Audience Profile Investigation: Black Veil Brides

Assumptions of Black Veil Bride Fans:

- Girls are obsessed with Andy
- The need to follow an emo style 
- Very defensive about BVB 
- Age range 13-20
- Music interests: Rock, Metal, Emo, Screamo 
- Negative reputation 

To find out whether these are true I have created a survey which will determine and hopefully challenge these assumptions

 

Previous: Band Factfile Next: Results

Audience Profile: Stereotypes - Rock Music

"Rock music fans"
When you type that into Google images you get pictures like this...

What is stereotypical of Rock Music?

The stereotypical features of rock music tend to be sex, drugs, violence and rebellion. This isn't necessarily true for all fans, but of course stereotyped tend to be untrustworthy.  

Fashion

[A little bit of history: Taken from Wiki]

Rock music and fashion have been inextricably linked. In the mid-1960s of the UK, rivalry arose between "Mods" (who favoured 'modern' Italian-led fashion) and "Rockers" (who wore motorcycle leathers), each style had their own favoured musical acts. (The controversy would form the backdrop for The Who's rock opera Quadrophenia). In the 1960s, The Beatles brought mop-top haircuts, collarless blazers, and Beatle Boots into fashion... 

Rock music is a very broad genre and over the years different styles have been created such as Mod and Rockers. When the sex pistols were around Punk was created and now our style is once again influenced by current bands. The current rock look consists mainly of black and dark colours. One very obvious trend which branched from rock is the emo style. Emo's have been recognised for their love of black, skulls and death. Bands like My Chemical Romance, Black Veil Brides and Fearless Vampire Killers have been branded as emo.

A generalisation of the common rock music lover still follows the trend of black clothing, leather jackets, their favourite band on their shirt and dark makeup.

Activities
If we follow the stereotype given about rebellion, then we can assume the target audience of this genre like to cause trouble and be different from society. Stereotypical leisure activities (some more true than others) such as going to a lot of gigs, staying up all night, smoking, drugs and devoting their life to music. That irrating saying "Music is my life" crops up a lot with any hardcore music fan.

Background
Rock and roll has influenced daily life, fashion, attitudes and language in a way few other social developments have equalled. As the original generations of rock and roll fans matured, the music became an accepted and deeply interwoven thread in popular culture. Throughtout it's industry drugs have always been there.

Video Analysis: Mr Right by A Rocket to The Moon

Band Name: A Rocket to the Moon
Song Name: Mr Right
Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock, Indie Rock, Pop Punk

Narrative:
Two girls have two different boyfriends and one is symbolised in red and the other in blue. The one in blue has less money, but they have more fun, suggesting he is "Mr Right", whereas the one in red has all the money, but she doesn't really love him. The boyfriend in red tries to buy her affection, but fails, because she is ungrateful. 

What is the relationship between lyric and visuals? 
The lyrics of the song follow the narrative of the video easily and they complement each other. The lyrics talk about a "Mr Right". The video shows a contrasting between two different boyfriends and is described almost straight away... 

"My girlfriend's got a boyfriend, funny

He doesn't make a dime all day

And all her girlfriends' boyfriends make money

What more can I say?"

These lyrics are represented in a split screen. Red on the left and Blue on the right. This emphasises the contrasts between them and also focus's on the girlfriends reaction. By the way the girlfriends are portrayed we can already assume, the one in red has more money and nicer things, then the girl on the right who, in comparison is seen as plain. The girl on the left is identified as red because of her red lipstick and red clothing, whereas the girl on the right has a distinctive blue streak in her hair.  

However, as the music video progresses the girlfriend in red is seen as ungrateful and isn't really bothered by what her boyfriend does. Whereas it is clearly obvious that the blue girlfriend, does care about her boyfriend and they are having fun. 

There are many examples in the music video, but the biggest contrast is the gifts given and the reaction on the girlfriends birthday. The one in Red gets expensive presents and a big cake, whereas the one in Blue gets a small cupcake with one candle and she appreciates it more, than the other girl.

There is one contradiction with the lyrics, is that the song tends to complain about the boyfriend, when they are shown innocent in the video. It's the one girlfriend in Red who is the horrible one and isn't 'Miss Right'.

Nearing the end of the video the two girls meet and it is noticed that they know each other. The individuals behaviour emphasises their situation. As they pass Red gives a sneer and also looks jealous of Blue's happiness in the relationship. The mise en scene of the boyfriends also follows the colour trend and a similar facial expression as their girlfriends. 

The ending shots showing them both enjoying the same band (A Rocket to the Moon). The Red couple sit together, he tries to cuddle her and touches her leg, but she smiles and goes on her phone. He looks away showing his disappointment. Where as the Blue couple are together in a two-shot and she is showing affection by putting her head on his shoulder. They both smile showing they are happy. Contrasting with the Red Couple, who are distance and are mostly shown in close ups, suggesting they aren't as close as the others are. 

What is the relationship between music and visuals?

The transitions between cuts follow the beat especially at the beginning of the video. The band are shown near the beginning as the main emphasis is on their instruments. The pace and the music follow each other. The cuts at the beginning are soft and suit the distinguished beat, once the vocals kicks in the transitions aren't as fast, but they are still frequent as their is constant switching from split screen to full screen.

Are there close-ups of the artist and star image motifs?

The band feature a lot in the music video and are shown in between the narrative and at the end as the band performing merges with the narrative. To my knowledge I can't think of any bands which have this similar narrative. However, mixing footage of the band performing and a narrative to go along with the music video is commonly done. This allows the band to be identified as well as the ability to make a impact with a story to follow.  

Are there any references?
The artist nor the actors are put on any sexual way as you would expect in typical rap videos. There are references to looking, but only windows. There isn't any intertextual references which relate it to a TV Progamme or film aspect.   

Overall, the music video complements the lyrics of the song, with only a small contradiction. The ratio of the narrative and band performance is similar to other music videos. 

G324: Audience Profile Research Task EVANESCENE

3)

Name: Evanescence  
Genre: Rock

Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody.


FASHION/STYLE: 
Evanescence has been described as a gothic band, by the way they dress. Their style of music varies on  from rock and different sub-genres of metal. Within some songs there are classical aspects performed by Amy Lee, which allows her to embrace her piano talent. Their clothes are dark and have been consistent throughout the years. When considering rock music the fashion sense of the band clearly reflects their songs.

PERFORMANCE:
Concerts held by Evanescence tend to be on a big scale since they are globally known. There stage presence is phenormal and use affective lighting. Amy Lee would also have a piano on stage so she can play a classical introduction.

ALBUM COVERS:

[Earliest to Latest]

The first two show the lead singer as she is very beautiful, but the rest of the band aren't visible. The font is the same and the colouring is bronze which makes it look rustic. However in on the new album there is more evidence of colour, which could also represent their small change in music as they hadn't released a new album in several years.


ADVERTISEMENT:
Once again, it is a conventional poster advertising the band. There is still the essence of darkness and use a select number of colours. It also has the details in a similar colour scheme.

G324: Audience Profile Research Task PARAMORE

Then 

2) 
Name: Paramore
Genre: Rock - (Sub-genres: Emo, pop punk)


Now

Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York. Past members of the band are Zac and Josh Farro who left due to disagreements and wanting a different route to take. In a interview they stated that they are Christians and believe in God. 


FASHION/STYLE:
From the bands formation in 2005, their style has changed along with their change in music. In 2005, they follow the traditional style of emo with skinny jeans and checkered shirts. In contrast, their style currently has turned hipster and this is also reflected with their music taking a more 'poppy' outlook.

FANS: 
Some fans are disappointed with their change in music, but sometimes bands just have to. Paramore became huge in 2007 with "Misery Business" and got a bigger boost with their song "Decode", being associated with Twilight when it was released. Some older fans who were there from the beginning, no longer like Paramore, because of transition, but a they have created a 'new breed' of fans who follow them.   

Music Videos 

[Note: Change in fashion and music style]

Albums [Earliest to Lastest]

The style of the albums are all unique and all follow different ideas, from the simplistic "Riot" cover to the identity influenced self titled album "Paramore". Unlike Black Veil Brides, they don't follow a certain colour theme or look, it varies.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Advertisements of Paramore reil heavily on the band being in the poster, so the audience can identify them. The earlier poster as my example directly addresses the reader, "Your favorite band is back... " Unlike the later one, the first poster puts a lot of infortmation with details and repeats the albums logo of the butterfly.

The Monster poster only has two words "Paramore - Monster", referring to the single they have released. It is darker, setting the tone for the single and unlike the previous one you can only see their shadows which gives a sense of mystery.



G324: Audience Profile Research Task BLACK VEIL BRIDES

1) 
Name: Black Veil Brides
Genre: Rock

Black Veil Brides is an American rock band based in Hollywood, California. The group is composed of Andy Biersack (lead vocals), Ashley Purdy (bass, backing vocals), Jake Pitts (lead guitar), Jinxx (rhythm guitar, violin) and Christian "CC" Coma (drums). [Taken From Wiki]

FASHION/STYLE: 
Black Veil Brides are known for their distinct appearance of black makeup and body paint, tight black studded clothing, and long hair), which was inspired by Kiss' and Mötley Crüe's stage persona. However, this distinct style has caused them to be a easy target for abuse online (If you look at any Youtube Video you will find hate filled comments). 

PERFORMANCE: 

In 2013, Black Veil Brides were the headline act on the Kerrang Tour. Despite Black Veil Brides winning the majority of awards they are nominated for they get a considerable mixed response. Their performance on stage is fantastic (coming from experience) and they do have a variety of instruments which breaks the conventional rock performance, this is because Jinx comes on playing the violin which isn't common. 

FANS:
Fans of Black Veil Brides range from the occasional listener to the extreme of dedicating their life to them. The fan base of Black Veil brides is dominated by emo's and regularly on their facebook page they post pictures of fans who have sent them pictures of their BVB inspired Tattoos. Most of the Tattoo are the words "Never Give In", one of their songs which seems to touch a lot of people. 

ALBUM COVERS: 

The concept of the album covers follow the same sort of style, particularly the first two albums. The 3rd album is a concept album so the front follows the story of what the album are trying to portray. 

WEBSITE SCREEN SHOTS: 

ADVERTISEMENTS: 

The example I have chosen is a very early advertisement for Black Veil Brides. It follows the consistent trend of black and they are shown with their face paint, so people can identify who they are. And of course, the conventional features such as Dates, Locations, Contact Numbers are all provided. The title "Black Veil Brides" is consistent with its chosen font type. 

Favourite Music Video

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET: ALL AMERICAN REJECTS

Why I like it?

The music video complements the song and is relevant to the songs message. I like how they have gotten fans to write their "dirty little secret", which ranges from basic to bizarre. It also allows the fan-base to get involved as a society. The video also interests those watching it, as people will stop the cards to read them, as myself and others have done so.