Can't Be Tamed by Miley Cyrus The bold upper case writing is done to stand out against the black background and be noticeable on the shelf. Her name is bigger than the name of the album to highlight her name as the brand. Miley Cyrus is well known for her role as Hannah Montana, an album cover like this was created to break away from that stereotype of her. This poster suggests her much more to be a sexually attractive woman rather than a young girl. It highlights her being an adult and therefore widening her target audience. Her red lips and soles of her heels are to connote confidence and boldness. This paired with her black fitted dress with slits up the sides creates a much more teasing look rather than her stereotypical 'sweet and cute' look. When this album first came out it was slated by the press for its 'provocative fashion' aimed at a young target audience. The cage Cyrus is in could suggest a bondage nature and therefore create more attention from male fans.
Teenage Dream by Katy Perry Katy Perry's pink candy floss theme gives a cute, girlie touch to the cover that would attract the female audience, however, her being nude with little coverage would be aimed at the male audience. This would be an effective technique to widen the fan base. This technique is also used in car posters. The sweet like nature of the font her name is in, entices the audience by showing them something they like. The picture is pale colours which are easy on the eyes however would stand out on a shelf. The way the candy floss is shaped, it denotes that Katy Perry in a pink cloud, this could suggest the reference to 'cloud 9'. It also supports the charisma approach to celebrities. The red lipstick is again a bold statement and matches the colouring to the post production editing.
This deconstruction is of Girls Aloud 'Out of Control' digipack. I chose this one to deconstruct because the five artists all had to be shown equally important and portray their own personality while still look like a team. I think they did well in this aspect. They also are aiming for the same target audience as us. Young, mainstream females.
The next digipack I am going to deconstruct is 'Most Wanted' by Hilary Duff. I chose this digipack because the stance of Hilary Duff is similar to what Cathy and I were talking about.
The background is red which connotes an element of danger and passion. This would suggest she is an anything but mild artist, and this translate into her music. Her microphone and wires are to show that she is clearly a singer and also that she wants to be heard. The manner of her seated position suggests she is a relaxed female that doesn't take life to seriously, this is to attract an audience that would idolise that behaviour. He fashion is fairly simple and trendy why suggests they were concentrating on the artist as a brand rather than her surroundings. She has her hair down and in loose curls. This is because she is known for her long, brunette hair. She is smiling to create a relaxed enjoyment feeling in the audience. The little amount of jewellery is to get rid of any distractions from her as an artist and focusing on her natural beauty. Cyrus is centered in the middle of the cover, again to make the focus completely on her. The star in the middle connotes fun and superstar, and the non capital letters for her name are to make the album cover look informal. Her name is bigger than the albums name again to highlight Miley Cyrus as a brand rather than her work.
Top singles released and their peak chart positions
I handed out questionnaires to get detailed information on my target audience and what attracts them to their favourite music genre. This gave me some research I could analyse in order to find out what makes some music extremely success compared to other music in which is fairly deflated in comparison. These are some of my results;
I ask the same amount of guys and girls
This question gave me the insight of where our target audience gets their music and therefore knowing the best place to advertise.
This question showed me which genres are the most mainstream. Pop and Indie.
This question gave me the insight into how much people spend on music. This question helped when I compared the difference between males and females and the genres they like; pop and indie fans are more likely to spend more if they are female than males, however, rock fans are more likely to spend more if they are male.
Goodwin identifies 5 aspects that are key in the production of a music video, and that an audience should look out for;
-Thought beats - Seeing the sound
-Narrative and Performance
-The Star Image
-Relation of Visuals to song
-Technical Aspects of Music Video
Thought Beats
First step: Is looking at the music itself, taking in to account the structure of the song; - chorus/ verses
Nicole Scherzinger - Don't hold your breath
The shot starts off with Scherzinger in a taxi getting changed from a man’s shirt to a black tank top. This is a connotation of removing a partner from her life and changing into a more powerful, mysterious being. The colour switch of pale blue to black shows she is taking control and a ‘good girl turned bad’ theme is emerging. This links the lyrics straight away. ‘You can’t touch me now, there’s no feeling left’. The rain on the window creates a unhappy feel to the scene and resembles tears, which would be associated with breaking up with a partner. Her looking back over her shoulder is edited with the music just as the lyrics ‘Don’t hold your breath’ are played. This gives a clear idea of what the artist is thinking. Her lip-syncing is done where she is looking out the car window which connotes that she is reflecting back on the relationship, this is parallel to what the lyrics are suggesting. When the chorus kicks in the scene changes to her under a mesh sheet, which suggests she is hiding. And then she is in a big dark house. To the audience the house looks quite menacing however, Scherzinger is walking through it with no fear. This connotes that she is not scared like the audience are made to feel, and makes her look powerful. Although it does suggest that the partner she has left is more menacing than the house. The shots are very short, and there are many of them all from different angles. They are specifically edited to the beat of the music. The overflowing sink links directly back to the lyrics. The water in contrast to ‘Don’t hold your breath’. Another thing it could connote is that the relationship overflowed as being a key reason why it ended. The shots of her in the mirror again make her look powerful and serious, all adding to the effect. Out the window you can see flashes of lightning which is a natural powerful force. This could suggest that she has now grown powerful away from her partner however also could make her look vulnerable. When the chorus comes back again she is starting to smile and look more comfortable in her surroundings and is looking at the camera, this suggests confidence which she didn’t have at the beginning of this video. The shots of her with wind going through her hair, makes her look commanding and when the song becomes more energetic, she is jumping around. Through the whole music video Scherzinger is going through a transformation of vulnerable to powerful.
The voice of the song (Nicole Scherzinger), she has been praised for her strong vocals and conviction to convey emotion. She is known for a sexual voice that attracts male fans, however, this song in particular is aimed more at females. Goodwin believed songs could be shown as stories, and the artist is the story teller. The music video should be the visuals of the song, so the audience is told the story through two communication methods. Sight and sound.
The song 'Don't hold your breath' is about a woman running away from a partner and deciding that she is not going back to him, therefore telling him not to hold his breath until she returns. The visuals are portraying the artist, leaving somewhere, looking vulnerable. As the music video continues, with the use of camera angles, she is looking much more powerful.
The Star Image, this is when looking at an artist and remembering something about them. This is their brand. There are many different ways of create a brand; Michael Jackson was well known for his dancing skills however later in to his life was known for the extremities of the plastic surgery he underwent. The Beatles were known for all having big hairstyles. Nicole Scherzinger is known for her attractiveness and Filipino, Hawaiian and Russian ethnicity. She is also known for her sexual suggestive lyrics, however this is not portrayed in the lyrics of the song I am deconstructing. The relations between visuals and the lyrics are very close parallels, the interpretation is very close to what the lyrics mean. Other than the lighting in the video, it seems quite natural and not too much technical detail which I think is good in the concept of keeping it relatable for the audience.
The next music video I am going to deconstruct is 'Party in the USA' by Miley Cyrus
It originated from disco in the early 80’s and is described as the music with upbeat tempo and rememberable lyrics and melody. It is music often played in clubs and at parties to increase dancing, and are usually considered ‘well known’ and “popular trend” music by the majority of the public. This is suggested by the number of worldwide famous artists which perform Dance pop music. These include; Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Cher, Britney Spears and many more.
Dance Pop music is primarily produced by record producers who choose a certain artist to perform it, rather than songs being written by/ for a specific artist. Its target audience is usually at teenagers but has a wide range of consumers. It often focuses more on a certain single rather than highlight the whole albums quality. It also emphasises the production and technology of a song rather than live performances.
