Analysis of a Star and Dyer`s Star Theory-Miss Miller (Updated)

Many artists who start out in the music industry at a young age going through drastic changes to adjust their image to a specific audience they want to appeal to as they start to grow up. Other artists that have been for a long period on the stage (Such as: Madona, Britney Spearse, etc. ) may feel the need to reinvent themselves in order to create a larger target audience (make their music more appealing for the mainstream.). The easiest way is by changing/mixing the genre to/with another one in order to create some news about themselves in the press.

By "reinventing" themselves, the artist can once again become a 'star'. Dyer believes that there are a number of methods with which  the artist can cause a  music stardom...they are: youthfulness, rebellion, sexual magnetism, creativity, anti-authoritarian attitude, originality, aggression, success against the odds, disregard for social values and conspicuous consumption of sex/drugs/material goods.
Dyer also states that stars are commodities rather than people. He believes stars are constructed through media areas such as magazines, films and advertisements and are produced and consumed based on the individual stars success.

In addition to this Dyer expresses how the star image is based upon the individual being ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer. An artist is as an ordinary person with an extraordinary talent which allows them to benefit from performing their talent. Also Dyer states how a star must be present and absent for the consumer. If an artist is absent due to a break in their career by releasing a new album it allows them to become present in the industry once again, therefore promoting the artist once again.

Within this post I will be discussing Miley Cyrus and how she conforms to both of these ideas.

Best of Both Worlds (2006)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVjRe8QXFHY

The Best of Both Worlds music video presents Miley Cyrus as the beginning of her career as she took upon the role of Hannah Montana. The music video demonstrates genre characteristics as Hannah Montana is seen performing a dance routine on stage with her backing dancers. The dance routine is typical of a teen pop star and therefore appeals to children and teenagers.

Throughout the music video a relationship between the lyrics and visuals is only present a small number of times. Hannah Montana is seen performing on stage and performs a dance move which suggests she is soon becoming a star. This directly links to the lyrics "but on stage you’re a star". During the on stage performance Hannah Montana is seen performing another dance move with her arms that links to the lyrics "mix it all together". This portrays her as the teen star she was trying to become as her dance moves related to her lyrics which was a typical characteristic of teen pop stars as it appealed to children and teenagers. A further relationship between the lyrics and visuals is apparent when the backing dancers perform dance moves such as the air guitar and fist pumps which links to the lyrics "rock out the show", which further highlights her teen pop star image. The image that Miley Cyrus has perceived at the start of her career follows the idea of Dyers theory stating that stars follow the common value of youthfulness which is apparent through the aspect of Miley being a young teenager. This therefore gives her the opportunity to build a fan base from scratch and be given an innocent representation from the audience.

Throughout the Best of Both Worlds music video the music directly links to the visuals of Hannah Montana and her backing dancers. They are seen performing dance moves to the exact beat of the music. This is a typical characteristic of a teen pop stars performance and appeals to the target audience as children are kept entertained by the dancing and can even learn the dance moves to be like Hannah Montana. The persona of Hannah Montana further follows Dyer's theory as she is portraying a talent which is the reason that she is gaining such a high level of fame at a young age.

There are various close ups of Hannah Montanas' face which presents her to the audience. At this point she was just starting out her career so the close ups allow the audience to become familiar with her as a person. In a number of the close ups the audience can see the expressions on her face. They are very cheesy and smiley which evokes how she is young, excited, and enjoying her performance. This also represents Hannah Montana as fun and childlike, which entices children to be her fans and listen to her music.

Consistently through the Best of Both Worlds music video there are no references to voyeuristic treatment of the female body. This is because Hannah Montana is a teen pop star with a target audience of young children/teenagers, therefore the music video produced must evoke innocence, also as Hannah Montana was a young teenager herself.

During the Best of Both Worlds music video the only intertextual reference is to the Hannah Montana television programme itself. This is because the music video is aimed at young children/teenagers so there is no need for advertising or branding. Also Hannah Montana is owned by Disney who minimise their advertising due to their young audience. The aspect of Miley Cyrus becoming the persona of Hannah Montana follows Dyers star theory. This is because the theorist states that stars are commodities and are constructed through media which is evident with Hannah Montana. Miley Cyrus gains fame from the public due to the media exposure as her alter ego Hannah Montana.

The music video is primarily performance based, which is evident due to the fact the music video is of one of her on stage performances. This is because of it being the beginning of her career and a performance based music video is more likely to appeal and attract the young audience members as they would find it exciting and enticing.

The music video follows the generic conventions of a pop music video as Hannah Montana is seen performing on stage. Throughout the duration of her performance she is seen dancing a full routine with her backing dancers, which is a typical convention of a pop artist. The dance routines attracts their target audience and allows them to build a relationship with Hannah Montana which was a market tool of Disney as Hannah Montana was only just being exposed to the public.

As Hannah Montanas’ career was just beginning the public had no perception of her. This music video allows her image to be seen as innocent, young and 'living the dream'. It allows the young audience to idolise her and aspire to be famous just like her. The image of her portrayed in this video allows parents to feel comfortable to allow their children to watch/listen to her songs. The messages and values evident throughout the whole music video is the idea of innocence and child fame, which many children aspire to have. This further relates back to the idea of youthfulness in Dyer's star theory.

Can't Be Tamed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjSG6z_13-Q

 Soon after becoming Hannah Montana,Miley Cyrus started branching off of her image to reveal her own persona. She started releasing music under her own name, creating a new image of herself that is completely diverse to that of Hannah Montana. She released the music video for her song ‘Can’t Be Tamed’ which portray her as her own individual persona to the public.

The ‘Can’t Be Tamed’ music video demonstrates genre characteristics of a Pop song. Throughout the video Miley Cyrus is seen performing a dance routine with backing dancers and by herself. This is a typical element of a pop video as it evokes an element of performance into the music video which entertains the audience watching. The performance element is also heightened by the camera shots which present Miley Cyrus singing into the camera. This presents the audience with the fact she has a huge singing talent and is an all round performer. A further genre characteristic of the music video is the over the top costumes. Miley Cyrus herself and her backing dancers are seen wearing costumes which resemble a bird. This also adds to the performance element of the music video, and could be significant of Mileys’ attempt to branch away from her Hannah Montana persona so she has more of a ‘typical teenager’ image. Due to the substantial level of performance throughout Miley Cyrus's 'Can't Be Tamed' music video it illustrates to the audience her talent which follows the idea of Dyer's star theory.

A relationship between the lyrics and visuals is evident consistently in the music video. When the lyrics ‘I Can Get A Bit Crazy’ are heard by the audience the visuals are of Miley performing an action which is suggestive of her ‘being crazy’. This link allows the audience to understand the image and persona Miley is trying to present to her fans. The lyrics ‘I Can’t Be Tamed’ which is the title of the song, link with the fact Miley is wearing a crazy, bird like costume. This link between the visuals and lyrics signify that nobody can change who she really is. This could be a clear message she wants to send her fans, further deviating away from her innocent, child like persona. The costumes follow the idea of originality from Dyer's star theory and allow Miley's music video to be extremely appealing to the audience as it is unique within itself. In addition to this the idea that Miley is trying to change how she is perceived evokes the idea that she is rebelling to gain a complete reverse representation which further supports the idea of Dyer's star theory.

A relationship between the music and visuals is also present through the duration of the music video. The tempo of the music increases during the chorus, and the dance routine is seen on screen. At this point the visuals speed up as the transitions between shots become fast. This can be noteworthy of her fierceness and the idea that nobody can change her and therefore she ‘can’t be tamed’. Further relating to the idea of her rebelling against the representation she already has. Also in relation to the dance routine, various dance moves performed by either Miley herself or her backing dancers are directly in time with the beats in the music. This allows the performance to flow and therefore become more entertaining to the viewers. Towards the end of the music video the camera shots change in time with the music. The camera shots at this point are dark, and she is surrounded by people in costumes also. These shots reveal Miley as almost aggressive as the different shots are powerful, further revealing a dark side to her personality.

During the performance factor in the music video, close ups of Mileys’ face are employed when she is in her bird like costume which presents her performing and singing towards the camera. This adds a personal factor to the music video as the audience can build a relationship with her. Close ups of Mileys’ face are also present when she is lying on the peacock feathers. This shows her without the fierce make up on looking more natural and almost innocent. This almost represents another side to her as she has gone from a black bird, representing fierceness to a peacock, representing innocence and calmness.

As Miley has only just begun deviating from her innocent representation, voyeuristic treatment of the female body is barely evident in the music video. It is only slightly presented through an ariel shot employed when she is laying on the peacock feathers. The dress she is wearing is skimpy and reveals her cleavage, showing how she is becoming a woman and further edging away from the innocent Hannah Montana image she is most known for. This aspect therefore supports the concept of Dyer's star theory where he believes that stars adopt the common value of sexual magnetism which Miley is evidently beginning to take on. This allows her representation to be fully reversed therefore allowing her to appeal to a different audience.

Throughout the music video no intertextual reference is evident. This therefore shows how the music video was created for a purpose of changing fans perceptions of Miley as a person. The music video is primarily performance based which is evident through the dance routines throughout the video with Miley and her backing dancers. This presents Miley as an all round talented performing, dancing and singing towards the camera. This is also because the music video has no prominent storyline to it.

The Cant Be Tamed music video follows generic conventions of a pop video. This is evident through the various dance routines that are present consistently in the music video. This adds an extra element of entertainment as the video is performance based which will encourage fans to continue watching the music video more than once. The Cant Be Tamed music video allows Mileys’ image to slightly alter from her representation as innocent and child like being Hannah Montana. The music video allows her to deviate from the representation audiences already have of her and presents her as the real, teenager she is. The target audience for her Cant Be Tamed music video is teenagers. This could be already fans of Hannah Montana who would be able to form a relationship with Miley Cyrus herself and begin to grow up themselves alongside her. The message present throughout the music video is the idea that nobody can change who she is. Therefore it allows her to influence and provide children with the idea that they should be who they want.

Wrecking Ball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8

 The Wrecking Ball song is of the pop genre. However the music video does not demonstrate many genre characteristics. This therefore shows how Miley is trying to create a new image for herself by breaking typical conventions. However there is a performance element evident throughout the music video as Miley is seen singing towards the camera with passion.

A relationship between lyrics and visuals is evident through the Wrecking Ball music video. The lyrics ‘Don’t you ever say I just walked away, I will always want you’ are directly linked to the extreme close up camera shot of her face. This shot presents to the audience that she is crying and shows that the lyrics and song have meaning, which could be significant to the relationship she is currently in. An ariel shot and a long shot are included of the wrecking ball smashing down the walls. This is in direct relation to the lyrics ‘all I wanted was to break your walls’; this could further be significant of the relationship she was in. The element of the wrecking ball smashing could relate to the aspect of aggression in Dyer's star theory. This aggression may have stemed from the relationship Miley was in and therefore she portrays that through her music to allow the audience to build a stronger relationship with her. A medium, long shot is then employed of Miley swinging on the ball linking with the lyrics ‘I came in like a wrecking ball’. This relation could be representative of Miley causing some sort of damage to her relationship, that of which a wrecking ball could. Another relationship between the lyrics and visuals is evident when Miley is seen with a hammer hitting the walls, as the audience are presented with the lyrics ‘I never hit so hard in love’. This could be significant of the effort Miley believed she gave to her relationship.

A relationship between the music and visuals is also present in the Wrecking Ball music video. The music is at a continuous, soft and slow pace as the song begins, and Miley is seen singing into the camera, this shows how everything is calm and normal. Camera shots then present Miley sitting, standing and walking whilst holding a hammer, which could signify that chaos may happen, representing the calm before the storm. Once the chorus come in the music becomes more powerful with the drums being used. The audience then see’s Miley lift the hammer above her head, portraying how she may use it. She is then seen walking, dragging the hammer against the wall. Further presenting this. The idea that Miley is holding a hammer signifies how she is rebelling against herself and maybe her ex partner which is an element of Dyer's star theory. The wrecking all then appears breaking down the walls and the rubble is seen surrounding her, illustrating that drama and havoc has occurred which continues throughout the song. The fast pace, powerful music is present when the damage is being made, whereas the slow pace, soft music is before and after it has happened. This could be significant of Mileys’ relationship starting, then hitting a rough patch, then slowly coming to an end.

There are a number of extreme close ups of Miley singing into the camera with a white background. This is so the attention is all on her and the audience pays attention to the lyrics as they are meaningful. Some close ups are present where she is seen holding a hammer. It is employed to present to the audience her new image i.e.; she now has short blonde hair, the signature red lip and the use of the hammer which shows how she has changed to a completely different person. A significant shot throughout the music video is a sequence of close up shots which slowly reveal Miley ‘licking’ a hammer. This could be viewed as extremely inappropriate and sexualized, as it could be significant for something not suitable for younger fans to view. This relates to the aspects in Dyer's star theory where he states that stars will have common values of sexual magnetism and also have a disregard for social values such as drugs and sex. This therefore allows Mileys representation to be completely changed and therefore attracts a new, older audience to her and her music.

Throughout the duration of the Wrecking Ball music video, there is frequent reference to voyeuristic treatment of the female body. A long shot of Miley walking with the hammer shows she is in knickers and a skimpy top that shows she is not wearing a bra. This shot helps to reveal her new transformation as she has worked on her body, and also the idea that she has become more sexualized. There are then various medium shots of Miley swinging on the wrecking ball in this outfit, which further presents her as sexualized. Then a medium shot is presented of her singing into the camera in front of a white background which shows she is not wearing any clothes. This is then continued as another medium shot is employed which shows Miley naked performing ‘sexy’ movements on the wrecking ball, presenting the audience with an intricate insight into her figure. This would immediately change the public’s perception of her as she is usually seen as innocent and child friendly. This shot is then further followed by another several shots of her swinging naked on the wrecking ball. A zooming out shot is then included which begins as a medium shot presenting her face and breasts (as she is still naked) and then slowly reveals her whole body naked on the ball. This presents her complete transformation to become a more sexualized individual which caused complete controversy to the general public. Miley Cyrus' new transformation follows a number of values in Dyer's star theory. Miley rebelled against her old representation and therefore became a sexual figure which in result became a success against odds. If an artist tried to branch out to the extreme like Miley Cyrus in the past years they would have been slaughtered for it and therefore would have lost their fan base. However, the sexualized transformation has somehow worked in Miley Cyrus' favour bringing her an array of media attention and in turn increasing her fan base.

The only intertextual reference throughout the whole music video is branding of the Dr Marten Boots she is seen wearing. The use of this footwear will encourage her fans to buy the exact product increasing their chances of being just like her.

Miley Cyrus is seen singing to the camera various times throughout the music video with shows the performance side to the video. However the concept of love is present throughout as the passion she has for the song is evident and is presented through the use of the setting, props and her facial expressions. For example a wrecking ball is used to demolish the walls and she is seen crying in a close up, which signifies her relationship she is currently in.

The Wrecking Ball music video breaks the typical pop music video conventions. Miley is seen as being extremely sexualized and is dressed provocatively which is inappropriate for a typical audience of pop music. However Miley still puts on a performance through her music video by singing towards the camera, which allows viewers to build a relationship with her and understand the meaning behind the song.

In this music video, Dyer's star theory applies as there are two paradoxes. The first paradox is that the star must be ordinary and extraordinary (this links to Miley in the Can`t be tamed music video as she gains fame from Hannah Montana, however sings a song that is relatable to her older immage). The second paradox is that the star must be present and absent for the consumer in order to make him want to feel tension and research more about the artist (this paradox relates to Miley in the years 2012-2014 when she wasn't in the press and then suddenly came back with songs such as We Can't Stop and Wrecking Ball which gained both positive and negative publicity).

The Wrecking Ball music video completely changed the public’s perception of Miley. In the music video she is presented as extremely sexualized wearing very minimal clothing and performing provocative moves. This therefore presents how she has changed from the innocent Hannah Montana persona she is known for, therefore meaning that she is no longer ideal for younger audiences. The target audience for the music video is older teenagers, young adults. This is due to the explicit images presented throughout the duration of the music video. The message and values present are only that of Miley trying to change the public’s perception of her as she tries to deviate from her typical innocent image.

Furthermore, Miley is identified as a product throughout the three videos. As Hannah Montana, she was part of a Disney show, meaning she couldn't be herself. However, within We Can't Stop we see a growing star in front of us as she does not fully complete the profile for a 13 or less year old singer. Cleverly, she is following her original target audience which grows with her, rather than stay with every new 13 year old that has started to watch Hannah Montana. Finally we see her complete change, confusing the audience and causing us to ask if she is fitting to the social standards and overdoing with the rebelling against authority. I should also note that since that music video, Miley Cyrus has vanished in the ground as we do not hear anything off her in the news. This  should show us that she follows Dyer`s theory as she is both missing and with us. 

To conclude, I believe that Miley has reinvented herself mainly to rebel against her Hannah Montana days as all of her earlier merchandise and dvd`s are still on sale till today. Ideas that are given by Dyer can be seen in the music videos. For example, she has litterally growing up herself and is making her new, independant way in life, even if it is slightly extreme. This can be seen through examples I have listed from her videos and the ideas within Dyer's theory as she shows "star" qualities such as: sexual magnetism, anti authoritarian attitude, aggression/anger, disregard for social values (drugs/sex/good behaviour) and conspicuous consumption of sex/drugs/material goods.

I believe that the research that I carried out will help me in deciding the appropriate artist as I would want to follow Dyer's two paradoxes within my chosen performer. It is important to identify and maintain a target audience as they are the people purchasing your products. However it is also good to experiment in some areas slightly less extreme as I do not wish for my performer to be the same as what Miley is known known as.