Star Image and Analysis

A star image is an image of a group of a performer have encompassed, usually as a result of the record company giving them this image. For groups and performers the image differs. If a group is an organic group ie they play their own music then the record label will recognise this and create a much more natural image for them. Organic artists will also have much more time with the record label to create their image and their music.  However, if a performer or all girl/boy group who don’t produce their own music, ie synthetic artists, are signed to a record label, their star image will be totally in control of the record label, and if they don’t sell records, they will be dropped.  

If we look at Britney’s earlier image, demonstrated in videos such as ‘Baby One More Time’ we can notice that her star image is very clear, conveyed through the shot types and her apparent dress. In ‘Baby One More Time’ Britney’s image is conveyed as very innocent and sweet; this is so because most of the shots are looking down onto her, which puts her into a victim status, making her look vulnerable to fit the ‘sweet’ image. In terms of mise en scene, we notice that her innocent image is reinforced, as she is set in a school, wearing a uniform, with props such as pencils, paper and lockers etc—following the normal conventions on school girls. We are also made aware of her image through what she is singing about, i.e young love, first love etc.  However, over the years we have seen a dramatic change in Britney’s star image, and if we look at her more recent music such as ‘I Wanna Go’ we can see that she has changed her persona for the innocent Britney to one with an anti-authoritarian attitude and a rebellious persona. The clues to this transformation lie in her dress, which appears to have become much more revealing and sexualised, helping to convey the rebellion/bad girl image that she has now gained.