereotypically girls however there are aspects of the
black and white theme, which links to the sophistication, which my audience
aspires to. The name of my album is ‘Blockin’ Out The Haters’, a phrase that
has become a viral ‘vine’ video, very popular amongst my target audience. This
links to the way in which social media is so important to this generation, as
the stars in music videos are becoming more accessible by the young fans, by
websites such as Twitter, Instagram and now even Snapchat.
Many pop music
videos conform to Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory, as to objectify women in a
sexual manner. However I have subverted this theory as I wished to present my
artist as a strong, independent woman. This shows to my audience that it is ok
to be strong, female and sassy, as well as that you don’t have to conform to
men’s rules of life. An example of
this is when she wears her crop tops. This is not done in a way as to be
objectified by men, through showing flesh. Instead this is used to show how she
is free to dress how she likes and not worry about what others think, and this
is also relevant in her dance moves, which are dynamic and playful.
Binary
oppositions are used in my music video, an example of this are with the black
and white scenes. This contrasts the pure white and the rebellious black, and
suggests the angel/devil sides to my performer and to the youth audience who
are able to identify with this conflict of emotions that young teenagers
experience. This also reflects the lyrics of the song, in that they contradict
themselves when she sings ‘you’re nasty’ ‘but I don’t mind’, she is a carefree
girl who makes her own way through life, and sets this example to the young audience.
In conclusion,
there are many ways in my video in which the audience can identify with my
performer. As my audience were so accessible
to me on social networking sites such as Facebook, I was able to receive lots
of feedback, which showed me how successful my video had been, the results
presented that the target audience found it entertaining and fun, which was my
main aim. Therefore, I believe that the audience is one of the most important
parts in creating my Advanced Portfolio Coursework Production.
