The document analyzes the music video for Miley Cyrus' song "Wrecking Ball". It discusses the intentions behind changing Miley's star persona from her innocent Hannah Montana image to a more risqué, promiscuous and explicit image. It analyzes how the music and visuals relate to each other and the lyrics. It also examines intertextual references to other music videos, how the video fits with and diverges from the pop genre, and who the target audience is intended to be.

1. INTENTIONS Changing Mileyʼs “Star Persona” before
she was Hannah Montana, innocent,
clean cut, child friendly, funny and witty.
Designed to appeal to young teenagers
(12-14)
Her new Star Persona, risque,
promiscuos, raunchy, objectified,
expilicit, confident, older and edgier.
Designed to grow with her fans and to
promote the new single, to promote
Miley as an artist and to act as a
revenue stream, most watched video in
a day.
REPRESENTATION OF THE ARTIST At the start she is crying, which shows she
is emotional, sad and hurt. Voilent imagery
and literal destruction show how angry she
is. This is personal and honest, authentic
pain, we are aware of this because she
refers to a real life relationship, her being
naked shows that she is confident and
assured and sheʼs also riding a wrecking
ball, sheʼs also promiscuos and highly
sexual, because sheʼs licks the sledge
hammer in suggestive manner.
MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Track Name: Wrecking Ball
Director: Terry Richardson
Format: 3 Minutes 42 Seconds - Studio Based Performance
Genre: Pop/Ballad

2. INTENTIONS Changing Mileyʼs “Star Persona” before
she was Hannah Montana, innocent,
clean cut, child friendly, funny and witty.
Designed to appeal to young teenagers
(12-14)
Her new Star Persona, risque,
promiscuos, raunchy, objectified,
expilicit, confident, older and edgier.
Designed to grow with her fans and to
promote the new single, to promote
Miley as an artist and to act as a
revenue stream, most watched video in
a day.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND
VISUALS
A slow soft opening with her crying that
builds up to a cresendo, ballad, chorus,
music swells, louder.
Verse - Softer
Instrumentation - guitar, studio produced
digital quality.
Drums are in time with the wreckibg ball
hitting the wall. Simple imagery, with basic
lighting.
MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Track Name: Wrecking Ball
Director: Terry Richardson
Format: 3 Minutes 42 Seconds - Studio Based Performance
Genre: Pop/Ballad

3. INTENTIONS Changing Mileyʼs “Star Persona” before
she was Hannah Montana, innocent,
clean cut, child friendly, funny and witty.
Designed to appeal to young teenagers
(12-14)
Her new Star Persona, risque,
promiscuos, raunchy, objectified,
expilicit, confident, older and edgier.
Designed to grow with her fans and to
promote the new single, to promote
Miley as an artist and to act as a
revenue stream, most watched video in
a day.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND
VISUALS
Wrecking ball in lyrics, you see a wrecking
ball. The song is a about her broken heart
and she shows this by destorying the part
of the wall. The reason sheʼs naked is
because sheʼs stripped of her emotions.
She licks a hammer to also apprently show
her embracing the pain.
VOYEURISM (NOTION OF LOOKING) Hammer licking - focuses sexuality, explicit
intimate moment , at high a ngle close up.
Explicit nature of the video, obvious the
viewer is being played. Weʼre watching
raw emotion, crying.
MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Track Name: Wrecking Ball
Director: Terry Richardson
Format: 3 Minutes 42 Seconds - Studio Based Performance
Genre: Pop/Ballad

4. INTENTIONS Changing Mileyʼs “Star Persona” before
she was Hannah Montana, innocent,
clean cut, child friendly, funny and witty.
Designed to appeal to young teenagers
(12-14)
Her new Star Persona, risque,
promiscuos, raunchy, objectified,
expilicit, confident, older and edgier.
Designed to grow with her fans and to
promote the new single, to promote
Miley as an artist and to act as a
revenue stream, most watched video in
a day.
INTERTEXTUALITY Obvious references to sinead O Connorʼs
“nothing compared to you” video In terms
of framing, adress and tears of emotion.
MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Track Name: Wrecking Ball
Director: Terry Richardson
Format: 3 Minutes 42 Seconds - Studio Based Performance
Genre: Pop/Ballad

5. INTENTIONS Changing Mileyʼs “Star Persona” before
she was Hannah Montana, innocent,
clean cut, child friendly, funny and witty.
Designed to appeal to young teenagers
(12-14)
Her new Star Persona, risque,
promiscuos, raunchy, objectified,
expilicit, confident, older and edgier.
Designed to grow with her fans and to
promote the new single, to promote
Miley as an artist and to act as a
revenue stream, most watched video in
a day.
TYPICAL OF GENRE - Pop (ballad)
- Typical
The song subject is about love
- Imagery relates directly to the lyrics
preformers address to is direct to
audience (camera) Abstract ima gery and
drama are similiar to Lady Gaga
Different
The show of emotion is raw.
Overly explicit
A pop video with many extreme elements
MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Track Name: Wrecking Ball
Director: Terry Richardson
Format: 3 Minutes 42 Seconds - Studio Based Performance
Genre: Pop/Ballad

6. INTENTIONS Changing Mileyʼs “Star Persona” before
she was Hannah Montana, innocent,
clean cut, child friendly, funny and witty.
Designed to appeal to young teenagers
(12-14)
Her new Star Persona, risque,
promiscuos, raunchy, objectified,
expilicit, confident, older and edgier.
Designed to grow with her fans and to
promote the new single, to promote
Miley as an artist and to act as a
revenue stream, most watched video in
a day.
WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE - Miley Cyrus fans who have grown up
- Now older Teenagers/early twenties
- A new audience, Lady Gaga fans,
because of the explicit image and drama.
- Potentially new teenage boy fans due to
explicit nature
- Mainstream audience that can connect
with the emotion of the song.
- Point on Contention;
Attempting to create image of strong
woman using her sexuality, however uses
iconography ussualy associated to
pornography
MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Track Name: Wrecking Ball
Director: Terry Richardson
Format: 3 Minutes 42 Seconds - Studio Based Performance
Genre: Pop/Ballad

7. INTENTIONS Changing Mileyʼs “Star Persona” before
she was Hannah Montana, innocent,
clean cut, child friendly, funny and witty.
Designed to appeal to young teenagers
(12-14)
Her new Star Persona, risque,
promiscuos, raunchy, objectified,
expilicit, confident, older and edgier.
Designed to grow with her fans and to
promote the new single, to promote
Miley as an artist and to act as a
revenue stream, most watched video in
a day.
WHY WOULD THIS APPEAL TO TARGET
AUDIENCE
Actor: Miley Cyrus fans - The fact that is so
different from how she used to be, itʼs all
“new” and “matured”
Emotion and love - experiencess similiar to
demographic. Fans will enjoy the confident,
strong female image that Miley is trying to
get across. The new audience might like
her because she is edgier like Gaga,
sheddong away her “Disney persona” Itʼs
wierd, it gets people to watch it.
MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Track Name: Wrecking Ball
Director: Terry Richardson
Format: 3 Minutes 42 Seconds - Studio Based Performance
Genre: Pop/Ballad