Media producers use a number of different language techniques to make music videos and their accompanying website unique to their persona and brand identity.
One language technique used frequently is intertextuality. Both in videos and websites media producers pay homage to other media texts for a number of reasons. The references are made to influence the audience and add layers of depth to a text. Although, these references can only be noticed if the audience has a certain level of cultural capital or knowledge.
From my own research, i have found that in music videos, these intertextual references can be very effective in bringing a sense of nostalgia to the viewer and bringing in that 'retro' feel that older audiences will gratify from as well as the younger demographic.
Here are the examples of intertextuality i found from my previous generic research:
A reference to old Microsoft PC software as the layout for an artist website.
Reference to 80s movies through use of camera shots.
Referencing other iconic music videos - lyrics to visuals using flash cards.
Link to Andrew Goodwins theory.
Another language technique that communicated meaning was the mise en scene of the music videos and of the photos used on band wesbites. From research, there is typically more than one location used in the video to change the scenery and create a theme. The different shots used of different locales was presented in a way that matched the beat of the song - a typical convention for a music video. This links to Goodwins theory as he said that 'seeing the sound' through beats of the song allows the video to flow.
The mise en scene was also pulled together through the costume and prop use. The costumes varied according to the artists star persona and the theme they were representing throughout the video. It was sometimes used to also put a message across to audiences, such as graphic tees with text on it to make the video memorable and to highlight certain aspects.
How costumes created the bands brand identity as one that is quite vintage and retro.
How mise en scene of photo location gave a 'fun' and modern feel in contrast to their style.
How do media producers use digital convergence to link their products?
There are a number of ways digital convergence is used but for artists it is primarily through their website as a way to distribute their content from other media platforms. From research, I found an artist that creates podcasts weekly that can be accessed through apple music or spotify. This is also another commercial imperative on top of merchandise and music buys as the streams from the podcast will create revenue. It may also enable to artist to gain new fans and gives them a way to promote their actual music.
Digital convergence is also shown through the use of the promotion of other social media accounts. For artists, they are linked in the Youtube description of their music videos and are also linked on their websites through icons which are easily recognisable by the demographic. This promotes an active audience (as suggested by Jenkins) who are able to respond to texts through the use of commenting and sharing on social media.
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