As it is one of the four key media theoretical frameworks, I researched into representations of artists in music videos as well as researching into the theorists that analyse how representation in media affects society. I am particularly interested in representations of gender due to my artist's place as a female artist in a male-dominated industry.
Gerbner's 'Cultivation Theory' argues that "exposure to repeated patterns of representation over long periods of time can shape and influence the way in which people perceive the world around them."
This often means that the artist is an inspirational figure to their TA, reinforced through their platforms online, on social media and live in concert. I am planning to portray feminist ideas through my music video, explained further below, in order to positively portray my female artist and her diverse support network of women, subverting stereotypes previously exploited in films targeted at the female audience.
Gender representations explored in dance music videos, particularly when there is a female artist. In many of the examples I researched into, the female protagonists were often portrayed as independent and strong through both the lyrics and visuals displayed. A multicultural and multiethnic society is also represented through the portrayal of the 'girl gang.' These groups of women are from different ethnic backgrounds and are represented as being the main artist's support system, but each possessing their own originality, expressed often through their appearance: costume and make-up choices.
'Friends'- Marshmallow ft. Anne Marie (2018)
For example, the screenshot below is from 'Friends' by Anne Marie. The lyrics describe a narrative in which she is friendzoning her ex-boyfriend who refuses to leave her house after a party. The supportive group around her, seen in a MLS, stick around at her house to help her out and get rid of him from her life. The group of women are portrayed as each having their own identities, with individual tastes in fashion and make-up, all in unique costumes that express the different character's styles. Furthermore, this positive view on women's independence is reinforced by the lyrics portraying Anne-Marie controlling her own destiny and pushing the man away when she knows she doesn't want him: "You're not my lover, more like a brother."
'New Rules'- Dua Lipa (2017)
My second example is from Dua Lipa's video for 'New Rules.' The song's lyrics essentially serve as a girl's rule book for dealing with their ex, "One: Don't pick up the phone... Two: Don't let him in... Three: Don't be his friend." This reinforces the idea of a female support network and is reinforced by the screenshot on the left, composed of nine girls visually supporting each other, no matter who they are. The group of girls could also be symbolising Dua Lipa's fans who may see her as a role model or 'big sister' figure as they are the people she is singing her relationship advice to. These feminist values, attitudes and beliefs are portrayed as a part of Dua Lipa's overall brand identity, as it is for many other influencial females, particularly those with household names following their work in the often controversial, and traditionally patriarchal, music and film industries. For example, Kristen Bell has recently attacked the way the idea of consent is tackled in classic fairytales such as Snow White, where the prince kisses the princess while she is asleep, with the idea of consent on the women's part being completely ignored.
Van Zoonen's theories about the male gaze portray how female bodies are objectified, with the male audience seeing the female body as a spectacle, with her gender being performed through her feminine movements and often sexual actions. However, this theory could be interpreted inversely through the following quote from Van Zoonen: "the recurring images of women in popular media have some influence on how people think of women in real life." As Dua Lipa tells her impressionable, young fans that the third rule of a break-up is "Don't be his friend," she is empowering them to not change themselves for a guy. She instead supports the gaze being returned to the viewer and the ideas of modern feminism with women supporting other women. Beyonce's music video for 'Single Ladies' (screenshot below) represents females in a more sexualised manner, wanting their appearances and bodies to be appreciated by the men watching. These audience members are theorised to be gazing upon the women, particularly engaging in scopophilia due to the objectification of the female body, particularly their legs in this example, although other body parts such as their breasts or lips have conventionally also been objectified.
Screenshot from the 'Single Ladies' music video (2008)
For men working in the music industry, this representation of women may have been seen as the only way to ensure that an artist generated revenue for the company. But these techniques have been challenged more and more frequently in recent years as newer generations want to see these traditional values, attitudes and beliefs challenged on a mainstream scale in the whole industry. Despite this, artists such as Beyonce could argue that they have complete control over how they are represented across their entire brand and choose to empower themselves through sexualisation, rather than it being imposed or forced onto them by people (often men) working above them. Although media theorists such as Van Zoonen would fiercely disagree. Going back to Dua Lipa's video, the visually-striking different coloured bath robes also work to portray the group women as individuals, who are as important as Dua herself, who almost disappears into the group of women despite being the star; with the MLS itself portraying each woman as important as the next, all of whom support each other. In comparison to this, an older video such as Beyonce's could be seen as portraying the backing dancers as objects, unimportant as individuals due to their identical costumes.
'Black Magic'- Little Mix
I plan to incorporate this female support system into my narrative and through my research have found that this is a unique proposition for a song where the lyrics do not revolve around the theme of a break-up or relationship trouble. Such female camaraderie is often seen in female bands, such as Little Mix (right) with four members, but is an original concept for a single female artist's music video. Therefore my video is working to fill a gap in the market. Although I am planning to draw intertextuality from so-called 'chick-flick' films, based in a 'high school' environment, many of these have lacked ethnic representation in its main characters, who are overwhelmingly white, as seen in the pictures from 'Heathers' and 'Mean Girls' below. Furthermore, where other minority social groups are included they are portrayed as side characters or worse, a group of people with no names or dialogue, who feature only feature in a single scene. For example, in Mean Girls (2004), when the school structure is described to the audience, the groups are listed, including the rather inappropriate labels of 'Asian nerds' and 'cool Asians.' They are addressed as a group and all represented as exactly the same.
'Heathers' (1989) and 'Mean Girls' (2004)
Moreover, the narratives of the films above are often based around themes focused on having a crush on a boy, which sequentially turns the women into monsters who turn against each other in the story with the one aspiration of getting the attractive boyfriend. Rather than this, I plan on promoting strong female support systems in my music video, incorporating a multi-ethnic group of women, who will act as my artist's support system, each with their own sense of originality with unique costumes and make-up. Therefore, subverting the belief systems portrayed in the films described above, where primarily one social group is represented, to appeal to my whole target audience and promote representations of all women being independent and powerful, without the need for males in the narrative itself.
There are various codes and conventions that three minute dance music videos and dance artist's website's homepages and linked web pages follow that I will also follow in order for my music video to be a complete part of this genre. In a similar way, there are conventions for websites that I will follow for my homepage and one other page. Both will be influenced by my research and inform my planning. The brief's requirements will also heavily influence all of my planning for both products and therefore I will quote it directly, whenever applicable (below), to ensure I fulfill its requirements.
MUSIC VIDEO CODES & CONVENTIONS:
1. Variation of camera framing, angles and movement "Range of camera shots, including shot distances, angles and movement as appropriate to a music video"
When analysing other inspirational dance music videos, I found certain types of shots generic to the genre with specific purposes.
For example, CUs of the artist are often used as beauty shots, to display their hair and make-up, or for a close shot of them lip synching, using direct address to engage the audience. These shots have different variations, Anne Marie's CU is on a dutch angle while Sigrid's shot is filmed on a dolly, slowly panning right as she sings to create a less static shot. These choices often depends on where in the video the CU is and therefore what point the song is at, both in terms of lyrics and beat of the song itself.
Conversely, LSs are often used to frame the artist and other characters together in the same shot. I was inspired by two types of shot, the first is from the Britney Spears video for 'Baby One More Time' where a dance sequence is framed in the long shot with various women, dressed in school uniforms. This type of dance sequence is very conventional for the dance music genre, particularly my genre of dance-pop and Britney's video has been inspirational for many contemporary artists and established the genre of dance from the late 90s. This type of shot is often static as there is already a lot of movement from the dancers.
The other is from Anne Marie's video for 'Ciao Adios' where the artist is sat in the middle of a sofa, surrounded by other characters. All the characters are posing and looking straight into the camera, establishing them as an aspirational group. To incorporate some movement into the shot, the camera tracks in towards the sofa to draws the audience into both the new setting and set-up but also the new characters, who represent the multi-ethnic society that I will go on to discuss in post 4.
2. Structure conventional to three-minute music videos, featuring both performance and narrative "The music video must feature a narrative appropriate to a music video (e.g. a performance montage, a linear narrative illustrating or commenting on the song, or a mix of performance montage and other narrative elements)"
Below is my analysis of the structure of Anne-Marie's 2002:
The letters, symbolising locations, are introduced in most verses although the CUs, particularly B, are used throughout with the artist lip synching.
The narrative also progresses through the verses, which are often slower than the choruses, which are instead comprised of quick cuts between different locations with various group dance sequences with the artist lip synching the, often catchy, lyrics.
I will utilise a similar three-part structure in the narrative with new locations introduced in each verse/pre-chorus as I see necessary. Quick cuts will also be used between all my set-ups in my choruses to portray the lively beat of the song and keep my audience engaged and entertained.
3. Quick, irregular cuts in editing, with rapid changing mise-en-scene "Editing of footage appropriate to the genre of the music video audio track"
To combine the narrative and performance elements described above in point 2, there is often fast-paced cutting between these shots and different set-ups, often creating large differences in mise-en-scene (framing or movement in the shot, colour scheme for costume or lighting or setting). This is seen in most of the music videos in the dance genre, particularly where there are quick cuts from a LS to a CU or similar. These have many functions as theorised by Carol Vernallis:
Partial or fragmented narrative
Editing may be foregrounded (made obvious), breaking may of the rules of continuity editing that are strictly followed in other media forms such as the Hollywood narrative
Jumps between extremes in camera framing or movement
Elements of narrative and performance revealed quite slowly
Many repetitions of shots, gifting the audience with a false sense of predictability
4. Various settings, often recognisable or aspirational for the TA
"At least two different settings (this may be the same location with a significantly different use of mise-en-scene and/or lighting or two different locations)
Many music videos' performance sections often take place in studio settings with various lighting or background set-ups, often using bright colours to add an interesting element to the otherwise plain setting. In these settings, conventional props are also used to signify the fact that the artist is performing, these often include microphone stands. However, depending on the narrative of the video, there is often other internal and external settings. For example, Anne Marie's '2002' and Little Mix's 'Black Magic' as well as Britney Spears' 'Baby One More Time' all have narratives based in the school environment, which would also be recognisable to the young adult target audience. Despite the one setting of the school, various areas of the school are featured including libraries, classrooms and corridors filled with lockers, which the screenshot from 'Fancy' below demonstrates. In order to fulfill the requirements of the brief and make my performance and narrative sections distinct, I plan to have both studio and internal school settings in my music video.
5. Other characters in the narrative or performance (dance) sections "At least two characters representing at least two different social groups"
Although the artist is often the only character featured in lip-synching CUs, other characters are often featured in the dance or narrative sections to help portray the narrative or be a part of the dance routines. Their costume depends on the narrative explored and the 'world' that the video takes place in but in more contemporary videos, the other characters are dressed in unique looks to demonstrate their own originality. As I will go on to discuss on my representation post, it is very important for me to portray different social groups, to ensure that ethnic minorities are included in the video and this will be through my casting of characters in the narrative or dance sequences.
6. Intertextuality
I have noticed a great deal of intertextuality in my research, both in dance music videos and others by other female artists. This can be in many forms at different extremities.
For example, Iggy Azalea's video for 'Fancy' references the chick-flick film 'Clueless' by references full set-ups from the 1995 classic high school film. I found the short video below on YouTube (not made by me) that demonstrates the extent of the intertextuality, with full scenes acted out by the artists and characters, the only difference being the lip-synching the artists are doing to their song. Although I do not plan on doing a full homage, as done in 'Fancy,' this video was very inspirational as it gave me the idea to reference a chick-flick film as intertextuality, as these films are coming back into mainstream culture, decades later.
Other music videos use intertexuality in a similar but often more subtle way through their choices of mise-en-scene as displayed in Anne Marie's '2002' (right) that references Britney Spears' 'Baby One More Time' (left). Although the same framing is not used, it is clearly referencing back due to both the shots being at the beginning of the songs and having similar colour schemes and use of props, the small individual table. However, the differences between them, including the shoes worn by the protagonist and the metallic blue bag used in the more contemporary video allow the differences in era to be displayed while providing a homage to the classic.
I definitely plan to incorporate subtle elements of intertextuality into my video, with my research
making me aware of how popular culture from previous decades, particularly the 80s, 90s and 00s are coming back into trend. Therefore I plan to reference a film from those decades in similar ways to those seen above, including through graphics/titles at the beginning of the video and through the inclusion of similar shots/set-ups to the media I am providing a homage to.
Goodwin theorises that intertextuality particularly aids the audience's understanding of the music video by establishing the relationship between the lyrics, music and visuals. For example, in the second chorus of 'Fancy' (click for the video) the lyric "I'm so fancy" is paired with an establishing shot of the lavish house where a house party is being held. This works to amplify the meaning of the lyrics themselves as the setting would also be familiar to fans of the film prior to seeing the video so they would understand how fancy the characters being portrayed truly are.
7. Stylistic experimentation with effects in editing "Editing of footage appropriate to the genre of the music video audio track"
When researching, I notice the dance genre often encouraged experimentation with speed, colour and repetition in the edit to create an engaging video with a sense of unpredictability and freedom that is encouraged by the flexibility of music video structures. Dua Lipa's 'Be The One' has many of these effects including a 'bounce' effect that repeats a shot in reverse and slightly faster to create a more interesting shot that draws attention to the artist.
I plan to experiment with such effects to make my music video engaging and interesting for the full three minute duration and to make it conform to the dance genre.
8. Graphics at the beginning of the video to introduce the artist and song "Graphics/titles to include the name of the track and the name of the band artist"
The titles necessary to introduce the song and artist(s) in a music video are always at the beginning although sometimes there is one title card with all the information on it while other times, there are two separate title cards.
In the example from 'Friends' (right) the title card has all the information needed and is also used to intertextually reference the fiercely popular Netflix TV Drama 'Stranger Things.' This is achieved through the font and colour of the word 'Friends' with the background of the house, reminiscent of the Byers house in the show. This would immediately be recognised by the TA, who are likely to be fans of the show as well.
In other dance music videos I have researched, the title of the song and name of the artist are separate to allow the artist's brand to be promoted, which would encourage digital convergence, as the same branding would be seen on the artist's website and social media pages. This can be seen from examples from Dua Lipa and Anne Marie below, promoting the artist's synergistic brands.
WEB PAGE CODES & CONVENTIONS
My main inspirations for my website design are Dua Lipa and Anne-Marie's websites (their names are hyperlinked to their websites). As stated in the brief, I plan on creating a homepage and one other webpage for my artist as well as a landing page. The codes & conventions for these are below.
1. Many images of the artist, reflecting the artist's brand identity "A minimum of two original images, (with at least one different original image on each of the two pages) that promotes and reinforces the brand identity of the band/artist (for example these might feature the band/artist with fans)"
=These images feature large on the landing page with one other large image on the homepage and multiple others across the website.Rather than linking to the music video or single itself, the photography links to their main brand identity and therefore they are wearing different costumes in the different shots.
2. Other audio-visual content not found elsewhere (e.g. behind the scenes videos) "Original audio or audio-visual content appropriate to the band/artist's webpage"
=I was inspired to incorporate this into my website after seeing the series of 'Dua Diary' videos, short two minute montage-style vlogs, on her YouTube channel, also advertised on her website. These are behind the scenes looks behind events she attends and various rehearsals or photoshoots that she does. These would be relatively easy for me to produce and would allow my TA to see the artist in a less fabricated environment.
3. A menu bar on every page, featuring the artist's logo on the top left with other pages linked on the right "Appropriate conventions of website design, including an original title and logo for the band/artist's webpage and a menu bar" & "A range of appropriate media language techniques (typography, images, fonts, backgrounds, logos etc) as appropriate to the purpose of the website"
=The other pages often include About, Music, Live, News and Video pages and although I will only fill one of these pages, I plan to include most of them on my menu bar, with my only "working link from the homepage to the other page."
4. Social media & streaming platform links
=Social media pages (Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook) and streaming platforms (Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music etc) are often promoted to the TA to encourage them to interact with the artist and be engaged by their content. This also encourages them to buy into the brand with single covers, merch and tour tickets.
5. Introductory paragraph for the artist "Text introducing the band/artist"
=This would introduce the artist's genre and latest hits in a few sentences for TA members that wouldn't be aware of the artist yet.
BOTH MUSIC VIDEO & WEBSITE CONVENTIONS
=The music video and website would digitally converge through the use of repeated logos and branding of the artist as well as repeated colours and fonts
=Despite this, the website would display the artist's more general brand identity rather than the specific narrative and costumes explored in the music video
Following my research, I plan on following many of the conventions explored above for both my music video and website, particularly where the brief specifies a minimum number of characters or locations. In order to portray a clear sense of branding between the two elements of cross-media production, I will use consistent fonts and logos for my artist and production company.
My artist is signed to the 'Universal Music' record label with my independent production company being commissioned to produce the new music video for my artist. Once produced, my music video will be available to stream on YouTube and sister app YouTube Music with the audio-only version of the song also available on Spotify and other music streaming apps such as Deezer. In order to encourage my audience to watch my music video, the logos of these brands will feature on my website, with a link directly opening the video. This is the perfect demonstration of how different media platforms work symbiotically for the mutual advantage.
Universal Music Group & Vevo
Universal is one of the "Big Three" record labels along with Sony Music and Warner Music Group, with its headquarters based in California, USA. Due to Universal Music Group (UMG)'s status as a large conglomerate company, they have acquired smaller record labels of various genres. This has resulting in them having a wide range of artists such as Australian pop boy band '5 Seconds of Summer' as well as country single female artist 'Carrie Underwood' and electronic DJ 'Deadmau3.' Therefore, my single female dance artist would be best-suited to a large record label with a well-known brand identity and market power in the market.
UMG launched Vevo with the other two large record labels in 2009, as a video-hosting service which operated purely for music videos. Vevo is now a widely known video-hosting service, attracting high-end advertisers who may target the market segment of consumers who would watch music videos rather than the general audience that YouTube attracts. This is likely to be of a similar demographic to my "class AB" target audience.
Independent Production Companies
In terms of ownership, independent production companies tend to have lower budgets than larger production companies, often with conglomerate parent companies. This means that the independent companies are not able to spend extravagant amounts of money on mise-en-scene elements of the music video such as on costumes or hiring out large locations. Through my research, I also realised that many independently-produced dance music videos have do not have large dance sequences with over ten dancers, and instead tend to have a smaller group of around four dancers.
I have been inspired by 'London Alley Entertainment,' an independent production company specialising in music videos. They have produced many recent music videos like David Guetta & Anne-Marie's 'Don't Leave Me Alone' and Hailee Steinfeld's 'Capital Letters.' Both of these examples were directed by 'Hannah Lux Davis,' an American music video director who has worked on many female dance artist's music videos. I plan to base my independent production company on this one.
Marketing and Branding of Artists
Artists, particularly ones signed to large record labels like UMG, have their own recognisable, branding that spans across their whole presence, creating synergy through repeated fonts and logos. When achieved across online platforms, as well as in the music video and other branded posters or single covers, they achieve digital convergence and are recognisable as a full brand with a particular look and style to their dedicated audience.
After achieving this status, the branding behind the artist involves encouraging their TA to interact and engage with them and takes place across various platforms as cross-media marketing. This has been made easier over recent decades through the recent inventions of social media platforms, where fans can easily interact with artists by commenting on their photos (on Instagram) or retweeting their tweets (Twitter). Aside from these free methods, fans are able to see their favourite artists live on their tours or buy into their brands by purchasing their merch through their websites. An example is shown below, of a beret, jumper and deluxe CD sold by Anne-Marie on her website, with the clothing representing her most popular songs. The link at the bottom 'More Merch at the Official Store' links to Warner Music's merch store where there are many other items available to purchase. This not only generates extra revenue for the company but encourages fans to buy into the artists' brands.
Current Trends in the Dance Music Charts
Single female artists are currently performing very well in the music charts and are fiercely popular due to their large fan following from young women and teenagers. However, a pattern I noticed was that women were often paired up with other male artists for dance tracks in particular and in these instances were only credited as 'featuring' on the track. This is true for 'One Kiss,' a song that was at #1 in the 'Official Singles Chart' for seven weeks and although being widely recognised as a Dua Lipa song, she was merely featuring on Calvin Harris' song. In a similar way, 'Friends' with Marshmallo & Anne Marie climbed to #1 although the official music video was only uploaded to the male artist's YouTube channel, as was 'One Kiss.'
Despite the fact that these male-female collaborations are highly successful, single female artists are equally successful without someone else writing the song for them. This is particularly demonstrated with Dua Lipa's breakout song 'New Rules' which kept her at #1 for two weeks at a time where she was just beginning to be widely recognised. Therefore, I believe that as a single female artist, FRNKE (my artist) would be heavily popular with my 16-25 target audience.
YouTube Music The streaming brand's sister company was initially released in 2015 but a new version of it was released in May 2018 with a desktop player and redesigned mobile app. It operates in a very similar way to YouTube, allowing users to browse and stream all music-oriented content, with the choice between a song's music video, original track and even live performances- the first two of which would be applicable for my artist.
To rival subscription streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify, YouTube has expanded into the subscription service market, offering ad-free, background/audio-only streaming and downloadable music for offline streaming for a small monthly fee. Spotify offers a similar service to the one mentioned above, including ad-free downloadable music, but does not host music videos.
Regulation of Music Videos
Online music videos are regulated by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) which works with Vevo and YouTube to ensure that music videos that feature unsuitable content for younger children, under 12, are given a certificate age rating. This rating would appear on Vevo online and YouTube, both online and on the app, and would either be a 12, 15 or 18 rating.
Due to my brief, there is a requirement for distribution that my "content must be suitable for broadcast on streaming sites such as YouTube and age appropriate for young adults from the age of 16." I think this is to ensure that my video is suitable for the whole age range of my target audience, from 16 to 25 year olds, as they may not want to watch it otherwise. Therefore I need to ensure that my video is rated 12 or 15, or is deemed suitable for all ages.
The BBFC considers the following elements when classifying music videos:
Although I do not think my video will be deemed unsuitable, I have made myself aware of the 15 rating and written a comment about how this will affect my planning process.
Drug taking is permitted but shouldn't promote or encourage drug misuse
Strong language is allowed but the judgement on very strong language's inclusion is dependent on its frequency
I will only be using the audio from my chosen song 'High Five' and therefore will not have any strong language
Strong threat and horror is permitted as long as it isn't a sustained focus in the content
As a whole my video should not "endorse discriminatory language or behaviour" although there may be discriminatory themes such as racism or homophobia
After looking at the BBFC guidelines I definitely believe that my video would be suitable for all ages or at most have a 15 rating, therefore abiding by the brief.
Before I begin to make my media products (music video and website) I need to research into my target audience to understand their lifestyles, tastes and consumption choices and therefore how they will engage and enjoy my products.
My target audience is of the "culturally sophisticated/media literate 16-25 AB class demographic"
"culturally sophisticated/media literate"
uses social media often
keeps up-to-date with the latest films and TV shows
enjoys other art forms including music and art, may visit art galleries and exhibitions and attend music concerts
has good knowledge of technology and uses their various devices daily (e.g. computer, mobile phone, tablet/iPad, TV etc.)
may enjoy when traditional views/representations are challenged subverted as it allows them to be thoughtful about their consumption
"16-25"
16-18 year old:
highly likely to be in full-time education, either sixth form, college or on an apprenticeship
still lives at home with their family but spends lots of time out with friends on weekends
is beginning to form their own identity through their music tastes and fashion choices but may lack total self-confidence
19-22 years old:
attends university full-time or is enrolled on an apprenticeship
may have had a gap year before uni to travel
may live in dorms or with friends at uni, going back home during holidays
goes out with friends often, to clubs and bars as well as holidays abroad
23-25 years old:
has graduated from university and is currently in work, according to their degree
may live with their boyfriend/girlfriend, with friends in a shared flat or with their parents, spending time with each of these groups outside of work
is still refining their own identity and tastes but has a good idea of their basic likes and dislikes and is not scared of being themselves
"AB demographic"
likely to come from a well-off background
may be a part of a nuclear family and take regular holidays together
likely to have lots of disposable income to spend as an individual (i.e. theatre/cinema tickets, branded clothing/shoes, hair & make-up products, technology)
has been well-educated and can form their own views and opinions- may enjoy norms being challenged
highly likely to own the latest technology including a smart mobile phone (possibly iPhone) and other personal products including a laptop and tablet/iPad
I interviewed some people in this demographic about their lifestyle, including their hobbies, favourite songs (and other art forms like film and TV) as well as their daily routine, such as their social media usage and celebrities they follow on Instagram or Twitter.
My two real-life profiles are below:
Ross Luckman, 17
Loves dance music and says he particularly loves attending live dance music events to allow him to fully engage and focus on the music rather than listening to it in the background when studying
Attended 'Sundown Festival' in the summer with a group of friends
Enjoys going to parties with his friends
Uses social media very regularly, for over three hours a day (Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter)
Follows artists like Marshmello, Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa and says he enjoys looking at their Tweets and Instagrams as well as listening to their music as he enjoys seeing them travel and perform all around the world
Attends a sixth form college full-time
Wants to go into accounting as a career and study maths/economics at university
Immy Clare, 20
Uses social media for around two hours a day on her phone (mainly Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter)
Has three Instagram accounts: one main, one private (for around 50 of her closest friends only) and one photography account- prosumer
Uses Twitter to keep up-to-date with news (entertainment as well as political)
Sends her friends pictures of herself with filters on Snapchat regularly
Has just finished a gap year abroad where she taught English in a foreign country and travelled around Europe and Asia
Is a first year student studying English & Drama and has aspirations of being a theatre actress
Regularly goes out with friends to clubs and bars in her uni town
Loves all art forms, particularly drama, music, art, photography and film and has lots of disposable income to spend on consuming them
Says that her "current obsession" is Heathers: The Musical, which she saw at the West End recently and watches Carrie Hope Fletcher's vlogs about starring in Heathers
Loves listening to dance music and sees Anne-Marie as an important fashion influencer
Regularly goes to art exhibitions and particularly likes the V&A as well as Tate Modern
Takes photos on her DSLR camera (that she got for Christmas) and uploads them onto her photography Instagram account
By understanding my target audience's lifestyle, hobbies and tastes, I am able to understand how to encourage them to interact with my artist as well as buy into their brand. This kind of lifestyle profiling would be very important in the dance music industry before artists get backing by large record labels or similar to see if the artist should have a single, album and following tour.
Following my research, I have also decided to focus more heavily on the female-side of my demographic as I will create an artists persona using myself and think I could fully engage with the entire age category of my TA this way.
Mood Board
=I have created a mood board based on the demographic I am targeting, from my brief and audience research. The board visually represents my TA's hobbies, likes and consumption choices.
Van Zoonen's theories about the male gaze portray how female bodies are objectified, with the male audience seeing the female body as a spectacle, with her gender being performed through her feminine movements and often sexual actions. However, this theory could be interpreted inversely through the following quote from Van Zoonen: "the recurring images of women in popular media have some influence on how people think of women in real life."
