Lo1 - Report analysis of audio visual Promos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa14VNsdSYM

Music video - Rhianna, 'Only Girl In The World'.

The purpose of this music video, Only Girl In The World by Rhianna, is to add to the star persona and star status of the artist, and also draw attention to the song and the brand of the artist, the music video is of the pop genre, I know this due to the use of mise-en-scene involved in the video in which all represent and connote pop to the audience, for example with the very glamorous makeup and urban clothing choices and warm / sunny locations are stereotypically elements in which as used in pop videos and are appealing to a younger, more modern generation, which is beneficial as her target audience is teenagers, the video can be watched on via various technologies such as: a computer, TV, smart phone, tablet and so on, it can be accessed through different social media platforms, such as: you tube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, watched on TV channels such as E4, and websites on the internet.

The pop music video Only girl in the world by Rhianna is created via many different codes and conventions such as the camera work, in which consists of different shot types like wide long shot’s, close up’s and medium close up’s, these shot types are all used in the video to emphasise Rhianna’s star status and star persona as they make her the most dominant element in the shot, they make it all about her as they show off the glamorous makeup and provocative costumes that she’s wearing to the audience in which make her look hyper-real and flawless, this portrays her in a way that shows her to be an ideal self and partner, a theory in which is talked by Carl Rodgers (1980), the editing consists of many jump cuts in which go to the beat of the music, this is a theory talked about by Andrew Goodwin (1992) for example the video jump cuts from a close up shot of her, to a medium close up and then a wide long shot whilst she’s lip syncing, therefore the lyrics match the visuals.

The mise-en-scene included the video portrays Rhianna in ways that show he to be a traditional female stereotype as her denoted costume choice’s throughout the performance and narrative of the music video consist of: a nude coloured corset, a mini skirt and knee socks for one costume and a bralette, short shorts, and heels, these outfits are very provocative and revealing, which sexualise and objectify her, making her seen from the perspective the of male gaze, a theory talked about by Laura Mulvey (1975) in which suggests that looking involves power, more specifically the look of men towards women; implying that men have more power over women and women are seen as sexual objects, the male gaze is used in this video to not only attract the heterosexual male audience as men are a part of her target audience, but it also represents Rhianna in a way that makes her the typical traditional female stereotype, therefore showing her to be an icon in which typically attracts female attention, the costumes also connote that she is producing her music within the pop genre as these outfits are stereotypically associated with pop because they’re modern and fashionable, the narrative is more about Rhianna and they way she looks as the video doesn't’t necessarily have a story-line, this is done to emphasise her start status and add to her start persona as she is seen in the video at all times and is the main focus throughout the entire video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhAXPI3ueW0

Documentary promo - 'Time Team'.

This is a documentary called Time Team. It can be accessed via video on demand services such as YouTube and All 4, and can be watched on TV on channels such as channel 4 and channel 5. its purpose is to educate an audience as it includes factual information due to the subject matter of the documentary being based on historical events. These type’s of documentaries typically target an older audience of people aged 30-65 due to the fact that the people presenting and included in the documentary are older and therefore the documentary will appeal more to those who are of the same age range, secondly I know that the target audience is aimed at people who are older as these specific type of documentary's aren't ideally what teenagers and kids typically find appealing as they’re stereotypically more into productions in which have a purpose to entertain such as an action film or cartoon.

The documentary consists of interviews, an example of one is shown in-between 5:38 and 6:55 of the documentary, where the host of the documentary is interviewing a man named John about information on the battle of Hastings, this makes the documentary educational as within the interview the two men provide the audience with factual information about the battle to the audience, secondly the documentary includes reconstructions of the battle of Hastings shown in-between 9:20-9:45, this is done to educate the audience and show what happened in the past as they give a clearer image on what really happened and make it easier for the audience understand / follow, this specific documentary is based in a more local area, not national which provides people with information about what went on in smaller, less well known towns.

The camera work within the documentary consists of shot types such as crane shots and establishing shots, these shots are used to establish to the audience the location in which the documentary is set in to give the audience an understanding of what is going on and where the documentary is set / what it’s about, it also includes medium shots and close-ups, these shots are used when the presenter Tony Robinson is giving factual information and talking to the camera, to make him the main focus so the audience can focus on what he is saying more clearly, Tony has a elaborate, teacher to pupil mode of address when presenting, as the documentaries are more sophisticated and formal. the editing techniques are ones such as making different clips fade in to one and another, these are mostly used when a reconstruction is shown to make it clear that the specific scene is a reconstruction and add more dramatic effect, the video also consists of jump cuts and cutaways of the reconstructions, as it allows the documentary to cut from one location to another which is shows the audience what the host is talking about at that specific moment, also the camera movement is sometimes panning either to the left, right, upwards or downwards to show the audience the location / a certain landmark or place.

Lastly,  the video includes music such as very fast and dramatic music when the re constructions are shown as they’re very theatrical, however more calm, chilled out music is played in the background when the host is speaking about the locations they are in and so on, and SFX’s are used such as sword’s clashing against each other in the reconstructions to add more dramatic effect and make it clear that it is a battle.

Comparison.

The music video “Only Girl In The World” by Rhianna has a purpose in which is completely different in comparison to the time Team Documentary, this is due to the fact that the music video was created to entertain the audience, I know this because it includes surreal elements and scenarios such as fantasy-like locations (isoclated desert with swings and balloons) and the artist (Rhianna) always has a flawless, unrealistic appearance, the music video also adds to the artists star persona and star status since Rhianna's portrayed as an ideal self and this will therefore gain more recognition and popularity towards the her, increasing the chances of her target audience buying her music. On the other hand, the Time Team Documentary's purpose is to educate and inform the audience, I get this impression due to the fact that the documentary is based on real life historical events and includes many facts and information on the subject 'The lost Battlefield', whereas Rhianna's music video is very surreal and ideal. The target audience's for the two separate promo's are entirely different, regarding not only age and gender but also social grade. For example Rhianna's promo targets a C1,C2,D,E audience since she is sexualised and objectified, a theory by Laura Mulvey (1975). This representation will attract the C1-E demographic since she lacks 'class' due to her lack of clothing and provocative gestures, therefore the A-B demographic may not be appealed to the music video since people within this social grade are associated with being more 'innovated' and classy, due to their wealth and pride they take within it and them selves. However, Rhianna is seen as an ideal self and partner, and therefore a secondary target audience of people within all social grades (A-E) are attracted since everybody aspires to be 'flawless'. Contrastingly, the Time Team promo targets an A,B,C1 audience. This is because the promo is based on history and knowledge, which are conventions that we associate with the upper class due to them typically being well educated in order to get a highly paid job to receive high disposable income and end up in the higher social grade. Both audio visuals also include a range of different camera and editing techniques which create effects and reinforce the theme and genre of the product. For example, the team time promo includes a close up, panning to the right shot (4.31-4.40) denoting a map, this is done in order to allow the audience to clearly denote the graphics and writing on the map. Therefore reinforcing the teacher to pupil theme of the programme since the close up almost forces the audience to read and take into account the information on the map. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWs0nLtSutI
Advert - Loreal Infalliable makeup. 

This is an advert in which has a purpose to advertise / promote a product, the advert I have chosen is the L'Oréal Paris advert about the Infallible Matte Foundation makeup product. The advert can be viewed on technology such as a computer, smart phone, tablet and TV, via various different sources and platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, twitter, Facebook, in-between TV programmes and on websites.

The target audience would stereotypically be girls around the ages of 13-30 who don’t have a high income to spend as it is a more low cost product in which can be bought in the chemist, I know that the target audience would be young females due to the fact that the models used are also young girls, meaning other girls will see the advert and relate to it as they're seeing themselves. The models also look hyper-real and are also denoted as ideal selves to the audience making younger, more impressionable girls want to buy the product, in order to look like the models in the advert, also the models are wearing urban and modern clothes such as Topsshop jeans, a very popular item dominantly purcased by girls aged between 12-18, along with natural, everyday makeup which is the typical go-to for most girls, allowing them to relate to the model and therefore want to buy the product as they could see themselves using it. 

The advert uses persuasive techniques that make the audience of 13-30 year olds want to buy the product such as text that reads “78% of women agree” which shows that its popular and most women agree that it works great for them so you feel as 3if you need to try it yourself, it includes catch phrases such as “I’m not infallible, but my foundation is.” which intrigues the audience as it makes them want to know what’s so special about the foundation and therefore it’s successful in sustaining attention towards the product, the text is all in serif font and is very big and in your face, its used as it captures the audiences attention as you cant avoid looking at it, the advert creates a buzz about the product by including the benefits of the foundation with in the video, for example it claims that it is resistible against sweat and humidity, it lasts 24 hours and has no shine or mask effect, the product appeals to the audience as it shows that it comes in various different shades and therefore is suitable for every type of skin tone these, elements create a buzz towards the product as it claim that the product does various things that a lot of other foundations can’t do and therefore get people exited and want to try and buy it for themselves.

The advert uses special effects such as a more blurred / bright hue on the models face to make her look more flawless and hyper-real to make her more visually appealing to the audience, this is done as it will draw more attention to her and make her seen by the audience as an ideal self in which is an effective way to advertise a product as it will make the audience want to go and buy the product so that they can look the same way, the advert is edited using split screens to show a close up shot and a medium shot of the model at the same time which makes more happen at once and catches the audiences attention as it makes the advert more visually intriguing, the advert also includes a lot of jump cuts due to the fact that the advert has a duration of 30 seconds and the jump cuts allow the advert to cut from one shot to another quickly, to show what the narrator is talking about in time and make it more snappy and quick,  the camera movement is panning to the right during a certain part of the advert so that the audience can follow the arrow in which is being thrown in the air, the arrow represents how fast and easy to foundation is to apply and therefore this camera movement is effective in creating meaning within the advert about the product.

Music video - Little Mix, 'Hair'.

The pop music video Hair by Little Mix was created using many different codes and conventions, for example the camera work includes shot types such as close up shots and medium close ups shots, these shot types are all used in the video to emphasise the artist’s star status’s and star persona’s as they make them the most dominant element in the shot due to the fact that they’re in the centre of the shot, also the background acts as white space in these shots as it’s mostly very plain and boring, such as a wall, in which also helps to draw more attention to the artist as they’re the most intriguing element in the shot, the video also consists of establishing shots, these shot types are used as they help set the scene / location, in which gives a better understanding of the narrative and story-line as the audience can understand where they are and what is going on within the video and where about they are, which in this case is a house and stereotypical ‘feminine’ looking bedrooms, which helps target their mostly female audience as this setting will be appealing to that specific audience.

The mise-en-scene represents the artists in way that connotes that the video is of the pop genre and that their target audience is mostly female partly male teenagers, I know this because the artists are wearing very glamorous makeup and fashionable clothes in which makes the artists look hyper-real and flawless, these looks are stereotypically associated with the pop genre as this is the most trendy and modern type of make-up look which is also commonly seen on those of the modern generation who typically mostly listen to pop music, therefore this makeup shows that the artists are up to date with the latest fashion trends and looks therefore giving a more ‘pop’ feel and connoting that they’re targeting a more modern generation: teenagers / digital natives, also, their flawless and hyper-real look make them look like ideal selves and partners to the audience and therefore intriguing an even wider audience of females and males which again is beneficial as this is their target audience, the props included are ones such as: Hairbrushes, lipstick, mascara, makeup brushes and cocktail glasses, these elements all connote femininity to the audience as they’re all products in which are typically created for and used girls due to traditional female stereotypes, which again helps to attract female audience, some editing techniques used in the video are ones such as cross-cutting; all four artists are shown on four different scenes all at once (as shown in the picture below), this makes the video more visually appealing and interesting to the audience as it isn't just one scene, it also helps the audience understand the narrative more as you can see what is going on from each of the artists perspectives and different locations, the video also includes jump cuts in which go to the beat of the music whilst they are lip syncing which makes the video look an run more smoothly, therefore also the lyrics are matching the visuals, this is a theory talked about by Andrew Goodwin (1992), the jump cuts allow the scene to cut from one place to another instantly, which is an advantage in this video as there is a lot going on all at once therefore the cuts can fit the narrative to show what’s going on in time.

This video shows all the artists: Jesy, Perrie, Jade and Leigh-Anne, to be a strong, feisty group of girls who only need each other not boys as the song is about heartbreak and getting over a boy, I get this impression as their acting gestures and movements are of them dancing and being positive trying to get the girl over him, and their facial expressions are very sympathetic yet fierce and positive, therefore again the lyrics / narrative match the visuals. 

Comparison.

These two audio visuals share similarities such as having the purpose to promote. For example, little mix are promoting their song 'Hair' by creating an entertaining story-line to accompany the lyrics, whereas the L'oreal are promoting their makeup products by using complimentary lighting and camera angels to glorify the product. The lighting also contributes towards making the model appearing as both an ideal self and partner to the audience watching. This is because the bright light blurs any imperfections on the models face and adds a shiny glow to her skin. The idea of the model being an ideal self  / partner is also reinforced through the application of flawless makeup and sleek hair, showing that she has no imperfections. The fact that the model is denoted this way whilst admiring the Loreal's product connotes that the product is the reason she looks so flawless. Therefore, making younger, more impressionable teenagers want to buy the product. Since, in school it always seems to be a competition in regards to who looks the best. On the other hand, despite the girls in the little mix video also wearing flawless makeup, perfect hair and cute outfits. They're denoted as relateable to their target audience, rather than ideal selves / partners, since they're normal people who won X-factor, rather than professional commercial models. However, I think that the females in the little mix video are prominently seen through the male gaze as they pose and dance provocatively wearing short PJ's, whereas the Loreal advert primarily shows the models face only. Giving a more mature and sophisticated denotation to the advert. The little mix video seems to be targeted at a C2DE audience of young teenage girls and partly boys, whereas despite lorel's products being fairly cheap, the advert seems to be going own the route of appealing to an ABC1 audience, as reinforces through the pastel, gender neutral colouring and serif font.