Notes & Research

In terms of film trailers, they advertise the star persona (the media representation of them) - Richard Dyer 1975. 

Even if an well-known actor doesn't play a big part in the narrative of the film, using them in the advert will draw people in because they will recognise them.

Documentaries are factual but mostly subjective from one perspective and preferred meaning (Stuart Hall's theory). Most of them use the idea of a 'fly on the wall'. This idea originated in documentaries made in the 60s. It was in this decade that camera equipment became lighter and it was easier for camera people to get closer to the action. 

Reality TV is usually set up and sometimes event scripted. This type of documentary is contrived but totally immersive (it gets the audience involved). 

The idea is that this 'fly on the wall' perspective is so immersive and informative that it becomes reality. Filming as a concept can't really represent actual reality as it is through the eyes of the camera person. 

Promotional documentaries make something look really attractive e.g. education, holidays, TV docs and places to visit.

Roy Shucker (2001): Understanding popular music defines a music video as "Both an industrial, commercial product and cultural form". 

Zeitgeist - Capturing the spirit of the time.

Zeitgeist began to be used in music videos around the mid 90s, this has allowed a whole host of parodies (e.g. Blink 182's Backstreet Boys parody) to take place.

Music Videos exist to:

- Make money (Albums/Merchandise/Gigs)
- Promote singles (To sell the albums the singles are on)
- To be downloaded and shared on the internet (Viral music videos)
- To add value to the audio release (You get more than just a song)
- To enhance star persona (Reinforce an artist visually)
- To provide content for music channels (Helps widen brand through channels like MTV)

The opposite of BROADCAST is NARROWCAST and means smaller distribution of a product. 

Whoever the artist is, if they are in a music video they are an ACTOR.

The average music video is 3 MINUTES in length.

My music video cannot be longer than 3 and a half minutes. 

Shucker - Music videos function in the industry's own terms as "promotional devices" and encourage record sales and chart action. That's why they're called "promos" or "promotions". 

Dyer - "Star Persona" & Theory e.g. Michael Jackson, Madonna, Lady Gaga & Prince. 
Image is everything. A star persona must always follow an artist, be it at a gig or on the red carpet to maintain their image.

Sven E Carlson (1999) identifies 2 different types of music video:
- Performance
- Narrative

Narrative in a music video should be easy to understand because music videos are only very short.

Film Trailers - Audience needs to know the equilibrium (presentation of the state of affairs  and problem (Toctovor 1977). However, you cannot in a film trailer show the resolution. 

Tim O'Sullivan (1998) suggests narratives have a common structure. Everything starts with a theme, followed by the development of the problem (enigma) Roland Barthes (1977) an increase in tension  and finally the resolution of the plot. Such narratives can be ambiguous and linear. 

SPECTACLE: What drama is about. Voyerism - only want to watch because we are enticed by the spectacle. 

There are 3 types of performance in a music video:
- Song (Most popular, usually artist lip-syncing )
- Dance (Highly choreographed) 
- Instrumental  

Andrew Goodwin (1992) identifies six common codes and conventions in music videos.

Iconography in music genres e.g. heavy metal bands usually have live footage in their videos. Each genre has its own conventions, for example rap videos usually have a graffiti backdrop with the artist rapping to the camera. These include aesthetics/ locations/ ethnicity/ iconography. There should always be a relationship between the visuals and the lyrics:
- Illustrating
- Amplifying
- Contradicting 

M - Music Related Visuals
I - Iconography
L - Lyrics
C - Close-ups
V - Voyerism

In music videos, the shot usually cuts away to what the artist is saying. Voice overs can be used to set the scene and add an extra element to the video. There are always close-ups of the artist because they are the persona that is being sold.

Voyerism Definition (Goodwin) - This is the notion of observing without the observer knowing. This creates the pleasure of watching e.g. Looking at someone's Facebook profile, being a spectator.