Star Image
Summary of this session
Aims
· To identify the purpose of a stars image in music video/industry
· To link the importance of audience's relationship with a stars profile
· To enable you to write about the role that star image has in your examples
The following slides list methods for analysing both the importance of star image to the industry as well as the audience connection with that star image.
Method 1 taken from
Andrew Goodwin –
‘Dancing in the distraction factory’
University of Minnesota Press
Published: Nov 1992
Method 2 taken from
Richard Dyer – “Stars”
British Film InstitutePublished: April 1998
Andrew Goodwin – ‘Dancing in the distraction factory’
· The creation of character for stars provides a point of identification for the audience/spectator which is especially important when lyrics often lack depth.
· The construction of stars is central to the economics of the music industry – only stars guarantee sales and long careers
· Star loyalty is a key ingredient – fans to star
· The audience knows its own tastes but the music industry has long been able to work around this – The construction of stars is one of the ways they do this.
· The record industry is very dependent on stars – many record companies rely on a few big stars (or even just one) to provide stability
Richard Dyer – “Stars” (originally writing about cinematic stars)
· Stars are a phenomenon of consumption
· There are a range of audience -> star relationships
EMOTIONAL AFFINITY
· Most common, where ‘audience feels a loose attachment’
SELF IDENTIFICATION
· When the audience member places themselves in the same situation and persona of the star
IMITATION
· This is apparently most common among the young and takes it beyond the ordinary. The audience -> star relationship acts as a sort of model
PROJECTION
· This is when imitation ends up when it becomes extreme – it doesn’t happen often and it is when the fan’s behaviour becomes more than simple mimicking of clothing, hairstyle etc.
Star vehicle
· The image is constructed (Star Vehicle) by the Video and the publicity surrounding the artist, i.e. Newspaper publicity, Live performance, album art etc. This construction forms a product to sell to the audience (consumer).
· The star vehicle also enables the artist to change from one type of image to another ie Beyonce form Destiny's Child member to individual artist.
Star Power
· Economic Power through earnings generated
· Artistic Power (ie creative control of their own image and how it is used or appears to the media.
· Ideological power in terms of their influence upon the audience, which may take the form style (influence on fashion) or Attitude (influence on audience opinions). Madonna as a good example of the former, U2’s Bono attempts to be an example of the latter.
Summary of this session
Aims
· To identify the purpose of a stars image in music video/industry
· To link the importance of audience's relationship with a stars profile
· To enable you to write about the role that star image has in your examples
The following slides list methods for analysing both the importance of star image to the industry as well as the audience connection with that star image.
Method 1 taken from
Andrew Goodwin –
‘Dancing in the distraction factory’
University of Minnesota Press
Published: Nov 1992
Method 2 taken from
Richard Dyer – “Stars”
British Film InstitutePublished: April 1998
Andrew Goodwin – ‘Dancing in the distraction factory’
· The creation of character for stars provides a point of identification for the audience/spectator which is especially important when lyrics often lack depth.
· The construction of stars is central to the economics of the music industry – only stars guarantee sales and long careers
· Star loyalty is a key ingredient – fans to star
· The audience knows its own tastes but the music industry has long been able to work around this – The construction of stars is one of the ways they do this.
· The record industry is very dependent on stars – many record companies rely on a few big stars (or even just one) to provide stability
Richard Dyer – “Stars” (originally writing about cinematic stars)
· Stars are a phenomenon of consumption
· There are a range of audience -> star relationships
EMOTIONAL AFFINITY
· Most common, where ‘audience feels a loose attachment’
SELF IDENTIFICATION
· When the audience member places themselves in the same situation and persona of the star
IMITATION
· This is apparently most common among the young and takes it beyond the ordinary. The audience -> star relationship acts as a sort of model
PROJECTION
· This is when imitation ends up when it becomes extreme – it doesn’t happen often and it is when the fan’s behaviour becomes more than simple mimicking of clothing, hairstyle etc.
Star vehicle
· The image is constructed (Star Vehicle) by the Video and the publicity surrounding the artist, i.e. Newspaper publicity, Live performance, album art etc. This construction forms a product to sell to the audience (consumer).
· The star vehicle also enables the artist to change from one type of image to another ie Beyonce form Destiny's Child member to individual artist.
Star Power
· Economic Power through earnings generated
· Artistic Power (ie creative control of their own image and how it is used or appears to the media.
· Ideological power in terms of their influence upon the audience, which may take the form style (influence on fashion) or Attitude (influence on audience opinions). Madonna as a good example of the former, U2’s Bono attempts to be an example of the latter.
Task
· Can you identify the purpose of a stars image in one of your choosen examples
· Can you define the diffrent audience relationships with a stars profile
· Summerise the power that a star portrays in their career or your example video.
· Can you identify the purpose of a stars image in one of your choosen examples
· Can you define the diffrent audience relationships with a stars profile
· Summerise the power that a star portrays in their career or your example video.
