Audience

Demographic - age, gender, race, ethnicity, location, spending power

Target audience - Little Mix 'Black Magic':
-Girls aged between 12-16 - UK and America
-Mixed ethnicity
-All races
-Parents pay for the albums, tracks, merch, tour tickets (can access for free on YT, Spotify, Apple music)

Target audience - The Vamps 'Somebody to you':
-Girls aged between 12-16 - UK and America
-White ethnicities
-White race - through the representation within the video
-Parents pay for the albums, tracks, merch, tour tickets (can access for free on YT, Spotify, Apple music)

Social and cultural differences -> Audience interpretation:

-Some may want to change fashion choices -> Excluded - religion (cant change appearance)
-Some may have been bullied -> To stop being bullied you have to dress in a sexual way
-Some may be in love/fancy someone -> They may think they have to change for this
-Some may be identified as popular -> Portrayed as bullies
-Some may identify themselves as geeks -> They are not bullies. Positive representation
-Some may have a teacher who is a parent -> Could be embarrassed because of a boring parent
-Groups of friends on a beach -> Relate to the messages within the music video. Agree
-Girls in bikinis on a beach -> Pressure of body image
-Mixed races -> Excluded
-Girls getting the attention of the boys -> Boys will only like you if you act and dress a certain way.


Reception theory
Preferred reading - Audience accept the intended messages from the producer

• Audiences believe that Little Mix can perform magic and can have the  power to help people
• Audiences believe that The Vamps are cool, happy and can get any girl they want to.

Negotiated reading - Audiences partly accept, partly reject the messages intended by the producer.

• Audiences may not be interested in either celebrity so do not watch the video, but enjoy the music.

Oppositional reading - Audiences completely reject the message intended by the producer.

• Audiences may not value little mix/the vamps
• Audience completely disagree with the stereotypical characters

How do audiences interpret the representations within the music videos? Use two music videos you have studied.

In The Vamps 'Somebody To You', the audience could interpret the representations within the music video as inclusive to only white races. This is shown through the power they have in the video. there are only white members present in the video such as all of the band members and all of the girls they are trying to impress which reflects the stereotype that white people are more powerful and the lack of other races or ethnicities reinforces this. This will leave the effect on the audience that they are not accepted in society because their own race/ethnicity is not seen to be having fun like the others on the beach.

Through viewing the Little Mix video, 'Black Magic' it is evident that they are inclusive of all ethnicities and races. For example, there are white, mixed race, Asian and African characters which challenge the stereotype that there one race or ethnicity is dominant because towards the end of the video they all change from geeky characters to more accepted characters. This will leave the impression on the audience that they are all equal to others. This is done through the positive representation such as the geeks that they are not the bullies.

How do audiences use music videos to construct their identity? (10 marks)

The Vamps music video 'Somebody To You' can be used to change the identity of the audience because they would fell the need to look similar to their role model which could be this band or the characters associated with it. The band target the audience of 12-16-year-old girls and within their music video, there are various implications to a stereotypically 'good' body image. This is done through the representation of the group of girls on the beach. They all have a slim figure and dress in an appealing way and most girls this age will think they have to do the same to be accepted by boys or to be attractive.

In Little Mix's video 'Black Magic' the audience can construct their identity based on the revealing clothes that the band members are seen to be wearing when they change from typical geeky teenagers to stereotypical popular girls. The clothes they wear which conform to the stereotypical geek are plain in design and colour and are covering all parts of the body whereas the clothes that are worn when they become more popular and accepted in the school are more revealing. This positive representation of the group could affect the choice of clothes the target audience will want to wear. They could feel excluded from the rest if they do not dress like the group in the video. Furthermore it will bring a greater pressure on girls bpdy image as they will think that they have to dress a certain way to be popular or get the boys attention.