Task 1

Q1: 3 Main purposes of music videos

To increase both single and album sales
- music videos are another form of advertising in the industry and
usually result in the song becoming a lot more popular leading to more
streams/sales.

To promote the artists brand/identity

- Artists will set a certain mood and have similar aspects throughout all
their music videos familiarizing the audience with their image

To create a visual representation of the song

- music videos can give the audience a better understanding of the
song and its meaning. Having a visual representation also gives the
audience something to think back to when remembering the song.

Q2: Broader purposes of music videos

To entertain the audience

-creating entertaining or controversial music videos can connect further
with the audience and increases the chance of the audience re-playing
the video. Videos can also promote an artist's other skills, such as,
dancing, acting or playing an instrument.

Ongoing promotion
- people often remember artists years later purely because of a
memorable music video. It is also an easy way for the viewer to see
whether an artist suits their style and genre.

Reaching a wider ranged audience

- music videos can be reached via platforms such as YouTube allowing
the artist to reach a global audience. It also opens up many
opportunities for the artist such as future brand deals other possible
acting or singing jobs.

Q3:
Ariana Grande

In her music videos Ariana presents herself as a powerful, strong,

independent and successful woman who fights for equality. some
examples of this are God Is A Woman and 7 Rings. Both the lyrics and
the videos for these songs show Ariana to be powerful etc. There are
some key parts in the God Is A Women music video that really shows
this.
This is a key scene in the MV as it shows insults being thrown at her by
a group of men and these words just bounce straight off her showing
her confidence and strength.

Another key scene in the music video is when Ariana is sat on top on
the world controlling the weather. This is a great representation of her
power but also that women are powerful in general. This is also saying
that women are equal to men, as God is said to be a man, and he made
the world, and controls everything that happens. This scene suggests
that women can be in control, are at the same level as men, something
that Ariana stands by.

In the 7 Rings music video the emphasis is on how successful she has
become. In the video she uses a lot of sparkle/diamonds. One of her
outfits is sparkly and she wears a diamond necklace which looks very
expensive. the lyrics also fit very well with this when she sings ’’I want
it, I got it’, ’’I’d rather spoil all my friends with my riches’’, ’’my receipts
be lookin’ like phone numbers’’. As well as this video showing her to be
successful, she uses female dancers and her female best friends also
star in the music video. The absence of any male dancers may portray
that women don’t need a man to have fun, live a good life and be
successful.

Branding
Ariana Grande is a brand within her own right, she has achieved this
not only by having amazing vocals or her iconic high ponytail, knee
length boots, and cuddly oversized sweat tops, but also by having a
deep connection with her audience. She has an amazing marketing
team behind her and her commitment and hard work promoting her
brand is what’s making her such a record-breaking success.
She creates her own brand through her music, videos, style,
merchandise, and social media interaction. She does this to promote
herself as a brand and to increase her level of success.
Ariana‘s “queen of pop" image appeals to a wide audience, from the
young to preteens to adults both male and female. She connects with
her audience through her relatable and emotive lyrics. The emotions
the audience can feel from listening to her songs, immediately draws
them into her music/brand. All of the above is to increase her
popularity and sales.
Q4:
One Direction
From watching their music videos, it is clear that they are a
stereotypical boy band. Their videos give this impression, as it is a
group of guys all hanging out together having fun and singing about the
ups & downs of relationships. They are dressed in similar coordinating
outfits which creates their sense of style. Their videos contain mainly
closeup shots of them individually and as a group, so the focus stays on
them and them only. The videos are generally easy to follow and
understand making them easy to watch and are clearly aimed at
teenage girls. Such as in the ‘Night Changes‘ music video, it was filmed
from a first person perspective allowing the viewer to imagine
themselves as each of the band members date, drawing in their millions
of fans. The main aim for their music videos is to increase popularity
and sales.
Animal Collective:
The main focus of their videos is clearly their music and creativity. This
is shown by the fact you don't see any of the band members faces as
they are usually disguised in some format, such as in the ‘My Girls‘
music video they have been green screened, and the only clear images
were their lips & instruments. Their videos are filmed in a low budget
creative way to complement their music by the use of colourful arty
visual effects. Their videos are not easy to watch and they do not have
any obvious meaning, leaving it open for interpretation by the viewer.
They are unique in style so their videos will only appeal to a specific
audience, which may limit their fan base, showing their main focus is
their music and creative skills.