John Stuart suggested the idea of intertextuality, describing it as "incorporating, raiding and reconstruction." Music videos use something with which the audience may be already familiar with to generate both nostalgic associations and new meanings. Intertextuality is perhaps more explicitly evident in music videos than any other media form, with the possible exception of advertising.
Goodwin's theory also mentions intertextuality, stating that intertextual references add to the post modernism of music videos.
Examples of videos that parody other media include Madonna's Material Girl and Iggy Azalea's Fancy as they borrow ideas from iconic films.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Madonna - Material Girl
Clueless
Iggy Azalea - Fancy
While these videos reference films, there are many that mirror other music videos. An example of this would be Shania Twain's Man! I Feel Like A Woman as it follows the style of Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love.
Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love
Shania Twain - Man! I Feel Like A Woman
I will not be using intertextuality in my music video as it is not typical of my chosen genre.
Do you agree with Andrew Goodwin's comment that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics?
I believe Goodwin's comment is applicable to the majority of music videos in the current market. Whilst looking into different music genres, the characteristics Goodwin noted became prominent in my research. Pop music videos proved to follow Goodwin's findings as it is not uncommon for groups to include dance routines and a bright colour palette. An ex ample of this is the video for Fifth Harmony's 'Worth It' as it perfectly embodies these characteristics. Likewise, videos within the rock genre typically conformed to performance style videos with darker colour schemes. While these videos do demonstrate the characteristics noted in Goodwin's theory, there are many music videos that do not.
Paramore's music has been described as alternative rock and pop rock, however their music video for 'Ain't It Fun' challenges the stereotypes set out for these genres. Goodwin found that music videos falling in the rock genre typically favour performance style videos. In contrast, the video for 'Ain't It Fun' could be described as concept as the band set out to break multiple world records. The female lead occasionally lip-synchs the lyrics of the song as opposed to the band performing. This is atypical of the rock genre and instead complies with the conventions of the pop genre. The colour scheme also differs from those of rock videos in Goodwin's theory; a bright, colourful palette is used as opposed to the darker tones Goodwin suggests.
Pop Conventions: Lip-synching
Pop Conventions: Bright colours
However, Green Day's 'American Idiot' exemplifies Goodwin's genre characteristics. The lighting is very dark, along with the clothing of the band members. The video is labelled as 'performance', something typical of the rock genre. Similarly, the lighting is very dark, along with the clothing of the band members.
To conclude, I do agree that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics as, throughout my research, I have found that many videos follow Goodwin's theory.
I have decided that my target audience will be people aged 16-20 as this is the typical demographic of indie-pop music. While my music video will appeal to both genders, it is likely to be preferred by females, as my chosen artist has a very female-dominated fanbase. This ties in with the outcomes of my audience survey, as this revealed that over 70% of respondents were female. My target audience are likely to be students, which is also backed up by the results of my audience research survey.
After googling "Halsey with fans", it became evident that the majority of her fanbase are young and female. This supports my decision to target my music video at a predominantly female audience, aged 16-20. The largest proportion of respondents were also aged 16-20 years old, meaning I have reliable information on the interests and opinions of this demographic. I also fit into this demographic, allowing me to have a deeper understanding of what this group would look for in a music video.
I used Polyvore to create a visualisation of how a typical indie-pop music fan may dress. The clothing styles are unlike mainstream fashion, taking inspiration from previous decades including the 80s and 90s.
I also created this magazine cover mock up to further demonstrate media forms that would appeal to my target audience. I decided to use Halsey on the front cover as she is an artist who is currently of prominence in the indie-pop scene. The feedback I received from my audience research revealed that most people watch music videos if they are a fan of the artist. I also included other indie-pop artists who are featured in the magazine. This emphasises the idea that it is aimed at people who like this genre of music and thus would encourage them to read and buy this magazine.
Me and Nicole created this Prezi to outline our plan for our music video. We then presented this to our peers and received feedback on our ideas. During this activity, we also watched the pitches of others in our group. This allowed us to gain inspiration and develop our ideas further.
Having created and shared my questionnaire, I decided to collate my data. I used meta-chart.com to interpret my data into pie charts, making it much easier to analyse.
Gender
The majority (71.8%) of my respondents were female, which is also representative of the artist's fan base. The proportion of male audience members is too large to ignore, so I will ensure my music video appeals to both genders. Having a female lead in our music video is a subtle way of appealing to the female majority.
Age
The most common age range of the audience was 16-20 years old. This is very similar to both my planned target audience and the artist's fan base.
I also fall into this age range and thus have an idea of what people my age like. With this knowledge, I should be able to ensure my video appeals to this age range.
Occupation
77% of respondents were students, meaning they are unlikely to have a disposable income. With this in mind, I will ensure my music video is not overly-produced as to make it realistic for the audience. This also ties in with the genre characteristics of an indie-pop music video.
Preferences
My research found that most people watch music videos if they're a fan of the artist. This correlates well with my other findings as they match the profile of a typical Halsey fan.
Other factors my respondents listed as being important when deciding whether to watch a music video include it being good quality and interesting.
Likewise, I asked what they did not like in music videos. This was an important part of my research as it guided me with things not to include. Below are some of these answers. Those in bold are answers that were mentioned most frequently.
The indie-pop genre does not often sexualise women and our video will not be an exception. If we did decide to include this, while having a predominantly female audience, we would risk making our viewers feel objectified and uncomfortable.
Our video will be shot with high quality cameras to ensure we maintain a sense of professionalism, while straying away from an over-produced feel. We will shoot our video in regular settings, such as on trains and in streets, to achieve this.
We plan to use elements of the song in our music video as this will maintain its relevance and the interest of viewers. To do this, we can look at the lyrics of the song and think of creative and original ways to present them.
Who are the main television companies that show music videos?
MTV
MTV is, arguably, the most well known television companies that broadcasts music videos. Created by the Viacom Music and Entertainment group, it first aired in 1981. The channel's niche was that it exhibited music videos 24 hours a day. While MTV is still of prominence, it now also produces and broadcasts its own television shows. It does, however, have spin-off channels (including MTV Hits) that have stayed with the channel's original promise. Through the decades, MTV has actively promoted the careers of influential artists such as Madonna, Michael Jackson and Nirvana.
As the influence of television evolved, so did MTV. It has since expanded into a group of genre-specific subsidiaries, while the original channel has shifted to showing reality programmes target at a younger audience, such as Catfish and Geordie Shore. Channels such as MTV Rocks, however, still remain true to the channel's initial niche. Here, they broadcast music videos, award shows, artist interviews and live performances.
VH1
Another popular television channel known for showing music videos is VH1. It was also a part of the Viacom Music and Entertainment group, created in order to try and build on the success of MTV. They began by airing 'History of Music Videos', where they would show a large proportion of their music video library. To avoid competition between audiences, VH1 aimed their content at a slightly older audience by focussing on the softer side of the pop music spectrum.
Similarly to MTV, VH1 also has additional genre-specific channels, including VH1 Classic and VH1 Soul. This continued to appeal to their older audience and thus did not detract from MTV's success.
CSC Media Group
CSC Media Group are a UK-based satellite television channel provider. Some of the UK's most popular and accessible music video channels (including Scuzz, Starz TV, The Vault and Chart Show TV) belong to this group. These channels cover a range of music genres and thus cater to a much larger audience. They are also available on Freeview, unlike MTV, which also allows a greater audience to access their channels. However, it also means that the group lacks production budget and instead make money through encouraging audiences to text in their requests.
Where can you find music videos?
The most popular platforms for music videos are YouTube and Vevo, although they can now be found virtually anywhere. These two platforms are the platforms artists use to premiere their music videos, making them reputable sources. However, the influence of social media has meant that anybody can share and embed videos on a multitude of platforms - from Twitter and Facebook, to blogs and websites.
What is the purpose of music videos?
Generally, music videos were meant to promote the artist and the sale of music recordings. They are used to promote a single, which, in turn, promotes an album and finally the artist. It is a viable marketing technique and also means labels do not always have to spend a lot of money in doing so. As music videos have become a widely recognised media platform, the reasons for producing them have shifted slightly. For example, music videos are now also being used to promote films - such as Halsey's video for her song Castle. However, generating money for the record company and gaining recognition for the artist remains the main reason for producing music videos.
My music video
My music video would be likely to be distributed through both music television and Internet platforms such as YouTube and Vevo. These are the most popular sites for artists to premier their music videos, as well as reputable and easily accessible. I will be uploading my video to YouTube as this is the biggest video sharing platform on the Internet. If it was a real world media product, the artist would likely release the video on both YouTube and Vevo. My music video would appear on television channels like those previously mentioned, including MTV Music and Chart Show TV. Having researched these channels, I know the style of music played on them and, most importantly, their target audiences. I believe the style and audience of my chosen song suits these platforms well and thus would be successful.
After having looked into the lyrics of my chosen song (see here), I had some ideas of themes and motifs I wanted to include in our video. The use of colour in the song gave me the idea of including some sort of paint to tie in with Goodwin's theory of the link between visuals and lyrics. I found some music videos that have also used a similar idea. Including a take on this conceptual element in my video would work well as it follows genre traits as well as linking in with the song's lyrics.
Foxes - Let's Go For Tonight
Paramore - Now
Thirty Seconds To Mars - Up In The Air
I especially like that these videos all have a pretty neutral colour scheme before the introduction of the bright paints. I think this would work well in my music video as muted colour palettes are typical of the indie-pop genre. This theme especially fits with the song's title ('Colors') and its lyrics.
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Zayn - Pillow Talk
I also really like the editing and the use of lighting in the music video for Zayn's 'Pillow Talk'. The editing style is unlike anything I've seen in music videos, proving its innovativeness - something that would suit the indie-pop genre. The interesting use of lighting serves in maintaining the viewer's attention. I also like the use of moving backgrounds and I think this is something I would like to include in my final product.
Before we could use the song 'Colors' by Halsey, we needed to have obtained permission from the artist, their label, or the copyright holder. Our friend utilised social media platform Twitter to send Halsey a direct message on our behalf. Below is a screenshot of the interaction and, as you can see, the artist is happy to let us use the song!
