Analysis of a Star - Miss Miller

Artists choose to reinvent their image for a variety of reasons. This could be either at the peak or a low of an artists career, but it is usually done for a purpose and not a random collection of events for example

-To reach wider audiences or branch out to a different target audience.

-Break into a new music genre.

-Increase sales/revenue.

-If the artist is the tired of his/her own image.

-Increase Publicity.

-Attempt to reverse bad press created.

-Being an old artists trying to keep up with current trends.

One artist that has done which is Maroon 5, the band started off as a Pop-Rock band and has eventually made the transition to Pop with collaborations with Wiz-K, Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani branching out to wider audiences. The main differences are the style of music and what it in the actual content of the music videos.

Maroon 5 have made this transition due to the fact that they started off as a Pop Rock band and wanted to become more mainstream like other artists in the music market. They have done this by following the conventional stereotypes of the pop genre as I will explain

Goodwin's Theory tells us that a music video will fall into, or cross over into three main categories. Narrative, Concept or Performance.

Video 1, This Love (Past)

This song is about a break up from a relationship, which is connect to Maroon 5 lead man Adam Levine as it is based on his personal life. This video falls into the Narrative, Performance category, this is for a variety of reasons. Through the video we see Maroon 5 performing to the camera in a series of closes up to engage the audience, we see the band with all of their instruments and Levine singing at the centre of the screen. We also see a romantic storyline throughout with obviously follows the Narrative side of the video. There is also a distinct relationship between lyrics and visuals with is obvious to the audience as we see two characters, one being the lead singer making love which reflects the lyrics "making love, as if it was just a game". Also in relation to Goodwin's theory we see many close ups of the band to promote the audiences as this is what they demand. 

This music video is very conventional to the Pop Rock genre for many reasons. For example we see the band performing to the audience with instruments this is conventional due to the face that this is what the artists use in the soundtrack of the song and it represents a link between the music and visuals which is generically seen in Rock/Pop. Instruments include the Guitar, Drums and a Piano.  This also linking to Goodwin theory as we see the use of genre characteristics.

   

Video 2, Payphone(Change)

This song has a completely different narrative to This Love. It still is performance based also but it follows a more Pop storyline as it is more attracting to audiences. The video follow Levine escaping from some bank robbers with a girl in a shooting, he attempts to become the hero in an array of shots fired at him. He then gets mistaken for the robbers and then is involved in a chase scene in which he flees. The video is in some sense a mini action movie which follows a conventional storyline. Yet again there is a direct line between lyrics and visuals for example "I'm at a payphone trying to call home", this is clearly seen in the video. Another part of Goodwin's theory that can be seen, is the demands of the record label which has the artist seen in multiple close ups throughout the video this is for the personal benefit of the audience as this is what they want to see when they are viewing the video.

Unlike This Love, Payphone only features Adam Levine and not the rest of the band, this reflects one of the major changes in Maroon 5's transition to the Pop Genre as most artists/bands under this genre only focus on one particular individual. Another difference is the fact the band are collaborating with another well known mainstream artist which is only common with Pop artists rather than distant genres and their previous style of music.  

Video 3, Love Somebody(Present) 

Love Somebody is a mixture of the two previous songs and rather falls under the Dance - Pop genre. The nature of the song reflects the emotions a person would feel on the dance floor in a club or a similar setting. It has a rather unconventional theme compared to Payphone or other Pop music video of the same time period, this can be seen obviously through the use of the band and actress being covered in blue paint to reflect their emotions and or etc.

Again this follows Goodwin's Theory alike the others it has a direct link between lyrics and visuals i.e "I really want to love somebody, I know we're only halfway there" this reflects the audience and artists/characters being half seen as if they only half know each other and are becoming more connected as the amount of paint on there body increases. Unlike the other the video is more concept based as the video is open to interpretation to the audience as there isn't a clear storyline/narrative to follow alike the other analysed videos. The concept is the bond/relationship between a couple. Yet again there are various close ups of the band not just Adam Levine.

A significant note to add would be the fact that in the last two videos there as been a lack of the use of musical instruments due to the transition between genres which primarily on a high level shows the evolution of the band. Due the them becoming more performance orientated.

In addition the way that the artist has changed through the sexualisation of the female body and all the males with the exposure of the torso in a sexual way, due to the use of paint and tight clothing, which is also a key element of Goodwin Theory.

Dyer's Theory

A star is an image and not a real person. They are constructed from a range of materials. They are seen as commodities. Stars depend on a range of subsidiary media such as magazines, TV, internet etc. These are used to construct image for the artist which can be marketed to their target audience to raise their profile and fan base. The star image is made up of a range of meaning which are used to gain the attention of audiences. A stars image is always incomplete and open for alterations. This comes down to two paradox's

1) The star must be, at the same time, ordinary and extraordinary for the audience.

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

The stars image ensures that the audience continually feel the need to feel up to date or complete to make sense of the image, this can be achieved by the consumer buying the stars products.
The artists performance, promises the consumption of their image which is always satisfying for the audience. As a result of this fans will continue to consume the star and their products in order to complete their image.

The stars image is used to show the consumer a position of dominance but also social values this is known as Hegemony. Depending on the artists style this may mean the audience get positioned in or against the mainstream

- How does the video represent the artists?
The video represents the band as conventional to the genres they are within and then it seems like they become more risk tacking as their videos become more diverse and more extraordinary compare to their early previous videos. At first it is more apparent that the band is a group while later on it can be said that new audiences, due to only Adam Levine featuring may see Maroon 5 as an single artist an not a band. Beside this they may also think this due to the music becoming less Rocky and more Dance as beats have been altered with and are more predominant to audiences.

-Can the artist be viewed as a product?
I would say that the band could be seen as a product as they are constantly changing their style which can be seen by the 3 videos I have analysed but also due to the fact they endorse a range of items to their fan base which include gigs, t-shirts, CD's, Vinyl Records of their tracks, sheet music, iPhone cases etc. This is in order to please their fans and remind them of their star image that they project to audiences to entice them to but their tickets and themed products, which increases the bands revenue.

-Is the artist both ordinary and extraordinary?
The artist can be considered under both of these criteria, this is due to their content in the videos that I have analysed. For example the normal side of the artist can be seen by there reflective themes of breaking up and love relationships which is consistent throughout. The first two video I analysed seem to follow the respective conventions of the two genres with the third taking a slight twist to keep the artists style fresh and new for audiences not forgetting the second as it has a complete direct change from the first. This can be seen by the weapons and car chases etc. The third is completely unexpected by audience and may come as a shock and first but in the end the themes are the same. So in conclusion it can be said that the artist is both depending on the audiences perspective. 

Does the video place fans for or against hegemony?
Hegemony is the section of the theory, that the audience (us), can relate to the star, as the audience we admire artists/bands and attempt to replicate what they are experiencing. It can be said that Maroon 5 have a large following, as they perform at concerts, have their own twitter and a range of merchandise.

Some percentage of the audience may choose to replicate the lifestyle and themes they present in their music videos such as love and heroism. These ideology's are in contrast to other artists quite positive, but at the same time are not that compelling to replicate so audience may choose not to. Maroon 5 may be seen by some audiences as a role model/inspiration for various reasons, or may like their music so much they may choose to learn on instruments songs. Overall I would say that Maroon 5 videos place fans for hegemony as they could alter a fans view and actions in some way.


Target Audience
I would say that the audiences target audience has only changed slightly over the course of the three music videos. This Love in my opinion would be targeted at young adults (16+) to around late 30's to early 40's . This is for a variety of reasons such as the explicit scenes and themes and due to it being slightly not conforming to the mainstream audiences only a small percentage would be of younger audiences. While on the other hand I would say that Payphone and Love Somebody would appeal to a further extended target audience as it is more mainstream and fits clearly into the Pop/Dance genre. Also Payphone has a more clear narrative for audiences to understand,  so overall I would say this would reach out to young teens (13) to again people in their 30's/40's. The target audience has evolved so much due to the band becoming more mainstream when they made the switch from alternative rock to pop rock becoming more upbeat with lyrics that represent the values of the pop genre in general with there themes.

Messages and values
There are only a few messages and values in the bands music videos, they mainly portray love and similar messages that link, like being a hero etc. The messages haven't changed really at all over the course of the bands career as I have just explained, they are rather all similar with slight alterations. The only major changes are in the style of the music and image of the band in their transition over the two genres including there transformation from small unknown band to fame and stardom in the limelight.

In my opinion I think the main reason Maroon 5 made this change was due to the fact that they wanted to reach wider audiences or branch out to a different target audience also at the same time break into a new music genre. This changes are in attempt to increase sales/revenue of the band/record label by the increased publicity.

My research will assist  me to decide on an artist to pick for my final music video as I have further explored the characteristics of a band and two different genres. Also I have seen how Goodwin's Theory has been applied to the three videos which will assist be in implanting the theory into my work also. It is extremely important to identify  and maintain a target audience as their interest as this will enable the artists/us to decide what song should be used to create interest and also what content is appropriate /needed for the music video. The video also needs to be generic to the genre and relatable for the selected target audience.