Star Analysis

Star Analysis: Take Oasis:

Oasis evolved originally from an earlier band called The Rain, in Manchester and formed in 1991. The band included Paul McGuigan (bass guitar), Paul Bonehead Arthurs (guitar), Tony McCarroll (drums) and Chris Hutton (Vocals). Unsatisfied by Hutton, Arthurs auditioned Liam Gallagher as a replacement. Liam then suggested that that the band should change their name to Oasis. The change was inspired by an Inspiral Carpets tour poster that was in Noel’s room. One of the locations/venues that were listed was the Oasis Leisure centre in Swindon. Oasis played there first gig at the Boardwalk club in Manchester on the 18^th August 1991. When Noel Gallagher approached the band, about joining, he would also become the bands sole songwriter and leader. The bands big break came when they were spotted by Creation Co-Owner Alan McGee. Oases were also invited to play in a club in Scotland and 4 days later McGee signed the band to Creation. The first album, Oasis released was Definitely Maybe in 1994, and their first single was Supersonic.

Fashion/Visual Look:

How can you describe it? I would say that the bands visual/fashion look is business casual as seen in this picture. This picture also references or compares the band, The Beatles as they are seen wearing glasses or the type of clothing that band members of the band, The Beatles loose to play like John Lennon or Ringo Star etc.

Genre:

How do they conform to it?

The music which is employed in Oasis’s music is that of the alternative rock, Britpop and rock genre. In a way Oasis don’t conform to the rock genre as they don’t have much emphasis on the electric guitar. They also conform to the rock genre as they have 4 or 5 members within the band and the band members are usually able to exchange roles within the group which is seen in the music video of “Don’t Look Back In Anger” which shows Liam Gallagher not performing as the lead vocalist of the band as he would in other videos, this is shown in the video of the song when we see Noel Gallagher performing as the main guitarist and lead vocals while Liam uses the tambourine in the background. Oasis also conform to the rock genre is that they have white predominated band 

For instance in Stop Crying Your Heart Out music video the video depicts the rejection of ideals of commercialism within the mainstream culture, this was depicted in the video when we see blank bill boards at the start of the video. In another sense, Oasis have conformed to the genre of alternative rock by not signing for major record companies but signing with independent record labels such as when Oasis signed for Creation Records. For themes within the alternative rock genre I would say that they do conform as their videos connote themes about social concern, drug use, depression etc but in the themes chosen to be depicted within their videos usually depict other themes which don’t have much relevance to the genre. Within their lyrics they speak about the social and economic strains within the UK and US.

In my opinion I would say that they conform to the Britpop genre of music as they usually have Liam singing in a regional British accent, which included references to British places and culture in lyrics, image and fashion consciousness. They also conform in the way of Britpop that they communicate not about their own lives but about social concerns concerning the younger British, white class generation. The imagery associated with that of Britpop is equally British and working class. Another way that the band has conformed to the music genre of Britpop is that in their video’s they communicate messages of nationalism and pride which is done through the Union Flag which may also be a reference to the music band, The Beatles. The band also conforms to the British pop genre as they are seen wearing casual clothing to connect to working class people and the video also concentrates around the image of the band but mainly the narrative of the song an example of this is their music video “Stop Crying Your Heart Out”, showing the band performing in an old fashioned environment but also making the video relate to the narrative of the modern day capitalist society.    

What are the themes and conventions of music videos in the genre you have chosen?

The conventions of the music genre of alternative rock, for camerawork include, close ups of the band, long shots of the whole band and there is also focus on instruments. The conventions of alternative rock within editing include cuts between performance and narrative and the edits also relate to the beats, there is also a large amount of shots within the video. For mise-en scene I would say there is also use of low key lighting and the band are also seen wearing casual clothing, which are usually dark. Even those there is a connection between the lyrics, you can still link them to metaphorical links. In the video there are usually, cuts on the beats of the song. The conventions also include close ups of the band or the singer and the videos also seem to be depicted as a movie e.g. “Stop Crying Your Heart Out”. There is also the notion of looking in the video which is shown when we see Noel in the song “Stand by Me” looking at what other people are doing but is depicted in different ways through camerawork.

Conventions of the rock genre is that they intend to be narrative and performance based. The narrative also tends to show romanticism between the lead singer and girl or action based on some form of affair. The video usually contains the band singing to an audience of which they are performing to or singing in a setting by themselves and the camera. The video usually contains a logo of the band which the audience are able to identify. Mise en scene is also a key factor within the videos as there are locations, props etc which need to be considered.

The genre of Britpop contains conventions such as the genre includes an old fashioned English way of life, such as the pubs excessive drinking and street culture. It is also considered to have drinking, pubs and a care free way of life. There are also camera shots associated with the music genre of Britpop include close ups, mid shots, over the shoulder shots and begin with establishing/long shots. The videos also contain doesn’t focus upon band shots but shot which evolve around the narrative and band or are told through mise-en-scene and the band is usually seen in their videos wearing normal clothes.

The themes used in the alternative, rock genre include social concerns, concerning drug use, depression, and environmentalism. The themes of the rock music genre include themes such as romantic love; which includes sex, rebellion against the establishment, social concerns and life styles. The themes included in the music videos of the Britpop genre generally include nationalism etc.  

Media Representation:

         

Here is the artwork of the band Oasis, includes artwork about Oasis’ world tour, called “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down” is about British rock band, Oasis, Don’t Believe the Truth” which took place from May 2005 to March 2006. The film was directed by Baillie Walsh and went platinum in the UK. The TV premiere of the film took place in the UK on channel 4on 19^th November at 11:50pm although it contained 4o minutes cut from the original film of 90 minutes. The film was also used to accompany the bands album, “Stop the Clocks”, which was released on 20^th November 2006. It was also included in the “Let there be love” DVD single unveiled in November 2005. It also contains Oasis’ song Let there be love which was written by Noel Gallagher and was recorded during the “Don’t Believe the Truth” sessions. The film also features the Italian, Juventus football player Alessandro Del Piero.

Motifs:

Are there any recurring themes?

 In the music videos of the band Oasis the video contains recurring themes such as romantic love, sex, rebellion against the establishment, social concerns and lifestyles. The dog label is the logo of Oasis, contains a beagle which connotes English history and nationalism, whereas the hat on the dog signifies leadership, rebellious and masculinity.

  

On the front cover of the magazine, Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher are shown on the front cover of the magazine. On the magazine cover of Q magazine, we see bold letters saying “exclusive 18 months inside the biggest band in the world” stating that it is giving viewers the chance to be able to connect or relate with the band. On the cover of the magazine Oasis is portrayed as a dominating and successful band through text on the magazine stating the name Oasis in bold letters and stating they have sold 150 albums. The target audience of Q magazine is aimed at male as it only contains Gallagher brother on the cover. As for the layout of the magazine I would say it’s targeted at middle aged teenagers to mid 30s working class people. On the magazine they are seen as a band that is trying to relate to working class people, which is signified through their casual clothing and represented as a band that is passionate, thrilling etc which is shown through Liam’s body language.

On the magazine cover of the famous magazine of NME, is seen on the front cover of the magazine with the title of “British Heavyweight Championship” and also includes a picture of Blur front man, Damon Albarm and in the other picture, Oasis lead vocalist Noel Gallagher with words stating “Blur vs. Oasis” which, connotes the rivalry between the bands, which was dubbed “The Battle of Britpop” which bought Britpop to the attention of the British media of 1995 and on the cover include Oasis, single “Roll With It” and Blurs “Country House” on the same day of 12^th August. The battle pitted the bands against each other with the conflict about class, and regional division as it was about music. Even those the rivalry was immense between the two bands, Oasis lost out to Blur with Blur selling 274, 000 copies to Oasis’ 216,000 copies. Even those Blur won the battle between the bands; Oasis would go on to become more commercially success then Blur. They were able to achieve success in the US, because of their, tracks “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova.” Oasis’s 2^nd album of (What’s the story) Morning Glory? (1995), selling over 4 million copies in the UK, becoming the 3^rd best selling album in British history. I would say that the target audience of NME magazine is 16 year olds to mid or late 20s. I would say the target audience of NME magazine is 17 year olds-late 20s working class people. White and red has also been used to connote innocence, passion, desirable and determination.     

Mojo has a wide range of audiences. The main audience is aimed from the magazine which is mainstream of the ages of 15-24. The viewers can also tell who the audience is from the images displayed on the front cover of the magazine. Such as the image of the band can appeal to mainstream music, as both these audiences are both interested in the band. I would also say that the band is also aimed at working class people. The overall representation of MOJO magazine is passionate and joy which is connoted through the red. The colour of the band name Oasis is in white and so is the font of MOJO which connotes perfection and coolness. Whereas the black background is used to connote how powerful the band has become over the years and mystery and authority. The man at the bottom left hand corner shows a man lifting a weight with white, blue and red colours which connotes the nationalism of British pop. In the magazine covers Oasis is seen wearing casual clothing but we also see Liam wearing glasses which obviously is a link to The Beatles which

Symbolism:

Do they make use of cultural symbols?

In Oasis’s video of their song “Don’t look back in anger” there is a Union Flag is used in the video to connote nationalism etc. The burning hot iron of causing great destruction symbolizes the frustration and potential danger in educated but unemployed under class. The mansion in the song “don’t look back in anger” symbolizes accomplishment, wealth and achievement.  The grave dugged in the music video “Live Forever” symbolises rebirth, separation etc.  The women in the video are also used to suggest voyeuristic treatment of women as desirable products.

Performance:

What do they usually do in their videos?

In oasis’ music videos they are usually seen playing their instrument with one another or by themselves. In a music video such as don’t look back in anger the band are seen arriving at a mansion where there are lots of girls who walk out to theme. Whereas in a video such as Stop Crying Your Heart Out the band are not seen as part of the narrative of the music video but seem more connected to the video through the lyrics of the song but when they are performing they are rejecting the norms of the rock music genre and conforming to the needs of alternative rock or other genres such as Britpop and New Wave music etc, this is why they are shown performing on platforms in the video. Compared to the Live Forever music video the band are at the centre of the narrative where they are seen digging a grave for their drummer and then a person arising from the grave which symbolizes the rebirth and re guvenation of the band.

These pictures are from Oasis' music videos of "Wonderwall", "Do You Know What I Mean", "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" and "Live Forever". What I found from these images from the music videos and other Oasis music videos is that Oasis tend to have performanced based videos on its own or performanced based narrative videos where they are seen playing towards the characters within the narrative. The main concept of music videos, I find most effective is music videos of music videos consisting of a narrative and music base videos as they give the audience a sense of the type of music genre being portrayed through the music and narrative. I also found that Oasis' narrative and music based videos tend to interrogate or even question the social concerns and lifestyles of human civilization. (In a way the concepts portrayed are connected to modernism, postmodernism and Marxism.)  

Target Audience:

Who is their target audience?

In my opinion I would say that the target audience of the band Oasis is teenagers of the age of 15 to late 30s or 40s working class people that are young white, males.

How does the image of the star appeal to them?

The image of the star appeals to the band of Oasis as they are seen wearing sunglasses, which are used as a reference to the band, The Beatles. The band is also as a band that wants to appeal to the working class people such as when we seethe band in a video or some other media form of some kind they are always seen wearing casual clothing. The music industry has also tried to construct the band as artists that are seen as real through their star image of body language, dress code etc. In their videos they also want to be perceived as a band that is original and unique. The ideology and culture presented by the band, Oasis is. The character and personality of the band seems to be childish, negative, rebellious and professional as there is always a feud between the Gallagher brothers.

In a way they aren’t conforming to the image of a star, through looks, such as the band have typical English look. The ideology and culture of a band like Oasis is that they don’t conform to the conventional norms of the rock genre but they see themselves as original and rejecting the commercialist lifestyle.  

Who has inspired the band, Oasis?

The band Oasis has been influenced by bands such as the Beatles, which was cited as an English obsession. They have also been inspired by other bands such as the Stone Roses, Slade, The Smiths and T-Rex as inspirations or influence. 

Who has Oasis inspired?

The band has also inspired other music bands such as the Killers, Arctic Monkey, Coldplay, Maroon 5, Kasabian, The Coral and many other bands such as Little by Little a Japanese band inspired by the song of the same name by Oasis.






How does the band, Oasis construct their representation?
The band Oasis have constructed their representation as a reference to the band,The Beatles which is shown through their fashionable casual clothing of denim jeans, blue jeans and a t-shirt. The band are also represented as similar to the Beatles through the glasses that the Gallagher brothers wear, such as the thin tea-shade glasses worn by the Gallagher brothers which is shown through Oasis' music video of "Don't Look Back in Anger", these glasses are references to the Beatles band member John Lennon. The image of the band is also shown as similar to that of the Beatles through their mop top haircuts which were made popular in the 60's by the Beatles, this hairstyle has been used to represent the image of Oasis as challenging the mainstream or conventional norms of certain music genre such as Britpop, Alternative rock etc, they are also seen as rebellious through their hairstyle as the hairstyle became to connote rebellion and defiance. Considering the representation of Oasis I would say that the band is passionate, anti-commercialist, anti-mainstream, iconoclastic and trying to relate to people of middle class, working class through social concerns and lifestyles.  

Here is a video of the song, Live Forever by the band, Oasis:

 

I chose to put this video on my blog because I thought it was an inciteful video which centered around the themes of immortality/mortality, fate, death and has key references to the Beatles and symbolisim is used, in the video such as the flowers, the grave or the shovels etc.