Richard Dyer's Star Theory

Stars and Stardom

According to Richard Dyer in order to comprehend the bond between the music industry and its audiences, it is vital to acknowledge the roles of the music stars.

The phrase “star” pertains to the semi-mythological meanings established around music performers as a form of branding to sell them to a dedicated and broad audience. It allows the audience to feel connected to the performer in terms of how the “star” represents themselves seeming ordinary but likewise being extraordinary with the amount of wealth and fame they have.

According to Richard Dyer a “star” is not a normal person but an entertainer who perceives themselves as an aspiring image to their audience.

Some common values of music stardom

·         Youthfulness

·         Rebellion

·         Sexual magnetism

·         An anti-authorisation attitude

·         Originality

·         Creativity/talent

·         Aggression/anger

·         A disregard for social values relating to drugs, sex and polite behaviour

·         Conspicuous consumption, of sex, drugs and material

·         Success against the odds

Dyer also says there are many key features stars have in common:

-          All stars are not normal people but an image that depend on a variety of media materials such as magazines, advertising, internet and/or films to promote them.

-          Stars are commodities consumed and produced by the strength of their meanings.

A star’s image is dependent on what is called subsidiary media. Subsidiary means to assist something or someone in aid, in this case to promote the “star” for their target audience to buy into their products.

The graphs below shows the breakdown of subsidiary media promoting a “star” and the artist:-  

A star's image is based around various features that will appeal to their target audience such as sexual magnetism. Rihanna is known for her raunchy and rebellious manner which attracts a male audience because they find her attractive.  

However a star must be absent and present at the same time which Richard Dyer has broken down into two paradoxes.

Paradox 1

The star must be ordinary and extraordinary at the same time for the consumer.

Britney Spears is an example of this, we always see Britney Spears in magazines, tv adverts and on youtube. This is because they have marketed her to be available to her audience all the time so that they feel they have a connection with her but the audience can never be satisfied because many of them have never met or will meet Britney so they buy into magazines and her music to connect with her more making her dominant to rival artists like herself (hegemony).

Ordinary:Mum

Extraordinary: Performs around the world

 

Paradox 2

The star must be present and absent at the same time for the consumer.

The consumer can regularly find a way of looking into the artist through the media, one way is YouTube. This makes the artist available for the consumer as they access it via the internet at any time. However the artist is hardly ever present for the consumer to see in real life.

:

Present: YouTube Music video   

Absent: Rarely/never see them in person

The Star Image

·         The absence of the star makes it inevitable that the audience will continue to look into the artist to complete or know more about the image.

·         This is accomplished by the continuous consumption of the star through their products.

·         In the music industry an artist’s performance almost serves the completion to the star’s image but this can equally ruin their image and leave the audience unsatisfied by forgetting lyrics to their songs, dance routines etc. This damages the star’s image rather than building it.

·    This leads fans to continue consuming the artist’s products attempting to complete their image.  
·    Ultimately the star image can be used to        

Music Video - Planning

Colour - For our video we want the colours to be dark and mysterious, possibly black and white or low key lighting as this goes along with the lyrics to the song. Also we thought that these colours emulate the genre as hip hop is sometimes seen as a “ghetto lifestyle”.   

Image – Our artist will be wearing urban clothing; such as checked shirts, baggy/loose fitted jeans and trainers. We also thought that if we are filming outside our artist should wear a puffy jacket with a snapback (cap) as the season is autumn. Creating this image relates to our genre as many rappers wear these types of clothing and we thought that our target audience would be attracted to this as many of them dress and will want to aspire to be like our artist.

Characters – for our music video we are concentrating only on our artist. We will not be using no other characters because we feel that if we focus on the artist the audience can familiarise themselves with him as he isn’t well known. The artist will be acting as themselves and will be shown reciting their lyrics with a simple narrative to go along with it.

Now that I am working alone to create a music video my preparation has slightly altered. I want the colour of my music video to be dark as the song carries a sad emotion. So effectively low key lighting would be fitting to portray the feel of the song.  

The image I want my artist to portray is laid back but also stylish. I will create this by dressing my artist in an edgy/hipster way. This includes clothing that is baggy such as oversized jumpers and jackets. Further to make my artist appeal to the target audience I want my artist to wear heels to look more glamorous and to make the audience want to imitate the artist’s style.

For my music video there are two characters, I chose to use two characters because I felt that it would help the narrative of the song. Also many artists similar to mine go according to Goodwin’s theory in terms of videos being narrative based.  

Album covers - Planning

Font – we want our font to be bold and clear for our target audience to see straight away. The colour that we chose also is black, we chose this colour because it is bold and it goes with our genre hip hop as it is dark.

List of locations – the location we agreed on was to have our artist in a studio with headphones over his head recording a track. We thought this would connect to our genre hip hop. Also we chose this location because we thought that our audience could connect with it as they can see more into what the artist does on a daily basis.

Camera shots – we chose to use a mid shot for our album cover so that our target audience can see what the artist is wearing and also see the surroundings in the shot. We feel by using a mid shot the target audience will be able to relate to the artist in terms of clothing.

Colour options – we have more than one idea for our album cover; our first idea is black and white. Black and white would relate to our genre hip hop as it’s conventional because many artists in the past have done this. Our second option is to use ambient lighting; we believe that ambient lighting would capture attention to the album cover as it glamorises our artist giving off the impression that he is wealthy.  

Lighting – we have two ideas for our lighting, our first option is to use low key lighting. This would make our album cover look mysterious and interesting. High key lighting would also be a possible option; we think that it would make our artist stand out to our target audience when they see it.  

Main Image – as our artist is a rapper we have decided to go according to the genre hip hop in terms of clothing which is urban. We want our artist to have on a checked shirt with straight cut jeans and retro trainers. We chose this look because we wanted to emulate other artists similar to ours and to appeal to our target audience.

Now that I am working by myself to create a music video my idea and genre of artist has changed. I have developed and altered our previous ideas into my own; therefore my generic conventions have changed to suit the genre of my artist. My artist now is Adele who sings soul music; her style is very different to hip hop. She is quite mellow and laid back so I want to portray her image to the style of music she sings. I thought that dressing my artist on trend to what the audience would wear but not revealing would fit the genre of my artist and embody Adele’s style. Adele usually wears dark coloured loose fitted dresses and tops so I tried to imitate that but still make my artist look appealing to males also.



I chose to keep the idea of the font from my group as I still want it to be bold for it to stand out.

The camera shot that I want to use on my album cover is a close up of the artist’s whole body crouched on the floor. I chose to use a close up because the audience can familiarise themselves with the artist and also to show the clothing that she is wearing which will appeal to the audience. 

The colour for my album cover idea hasn’t changed much. Black and white would fit the genre of my artist because soul music isn’t really glamorous; it’s more subtle and understated. Likewise ambient lighting would also be suitable for the genre of my artist as it would draw the audience’s attention to the album cover.

 

I want to use high key lighting for my album cover because it will make my artist stand out to our target audience.

My location for my album cover has now changed and developed into a different idea.  I want my artist to be sitting in a room on the floor looking into the camera. I chose this location because I felt that it was laid back which connects to the genre and also I think it will build a relationship between the audience and the artist. Many artists similar to Adele have used this technique which follows Goodwin’s theory of the demands of a record label featuring the artist looking into the camera. It makes the artist more recognisable for the audience as she is new.

Questionnaire Results

The results of our questionnaire helped us know how to brand our artist to the audience because we now know their likes, dislikes and interests. This is important information because we now have an advantage when producing our own music video giving our artist the likability factor because we have followed what the audience want from a hip hop artist. Lastly going according to our audience’s preference will make our product sell well in the media.     



Questionnaire

Above is the questionnaire that my group put together to find out what the general public thinks about hip hop subculture. Doing a survey of research into your genre is key so that you know how to appeal to your audience when creating a music video.

When carrying out our survey we questioned people from the ages of 11 and over, this is because many people from these ages will have heard of or listens to hip hop. We asked them general questions ranging from what they expect from a hip hop artist to what style of clothing they expect to see a hip hop artist wearing. Questions such as these are vital for us to know so that we know how to market our artist as an image to the audience in order for the artist to gain recognition and to sell.





Mood Board - Album Covers

The mood board below shows how I have developed my previous ideas from my group into my own. Because my artist is now a female who sings soul music I want her to look appealing to the audience but also dark and edgy to relate to the song I have chosen for my artist.

The style of clothing that artists wear from pop and soul music is usually modern and on trend to connect with the audience because this may be how they dress. I want to emulate this but make it slightly more edgy. The jewellery I want my artist to wear looks more edgy than elegant because artists similar to mine usually have their own unique style to others in the industry that follow the conventions of pop. I want my artist to wear heels on the album cover because although she has her unique style she is still mainstream and needs to connect with the audience and appeal to them in order for her to gain recognition.

I want my artist’s hairstyle to be quirky and not perfect looking, this will help to show the individuality of my artist and I also believe that it will draw attention to my artist.

I want my album cover to be set in an open area such as a bridge or in a room. These locations seem more fitting for my artist as other artists similar to mine have done so.



Richard Dyer's Theory - Album Covers

Does the promotional material construct an image rather than reveal a ‘real’ person whereby you know about their likes/dislikes, family, background, education, problems etc.?

I believe that the promotional material helps to construct Britney Spears’s image however I do believe that some of her promotional material give an insight to the audience of what goes on in her personal life, such as being featured in a magazine with her children and by interacting with the world through social networks like twitter. With this being said the term to best describe Britney Spears is semi-mythological. This is because her image never really tells factual truths about her or lets the audience know what happens when she is not in the limelight. An example of this is her endorsement deal with Pepsi, we as an audience don’t actually know if she likes to drink Pepsi, she has been paid to perceive to the audience that she likes Pepsi in order for it to sell. Throughout the majority of Britney Spears’s work signify that she is an entertainer, we see this through her various albums. Even though we don’t know her personally it builds a relationship between her and the audience for them to get to know her more. We see Britney get morphed into a more rebellious person as she gets older, dressing in more revealing and seductive clothing which shows her youthfulness but likewise sexual magnetism which draws attention to her and makes the audience aspire to know more about the image.   

Britney Spears is known to the rest of the world as a star because of her fame, music, products and endorsement deals all which are within the media. An example of this is her feature in cosmopolitan magazine, the headline states “How a broken Britney bounced back”. It tells the readers how she regained her fame after her down fall but doesn’t inform the readers of what she went through during her ordeal. This is the main characteristic that shows stars are commodities advertising nothing but their power that lead to the audience consuming more of their products.

Stars need the media to build up their image and to appeal to their target audience through promotions, films, music and so on. Making the image a semi-mythological individual.

I plan to use some of the same techniques Britney Spears has used to form my artist’s image as this would help my artist be more aspiring to their audience and generate more sales.



Andrew Goodwin's theory - Album Covers

Genre: Soulful R&B Funk

Amerie

Because I Love It: Amerie is a soulful R&B singer who often performs on stage and in her music videos. Her first album cover shows the singer posing in three different positions. The way she is posing is laid back and cool which links with the soulful R&B genre.

 The arrangement of the album cover shows her three times. This is also known as a motif, an aspect of Goodwin’s theory. This is to familiarise the audience with the artist as this album cover is from her earlier years within the music industry. Also her name is positioned clear for the audience to see, so they remember her name. This is important because the artist needs recognition in order to sell.

The positioning of her body is quite seductive and endearing, which is inevitable as women in the R&B industry usually have to look sexy as it is known that “sex sells”. The clothing she is wearing covers the majority of her skin but it’s also tight fitted and her leggings are sheer, this is quite sensual and leads more to the imagination. Being dressed and posing in this way will make the audience want to buy her album because she is portraying herself in a conventional way like similar artists as herself. The way she is dressed according to Goodwin’s theory is known as voyeuristic treatment which is the sexualisation of females within the industry wearing clothing that is alluring or acting/posing in a certain way that is sexual.

 

In Love and War: in her more recent album she has broken out into the more funk side of her music. She can do this now as she has grown as an artist by extending her fan base and gaining more recognition.

She is centred on this album cover with her name boldly written in front of her, this is because as an artist they still have to sell themselves. Her image has also adapted from her first album because they are trying to broaden her audience and gain her more fans. The background of her album has an abstract feel to it. Amerie can now do this as she has more recognition as an artist and has more say in how she represents her music.

Amerie isn’t positioned seductively as her first album but she is dressed in less clothing showing more skin. Also her hair is flowing and looks attractive, by dressing in this way she will be seen as attractive to the media as women in the media dress provocatively to gain more attention and to sell their products. This relates back to voyeuristic treatment.

Genre: Hip Hop

Lupe Fiasco

Food and Liquor: Lupe Fiasco’s music is known to be different compared to common hip hop artists; his album cover helps to illustrate his diversity and will attract an audience because it’s not what you would expect to see from a hip hop artist.

We can see that the main object on the album cover is Lupe Fiasco, they did this to familiarise the audience with the artist so he can gain more recognition. The objects around him and the flashing lights help to bring attention to him as he needs to stand out amongst other leading hip hop artists.

On the album cover we can see Lupe Fiasco holding a stereo and other objects floating around him such as a game boy, they incorporated these things because it is probably what interests and influences Lupe Fiasco, by doing this the consumer can learn more about the artist and can see what they have in common and also connect with the artist as they feel they know more about them.

The Cool: this album cover shows Lupe Fiasco’s diversity. He is not featured in the album; this shows that he has gained recognition to an extent that his fans and audience know who he is just by seeing his name.   

Even though he is not featured in the album his name is written for the audience to recognise, this for obvious reasons shows his fans that it is his and also introduces new audiences who may not have heard of him in the past.

As he is now a well known artist he has more control over how he portrays himself in the media. The picture on the album cover isn’t conventional to the genre hip hop, but it shows his unique quality which may attract his audience. 

 

Andrew Goodwin's Theory - Music Videos

Genre: - Alternative Pop Music

Eliza Doolittle – Skinny Genes

·         The environment around her is upbeat and everyone is happy and cheerful.

·         Everyone is dressed old fashioned/quirky.

·         The setting is almost make belief with a bath tub sitting in the middle of the room.

·         When the video ends she sort of clicks her fingers and the screen turns black, it sort of indicates to the audience that it’s a made up world.

Kate Nash – Mouthwash

·         The video is fast paced.

·         It jumps from her real life to her make belief world in her mind.

·         She’s quite still but everything around her is moving fast.

·         It’s set in a theatre/on a stage. This shows that it isn’t real.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqAGXtDCXCk

VV Brown – Crying Blood

·         The artist is energetic.

·         It’s set in a make belief place.

·         Stage lights go out at the end which shows the audience that it wasn’t real, it was make belief.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk7tzFIYhtI

Summary

·         All artists fashion style is unusual and they mainly dress in the style of the 50’s/60’s era.

·         All videos are set in a dream like world and have a mystical theme to it.

·         All videos have vibrant colours to them.

·         In the videos some of the characters play the beat of the song on objects such as a table and body parts.

·         In all three videos some sort of stage performance/dance routine is incorporated.