Task 8: Audience Research and Music Consumption (Task 2)

What I have learnt:
This task has helped me look at narrative music videos in more detail and has prepared me if I want to include some story elements in my final music video. Some of the theories that I applied to the videos in this task were ones that I had not come across before. Firstly, I looked at effect theory which is how media can affect society and how society affects the media. This is evident in Bruno Mars' video where the audiences effect of the video is to possibly sympathise with the protagonist as he experiences a break up. Another theory that I focused on during this task is the reception theory and this was evident in both of the videos I looked at, especially Beyoncé's 'If I were a boy'. This is where a music video has a direct, immediate and powerful effect on an audience and this is true in Beyoncé's video because there is a strong message demonstrating what gender roles would be like when reversed. These theorists have taught me that a strong message or theme that is current throughout the video is a key element to engage the audience.