Star Image

Star Image

Richard Dyer believes stars to be a constructed artificial image made purposely for financial gain and that stars are both 'ordinary and extraordinary'. Stars are presented to the audience as being normal however they have something different about them that makes audiences idolise them, this could be their talent, their beauty, their confidence and so on. Dyer believes that stars are manufactured to be brands, becoming household names and selling a large range of products from a variety of platforms such as merchandise and so on.

Josef Salvat 

Josef Salvats early music videos present his star image through a variety of techniques. In his first music video for 'This Life', star image is shown through multiple close-up shots of Josef throughout. This suggests his importance as he is the focal point of the music video. 

In Josef's early music videos, such as This Life and Hustler, his star image is presented through live performance and close-up shots, suggesting that the music is what is important, however there is a strong narrative to most of his early music videos also which suggests he is trying to send a message to the audience in his music videos making them think, such             as in Hustler the message isn't clear and it is up for interpretation which creates a different experience for the audience when watching his music videos. 

Salvat's star image has developed through each of his music videos, he is always playing a character such as in his music video for Open Season and Hustler, he is playing a role. As well as him playing a role, he is also performing in his music videos as in every single one he lip syncs. Josef is sold as a star to the audience through a variety of methods, such as close up shots in This Life and Hustler. This suggests his importance to the audience as it makes him the focal point of the piece whilst using direct mode of address to break the fourth wall creating a more personal experience for the audience. Salvat is often clothed in formal wear such as a suit and tie, presenting him as being powerful and important and also suggesting wealth, however he is only dressed like this on the performance side of the music video when he is lip syncing, however in the narrative portion he is often clothed in more casual wear such as a t-shirt denim jacket and dark jeans, which is shown in Josef's music video Till I Found you. I believe that Dyers theory comes into play here as although in his performance he is presented through his talent and beauty, he is also presented as normal and having problems like the rest of us in the narratives of his music videos therefore 'presenting him as being normal while they have something different about them'.