Thursday 27 October 2016
Friday 14 October 2016
Audience Research - Music Video Questionnaire
Before I begin making a final storyboard for my music video, and making the final decisions for filming, I decided I would carry on from my last post and do some extra audience research to really feel certain on the video I'm creating, and if this will attract my ideal consumer.
To do this, I have made a questionnaire outlining the things I feel I need to know in order to make a good music video. The type of questions within the questionnaire include ones about what my ideal audience expect to/would like to see in a music video; how they follow their favourite artists on social media and during promotion for a new album - and how they like purchasing and listening to music in general.
This questionnaire I have written in two formats. One, I have made as an online questionnaire that is on 'Google Docs' which anyone I send the link to can fill out. So, the one I have made on Google Docs I have sent to everyone in my media class. This is just to gain a general idea of what my fellow peers feel they would like to see in a music video and particularly for a rock music video. Additionally, I felt it would be better to widen my audience research, considering it won't just be my focus group who see the final products.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11pdglhyTg4WzmgGmsQ4WavVu9VU3QMjotThFO5sT_xw/edit
The next format I used was 'Microsoft Word'. On there, I have simply written my questions in a
questionnaire format and I am going to print four copies to give to each member of my focus group personally. Obviously, I needed to give my questionnaire to my focus group as they all form my ideal consumer and target audience - whom are the people I'm mainly aiming my music video, digipak and online website at.
Below is my questionnaire which consists of 10 different questions, which I believe forms key audience research that will help massively towards the making of my final products;
MUSIC VIDEO QUESTIONNAIRE;
1) Pick one of these genres of 'rock' music;
- rock 'n' roll
- punk rock
- pop-rock
- indie rock
- classic rock
- heavy metal
- psychedelic rock
2) Do you prefer seeing just the artist for the whole video, or do you like having other subjects as well?
- The video should focus only on the artist and no one else.
- I like seeing other people in a video - it gives it more purpose and makes it more interesting to watch.
- I don't mind, as long as the video makes sense and is easy to follow.
3) Do you like music videos to have a storyline?
- Yes
- No - I don't see the point in them.
- Yes - as long as it fits with the song and makes sense.
4) Do you think it matters if other people lip-synch in the video? For example, if the artist is a male, would you mind seeing a woman lip-synching the lyrics?
- I don't think that would work.
- I like that idea.
- Only the artist should be lip-synching.
5) Do you follow your favourite artist on any social media?
- Yes
- No
6) If yes, what social media platform do you follow them on?
- Twitter
- Instagram
- Facebook
- Snapchat
- Periscope
- Vimeo
- YouTube
7) Do you subscribe to mailing lists for your favourite artist(s)?
- Yes
- No
8) Do you like going on your favourite artist's websites?
- Yes
- No
9) If yes, which of these do you expect to see on the website?
- Biography about the artist.
- Links to the artist's social media pages.
- Page of tour updates
- Links to buy tickets for the artist's live shows.
- News feed
- Competitions
- Other..........................................
10) How do you like to listen to your favourite artist's music? (You can choose more than one)
- CD
- iTunes
- Listen for free on YouTube
- Spotify
- Vinyl
- Other.................................................
To do this, I have made a questionnaire outlining the things I feel I need to know in order to make a good music video. The type of questions within the questionnaire include ones about what my ideal audience expect to/would like to see in a music video; how they follow their favourite artists on social media and during promotion for a new album - and how they like purchasing and listening to music in general.
This questionnaire I have written in two formats. One, I have made as an online questionnaire that is on 'Google Docs' which anyone I send the link to can fill out. So, the one I have made on Google Docs I have sent to everyone in my media class. This is just to gain a general idea of what my fellow peers feel they would like to see in a music video and particularly for a rock music video. Additionally, I felt it would be better to widen my audience research, considering it won't just be my focus group who see the final products.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11pdglhyTg4WzmgGmsQ4WavVu9VU3QMjotThFO5sT_xw/edit
The next format I used was 'Microsoft Word'. On there, I have simply written my questions in a
questionnaire format and I am going to print four copies to give to each member of my focus group personally. Obviously, I needed to give my questionnaire to my focus group as they all form my ideal consumer and target audience - whom are the people I'm mainly aiming my music video, digipak and online website at.
Below is my questionnaire which consists of 10 different questions, which I believe forms key audience research that will help massively towards the making of my final products;
MUSIC VIDEO QUESTIONNAIRE;
1) Pick one of these genres of 'rock' music;
- rock 'n' roll
- punk rock
- pop-rock
- indie rock
- classic rock
- heavy metal
- psychedelic rock
2) Do you prefer seeing just the artist for the whole video, or do you like having other subjects as well?
- The video should focus only on the artist and no one else.
- I like seeing other people in a video - it gives it more purpose and makes it more interesting to watch.
- I don't mind, as long as the video makes sense and is easy to follow.
3) Do you like music videos to have a storyline?
- Yes
- No - I don't see the point in them.
- Yes - as long as it fits with the song and makes sense.
4) Do you think it matters if other people lip-synch in the video? For example, if the artist is a male, would you mind seeing a woman lip-synching the lyrics?
- I don't think that would work.
- I like that idea.
- Only the artist should be lip-synching.
5) Do you follow your favourite artist on any social media?
- Yes
- No
6) If yes, what social media platform do you follow them on?
- Snapchat
- Periscope
- Vimeo
- YouTube
7) Do you subscribe to mailing lists for your favourite artist(s)?
- Yes
- No
8) Do you like going on your favourite artist's websites?
- Yes
- No
9) If yes, which of these do you expect to see on the website?
- Biography about the artist.
- Links to the artist's social media pages.
- Page of tour updates
- Links to buy tickets for the artist's live shows.
- News feed
- Competitions
- Other..........................................
10) How do you like to listen to your favourite artist's music? (You can choose more than one)
- CD
- iTunes
- Listen for free on YouTube
- Spotify
- Vinyl
- Other.................................................
Thursday 13 October 2016
Planning - My Chosen Focus Group - Who Is My 'Ideal Consumer'?
During the process of constructing our music magazines for our coursework in Year 12, we had to establish a target audience who we wanted to aim our magazine at, and match this with a 'reader profile' that established who this ideal audience would be.
 |
| This was my 'reader profile' for my desired target audience of my music magazine I produced in year 12. |
Given my research into the genre of rock music and the band of the song I am creating a music video for (Panic! At The Disco), I have a clear idea in my mind of who exactly I want my music video to attract and - as a result - who will form my focus group.
 |
| This is the 'modern' "Panic! At The Disco" - Brendon Urie is the only member, but the two men either side of him (Dallon Weeks and Kenny Harris) form his live band who tour worldwide. |
When the genre of rock music (and punk-rock in particular) was born, it attracted mostly teenagers who wished to differentiate themselves from the rest of society. Stereotypically, lyrics within rock songs have been known to be laced with negative messages associated with taboo topics such as drugs. Parents of teens in this era were highly concerned by such lyrics and wanted the music stopped - even banning their children from listening to such music. However, this only led to teens becoming rebellious, and they would listen to this music in order to rebel against their parents and the expectations of others; even going to the lengths of beginning to change the way they dressed, and experimenting with sex and drugs.
As time has gone and society has progressed, this stereotype hasn't really ever faded - in fact it could be said that more and more people have conformed to it, but it is far more socially acceptable now and so this subculture of society is one that is extremely popular - hence the arrival of bands like 'Panic! At The Disco' - including 'Fall Out Boy', 'Twenty One Pilots', 'My Chemical Romance' and 'Black Veil Brides' who cover various subgenres of rock music.
Below are a series of images I have used to try and create a merged image in my mind of the kind of people I believe my ideal audience would contain;
- As previously mentioned, my ideal consumer would likely be someone belonging to the various subcultures of the 'rock' genre of music. Within these subcultures, there is a strong sense of fandom and the fans often follow the same collection of bands - fans of 'Panic! At The Disco' are often fans of other related such as 'Fall Out Boy'. The jewellery I've pictured on the left is taken from the jewellery line of Andy Biersack - the lead singer of 'Black Veil Brides'. It highlights the idea of intertextuality between various content and linking one artist to another.
Moreover, when picturing my ideal consumer, I picture them wearing dark jewellery that is often symbolic of the genre of music they listen to.
Similarly, the items of clothing I have placed within this post emphasises just how I believe my ideal consumer would dress. Moreover, as I myself dress like this, and I have friends who also like to dress like this, it highlights how there is a common convention between fans of 'rock' music to come together through their choice of clothing and the accessories they wear - such as the dark coloured clothing and jewellery; often symbolic of topics such as religion that are associated with this genre of music.
Once again the image placed next to this piece of text can be linked to the idea of fandom and fans of rock music having an interest in multiple bands. The bands 'Panic! At The Disco', 'Fall Out Boy' and 'My Chemical Romance' form something called the "Emo Trinity" - and this links to the idea of fans collating together to fight against such stereotypes. Fans of subgenres of rock music such as punk-rock and heavy metal are often stereotyped as being into music that promotes suicide, satan and dark lyrics that aren't a good influence on young teenagers. However, as a member of these subgenre myself, I find this stereotype demeaning. The lyrics and formulation of songs by bands such as 'Black Veil Brides' and 'My Chemical Romance' help inspire teenagers who may be struggling with the torments of growing up and living in our modern-day society.
Therefore, the way they dress in particular can be a key part of emphasising their pride of belonging to these fandoms and feeling proud to be fans of these artists whose music inspires them.
Moreover, when picturing my ideal consumer, I picture them wearing dark jewellery that is often symbolic of the genre of music they listen to.
WHO WILL MY CHOSEN FOCUS GROUP BE?
- I have decided that I'm going to form a focus group of 4 people;
- TWO of them are going to be my friends who are aged 14 and 15. Although this may seem a young age for a consumer of rock music, fans of 'Panic! At The Disco' in particular cover a large age category - from around 14 years old, all the way to around 45 years old. These two girls I both know have a similar style to how I picture my ideal consumer, and both are massive fans of 'Panic! At The Disco' and 'Twenty One Pilots'. Therefore I know they will be entirely honest when advising me on how to formulate the best music video, digipak and website that would attract them as consumers.
- Next I am going to use my best friend who is aged 18. He is a massive fan of all the artists I have previously listed in this post and similarly dresses in the fashion I picture my ideal consumer wearing.
- Lastly, I am going to ask for my dad's opinion on my products. This is because he has recently become a fan of 'Panic! At The Disco' as he highly appreciates them as artists. He doesn't dress how I picture my ideal consumer to do so, but he certainly has an interest in this genre of music; and as a man who is very intelligent when it comes to music and understanding how brand identity works within a product, I believe he will be able to help me establish how to create the perfect music video, digipak and website for my chosen genre of music.
- I have decided that I'm going to form a focus group of 4 people;
- TWO of them are going to be my friends who are aged 14 and 15. Although this may seem a young age for a consumer of rock music, fans of 'Panic! At The Disco' in particular cover a large age category - from around 14 years old, all the way to around 45 years old. These two girls I both know have a similar style to how I picture my ideal consumer, and both are massive fans of 'Panic! At The Disco' and 'Twenty One Pilots'. Therefore I know they will be entirely honest when advising me on how to formulate the best music video, digipak and website that would attract them as consumers.
- Next I am going to use my best friend who is aged 18. He is a massive fan of all the artists I have previously listed in this post and similarly dresses in the fashion I picture my ideal consumer wearing.
- Lastly, I am going to ask for my dad's opinion on my products. This is because he has recently become a fan of 'Panic! At The Disco' as he highly appreciates them as artists. He doesn't dress how I picture my ideal consumer to do so, but he certainly has an interest in this genre of music; and as a man who is very intelligent when it comes to music and understanding how brand identity works within a product, I believe he will be able to help me establish how to create the perfect music video, digipak and website for my chosen genre of music.
Wednesday 12 October 2016
Thursday 6 October 2016
Planning - My Analysis of the Lyrics of my chosen song - "Golden Days" by 'Panic! At The Disco'
Before being able to begin creating my own storyboard for how I want my music video to look, I needed to analyse the lyrics of my chosen song to be able to gain a deeper insight into what exactly the song means - especially to the artist.
This does not have a video for it yet, so I really had to dig deep into these lyrics to gain the perfect image in my mind of how exactly I would portray the message of this song in a video. By using my knowledge of GLARN, as well as terminology taken from being an English Language student, I have analysed this song as though it were a poem; picking different lyrics apart and trying to gain an understanding ogf the deeper layers of meaning.
The main message I get when I listen to this song (and more so when I analyse the lyrics) is the idea of enjoying and appreciating your life every single day. Being able to look back on good memories with a smile and not letting those moments fade - no matter how old you are or how your situation has changed.
My favourite lyric within this song has to be "Time can never break your heart, but it will take the pain away" purely becuase of how true it is in its meaning. It is a common collocation of our society that time heals all things. So even if some of your past memories aren't good, it doesn't matter because it's about looking forward and shaping the future by remembering the good times that made you happy. Below are images taken of my analysis, and I have typed them up as well, to make it clear what I said. Also, any added words in parenthesis are extra words or pieces of analysis I thought of as I was typing this blog post up.
“I found a pile of
polaroids in the crates of a record shop” – creates imagery/in a music
video format I would film this as a flashback.
“They were sex-sexy looking back, from a night that time forgot” – past tense stative verb emphasises the storyline.
“Carafes of blood red wine” – common concrete noun and abstract noun forms a description of the image and highlights the deeper layers of meaning (part of the subject’s past).
“Oh don’t you wonder when the light begins to fade” – interrogative symbolises the process of a day and the idea that people (can be) hidden in darkness.
“And the clocks just make the colours turn to grey” – Therefore this metaphor symbolises how time is constantly running out and all things come to an end/(but) you can’t let the past determine now/make every day count.
“We’ll stay drunk, we’ll stay tanned, let the love remain” – dynamic and stative verbs.
“Golden days, golden days” – semantic field of colour/links to the metaphor of time draining colour/good memories.
“The air was sauna hot” – theme of summer.
“The decades might’ve washed it out” – age/idea, as you get older (good memories may) fade.
“Forever younger growing older, just the same” – staying young, even as you grow older.
“They were sex-sexy looking back, from a night that time forgot” – past tense stative verb emphasises the storyline.
“Carafes of blood red wine” – common concrete noun and abstract noun forms a description of the image and highlights the deeper layers of meaning (part of the subject’s past).
“Oh don’t you wonder when the light begins to fade” – interrogative symbolises the process of a day and the idea that people (can be) hidden in darkness.
“And the clocks just make the colours turn to grey” – Therefore this metaphor symbolises how time is constantly running out and all things come to an end/(but) you can’t let the past determine now/make every day count.
“We’ll stay drunk, we’ll stay tanned, let the love remain” – dynamic and stative verbs.
“Golden days, golden days” – semantic field of colour/links to the metaphor of time draining colour/good memories.
“The air was sauna hot” – theme of summer.
“The decades might’ve washed it out” – age/idea, as you get older (good memories may) fade.
“Forever younger growing older, just the same” – staying young, even as you grow older.
“Time can never break your heart but it will
take the pain away” – the idea that the past can be paniful, but time heals
it eventually/the past can also hold the best memories, and those are the ones
to remember.
As a result of this piece of analysis, I have already gained an image in my mind of how I wish my ideal final product to look. I myself shall be the main artist and will be lip-synching the whole song. Despite the fact that the artist who sings this song is a male, I do not believe this really matters for my video. There are many videos where various people lip-synch the lyrics - not just the main artist, and the main focus in my video will be on the two main subjects anyway, not myself.
Like the song implies, I will be using cutaway shots as flahbacks within my video, to show memories of a young girl and her best friend and their happiest moments together. I will portray this stoyline with a series of tracking shots, mid shots and medium close-ups. For the performance-concept of my video, I will use close-ups and extreme close-ups of my face to really emphasise my lip-synching, adn allowing an audience to read my facial expressions.
Like the song implies, I will be using cutaway shots as flahbacks within my video, to show memories of a young girl and her best friend and their happiest moments together. I will portray this stoyline with a series of tracking shots, mid shots and medium close-ups. For the performance-concept of my video, I will use close-ups and extreme close-ups of my face to really emphasise my lip-synching, adn allowing an audience to read my facial expressions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)