Research: Dyer's Star Image

Dyer's star image

Stars refer to singers that sell their music to a mainstream or loyal audience but if an singer/ artist sells their music to mainstream audience then are are going to make more money. 

Richard Dyer:

- An english academic specialising in cinema.

- Dyer developed the idea that the viewers perception of its stars.

- ''The star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer.''

- ''The star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer.''

- He identified four elements to recognising a star; Stars and Constructions  Industry and Audience, Ideology and Culture, Character and Personality. 
-''A true pop star does have a lasting significance and has ''brand awareness'' amongst a wider market over a period of time.''

Difference between performer and pop star:

There is a difference between a performer and a pop star, a performer is someone that may and may not be famous such as for the single 'Let her go' is written by Passenger, although he has an audience and he produces music videos, we do not hear him in everyday news. Where Jackson is a pop star, he is on everyday news and promotes his albums by making ras; a pop 'star' is known to construct an image for the audience, for example, Michael's carpet appearances. 

Stars and constructions:

Richard Dyer states that the star is a construction and not a real person. Miley Cyrus has become famous for her twerking and riding on a wrecking ball naked however she wouldn’t do any of this stuff in the privacy of her own home meaning that the person Miley Cyrus and the star are two different people. Miley Cyrus was known to be a  young country singer on a Disney channel and now has been completely changed. She now has a new image which is meant to be a wild new young Miley. She cut her hair and style, changed her music, this is something different an artist could do which shows the audience that an artist could change into someone else. 

Industry and Audience:

Lady GaGa is a very controversial character as she is very clear with her audience. She acts how she wants without worrying if her audience will judge her. Dyer believe that if an artist acts themselves then the industry will love them. Lady GaGa is a artist that likes to experiment and try new ideas which helps her to grab the public. When she increases her fan base, this helps her record company to manufacture Lady GaGa again and again. For example, the Meat Dress that she wore to the MTV music awards entertained the audience because she had done something very weird which was different to the audience.  

Ideology and culture:

Some artists believe that they should also include their ideology and the culture that they believe in music videos. Therefore fans of the artist will copy their views of the artist, as this helps the artist and the audience to have a connection. Beyoncé is a feminist artist and she shows this throughout her performances and music videos, this means that her audience are mainly women as she refers to women in particular. Beyoncé's music video 'Flawless' shows her views on independent women and that women should not be controlled by men. 'Flawless,' also represents that women should love themselves and where they come from. 

Character and personality:

Dyer also suggests that stars are  transformed into different personalities and they also need to have a range of different characters. This is important because this will help the artist to have a connection  with their audience. When a artist newly releases a album, the way that they have presented themselves change over time. For example,  Beyoncé went from curvy to skinny, the audience understood this by the way she exposed herself on stage.  

How much do artists/ bands have on star image:

Eminem uses the same font style and colour for all of his albums, this shows that he uses his star image throughout his life. This poster also has the same font style with the end E backwards. The same writing is also used on his merchandise. By doing this, only the artists loyal fans will know. Eminem’s star image motif is the font style which he has been using for years, this also means that if the artist produces a new album and if there wasn't any images on the album, and if it only contained writing which was known as the font that Eminem uses. Then the audince will know who the album is produced by.

Conclusion:

This theory is very important because it has allowed me to enhance my knowledge on star image. When creating my music video, I will be representing my artist star image main on character and personality because I will be creating a niche music video which mean that my artists actions need to conventional to a Hip-hop genre. Such as; my artist will be using hand gestures while singing the song.