2. USES AND GRATIFICATIONS THEORY IS...
"A popular approach of understanding a
mass communication".
It is simply looking at why people watch,
enjoy or talk about what they have seen.
We are looking at the reasons of
education, entertainment, escapism, social
interaction and personal identification.
6. SOCIAL INTERACTION:
Doing something as it is popular/
spoken of and you are 'expected' to
in society. (like knowing and abiding
to the latest trends).
9. FOR EXAMPLE:
Educational MUSIC VIDEO-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ah_Yf7ey1Q
Gary Barlow’s “Sing” was the comic relief song and was number 1 for a while.
It educates you of life in Africa and Less Economically Developed countries.
10. FOR EXAMPLE:
Educational MUSIC VIDEO-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHsCGoZst-w
Similarly X FACTOR contests- “We can be Heroes” show the life of heroes
and war veterans. Many comic or sport relief songs music videos do this
where they show the artist who is singing but also educate you on a charity or
event or lifestyle of some sort.
11. FOR EXAMPLE:
Educational MUSIC VIDEO-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsRMoWYGLNA
The most recent (13 years after the original ) Where is the Love by the Black Eyed Peas has been
made to educate people and point out what is still going on in the world with war and refugees
and it has been released at a point of high refugee crisis and terrorism and talking about “where
is the love”. This like the other two videos, also shows you the pop stars singing as well as
snapshots of terrorism and war in the world.
12. FOR EXAMPLE:
Educational DIGIPACK-
As digipacks tend to be either something really random, a
setting or the artist/ group themselves, educational digipacks
aren’t popular. Because of this, we will definitely not use an
educational digipack as they are so unpopular. .
13. FOR EXAMPLE :
Entertainment MUSIC VIDEO-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRh_vgS2dFE
The above is Justin Biebers' “Sorry”. The music video shows girls
in vibrant clothing and is all a big dance number with lip syncing.
Because of the connotations of happiness and joy from the
vibrant coloured clothing and the dance routine, I feel was made
for entertainment purposes.
14. FOR EXAMPLE :
Entertainment MUSIC VIDEO-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4isv_Fylg
This is Coldplay's' Paradise. In the music video Coldplay are dressed as
elephants and are at the zoo. It has a narrative and it clear the music video
was made for entertainment purposes.
15. FOR EXAMPLE :
Entertainment DIGIPACK-
All the above digipacks conform the uses and gratifications theory for
entertainment and conform the popular iconography for pop. This is because
they use bright and vibrant colours and there is a lot going on in each cover,
they make you look more in-depth and are very eye catching as well as being
entertaining for the different parts of them that make you look closer.
16. Within Escapism this theme of parties and summery locations
are common within the pop genre. It is also seen in…
DUKE DUMONT- I Got You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHCYHldJi_g
Miley Cyrus, Party in the USA and We Can’t Stop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11SvDtPBhA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrUvu1mlWco
One Direction-Live While We’re Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbPED9bisSc
Katy Perry- TGIF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlyXNRrsk4A
The reason there are these reoccurring themes within escapism is because it all
links to the psychographics of their target audience. They want to be partying and
enjoying the summer and having romances and big groups of friends.
17. FOR EXAMPLE :
Escapism MUSIC VIDEO
Beauty and a Beat by Justin Bieber, both the lyrics and the settings,
costume, make-up all talk about what teenagers and young adults
want. The concept of a big pool party, having girlfriends and being
with your friends is something their target audience of teenagers and
young adults would all like to do/ be doing rather than being at
school or college.
18. FOR EXAMPLE :
ESCAPISM DIGIPACKS
The digipacks above all show some form of summery exotic
background. This is something teenagers fantasize about, how to
spend their summer holiday. All dream of a holiday with their friends
in the sunshine. This links to the last digipacks of The Vamps where
the four of them are on skateboards and scooters messing around
and the first one of an attractive girl by the poolside. All of these
link to what teenagers and young adults supposedly fantasize
about.
19. FOR EXAMPLE:
Social interaction MUSIC VIDEOS-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-59jGD4WrmE
“Sucker for Pain” I feel comes under a video relating to social interaction as
it is based on and linked to the latest block buster movie Suicide Squad. In
the video you see the familiar location, characters and scenes
(shootings,cages,grenades,straight jackets etc.) that you see in Suicide
Squad and as a popular film and song, the music video would be talked
about by their target audience of stereotypically teenage and young adult
males.
20. FOR EXAMPLE:
Social interaction MUSIC VIDEOS-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxsmWxxouIM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QohS8WlUhk
Beyoncé's album- LEMONADE, caused a lot of controversy because the lyrics suggested that her husband, Jay Z had
not been loyal to her. This then linked to a supposed affair with popstar Rita Ora, a lot of things suggested this was all
a fix to get more advertisement and publicity for Beyoncé's new album which it certainly did. People began to listen to
Beyoncé's album and watch the videos to listen to the music that has been written but also because it was suggested
that lots of things in the videos linked to Rita Ora and Jay Z and Beyoncé breaking up ( at then end of her music video
“don’t hurt yourself- Beyoncé throws her ring off and says your gonna lose your wife) . Because she was trending for
hours, it became a social interaction as it was so talked about and people then started watching Beyoncé's music
videos for Lemonade to see the links for themselves.
21. FOR EXAMPLE:
Social interaction DIGIPACK-
The above digipacks show Rhianna’s Rated R Album and Demi Lovato’s Kingdom Come
featuring Nicky Minaj. Both covers are very sexual, they show the females in lingerie or
nothing at all in seductive posses that show off their assets. They also have very dark
make up on. These front covers would be spoken about as their target audience as
artists of teenagers and young adult and predominantly girls would find these far too
sexualized whereas a male audience would prefer to see this and therefore would talk
about it in a positive way. Parents of children who may buy these CD’s would not want
their children to think of this as a way of life or how you should act. Either way the album
covers would be getting promotion as people would be talking about them.
22. FOR EXAMPLE:
Social interaction DIGIPACK-
Although on Beyoncé's digipack she too is naked, she is posing in a more
vulnerable way, she has less make up on and is seen as more natural. Because
she looks this way, she is more likely to get positive comments from females as
they see her as beautiful and a naturally beautiful women rather than the
others that seem very provocative and sexualized for a male eye. This makes
women think that is how they need to look to get male attention however
Beyoncé is just a beautiful as the others but has not allowed herself to be
overly sexualized on her front cover.
23. FOR EXAMPLE:
PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION music video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkElfR_NPBI
Girl bands and female artists tend to conform this theory more than others. This is because females tend to feel more
insecure about themselves and therefore want to make others feel better and feel like they can be accepted. Therefore
below is a video of Little Mix’s Black Magic where you see 4 nerdy girls get declined by boys. They are all still very pretty but
they set a spell on themselves to get them to look like what boys want them to look like and they boys are all head over
heels for the girls. At the end of the video everyone, all shapes and sizes are all just partying together. The girls in Little Mix
are all different shapes and sizes with different hair colours and feature and ethnicities but still all 4 of them always look great
in the videos ND they are there to empower girls that you don’t all have to be super skinny and dress seductively all the time
or feel held back because of your looks.
24. FOR EXAMPLE:
PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION music video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WpoKRnoPRU
In Little Mix’s “Love Me Like You” All the girls get asked on a date. This is empowerment to
the girls as it shows that any girl can get asked out or asked to prom and prom is an event
young girls dreams about. This is creating a positive idea for all girls and shows them that you
can be any ethnicity, shape or size and have a good/ different personality ( as we see in the
video) and still be fancied by boys. This is something all heterosexual girls want and therefore
aspire to have.
25. FOR EXAMPLE:
PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION DIGIPACK
The above digipacks are all of bands. They support the Personal Identification theory as they
are all wearing realistic outfits to wither go out (Fifth Harmony), go to a club (The Wanted) or
go shopping or go out with your friends (Little Mix). Because of this, we can relate and
personally identify. All the bands have different ethnicities and sizes in their groups and this
shows that they are diverse. All the outfits/ costumes are all individual to their personalities
which is a big thing within bands as it means that they are more likely to find people who can
relate to at least one person in the band. AND it is more realistic as not everyone has the
same look or personality/ style.
26. WHAT WE WANT PEOPLE TO WATCH OUR MUSIC VIDEO / BUY OUR PRODUCT FOR…
Having studied there music videos and digipacks in depth referring to the
theory of Uses and Gratifications. I would like our music video to be for
entertainment purposes as well as for personal identification for our target
audience. As our music video will be about ‘Girl Power’ we want to make
sure we are empowering girls for the right reasons. Not making them feel
like they need to look or be a certain way- a lot like Little Mix themselves.
The entertainment values will come into place when we create the dance
routine and also with the narrative. This links to Sven E Carlssons theory
also which is about the content of videos but how they are made to either
be narrative or performance based or hybrid ( a mix of the two) either way,
music videos are made to entertain the audience in some shape or form
and this is exactly what we want to do. As well as empowering our young
female audience that you don’t have to look or at any way but to just be
yourself. This is clear in the lyrics of the song and we will make it clear in
the video by having a variety of girls that all look very different in size,
ethnicity and every form.
