Music Video: BLACKPINK - How You Like That

Our first music video CSP is BLACKPINK - How You Like That.

This 2020 video promoted the lead single from Blackpink’s first Korean-language studio album, The Album. The video, released on 26th June 2020, was premiered on Blackpink's YouTube channel at the same time as the single was released. 

The video broke many YouTube records, including most-watched premiere (1.66 million concurrent viewers), most views within 24 hours for a music video (86 million views) and fastest video to achieve 100, 200 and 600 million views. It was the 3rd most viewed music video of 2020. As of Autumn 2021, the video has had over 1 BILLION views.

BLACKPINK: How You Like That

K-pop: global phenomenon 

The K-pop genre reflects the global nature of the media and music industries. Over the last 20 years, K-pop has become a cultural sensation as groups like BTS and BLACKPINK enjoyed global success. This has also resulted in Korean culture becoming mainstream in the West.

Audience

BLACKPINK’s audience: Blinks

BLACKPINK fans are known as ‘Blinks’ and are largely teenage girls and young women. Their fans are worldwide but they are particularly big in the Philippines and Indonesia as well as western countries such as the UK and USA.

From Vogue’s feature on How BLACKPINK became the biggest K-pop girlband on the planet:

Avril, a 16-year-old Blink (Blackpink’s fandom name) from Peru discovered them in 2018. “Everything about them made me become a fan,” she tells Vogue over Twitter. “The way they perform, their iconic songs and choreos, their friendship, even the way they dress. Blackpink were on a whole new level.”

Audience pleasures

Applying Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory:

• Diversion: music video conventions – performance, effects, fast pace etc.
• Personal relationships: Fan interaction online through social media is a key element of K-pop’s global success. Fans feel like they ‘know’ the band members.
• Personal identity: K-pop fandom often involves copying the look of band members and seeing their own style reflected on screen.
• Surveillance: Western audiences gain knowledge of Korean music and culture.

Marketing and promotion to the audience

The video’s release was preceded by a series of teasers on the band’s social media accounts (including posters, photos focusing on individual band members and videos) and a reality show (24/365 with Blackpink, available on YouTube). 

A “dance performance” video including the choreography for the music video was released in July 2020; by March 2021 this had achieved over 600 million views and was placed in the top 20 videos of the year by Billboard magazine.

Dance performance:

BLACKPINK 24/365 - Behind the scenes of the How You Like It music video shoot:

Industries

BLACKPINK: manufactured by YG Entertainment

Blackpink was formed in 2016 by Korean entertainment company YG Entertainment and by 2020 was one of the most successful K-Pop bands in the world. As of 2021, the band was the most followed girl group on Spotify and the most-subscribed music group, female act, and Asian act on YouTube.

The changing nature of the music industry

How You Like That demonstrates the changing nature of the music industry and how important YouTube and social media has become for music artists. 

The way people consume music videos has changed – now phones, tablets and YouTube are the primary ways audiences engage with music videos (known as convergence). It also shows music video has become a media form in its own right, not just a way to sell an album. 

BLACKPINK’s billions of YouTube views also bring in money through advertising. 

Music: a global industry

K-pop demonstrates the global nature of the industry with BLACKPINK selling out arenas across the UK and USA as well as in the East. They played Wembley Arena in 2019 as well as huge US music festival Coachella. 

Music videos: regulation

With music videos now largely consumed on YouTube, regulating the content of music videos is very difficult. Some UK-based record companies get their music videos rated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

The kinds of issues the BBFC considers in classifying music videos include bad language, dangerous behaviour presented as safe, drug misuse, sexual behaviour and nudity, and threatening behaviour and violence.

You can find out more about this process on the BBFC website here.

BLACKPINK - How You Like That: Blog tasks

Audience

1) What are BLACKPINK fans known as - and what would the demographics / psychographics be for the BLACKPINK audience?

2) What audience pleasures are offered by the music video for How You Like That?

3) Pick out three particular shots, scenes or moments in the video that would particularly appeal to BLACKPINK fans. Why did you choose those moments? 

4) How was the How You Like That music video marketed and promoted to the audience?

5) Why is K-pop a global phenomenon and what has helped it to become so popular?

Industry

1) How were BLACKPINK formed and what records have they broken?

2) What other successful artists have YG Entertainment created? You may need to Google this.

3) How has technology and the internet (known as technological convergence) changed the way audiences consume music videos?

4) How do BLACKPINK and K-pop show that the media and music industries are now global?

5) How are UK-based music videos regulated and what types of content require warnings? 


Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Read this Guardian review of BLACKPINK's album. What does the writer say about the band and songs?

Read this Variety feature on a controversy that offended some global fans of BLACKPINK. What was the problem and how did they respond?

Read this Teen Vogue feature on the music video release of How You Like That. How else did the group promote the release of the song?

Here's another Teen Vogue feature offering a brief history of K-Pop. How the genre go global? 

Finally, read this excellent Medium blog on the future of the music video in the digital age. Summarise the main points of the blog in 100 words.


You'll need to finish this case study for homework - due date on Google Classroom.

Music video: Introduction

Our next media topic is Music Video.

We will be studying the industry and audience contexts for this topic and need to cover two CSPs:

BLACKPINK: How You Like That

Arctic Monkeys: I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor



We need to study the industry and audience contexts for these products: 

Industry: how music video is produced and marketed and how this has changed over time.
Audience: Target audience and audience pleasures. How music contributes to an audience's sense of identity. Fandom. How the internet has changed the position of the audience.
PLUS: Historical, cultural and social significance of the music videos and the impact of the internet on the music industry.

Music video will appear in Paper 1, Section B of Exam
Section B is only on INDUSTRIES and AUDIENCES and will consist of:

• 1 short answer question
• 2 medium answer questions – one on audience, one on industry
• 1 extended essay style question on one of the media forms we have studied - which is very likely to be Music Video due to the advance information we have from AQA about the Summer 2022 exams.  
• This essay question will require you to make judgements and draw conclusions. 

Music video: introduction and history

Music video key conventions

Music videos typically feature movement – often fast paced either in terms of actors, camerawork or editing. Many contain a performance element or narrative. Music videos can also feature visual effects and intertextuality.

Music videos were originally designed as a promotional device to sell the band or artist’s music but have developed over time to become a recognised artform or product in their own right. Modern music videos no longer have the huge budgets of the 1980s and 1990s but digital media means they are now more accessible than ever. Videos such as Psy’s Gangnam Style have received over 3 billion views on YouTube.

Intertextuality

Intertextuality is when one media text references another media text – through genre, conventions, mise-en-scene or specific cultural references.

Music videos often use intertextual references – often to classic films but also to television, popular culture, news, videogames or even other music videos.

Music video history

Originally, music videos were made like mini ‘films’ of the bands performing (e.g. The Beatles, Elvis)

MTV was launched in 1981 as a platform for music videos and the first music channel on television. Programs such as BBC show Top of The Pops also showcased music videos from the charts alongside ‘live’ stage performances. 

In the 1980s and 1990s big budgets were spent on producing innovative and creative music videos such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller that had a film narrative, a well known director and featured intertextuality (horror films)

Music video in the digital age

In 2005 the launch of YouTube changed the way that consumers access and enjoy music video. Now self-promotion is more common.

The rise of new and digital media paved the way for bands such as One Direction ‘manufactured’ by the industry and increasingly promoted through convergence on social media to maximise profits for the record companies.

Other artists were able to make it big thanks to YouTube, digital media and fans' word of mouth:









Problems with piracy

Piracy became a huge problem for the music industry as they could not keep up with illegal downloading and streaming services where fans shared content for free therefore… The 2000s saw the rise of streaming services with subscriptions such as Spotify, Apple Music, Beats Music and (most recently) Youtube Music. 

New platforms and music apps on smart phones mean that listeners are now becoming one-device consumers and using their phones for all media access. 

Introduction to Music Video: Blog tasks

Answer the questions below to complete your introduction to the Music Video topic: 

1) What are the key conventions of music video?

2) What is intertextuality?

3) When did music videos first become a major part of the music industry?

4) What launched in 1981 and why were music videos an important part of the music industry in the 1980s and 1990s?

5) How are music videos distributed and watched in the digital age?

Extension tasks

Read this Guardian feature asking whether YouTube is good or bad for the music industry. What is your opinion on this crucial question?

Read this Guardian feature on how videogames are now more important than music videos for breaking new artists. Do you agree videogames are now more influential than music videos?

Complete for homework if you don't finish it in the lesson - due date on Google Classroom.

Magazines: Final index

We have now completed our work on Magazines and need to publish an index to demonstrate we have finished every blog task. 

Every index you create is an excellent way to make sure you are revising the course as we go - as well as highlighting if you've missed anything. Your index should include the following:

1) Magazines: Tatler magazine CSP

2) Magazines: Heat magazine CSP

3) Advertising assessment learner response

For your index, the text should link to YOUR blogpost for that topic so you can access your work quickly and easily for checking and revision. This also means if you have missed anything you can catch up with the work and notes and won't underperform in assessments and exams due to gaps in your knowledge.

Creating your index

To create your index, first copy the list of work above and paste it as plain text into a new blogpost called 'Magazines: Final index'. Then, open your Media blog in another tab and use your blog archive to open up all your work from last term. For each post, copy the URL - this is the web address that will end .blogspot.com/name of the post. For example: 

https://mediamacguffingcseyear1.blogspot.com/2020/01/representation-introduction.html

Once you've got the hang of it, you should find the index only takes 10 minutes to produce. Here's a short video showing you how to create a blog index in Media:

Magazines: Heat CSP

Heat is our second magazine Close Study Product. We need to study the media language and representation of people and groups on the front cover of Heat 21-27 November 2020.

The key notes on Heat are here:

Terminology: low brow and high brow culture

High brow: Intellectual, cultured. Aimed at intelligent or educated people. E.g. University Challenge / The Times. 

Low brow: Lacking culture or intellectual content. Usually aimed at less educated people or seen as a 'guilty pleasure'. E.g. reality TV, celebrity magazines.

General

• From Bauer Media’s website about the brand of Heat: “Heat is the brand that sets popular culture alight and gets people talking. Now a huge multiplatform brand that's unrivalled in the entertainment market, heat is more than just a magazine- it's a radio station, a podcast, an app and has a huge online and social media presence.”
• From the Heat media pack: "In print – we bring readers a truly unique, quality experience. From clever A-list access shoots no other magazine could pull off to celeb news – heat has the celeb contacts to give readers the exclusive every time."
• The magazine also offers shopping and lifestyle tips: "Our all-inclusive approach promises style for everybody, no matter what shape or size, and our team test fashion and beauty products to make sure readers spend their hard-earned pennies wisely. And Life Hacks gives readers down-time inspo by curating the buzziest experiences in travel, food, fitness, wellbeing and homes."

Heat's target audience

• FEMALE/MALE: 90% / 10%
• AVG AGE: 37
• AGE PROFILE: 52% AGED 15/34 (14% 15-24, 37% 25-34)
• SEGMENT: 50% ABC1
• MARITAL STATUS: 57% MARRIED (or living with partner) / 43% single

Source: Heat Media Pack 2019

Media language

• Typography / Fonts:  Sans serif fonts to make the magazine feel modern, informal and offering the latest gossip. ‘Posh’ written in serif to make it feel ‘posh’.
• Cover lines: Indirect address favoured by celebrity gossip magazines emphasises the gossip feel. Questions to audience create inclusive, gossipy feel and words like ‘shock new pics’ and ‘Behind closed doors’.
• Name checks/star appeal: the cover is packed with celebrity gossip and the magazine sells itself on having the latest celebrity gossip. Note the stars are given first names only - Heat readers know these celebs already and want to hear the latest.
• Colour scheme: Pink, yellow and red. Bright colours to attract attention – important without a single central image. Gossip magazines tend to be busier and more packed with images to suggest issues that are bursting with different stories. 

Representations

• The people represented on the cover are mostly celebrities and well known actors, reality television stars and music artists. Why?
• Celebrities are presented as important and desirable – but some of the paparazzi photography is designed to make them look like ‘normal’ people.

Social and cultural contexts

The features in Heat focus on a few key areas:

• Relationships: normative and subversive as words are used such as ‘secretive’, ‘baby daddy’ and ‘heartache’. Focus is on relationship breakdowns. 
• Shopping: Christmas shopping suggestions on front cover. Heat magazine emphasises High Street shopping recommendations and affordable ways to get the latest looks.
• British TV and music: Most of the images and stories relate to reality TV stars and/or pop stars (or former pop stars). This is an example of intertextuality with Heat regularly references other media products (e.g. ‘I’m A Celeb Exclusive’).
  

Heat case study: blog tasks

Work through the following tasks and questions to build a detailed case study for Heat - 21-27 November 2020. This will give you plenty of background information to use in an exam question on magazines.

Introduction - Heat Media pack

1) Look at the Heat Media Pack. Go to page 2: the Heat mission. Write three things that Heat offers its readers under 'print'.

2) Now go to page 3 of the Media Pack - celebrity focus. What does the page say that Heat offers readers?

3) Now look at page 4 of the Heat Media Pack. What other content does Heat magazine offer its readers aside from celebrity news?

4) Look at page 5. What is Heat magazine's audience profile? Write all the key details of their audience here. 

Media language

1) How are the cover lines written to make the audience want to buy the magazine?

2) What are the connotations of the Heat colour scheme on this particular front cover?

3) How are images used to create interest in the magazine? Find three reasons for your answer. (E.g. paparazzi images or aspects of mise-en-scene such props, costume, make-up, body position, facial expression etc.)

4) What differences can you find between the use of design and typography between Tatler and Heat? List at least three differences and explain the effect on audiences.

Media Representations

1) What type of celebrities appear on the front cover of Heat? List them here. 

2) How are celebrities represented in Heat? (Positively? Negatively? Reinforcing or challenging stereotypes?)

3) How are women represented on the cover of Heat? Think about both images and cover lines here.

4) How do Heat and Tatler represent social class? What different social classes can you find in the features and celebrities on the cover? (E.g. middle/upper class / working class)

 

Grade 8/9 extension tasks

1) How does the front cover engage audiences with possible narratives? Look for stories, cliffhangers, dramatic cover lines etc.

2) What are paparazzi images and why are they crucial to the front cover of Heat? 

3) How does the front cover juxtapose text and images to create contrast and narrative on the front cover of Heat?

4) What do these two magazines suggest about representations of social class in the British media?

Complete for homework - due date on Google Classroom.