GENRE RESEARCH

Here is a Prezi, representing all the research I have gathered, regarding the 'pop' music genre.

Genre Theory

Media Language

Applying Theorists To A Music Video

Narrative Theory- Applying Theorists To A Music Video 

Taylor Swift- Blank Space

Propp: Within this music video, the storyline follows the likes of Taylor and her 'boyfriend'. It shows a brief summary of there relationship before he supposedly cheats on her. Ultimately there are limited characters within this music video, however both characters still have the appropriate features which can be related to Propp. Propp suggests that all characters have a specific role which can be shown within this music video. Taylor is posed as the hero (the character who seeks to find love), with the male character posing as the villain who cheats on her and results in Taylor going 'insane'.

Todorov: Todorov believed there was a sequence that occurred within music videos. It begins with the initial equilibrium... this is the set up of Taylor meeting her 'boyfriend'. There then follows a disruption to the equilibrium whereby this is shown when her boyfriend seems to be messaging other girls. This then triggers the recognition of the disruption which is shown when Taylor begins to argue and with him but his actions seem to repeat themselves. An attempt to repair the damage then follows where Taylor frantically tries to get his attention by distrosying his stuff and seeming upset. To finalises the video the new equilibrium is formed and Taylor is shown as a new person, similar to how she was in the beginning of the video waiting for the next man to enter.

Bathes: Bathes believed that a music video can be broken down into 5 different elements which help the viewer understand the text. To begin with the action code is represented in the fight between Taylor and her boyfriend. This is made dramatic through the use of lip syncing and accented beats. The referential code shows how the boyfriend is texting on his phone whilst Taylor is looking up at him. This gives the audience the information they need to fully understand what is going on. Then the enigma code is what teases the audience. This is done at the end of the music video where the boyfriend quickly drives off and Taylor is waiting for the new boyfriend to enter.

Levi-Strauss- Levi's theory can be used to determine the opposition within the text. For example, within the Black Space video, there is Taylor as a clam, sweet and loving girl vs the insane, jealous, and crazy girlfriend. This can then be applied to the boyfriend when he is calm and collected and then becomes the cheater. This theory ultimately picks out that the characters grow and change showing how there character has developed during the video.

Narrative Theory

Preliminary Task- CD cover and poster

 

Audience Theroy

AUDIENCE THEORY

What is an audience?

• All media products have a target audience
• They also sometimes (particularly in the case of propaganda) try to construct an audience.
• Products can have a mass audience or a niche audience.
• The products texts need to know the importance of their audience when making products.

The first audience theory… The Frankfurt School

• The Frankfurt school (a group of media theorists in the 1990s and 1930s) were concerned about the possible effects of mass media.
• They proposed the ‘effects’ model, which considered society to be composed of isolated individuals who were susceptible to media messages.
• The Frankfurt school envisioned the media as a hypodermic syringe
• Content was accepted without question.
• Linear communication theory
• Passive audience
• No individual difference 

The Two Step Flow

• Developed by Lazerfeld and Katz in the 1940s and 1950s
• Two steps…
• First- Opinion leaders get information form a media source
• Second- Opinion leaders then pass the information along with their interpretation to others (friends, family, acquaintances, etc.).
• More likely to be influenced by other people rather than mass media (The People’s Choice- Lazerfeld).
• Katz created a book called Personal Influence where he presented further evidence to this theory.
• According to the study news on twitter finds its way to people through a diffuse layers of opinion leaders.
• We’re more likely to buy a product if it’s been recommended by a member of the family or a friend.
  Strengths…

• Audiences are active and seen as a part of society
  Weaknesses…
• More than two steps on the flow of communication?

Moving on from the two step flow audiences becoming active

• During the 1960s, as the first generation to grow up with television became grownups, it became increasingly apparent to media theorists that audiences made choices about what they did when consuming texts.
• Far from being a passive mass audience were made up of individual who actively consumed texts for different reasons and in different ways.
• This later become the ‘Uses and gratification’ theory
  Uses and gratification’ theory
• Researchers Blumer and Katz expanded this theory and published their own in 1974 stating that individuals might choose and use a text for the following purpose (i.e. uses and gratifications).
• Diversion- escape from everyday problems and routine
• Personal Relationships- using the media for emotional and other interactions e.g. substituting soap operas for family life
• Personal identity- finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from texts.
• Surveillance- information which could be useful for living e.g. weather reports, finical news, and holiday bargains.

Since then the list has become longer… instant messaging, relaxation, to be entertained, for inclusion, sociability, fashion, escape, affection.

• For heavy users are most affected by affection and sociability, whereas light users are more motivated by fashion.
• Women chat long and more sociability reasons.
• Men chat less and more for reaction.
• Online gaming… for success

David Morley (more modern)

In a very significant study of audience response to a popular news magazine programme in the early 1980s, The Nationwide Audience, David Morley suggests that there are three main different kinds of ‘reading’ audience member can produce…

David Morley: The Nationwide Audience, 1980

Suggests there are three difference kinds of ‘reading’ audience members can produce:

• Dominant – The reader shares the programme’s code (the meaning, system of values, attitudes, beliefs and assumptions) and fully accepts the programmes ‘preferred reading’
• Negotiated – The reader partly shares the programmes code and broadly accepts the preferred reading, but modifies it in a way which reflects their position and interest
• Oppositional – The reader does not share the programmes code and rejects the preferred reading, bringing it to bear an alternative frame of interpretation