One Direction - History

History of Music Videos

1) What are the critical conventions of a music video?
Music videos often contain a lot of movement and are usually fast-paced, in terms of the actors in the video, the movement evolution of the cameras or the editing. Many contain a performance element where the lyrics of the song are sung by the artists, and/or a narrative portion which usually tells the story of the words being sung. 

2) What is intertextuality?
Intertextuality is when one media text references another media text via genre conventions, mise-en-scene, or specific cultural references.

3) When did music videos first become a significant part of the music industry?
Since music videos were initially a recording of bands playing on live television, their only purpose was to make it possible to hear the music on tv, but as time went on and the channel MTV was introduced, music videos became a way to promote albums. One of the most revolutionary music videos, one of the earliest examples of narrative music videos, was Michael Jackson's Thriller. 

4) What launched in 1981 and why were music videos an important part of the music industry in the 1980s and 1990s?
MTV, a channel on TV dedicated to music launched in 1981, and due to its introduction, many record labels found it as a way to promote new albums. To gain more attention, music videos became more narrative than performance based. A vital example of this is Michael Jackson's Thriller music video, which was predominantly narrative.


5) How are music videos distributed and watched in the digital age?
In the digital age, most music videos were self-promoted through the internet on websites like Youtube. Artists used social media to increase their fanbase and advertise their albums. 


One Direction: Industry


1) How was One Direction formed and how is this reflected in the music video for History?
One Direction was a manufactured boy group, they were put together by Simon Cowell-owner of record label Syco Records-on the show X-Factor. Their music video, History, contains clips from their time on the show, and the lyrics also reference their history and memories from the program. 

2) What is vertical integration?
When one large company, conglomerate, owns many smaller subsidiaries in the same chain of production, for example, Disney owns film studios, CGI specialists, TV channels etc.


3) What is horizontal integration?
When a large and powerful company buys other companies on the same level, like how Facebook purchased Instagram, to reduce competition.


4) How has technological convergence changed the way audiences consume music videos?
With a majority of the new generations content coming from the Internet, the way that consumers hear music has significantly changed. In place of earlier methods of listening to music, like on the radio, now music is found online, meaning artists with a stronger online presence gained larger audiences. A key way artists build up their online presence is through music videos as a means to promote themselves and their albums.

5) As a manufactured band, what influence do Simon Cowell and the record company Syco (part of Sony) have over the content and release strategy of One Direction music videos?Since they were manufactured and put together in the eye of the public, all the members of one direction have a particular way they act, to keep audiences interested. The only way this can be maintained is through constant control from the record label, Syco, that 'owns' them and their music. The record label also manages how they are advertised, and since the majority of artists gain followings online, their online presence is massively controlled to ensure that they can achieve the largest audiences.
One Direction: Audience
1) What is the main One Direction audience - demographics and psychographics?Their target audience is mainly teenage girls and people of the Mainstreamer psychographic.
2) What audience pleasures are offered by the music video for History?The music video offers Diversions, seeing as it is a music video. It also provides the pleasure of Personal Relationships, as the audience gets to look back on how the group grew up. This also offers them Nostalgia. 

3) Pick out three particular shots, scenes or moments in the video that would particularly appeal to One Direction fans. Why did you choose those moments? 
The opening; When the boys all topple down together; when Niall hugs Harry (or whoever embraces whoever- I can't keep track at this point). The opening brings nostalgia to the audience and reminds them of the group's roots, as well as emphasising the name of the video. The scene where they all tumble down reminds the audience of their close relationship and makes them feel as though they are here with the group as they mess around on their shenanigans. The scene with hugging further emphasise the 'cute' relationship all the boys have with one another, building on the nostalgia of the video.

4) What is nostalgia and why is it a key audience pleasure for the History music video?
Nostalgia is a longing for the past / 'History', and the music video constantly references the boys' past and their personal history. They do this because they want to emphasise their close relationship not only with each other but with the fans too, as they were formed on tv and have always been in the public eye.

5) How are fans positioned to respond to the video? What do the producers want One Direction fans to take from the video?
Producers wanted fans to remember the boys past, and embrace their final look back on their career as they prepared to disband later that year. By making a video like this, the producers offered one look back onto the 'Glory Days' and built an album off of this nostalgia, so that fans could buy the last memories the boys grew together.

Written By Aishwarya Odedra