Dyer's Star Theory Essay

Below is an essay on Richard Dyer's Star Theory which allowed me to gain knowledge on pop stars, how they portray themselves and their influence on their audiences, to name a few.

Auteur Theory: Director Case Study - Spike Jonze

Below is a presentation of the research I done on auteur theorist Spike Jonze. This was another research task because I came aware of the term 'auteur theorist' and what it meant. I also analysed the types of videos that Spike Jonze analysed in order to get a better understanding of an auteur theorist. I feel that this task will be highly beneficial because it highlighted the 'consistency' directors use in their work which in turn, will make me do the same.

Spike Jonze - Auteur Theory from LarelleShay

Genre Conventions

After gaining a good explanation of codes and conventions, I researched the generic conventions of five different genres which consists of : Heavy Metal, Ballad, Alternative Rock, Pop and Hip-Hop. I really enjoyed researching these generic conventions because it was interesting to analyse music videos such as alternative rock and heavy metal in which I have no interest in.

Music Genre Conventions on Prezi

The 5 Styles of Music Video

In my media lesson, I learnt that music video's can be categorised in terms of style, according to the generic conventions within the video. The five styles consist of:

• Performance
• Abstract
• Narrative
• Thematic
• Cameo

Performance

Performance videos are when the band or artist are shown playing or performing to the viewer through a dance or  using instruments. Usually there is never a narrative as the main focus is on the artist throughout which is the reason as to why there is a variety of camera angles used.

Common genres that use performance style videos are rock and pop artists. An example of a performance style video is the Foo Fighters - Best of You. The band perform to the audience using instruments to show off their skills. They also use close ups which focuses on the main vocalist and camera movement that goes from one member of the group/band to another.

Abstract

An abstract video is where the video is completely unrelated to the song. The mise-en-scen tends to be very creative and camera angles/shots vary. Genres that use this style of video are rock and indie. An example of a abstract style video is Tool - Sober who are an alernative rock band. Tool however, dont like to be seen which is why the video contains a lot of props and people dressed up in costumes.

Narrative

A narrative style video, is a video that tells a story within the video. This particular style of video is common amongst a few genres such as hip hop, r'n'b and heavy metal. The videos have a lot of meaning and the lyrics is often acted out. An example of a narrative style video is the All American Rejects - Gives You Hell. The video portrays Levi Strauss's theory of binary opposites as two neighbours are at each other necks throughout. However, the two eventually accept change.

Thematic

Thematic style videos are videos that take the theme of a song and make a video out of it. Examples of this could be a break up or going out. An example of a thematic style video is Coldplay - Fix You.

Cameo

A cameo style video is when the band/artist features in the narrative however, doesn't perform. In this video, Ed Sheeran features at the end however is acted out through Rupert grint (from Harry Potter) who is an obsessed fan of Ed Sheeran.









 

Lastly, there are music videos that are a hybrid which is a video that contains more than one style. An example of this is:

Nicki Minaj Analysis

Another part of my research task, was to analyse a music video of my genre. For this task, I chose Nicki Minaj - Superbass which has a fun, colourful and detailed video.

Nicki Minaj Analysis from LarelleShay

Codes and Conventions Definition

In class I learnt about codes and conventions which I found very useful and informative. Below is some brief information about it which will be able to help me throughout the duration of this project.

Codes

Codes are systems of signs, which create meaning. These may include both technical codes or symbolic codes. An example of a code that creates meaning is gold chains and baggy pants in a Hip-Hop music video.

-  Technical Codes - This is all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text (e.g. - camera work or editing).

-  Symbolic Codes - This shows what is beneath the surface of what we see. For example, a characters action can show you how they are feeling and their emotions.


Conventions

Conventions are the widely recognised way of doing something which is to do with content, form and style. There are two types of conventions which consists of:

- Technical Conventions - A convention in a technical area. These conventions, apply to the majority of music videos for e.g. the video being the same length as the song and fast cuts

- Genre Conventions - this is where conventions are associated with a particular genre. An example of this would be Pop videos, that ba e dance routines and bands performing songs with instruments.

Conventions of a music video:

-  The video is the same Length as the song (somewhere around 4 minutes)
- They present the band/artist, who look as though they are singing
- They have lots of fast editing

These conventions dont however, apply to all music videos.


Difference between Codes and Conventions

The difference between codes and conventions, is that codes might be individual to the media text you are analysing for example, a music video may use a tracjing shot that is significant however completely irrelevant in another video. Whereas, conventions are something they all share within a genre.

Music Director Facts

Below is a presentation of a music video director that I researched into. I chose to research Hype Williams in order to broaden my imagination on music videos of my genre R'n'B and Hip Hop - which is the genre of videos that he makes.



Below are a few of the videos that Hype Williams has directed so that you can get a better understanding of what I have displayed in the above presentation:

Video 1: Busta Rhymes - Gimme Some More: Uses Signature Style 1 - Fisheye Lens

Video 2: Beyonce - Check On It: Uses Signature Style 2 - Splitting Shots

Video 3: Aaliyah - Rock the boat: Uses Signature Style 3 - Developing tracking and aerial shots

Video 4: Jamie Foxx - Digital Girl (Remix): Uses Signature Style 4 - Creates an illusion

Narrative Theory Comparison Table

Below is a comparison table of all four narrative theories that I have applied to music videos of different genre. By completing this research task, I found that these narrative theories are very iconic and apply to a number of videos.

Narrative Theorists

Narrative Theories 

Narrative, is the way in which a story is told in both fictional and non-fictional media texts. In media, there are four main theorists who each have a different perception of the word, narrative. These theorists consist of: Tsvetan Todorov, Vladimir Propp, Claude Levi-Strauss and Roland Barthes.

Tsvetan Todorov 

Bulgarian Literary Theorist

Todorov came up with his theories after making a study of Russian folk tales. He said that all narratives follow a three part structure which is the Equilibrium, Disequilibrium and new Equilibrium. Most narratives start with equilibrium whereby life is balanced, normal and happy. The Disequilibrium is however, when the state of normality is disrupted by something. Once the disruption has been resolved and fought against, equilibrium is restored or a new equilibrium is introduced. As a result, we are back to the state of equilibrium.  

Vladimir Propp 

Russian Critic and Literary Theorist

Muck like Todorov, Propp analysed a large number of Russian fairy tales during the 1920. From what he acquired, he proposed the idea that in a narrative, it was possible to classify the characters and their actions into clearly defined roles and functions. In all, he constructed 31 functions which could happen but not necessarily at the same time as well as 8 character types that arise in all stories. While most recent films and stories, don’t fit Propp’s theory, films such as Star Wars does.

Propp’s Character Roles 

• The Hero (Protagonist – Leads the Narrative. Seeks something or trying to solve something such as a mystery) 
• The villain (Antagonist - opposes the hero)
• The donor (helps the hero by providing a clue, magic object or special power to help them on their quest and to complete it) 
• The dispatcher (sends the hero on his way)
• The false hero (falsely assuming the role of hero) 
• The helper (gives support to the hero and often acts as a sidekick)
• The princess (the reward for the hero, but also needs protection from the villain)
• The father 

Claude Levi Strauss 

Social Anthropologist 

He studied the myths of tribal cultures. Strauss suggested that all narratives had to be driven forward by conflict that was caused by a chain of opposing forces. He called his theory Binary opposition which is used to describe how each main force in a narrative, has its equal and opposite. Whilst analysing a narrative, you can identify these opposing forces and understand how the conflict between them will drive the narrative forward until there is some type of balance or a resolution is achieved. 

Examples of Binary Opposites:

• Good/Bad 
• Weak/Strong 
• Youth/Aged 
• Poverty/Wealth
• Inside/Outside 

Roland Barthes

French Literary Theorist

According to Barthes, the way we come to understand a story comes from our interpretation. So despite there being a basic narrative in any form of media, it depends on who we are our experience and age, to name a few because these influence our perception. He suggested that narrative works with five different codes which stimulate the reader to make sense of it. 

These codes are as followed:

• Action – a narrative device by which a resolution is produced through action, e.g. a shoot-out. 
• Enigma – a narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a puzzle or riddle to be solved. This works to delay the story’s ending pleasurably. 
• Symbolic – (connotation) 
• Semic – (denotation) 
• Cultural – a narrative device which the audience can recognise as being part of a culture e.g. a “made man” in a gangster film is part of the mafia culture.