Research - Audience theories relating to our project

Along with researching music videos, album covers, adverts and DVD covers, I looked into various different Media Theories, in order to help understand people’s expectations of music videos. Therefore, this will enable us to create a more realistic video that conforms to audience expectations.

Blumler and Katz – Uses and Gratifications (1974)

Audience-based theory, by researchers in the 1970’s that questions audience’s purposes for consuming different types of Media. The theory is broken down into four different reasons:

* Diversion – for the audience to escape everyday life and routines.
* Personal Relationships – for emotional and interactive purposes (for example, relating to characters in soaps/television programmes)
* Personal Identity – audience exploring their own personal problems (through characters in television programmes)
* Surveillance – for information about what is going on in the World around the audience (for example news and weather)

Stuart Hall – Encoding/Decoding (1973)

Another audience-based theory, by cultural theorist Stuart Hall, that questions audience’s acceptance of consuming different types of Media. The theory contains three possible outcomes:

* Dominant (or “Hegemonic”) reading – the reader/viewer accepts and agrees with the ideas that the text is conveying.
* Negotiated reading – the reader partly understands and accepts the ideas the text conveys, however they adjust certain things to fulfil their own personal interests and experiences.
* Oppositional (or “Counter-Hegemonic”) reading – the reader understands the ideas that are being conveyed, but rejects them due to their own personal morals and beliefs.

Laura Mulvey – “Male Gaze” Theory (1975)

Theory from British Film Theorist, Laura Mulvey. The theory states that women in film are often objectified from a male point of view, and seen only as objects for their beauty.

Emanuel Levy (1990)

Theory from American film critic, Emanuel Levy, who conducted research into Hollywood film stars, between 1932 and 1984. From his research, he theorized that female stars considered beauty and youthfulness more than male stars.

Sven E. Carlsson

Carlsson’s theory of Music Videos analysis suggests that a music video communicates to audience through both audio and visual elements, in which messages and values are shown through the music, the lyrics and/or the video itself. He also theorised that there are two different types of Music Video:

* Performance Clip – A video where the main artist is shown dancing and singing throughout
* Conceptual Clip – A video containing more of a narrative, or an artistic style.
* Narrative Clip - If a music video clip is most appropriately understood as a short silent movie to a musical background, it is a narrative clip. A narrative clip contains a visual story that is easy to follow. A pure narrative clip contains no lip-synchronized singing.
* Art Clip - If a music video clip contains no perceptable visual narrative and contains no lip-synchronized singing then it is a pure art clip. The main difference between a music video art clip and a contemporary artistic video is the music. While the music video uses popular music the artistic video uses more modern, experimental music, such as electro-acoustic music.

This can be developed into more detail, by analysing each type more closely. In certain Music Videos, the artist is often seen as materialized, into a Commercial Exhibitionist, which is the main selling point of the music, as opposed to the song itself. Another type of singer is the Televised Bard, who acts as a singing storyteller, who relies upon voice as opposed to more personal traits of the Commercial Exhibitionist, who relies upon body, costume etc. The final type is the Electronic Shaman, whom is often not seen in videos, and relies on their voice alone.

Keith Negus – Popular Music in Theory (1996)

Keith Negus’ theory challenges ideas people have about the relationship between popular music and youth cultures. He states that this music is particularly popular in younger audiences, with the artists making the music of a considerably older generation. This can be applied to bands such as Paul McCartney, Donny Osmond and ‘The Rolling Stones’. Negus also states that popular music is “inherently rebellious”.

Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin identified several different key components that make up music videos, such as:

* A link between lyrics and visual aspects – with visuals “illustrating, amplifying or contradicting” the lyrics
* A link between music and visual aspects – with visuals also “illustrating, amplifying or contradicting” the music
* Genre-related styles and iconographies evident
* Several close-ups of the main vocalist
* Voyeurism often evident with female characters
* Intertextual references to other media texts occasionally present

Many of these are evident in music videos, depending on narrative and genre of the music, and what the aim of the record company is – whether they wish to sell music or promote an artist/band.

Steven Archer

Steven Archer’s theory for music videos is that “There needs to be a strong and coherent relationship between narrative and performance in music promos. It needs to market both the song and the band”

David Gauntlett – “Making is Connecting”

David Gauntlett, a British sociologist and media theorist, came up with the idea that audiences are liable to produce media, as well as consume it. He argues there is a change in audiences from a “sit-back-and-be-told” mentality to a “make-and-do” mentality.