Thursday, 27 November 2014

Mise-en-Scene

Here I have shown several images of Beyonce wearing specific make-up that I plan to take inspiration from. I like the idea of some shots having simple make-up showing natural beauty of the artist. However, some shots I want the make-up to be heavy, with blue eye shadow and red lips. I would like to include this type of make-up within shots that go with the beat of the song (heavy make-up, heavy beat). I also like the idea of having natural make-up with bright red lips, this shows the contrast between make-up and colour within the face, making it more interesting to look at. It also emphasises the lips, which is essential for when the artist is lip synching (singing). 

Monday, 3 November 2014

Richard Dyer's Star Theory

Richard Dyer states that icons and celebrities are constructed by institutions for money and they are built up to target a specific audience. Dyers theory can be broken down into three different sectors:

-          Audiences and Institutions
-          Constructions
-          Hegemony (Cultural Beliefs)

He states:  

-          “Stars are commodities that are produced by institutions.”
-          “A star is a constructed image, represented across a range of media and mediums.”
-          “Stars represent and embody certain ideologies.

Audiences and Institutions:

Stars are made to make money for that purpose alone. Audiences want to consume what they think is the ideal. The institution then modifies the stars image around the target audience; they make a star based on what they think the audience want. Fore example, X Factor auditions give the judges an ideas of what they are looking for which is the ‘full package’. The people auditioning want to please the audience as they are what will make the star a success or not.

Constructions:

A star is built for audiences and is not an actual person. A persona is created for the audience so stars can differentiate between different stars and why they like them or not. The star is built specifically with someone’s signature to them.

Hegemony:


We relate to the star because they have a feature we admire or share with them. This develops from an admiration into an idolisation. Some people may attempt to replicate what they like about the stars. 

Male Gaze Theory


The male gaze theory is how particular audiences view how women are presented within the media. It is thought by Laura Mulvey that women are used within the media to be seen as sexual objects, often portrayed by the use of the camera due to the shot types and movement of the women. The different types of camera shots emphasise curves on the female body, representing the fact that they are seen as objects. This is also a representation of how men think women should be perceived. This theory does not only apply to men, but women too. This is due to the fact that women can look at the content of a music video through the eyes of a man, meaning the way a woman looks at herself id the way a man wants her to be like. Further showing that women are influenced by the thoughts of men. There are many downfalls to this theory as not only women are portrayed sexually throughout the media. Also, the women who are portrayed as sexual objects may like this feeling as it makes them feel empowered by men.

Here are three music videos which show examples of how the contents is:
1.     Emphasising the curves of the female body
2.     Showing women as sexual objects
3.     Displaying women as pleasing the men
4.     Viewed by women in the eyes of a man
5.     Showing women as sexual desires



Tessa Perkins Theory


 A stereotype is a label that we apply to someone, a judgement.

Stereotypes are assumptions we make based on groups of people, Perkins identifies 5 such assumptions: 

Stereotypes are not always negative (e.g. The French are good cooks).
They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful (e.g. Upper class twits).
They can be held about one’s own group.
They are not rigid or unchanging.
They are not always false.


People assume that stereotypes are negative e.g. young troublesome youths ‘hoodie culture’ however youth can also be seen as a positive.  Once a stereotype has been created it is very hard to change; however Perkins states that over a period of time they can change and develop.