McFly are a band that have always presented themselves as very clean-cut but still having a unique element whilst being a typical 'boy band', they still play their own instruments and write their own songs. Their star image seems to appeal to teenage girls and they show this in this video by wearing smart suits and being generally happy and upbeat.
Unlike most videos in the pop genre, McFly are seen to play instruments in this video for 'Love is Easy.' This creates a strong star image as they are being presented as more than just singers but as talented musicians as well.
This picture is from when McFly were at a film premiere, and even then, they were presented as clean-cut and very 'matching' in order to keep their audience happy even when they are not performing their songs with their instruments. However, although they play their own instruments, in this music video, they are not seen to play them the whole way through and hereby adhere to the pop video stereotype.
This video also has examples of intertextuality by referencing films and other music videos. This is not very common in modern pop videos so therefore makes them stand out from other artists. Their inspiration, as quoted by Tom (a band member) was the film 'Love Actually' when everybody started singing 'All I Want For Christmas is You' which shows that this band puts in a lot of effort and thought into making their music and videos which the wide audience find endearing.
This video is a classic example of rock music videos across the decades. This video includes all the stereotypes of the whole band playing the actual instruments, including close- ups and wide shots of all the band members. It also includes lots of head-banging and fast movements, hereby creating Joan Jett as a upbeat, anarchistic performance artist and her star image is as a rebellious and careless.
This star image is very typical of rock artists and links to the fact that if Joan Jett presented herself as clean-cut whilst playing this style of music, she would not be as successful as other bands such as the big heavy rock bands.
Joan Jett was already very influential in the rock world as she was sort of the first woman to become famous and a household name from being rebellious and anarchistic. She appealed to a wide audience as the people who already liked rock music liked her, but also people found her more accessible as she was a woman and seemed less scary.
In her younger days, her management decided to present her as shown in this picture. She was seen as always wearing black and mostly wore leather to keep with the edgy style she wanted to be displayed as. This is the same image used in her video. Also, in this picture, in similarity to the video, she is seen with an instrument and that links with the rebellious but talented image they want to put across.
The fact the band is playing almost throughout this whole video is stereotypical of rock music videos as fans of all ages of heavy rock bands draw a connection to every member of the band. This is not just in the rock genre, as bands such as One Direction have a huge fan base because of all of the members, not just one of them who is the star. This band has created a huge fan base by actually being musically talented in the way that they actually play all their own instruments unlike many other artists nowadays.
This video, featuring the solo artist Aloe Blacc, is an obvious example of a narrative video which is set in the late 1960s and has connections with Martin Luther King and the Black Power/Black Pride movement. Unlike most solo pop artists, there is a scene in which a member of his band is playing the trumpet which is not typical of the pop genre.
As this is a narrative video, there are many people in it creating the story of black pride in the 1960s which means they are using intertextuality in order to convey this story. An example of this is at the very end when all of the African American men join arms in Selma at a peaceful protest. This type of message is effective because it shows that Aloe Blacc has something to say about the civil rights movement in America. As this is designed for a current audience, this is a positive impact because it makes people remember what happened and that it wasn't that long ago.
As in his music video, Aloe Blacc is presented in this picture as very wholesome which is because of his management making sure that all of the pictures they put across come across this way to Aloe's target audience. Even whilst wearing this brown shirt, he still gives off the impression of being smart and intelligent whilst still keeping back with his old-fashioned/retro style which he shows in this video.
Everyone is wearing old-fashioned suits and most women have afros which was stereotypical of the time. This use of intertexuality enforces the image that Aloe Blacc is a strong and independent African American who cares a lot about his past. This creates a positive star image as he is shown as proud but still peaceful.
This is a fairly typical type of video to accompany a pop singer as he wants to come across as accessible to a wide audience. Nowadays, the civil rights movement is looked upon in an embarrassing way for White Americans and a proud moment for African Americans therefore suggesting that if anyone had a problem with this video, they would be part of a negative niche.
This video by the solo artist Sara Bareilles is a typical example of the main artist being presented as happy and upbeat whilst lip-synching to the camera. This video shows a wide variety of people dancing around, portraying the image and the message that the singer believes everyone of all ages, genders and sizes should be 'brave' and happy. Like many videos like this, the song starts off with less musical depth and therefore the 'dancers' are less 'out-there', showing the message of their 'courage' building. There is no visible band playing in the video, which is stereotypical of pop artists unlike rock artists who usually have the whole band on screen.
Sara Bareilles usually presents herself as very clean-cut and an innocent artist. Unlike many pop artists nowadays such as Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera, who have a unique, but slightly weird image. This artist shows herself as being a 'normal' person, hereby making the audience feel like she is watchable and relatable to the average everyday person. The fact all of her 'dancers' are wearing normal clothes and are of varied genders and sizes, this makes the whole video relatable to a wide audience.
In this picture, and in most pictures, Sara is presented as happy go-lucky which fits with the overall image she is going for in this music video and many of her other songs. She is not wearing anything promiscuous or even wearing red lipstick which signifies that she is pure and a well-rounded artist. This adds to her 'star image' of being relatable to the ordinary person.
There is not a story in this video making it not a narrative video. As this video is very general and would appeal to a wide audience, this does not leave a lot of room to experiment new and different ideas, similar to the video for Happy by Pharell Williams.
After spending a year learning all about the film industry and having filmed our own opening title sequence and completed this blog, it is time to move on to the second year of the Media Studies course which is all about the music industry.
This year, we will create our very own music video to a song of our choice whilst updating this blog which constitutes as our coursework for this year.
I am very excited to get started on this part of the course as I love music and have always listened to a wide range of songs and genres which I believe will help me in getting started in learning everything about the industry.
