Richard Dyer

Richard Dyer's work focused on the role of stars in film, TV and music. He writes about the fact that a star is not a person, but they are in fact an image constructed out of a range of materials, for example magazines or advertising. Fundamentally, a star is incoherent and Dyer says this is because it is based on two key paradoxes. Paradox one being the star must simultaneously be ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer. Paradox two being the start must simultaneously be present and absent for the consumer. The incoherence of a star ensures that audiences continually strive to 'make sense' of the image.