ADDRESSING AUDIENCES

INTRODUCTION

• This presentation will focus on the many ways in which music videos address and appeal to an audience. Some videos will attempt to address a mass audience while others will focus on smaller more niche audiences. The target audience is usually decided based on the genre and how well-known the band/ artist is.

COSTUMES, HAIR & MAKEUP

• Due to the increasing number of artists in the music industry, many artists feel they need to have their own individual look in order to be recognised and remembered. Some artists will purposefully go out of their way to wear the craziest outfits and have the wackiest hair so they can gain more attention.

• It is not a coincidence that some of the most famous pop stars in the world are known for having unique and strange styles. This is what gets them more well-known, as their costumes etc. act as a talking point with friends, family and most importantly, across social media websites.

• Lady Gaga is one of the most famous pop-stars in the world. She is known not only for her music but also for her outgoing fashion sense. Her videos are made to appeal to a mass audience due to her worldwide presence. She does this by making each video strange and random, which therefore means that it doesn’t appeal to just one group of people.

• These shots are taken from three different music videos, which shows that she tries to keep her style consistent and does this on purpose so that people will remember her and her music videos.

VIDEOS DONE IN ONE TAKE

• Sometimes it isn’t what’s in the video, but how the video is filmed that makes it more memorable. Some bands who may not be particularly well-known for their music may decide to put a lot of time and effort into a music video in the hope that it will “go viral” and gain them more media attention.

• One band famous for doing videos in one take is Ok Go. They are a band consisting of 4 middle aged men, which may already narrow down their target audience to older people. However, due to their entertaining videos, they are now known to appeal to many different audiences and their music is now more well-known.

• Many of Ok Go’s videos have been done in one continuous take. The content of their videos is also extremely impressive, as it is clear that a lot of time and preparation has been put into them to perfect them.

• One of their most famous videos is the video for their song “Here It Goes Again”, consisting of a dance routine on treadmills. Nothing like it had ever been done before, and to prove that it reached younger audiences, it was even copied by four high school students.

• Original - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA

• Copied version - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq7r3F1SoX0

• Other similar videos done by Ok Go:

• This Too Shall Pass - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w

• White Knuckles - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHlJODYBLKs

• Needing/Getting - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MejbOFk7H6c

• Younger more recent artists are also trying the one continuous shot method. Taylor Swift filmed “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” all in one take, with quick costume and setting changes. This video however appeals mainly to teenagers with the theme of the video being quite childish and about breaking up with someone.

• Justin Bieber has also tried this method of filming in his “Beauty And A Beat” video. It isn’t all filmed in one take, however some parts are and he has tried to be different by filming himself for the majority of his video. Again, this video is targeting a younger audience with the water park and club music style.

• We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64

• Beauty And A Beat - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys7-6_t7OEQ

DANCE ROUTINES

• Dance routines are one of the simplest yet most effective ways to engage an audience. They are also the most commonly used strategies as you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a dance routine, and they can be quite easily put together.

• Dance routines can appeal to either a mass audience or a smaller audience. This often depends on who the artist is and what the dance is.

• With the help of YouTube, Facebook etc. videos including dance routines go viral due to other people attempting to copy the dance they have seen and uploading videos of themselves for other people to see.

• These kind of videos are also popular due to the fact that these actions and dances can be transferred to parties etc.

• One very famous music video is Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”. Her video was so popular due to the dance routine she included in it. It appealed to many young girls and women as the dance could be copied. It also appealed to men due to the revealing outfits and type of dance. It was so popular in fact, that a remake of it was done in the hit American TV show, Glee. This dance was done by a manly football team which shows that it appealed to audiences you wouldn’t have expected it to appeal to.

• Single Ladies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY

• Another video that went viral because of the dance was “Gangnam Style” by a Korean artist named Psy. The song is in Korean, however it has now become the most all time viewed video on YouTube with over 1 and a half billion views. The craze with this video mainly kicked off because of the dance. This song/video probably should have only appealed to a niche audience, however has now become popular with a global audience.

• Gangnam Style- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0

ANIMATION & SPECIAL EFFECTS

• Some videos use animation and special effects to change what may be classed as a boring video into something more different and entertaining. Some videos use animation to appeal to a younger audience, who may appreciate this type of video more than older people. Other videos do it just to enhance their videos and make them look more like a short film rather than a music video, which can increase popularity.

• Keane were one of the first bands to include a type of animation in their music videos. Their video for “Somewhere Only We Know” is a perfect example of a simple video made unique and interesting by animation. They include little cute animated creatures that gives the video a sense of fantasy and adventure.

• Somewhere Only We Know - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oextk-If8HQ

• E.T. by Katy Perry uses special effects the whole way through in order to create the effect of being in space to match the theme of the song. The video has a very futuristic feel to it, which probably appeals to a younger audience. It’s appealing because it’s different and strange, and in a way tells a story.

• E.T. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Sd5c4o9UM