In this blogpost, it will present a brief summary of what we learn on Stardom Theory as well as our works as a group of investigating this theory on real life stars.
STARDOM THEORY
Richard Dyer’s Stardom Theory suggested that celebrities are developed and presented by the media industry to the public eye or the audience as an idol (their "ideal" type of person they dreamed of), which often represent a specific persona that are engaging and appealing to the targeted demographic. The purpose of doing this is to sell media company's products and/or just generating popularity in general.
Persona can be divided into two types:
REAL persona
A curated version of themselves, designed to fit the expectations of an audience; to REEL or to attract the audience.
Eg. Performances, Music videos, social media
REAL persona
The authentic personality of the star— it means how they really behave (they're real personality as an individual) in their personal life, behind the stages, and away from camera
Love: We are fascinated with the love lives of the stars, can also feel a romantic affiliation with them
Ordinariness: We like to see them doing routine things, living normal lives just like our own
Success: We like the idea of overnight success, and failure before success. This appeals to our sense of fair play. (Why we like reality TV so much)
Consumption: We are fascinated by the huge material wealth brought by media success. Not just luxury homes and cars, but also strict dietary regimes set by expensive nutritionists, holidays etc.
Dream turned sour (downfall): fascination with the exploitation of their misery
Here is my group's notes and a star we investigate for the stardom theory case studies
Self Reflections: Making this blogpost is important to me, as I am forced to recalled any knowledge relating this topic that our teacher gave us, which this helps me able to understand Theory of Stardom even better. I also realises how this theory conforms most artist and stars, which further proven the effectiveness and the reliability of this theory.
Here is my Statement of Intent/proposal for my Music Videos Project
Self Reflections: In my opinion the work distribution has been divided fairly for everyone. Since I am the same team like last time, we already know what are we capable for in the specific fields. Although in the future there might be some slight changes to the role, but as of now I couldn't think any best combinations for now.
My group and I have decided to create a film opening in the genre of RnB. Here is my research into the codes and conventions that are used used in the openings of texts from this genre.
First, let's take a more in depth explanation of what this music genre is. After some research, here is what I found. R&B is a genre born from the combination of an already existing genres, these genres are Jazz, Blues, and Gospel Musics. R&B took their strong and slow beats and rhythms from Jazz, the deep emotions and storytelling from Blues, and the soulful singing style from Gospel music. The lyrics in R&B songs often explore themes of a person's feeling, especially love,which it may have make you feel relax, euphoric, or sad.
Notes: Big Research 2 Small research 6
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH #1
Name Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic - Leave the Door Open (2021)
Production Company Bruno Mars and D' Mile
Distribution Company Aftermath Entertainment and Atlantic Records
Genre / Sub genre Philadelphia soul, R&B, and Pop Song.
What conventions does it conform to?
Leave the Door Open can be classified as a slow-paced R&B, with a slower rhythm and beats. Not only this conforms the general convention of R&B to be in a slower tempo, but it also helps enhance the feeling of romantic intimacy, as slower tempo tend to bring more emotional impact compared to a faster tempo. Because slower tempo tend to relaxed your brain, which makes it better to think, feel, and understand the intimacy words that are being said. More importantly, the song directly fluttering out lyrics that are related to the topic of love and intimate relationships, this can be proven by one phrase of "And you want me like I want you tonight baby", this lyrics implies that both couple have the same strong desire or feeling of love and desperation for each other's attention at that moment. Hence, conforming the conventional of R&B songs that discusses the topic about love. Other than that, this music video conforms another convention, where R&B song would have a mini performance shown in the music video clips, for example singing or dancing. In the video it showed us clips of Bruno's band playing their own instrument while he lip-sync (pretending that he was singing the song) as the camera pans.
What conventions does it subvert? Although Bruno Mars seems to be into conforming this conventions, but he is also subverting some elements. Usually, an R&B songs would revolve in storytelling, especially when it comes about love song. Bruno Mars decide to focus more on the emotion rather than telling a narrative approaches, this allowed the music and lyrics to convey more of the emotion rather than relying on a visual story. Another thing that I've notice is the quality of the video seems less-retro'ish or like any other 70s music video song I know, I've seen it to be more modern and polished. In which, it subverts the convention of the old-retro songs that is targeted for the older audiences. The reason for this is to try to relate an older love-relationship topic or intimacy into the modern society, which is currently dominated by younger-adults demographics.
What representations are there? (people/places/events) Gender & Romance: The lyrics tells us about a man expressing his feelings of desirement and affectionate towards his woman, in a way that it is a little bit leaning to be naughty yet smooth but is still respectful to the woman, which really suits the R&B’s typical romantic and intimate portrayal of relationships.
Specific Events: Instead of showing us any events, there are nothing more than the entire music videos are covered with group-band performance. Yet, the performance and overall clips are described very well by using energetic-expression and clear body language. The events help us as an audience to decode the feeling or message the singer trying to tell us.
People: The video represents a positive-joyful black male artists in the clips. They're also dressed in an easy-going tone, which it depicts a happy and colorful atmosphere for the male and female.
What technical elements are used to give meaning? Camera - Long Shots, shown almost frequently in the video which it highlights and shows us the enthusiasm of both the male actors playing the instrument and the female actors following along while singing. It gives us enough view of their facial expression which are filled with joy and smiling. - Panning, from the drummer to the keyboard player. It is to give us as an audience who is currently singing. The camera starts panning to the keyboard player from the dummer as soon as he stops singing to the mic.
MeS - Simple yet colorful clothes, indicate a happy atmosphere - Warm lighting, it can indicates comfortness, coziness and intimacy, in this context intimacy about love relationships.
Edit - Quick Cuts, it is shown when the tempo of the song gets progressively faster. It is to imply a rush of energy, like when someone is excited whenever their partner is around or is it just simply telling us more information of what is currently happening.
Sound - The music initially in a slow tempo, then it gets progressively faster. The tone of the singer gets deeper. This is to show a build up intimacy in a relationship where it stars slower, and gets faster yet exciting.
GENERAL RESEARCH #1
Title Popular - The Weeknd (2023)
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
The primary target audience for this song is young adults and teenagers around the Gen Z (18-35 years old) generation, specifically for The Weeknd fans and music enjoyers. How they appeal to this target audience is by raising the topic of celebrity as people in this age range are more engaged by celebrity cultures, thus they want to be more related and wanting to be a part of the discussion with their friends, making it fundamental for Social Relationships according to Uses and Gratification. The prop of martini glasses and the USA infamous red cup also makes it more relatable to the young adults, as they tend to be known for their party-goers lifestyle.
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
A random-choreography movement of interacting with surroundings and objects performed by Rihanna and The Weeknd seems like a good alternatives if we don't have any ideas on what kind of performance we would want to perform. I like this idea because it also make the clips feels more "alive" and adds more narrative to the video if you compare it to lip-syncing or "out-of-nowhere" band performance, it feels more natural and less staged in my opinion.
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
The choice of clothing for the male actor is very dull and monotone. As a teenager myself, his clothes doesn't appeals to my liking. Although I understand he wants to make a formal-popular clothing style, but he can instead add more variations of dark tone colors to his outfits.
GENERAL RESEARCH #2
Title Agora Hills - Doja Cat (2023)
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
This song primarily targets young and matured female teenagers (18-25) who understand to depicts implicit meanings and connotation presented by Doja Cat. The way she appeals to this target audience is through her choice of fashions that can be said to be unique and revealing, in this way she challenged clothing norms in order for her to express her feelings and emotions of dominance and confidences for being proud of herself by revealing oneself. Other than that, one of her line catches my attention, saying "I am so lonely in my Mansion". Reason why she says mansion is because to imply that she is a woman living alone in her own mansion, indicating her independencies to afford the mansion alone without the help of men, which this engaged her audiences even more as young females want to be more independent and encourages feminism more.
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I like her props and clothing the most, it is very brave of her to use it in a music video while also making it a unique and attractive costumes. In a way that it heavily challenges traditional retro clothings that I stereotypically imagine before (less revealings with an element of jeans and leather jackets). Maybe for my MV, I'll try to use a more colorful and unique clothing that no one or less people have seen in the industry to make my media product stands out among the other MVs.
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this? Too much random movements in this video makes me confused about what narrative are being told in this music videos. Without the song describing clearly of what was happening, some people might get the wrong message and idea of what the artist intended to say in the music video.
GENERAL RESEARCH #3
Title Heartbreak Anniversary - Giveon (2020)
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
Although this song represent an adult couple in the music videos, but it's primary target audience are most likely to be young adults ranging 18-30 years old. Especially, the lyrics of the music directly leans to the topic of heartbroken man, which it can be easily acceptable for this targeted audience, especially male audience as the song speaks from the perspective from a men.
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I like the narration elements that Giveon presented in his song. It directly explain to his audiences the story and what is going on in the video, the straightforward lyrics also support his narration which it clearly denotes a man going through a heartbreak, making him sad and full of regrets about it. I admit that I am simple minded person, so this song really just makes me wanting to enjoy it instead of depicting the implicit meanings they offered on my own.
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
GENERAL RESEARCH #4
Title Girls Like Me Don't Cry - Thủy (2022)
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
GENERAL RESEARCH #5
Title Freek'n You - Jodeci (1995 // REMASTERED 2009)
Notes: yes, I do realized this song is way too old for my research. But for me it is a great example of an R&B songs. After my research on the definition of R&B genre, this is the first song that came up to my mind and in my opinion the lyrics of this song really fits the R&B conventionals topic. I've known this song from an animated shows called Jojo Bizarre Adventure Part 5, where this song plays as the outros of every episodes of the show.
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
Obviously this song is more suitable for the older audiences (20-35), specifically man, as this song tells us a perspective of a man that is very desperate for love that he does not care about anything other than to be with his girl. Revealing clothes is a way of engaging and stating firmly that this song is prioritized for the senior audiences, this type of clothing makes women appear more beautiful and sexually-attractive for men. Additionally, they attract this audience by using more adult-alluring languages, like what is stated in one of the line "Tonight, I need you baby" and an erotic-slow rhythm and beats, which adding the romantic and intimacy atmosphere to the song.
What would you like to use in your opening from this? A
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this? The clips were the same template of switching to a guy singing and a shot of girl singing seducingly, less variations were added. Which it doesn't clearly state any narratives in the song.
GENERAL RESEARCH #6
Title
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
Here is some additional research that helped me with some ideas
Self Reflections: I wasn't able to finish this on time, but pretty much I've figure out what to expect in my music videos. I've carefully watch all the music videos relating to RnB in this blogpost and decided that they have 2 things in common, those are slow rhythm/tempo and lyrics discussing about relationship/love. Most teenagers like me had already experience this phase, to which we can still relate to this topic a little bit.
Here is my research about music producers companies and firms.
1. SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
What other content (music video) do they produce?
Podcast
Animation
Documentaries
Who is their typical audience?
Young Adults (18-25)
Teenagers (18>)
Those with popular-trending music taste
How big is the company? How long has it existed?
The company was established in 1929, making it one of the oldest company that has been established so far with an age of 95 years old, generating $9 million per year.
What is their most successful product? SME released song such as Doja Cat Planet Her and Lil Nas X Montero has come to a great success, as both of the songs are very well known.
2. Universal Music Group What other content (music video) do they produce?
Music videos
Films and performances
Merchandise
Who is their typical audience?
Young teenagers
Music fans
Vast demographics**
How big is the company? How long has it existed?
UMG was originally founded in 1934 as Universal Music. Where as time goes by, UM experience merging and acquisition of different company, which leads to the Universal Music GROUP. It is operating in over than 60 different countries, generating billions of dollars .
What is their most successful product? They have produced a catalog of musics from bunch of widely-famous artists such as Taylor Swift, The Beatles, and Ariana Grande; making it as one of the most important contributor of promotion and income generator for UMG.
Self Reflections: Honestly, I am confuse on what kind of company to research. So, I choose the successful and two of the famous companies to get a general idea on how does production company works first, maybe later on I can still add more niche company in the future if I ever found another interesting company that produces RnB. I also learn that producer company not only produce song, they could also produce other media product such as films, merchandise, and even documentaries. I thought they were only specified of producing song and music video only, so now I know.
At the start of the project I want to research about the variety of genres in the music videos, In this blog here are different genres I've been looking at. My team and I have decided to choose RnB and Indie music.
Self Reflections: This preliminary research helps me reaching out a broader genre of music video other than RnB and Indies, where I might find some more references and idea of video elements, editings, and cinematography techniques that can be use in my team's music video from other genres. To which this can enrich my music video with even more technical elements, adding value of diversification into the video so that we didn't do any monotone edits and pace.
Here is my Weekly Progress and Plan for my Music Video Project, which I'll be keeping track of my progress, to-do list/goals to achieve in order for my project to advanced, my problem and solutions to it.
Week
Start Date
Task
Blogpost Title
Content
Deadline
W1
30 September
Pre Production
Research
1
Brief
2
Team
3
Weekly Progress
4
Preliminary Research
Broad genre research
W3
W2
7 October
Research
5
Research: Industry
Who makes music videos?
W3
W3
14 October
Research
6
Research: Genre
Codes and Conventions of your genre
W4
W4
21 October
Plan
7
Statement of Intent
Your initial proposal
W5
8
Theory of Stardom: Richard Dyer
A summary of the class, plus your example
W7
W5
28 October
Plan
9
Moodboard
Your visual style
W7
10
Lyric Sheet
Breakdown your song into scenes
W7
11
Storyboard
Shot by shot plan
W7
W6
4 November
Plan
12
Song Research
Background of your song
W7
13
Screen Test
star auditions
W7
14
Classwork
How to: Camera, MeS, Sound, Edit
W7
W7
11 November
Plan
15
Location scout & Risk Assessment
W7
16
Filming Schedule
Film over the break?
W7
W7
SEMESTER 1
WEEK 1
This week we're diving into a new project, music video. I have set up my brief, decide my team, and starting my research on the music video industries that are producing music videos like Sony Music Entertainment. My team has chosen the topic RnB and INdie theme
To do list:
Wrap the research
understand my genre (RnB, Indie)
WEEK 2:
This week we're continuing our research on the genre of our music video. For the moment we have decided going for RnB genre and yet here is my understanding of what the music genre is. Simply to put, RnB is the combination of Jazz and HipHop, where it took the steady-smooth rhythm of Jazz and expressing genuine feelings towards a social issues from HipHop.
To-do list:
Continuing 2 big researches and 6 small researches
Add more researches if u find an interesting MVs
WEEK 3:
Our teacher didn't come at Tuesday so we just continue our researches on the music video genre. On Thursday, we discuss an interesting case study about Elon Musk taking over Twitter and rebranding it as X. Later on, he made a changes to the regulation leaning more to freedom of speeches and unbanning some controversials figure like Donald Trump. We also made a poster about it and continue the posters and research on Friday.
to-do list:
Finalising the Genre researches
Start Statement of Intent if possible
WEEK 4:
This week we learn about celebrity persona and get to know the Theory of Stardom, discussing on celebrity that has multiple personality on how the act infront of the camera as well as how they behave behind the scenes as in their personal life.
to-do list:
Finishing statement of Intent.
WEEK 5:
Today we started our moodboard and decide on the mood, atmosphere, and the tone of our music video. We also started our storyboard so that we have a visual idea of the scene that we want to shoots in the future.
to-do list:
Continue storyboard
If have new idea of atmosphere, continue moodboard
WEEK 6:
This week we don't have any lesson, we just focus on project lesson. I've completed some works that requires less efforts to prevent any overdues, since next week is the deadline for everything and I want to focus the bigger works that needs more efforts at home. This week is super busy for me, I also have some other projects to do outside Media, and Redbull is still my besties.
to-do list:
Finish the checklist
complete any unfinished assignment
fill in reflections.
WEEK 7:
This week is our final project lesson before the semestral break. On Wednesday is our project period, where we're finishing every pre-production post due in Thursday midnight. On Thursday, we practice a media exam-question spontaneously and our teacher told us to give ourself a review to which it is very useful to know your flaws and pros.
Self Reflections: This weekly progress really helped me tracked down my progresses as well as what we just learn in class at the time. If I can be honest, I rarely check my weekly progress if I have assignments and instead I can just ask my friend or I've prepared separate notes that is much more reachable. Yes, I am still clumsy enough to have overdues, thus making me submitting things later than being told.
SEMESTER 2
WEEK 1: This week we made a short video clips for the song "Here Comes the Sun" during class, where we hope that it will helps us practice our music video editing and performance.
WEEK 2:This weekwe were introduce to multicam editing, where our class record a video of Louis' dance in different angles. This diverse angle purpose is to make stock shoots for our clips for the music videos.
WEEK 3:
This week we're continuing our music video project, where we start researching our band's brand identity, social media presence n' behaviour and developing the digipak for our band.
WEEK 4:
We only have one meeting for this week as we went on a 3 holidays streak regarding the Chinese New Year in Indonesia, also called as "Imlek", which our meeting was cutted down to only one; Friday. We only continuing our project and we added 2 new blogpost; Production File Organisation and Production: Behind the Scenes.
WEEK 5:
We create our first questionnaire for our audience feedbacks, where we will be asking people for their opinion based on their interest on our music genre (preferably).
WEEK 6:
This week we started to planned out our Critical Self Reflections, where our teacher set the word limit to be 1000 words for the whole essay. We also started making pointers for our CSR during our school was closed down due to extreme weather for 2 days. In my opinion, it breaks my concentration on class during the short break.
WEEK 7:
This week we have our first mock test on media on Wednesday, we had a review on Tuesday. On Friday, we continue our work on audience feedback and post-production agenda.
WEEK 8:
This week we only focusses more on reviewing our second mock test on media studies
WEEK 9:
This week we have our third and final mock test on media studies
WEEK 10:
This week is our submission week for the project as well as the critical self reflections. We get to reshoot some scene on Monday to capture more scenes and make it looks better, and also fixing some scenes that feels "odd" or has no meaning.
Self Reflections: For this time, I didn't really use my weekly progress that often anymore, as my to-do list is getting lesser and lesser; or, the tasks is constantly the same, which I've come to memorise it on my own. I've only came back here to check if whether I wrote an information that I've caught during the lesson (and yes,, I know that the CSR word limits to be 1000 instead of 1500). In my opinion, weekly progress still useful, but I don't use the feature oftenly.
Self Reflections: I decide to work on with the same team as my documentary team. Because I feel more connected and have better chemistry working with them. And No, I am not trying to say or imply that other people than these guys is a bad match for me, but in my point of view I feel like it's easier for me to express my idea and concerns with them. So, I've fixed up my mind by choosing them as my team and it is a pleasure chance by working beside them again.
Here is the brief to our my Music Video Project for Media Studies that we will be doing on our second semester of our school year, which it will be our last project as a grade 12 and A level students
Self Reflections: I am fully conscious this will be my final project for A level Media Studies, as next year I wouldn't be here to create new media product with my team. This final year also motivate me to at least try it all out and experiment on new ideas, one of them being NOT using the school as the place setting since my team wanted to try more distinctive ideas. Other than that, I might want to try involve myself in recording scenes if it is possible for me, since I want to try my photography skills that I newly started weeks ago.
