One Direction - History

Industry

 1) How were One Direction formed and how is this reflected in the music video for History?

One Direction are an English-Irish pop band forming during Series 7 of hit show X Factor 

2) What is vertical integration? You may need to check your book for this (or remind yourself from this Year 1 blogpost.)

conglomerate companies own subsidiaries 

Vertical integration refers to an expansion strategy where one company takes control over one or more stages in the production or distribution of a product.

3) What is horizontal integration? (See link above for help again!)

Horizontal integration is a business strategy in which one company acquires or merges with another that operates at the same level in an industry.

4) How has technological convergence changed the way audiences consume music videos?

There are now streaming apps like Spotify and YouTube

5) As a manufactured band, what influence do Simon Cowell and the record company Syco (part of Sony) have over the content and release strategy of One Direction music videos? 

The music and authenticity of the lyrics are manufactured and the paid promotion means they have a bigger advantage and they made them a band to own money and millions for themselves. 

Audience

1) What is the One Direction target audience - demographics and psychographics?

Young and teenage girls and could be ages from 10-25 years old females. 

2) What audience pleasures are offered by the music video for History?

-Diversion through a feeling of nostalgia

-Personal relationships: Fans were used to contribute to the single’s chorus. (Collaboration / example of Prosumerism)

-Personal identity with the band members (following through Twitter etc.) who were marketed as ‘the funny one’ and the ‘handsome one’ and also relating to other like-minded fans. 

-Surveillance – insight into behind the scenes.

-Intertextuality of previous tours and footage 

3) Pick out three particular shots, scenes or moments in the video that would particularly appeal to One Direction fans. Why did you choose those moments? 

The first 6 seconds is close-ups from their x-factor first auditions and how their careers started as they has seen it before. 

They will also recognise clips from 1:48-1:58 that are all shorts clips from all of their music videos from their previous albums. 

4) What is nostalgia and why is it a key audience pleasure for the History music video?

 A wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition. This is because the whole song is supposed to be about their history and their fun moments and times they spent together for the past years. It features a performance element with each of the band performing live and dancing in unison, cut with black and white footage of all 5 original members on tour and ‘behind the scenes.’ This is nostalgic and will appeal to loyal fans as it will remind them of the band’s success and younger appearances, right back to the start of their career on X Factor (featured in the opening of the video) in 2010. 

5) How are fans positioned to respond to the video? What do the producers want One Direction fans to take from the video?

They want to show them their memories and take it as an award from all of the big fans that have styaed with them since the beginning.