Group: How does a music video provide a platform for an artist to reinvent himself/herself to a target audience?

How does a music video provide a platform for an artist to reinvent themselves to a target audience?

Justin Bieber - Where Are Ü Now

• This video is in collaboration with Skrillex and Diplo, this means that prior to watching the video the audience is already aligning this artist with other more mature artists.
• Goodwin argued that a common theme present within music videos is the notion of looking present. This can be seen in the opening of this video where there are many frames of the same still of the artist on a wall. This draws the focus of the video to him immediately and allows the audience to begin to take in his new image already.
• Dyer's present/absent paradox can be applied to the beginning of the video where there is a long shot of the artist so that he can be clearly viewed by the audience making him appear present, however, the darkness and intact 4th wall cause him to appear absent creating an incoherence. 

 

• As suggested by Archer, there are also many meat shots and close ups of the artist which, not only focus on the emotion of the artist but the close ups of his face draws attention to his new hair style which has been seen as  a major part of his new image within the media. This is to make it clear that he is breaking away from his previously iconic bangs. Furthermore, this emphasises how the video is able to reinforce subsiduary media. 
• Dyer's star theory suggests a set of star qualities which as star must conform to in order to create their image; a range of these are evident within this video, such as rebellion and creativity. This is evidenced by the use of profanities within the graphic overlays in the video.

• The video is mainly concept based and has an inter-textual reference to high art. This is a very mature theme for a video and definitely differs from his previous ones. Dyer's theory can suggest that this means he is aiming for a more mature audience die to the content of his video.
• There is use of the ordinary extraordinary paradox explained by Dyer, as he himself is just in casual clothing with no extravagant background but the use of graphics are very effective and stand out as bold and creative. This incoherence leads to repeated consumption by the audience so that they can attempt to form a full image for this artist.
• There are also very powerful images within the video which can be viewed by pausing the video throughout the graphics. This again reinforces the repeated consumption but also shows how this is a very creative and innovative video and is clearly a good springboard for reinventing his image.  

 

 

Goodwin’s critical framework

• Pop genre- A typical convention of pop videos which is present in this video is the rave/party scene at the end, as the themes of partying and youthfulness are often present in pop videos.
• Links between the visuals and the lyrics could be the link between ‘What do you mean?’ and the confusion and conflict in the video. The masks and hoods are very enigmatic, and there is a general lack of clarity of intentions in the video.
• Links between the music and the visuals could be the fact that this is predominantly a dance track, and this is reinforced by the partying and dancing at the end of the video.
• There are a very large amount of close ups in this video. Most of them are meat shots of the artists which are used to give him a sense of importance in the video, however there are also voyeuristic close ups which show the artist passionately clutching his girlfriend’s leg
• In this video the visual motif of Bieber’s hoodie symbolises rebellion and enigma, both of which are important for his meta narrative and star image
• This video is extremely voyeuristic in nature, which both the artist and the girlfriend being objectified in order to appeal to both males and females. Sexual desire is also an important part of Bieber’s star image
• There is evidence of intertextual references, particularly at the beginning, where the style of the piece is reminiscent of a crime film, what with the mise en scene of the spider tattoo, the money and the dark, almost noir feel to the scene.
• The video is mainly narrative based, however there is an element of performance at the end where Bieber addresses the crowd.

Dyer’s Theory

The star qualities expressed in this video are:

• Rebellion- through the hoodie and the idea of an illicit deal going down
• Youthfulness- through the ideas of sex and parties
• Talent- Bieber shows himself to be a proficient actor and dancer in this piece
• Sexual magnetism- through shots of the artist with his shirt off
   

• The artist is shown as being present through a series of meatshots which see Bieber use a first person mode of address on the viewer, creating a link between artist and viewer.
• He is shown as being absent as his attention keeps going to the girl, which distances him from the audience.
• He is shown as being ordinary through the mise en scene of average clothing in a fairly average apartment.
• He is shown as being extraordinary through his fight with the ‘bad guys’ and the party scene at the end which sees him perform for a crowd of onlookers.

 

In what way can the CD cover design contribute to this process?

• The cover titled "What Do You Mean" in itself is a rhetorical question which interests the audience right from the start.
• The image suggests his attitude has matured from the immature teenage boy that most people associate with him previously into a much more mature and respectable person.
• He is dressed very simply which makes us associate him with the audience whilst still remembering who he is. His attire shows him having changed a great amount and is now barely recognisable compared to the young Bieber often associated with hoodies and skinny jeans.
• This makes him more appealing to the older audiences of the world. The simply black and white cover suggests simplicity but still connotes a deep meaning of being separate from the world we know.
• The font used connotes authenticity and makes the audience feel like Bieber hand wrote the sign himself giving us a connection to him as an artist. His body ink stands are greatly against the plain background and shows how creative he is.

 

• The other album cover titled "Where R U Now" is also posed as a rhetorical question.
• The “text talk” spelling of the title connotes possible rebellion and a lack of care for the proper English language.
• The cover features a collage of images which could possibly link to his past memories or past experiences. It is a very mature cover compared to a lot of Bieber earlier and often boyish  album covers. This reinforces the mature and changed look that Bieber is trying to present for himself.
• On top of this linking himself to other artists like Skrillex and Diplo also opens him up to a much older audience who perhaps would not have listened to the song otherwise.