Below are the results from my survey that I created on surveymonkey, which I have presented in pie charts. By doing this it has allowed me to see the percentage of answers, making it clearer to establish the largest vote for each question. I mainly aimed this survey at my desired target audience of young adults and teenagers, as it appears that over half (57%)of the 30 people asked fitted into this the 19-21 and 21+ range, and 40% were between 16-18. However, I included people below the age of 15 to participate as to gain a range of responses and possibly more answers that I can take into consideration.
My first question was to establish the gender of my target audience, which I found to be fairly equal with 14 males, and 16 females, suggesting I will need to produce a video that will appeal to both genders. By asking both how often my audience watch, and if music videos have the ability to determine their opinion of a song, I could see that they were highly important factors. As over 50% of people watched a music video once or twice a week, with 20% every day, and 67% of the people answered always or often to if the video determined their love or hate for a song, this has confirmed the significance and influence of a video on an audience.
I also made sure to include a multiple choice question to discover the types of genres of music that people within my target audience enjoyed listening to. The most popular in this case being Indie (22%), Acoustic (21%) and Pop (20%), with Country and Folk following closely behind. Although I am creating a music video within the Country Pop genre, where these results confirm the appeal to this genre, I also have confidence in the fact that my video will still fall under a few of these other popular categories; hopefully creating a successful and appealing video. As well as asking the obvious question of whether or not someone would be willing to download a song after viewing the video if they enjoyed it, where 100% of people answered 'Yes', I asked where this audience typically views such videos; by establishing online websites such as YouTube, and smartphones, as the main platform for presenting and discovering new music videos I could see how my own video could be consumed by the audience through media and technology.
Lastly, I wanted to find out if out of these 30 people any listened to music within my chosen Country Pop genre, and 84% answered either all the time, or sometimes, confirming that those questioned definitely fit under my target audience and can use their feedback as reliable information. Overall, I'm very happy with the results of my primary research, as they have, and will continue to help me throughout the creation of my music video, and have given me a further insight into the view of my target audience.
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Survey - Advantages & Disadvantages
As I am in the process of carrying out my own survey in order to collect primary research for music videos, I have decided to investigate the many advantages and disadvantages this type of research includes.
Advantages:
The responses are gathered in a standardised way, so surveys are more objective, certainly more so than interviews. Generally it is relatively quick to collect information using a questionnaire. However, in some situations they can take a long time not only to design but also to apply and analyse (see disadvantages). Potentially information can be collected from a large portion of a group so you gain a greater insight into your target audience.
Disadvantages:
Open ended questions can generate large amounts of data that can take a long time to process and analyse. However, you could limit the space available so the responses are concise or to sample the group of people and survey only a portion of them. Respondents may answer superficially especially if the questionnaire takes a long time to complete. Finally, some people may not be willing to answer the questions fairly.
Overall, surveys clearly have their own strengths and weaknesses which I need to take into consideration when reviewing my data. By creating a survey I'm hoping to gain useful data and information including opinions and suggestions to help me to produce a successful music video in the country pop genre.
Advantages:
The responses are gathered in a standardised way, so surveys are more objective, certainly more so than interviews. Generally it is relatively quick to collect information using a questionnaire. However, in some situations they can take a long time not only to design but also to apply and analyse (see disadvantages). Potentially information can be collected from a large portion of a group so you gain a greater insight into your target audience.
Disadvantages:
Open ended questions can generate large amounts of data that can take a long time to process and analyse. However, you could limit the space available so the responses are concise or to sample the group of people and survey only a portion of them. Respondents may answer superficially especially if the questionnaire takes a long time to complete. Finally, some people may not be willing to answer the questions fairly.
Overall, surveys clearly have their own strengths and weaknesses which I need to take into consideration when reviewing my data. By creating a survey I'm hoping to gain useful data and information including opinions and suggestions to help me to produce a successful music video in the country pop genre.Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Survey - Questions
In order to carry out a piece of general primary research, I decided to design an online survey on surveymonkey to gather information about the viewers of music videos, more specifically my target audience.
I created a variety of open and closed questions so that I will receive more reliable feedback that I can use for my own music video. Such questions involve the potential importance, style and way of consumption of a music video, where I can inevitably review the results that will influence the choices I make to do with this video in its future development.
I created a variety of open and closed questions so that I will receive more reliable feedback that I can use for my own music video. Such questions involve the potential importance, style and way of consumption of a music video, where I can inevitably review the results that will influence the choices I make to do with this video in its future development.
Monday, 21 October 2013
Preliminary Filming
As a preliminary task, I combined a few clips from my initial filming. This was to practice my ability to edit media as well as portraying a sense of continuity in film. By using the ending of my chosen song 'Lonely Road', I could place specific clips in time to the beat and explore a range of effects such as slow motion and fading transitions. After completion, I presented it to my target audience who gave the following feedback:
+
Good progression
Easy to tell the narrative
Fits song appropriately
-
Camera seen in reflection
Window frames one of the shots
General framing of certain clips
From this constructive feedback in both a positive and negative nature, I can take on board specific points including the way in which I frame certain shots, and to be careful with the reflection in certain window clips.
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Narrative
After completing my storyboard and briefly going over each scene that I would like to include, I thought I would create a post explaining in more detail the extent of my narrative and how it will play out throughout my music video.
To portray my main theme of journeying, I want to begin in a desolate location; a young woman walks down a secluded pathway, or a 'Lonely Road'. As she takes this peaceful moment to reflect on her life, we are given the impression that she wants things to change. This is further emphasised as the narrative moves to her thoughtful state of writing a song with her guitar (the actual song that is playing simultaneously), and she soon begins to plan an inspiring trip to America. We then see this being put into action as she physically plots locations on a map, begins to pack her bags, and prepares for this new and exciting journey. The camera then followers her course in the process of getting to the airport and boarding the plan that will take her thousands of miles away. For an effective ending, my narrative will include shots taken in different areas of America to finally conclude her journey and allows the audience to fully be immersed in her story.
To portray my main theme of journeying, I want to begin in a desolate location; a young woman walks down a secluded pathway, or a 'Lonely Road'. As she takes this peaceful moment to reflect on her life, we are given the impression that she wants things to change. This is further emphasised as the narrative moves to her thoughtful state of writing a song with her guitar (the actual song that is playing simultaneously), and she soon begins to plan an inspiring trip to America. We then see this being put into action as she physically plots locations on a map, begins to pack her bags, and prepares for this new and exciting journey. The camera then followers her course in the process of getting to the airport and boarding the plan that will take her thousands of miles away. For an effective ending, my narrative will include shots taken in different areas of America to finally conclude her journey and allows the audience to fully be immersed in her story.
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Storyboard
A storyboard is a visual, drawn rendition of different key shots in a film, or in my case, a music video. Through the creation of a storyboard I can envision, prior to filming, how to use certain techniques or conventions to portray certain denotations. For example, I know that editing will be important in regards to the length of shots and scenes, the relationships between them, and linking sound and music to the action. I have made sure to include what is known as “master shots” — shots of the overall action or people together in the same shot, as well as separate close up or mid shots of the same action so that I can combine this material to create a variety of different perspectives on the narrative.
I first began by planning 8 basic shots, or scenes, that I would like to include in my music video. By briefly explaining the contents of each section, I moved on to a more detailed storyboard (below) which described both camera angles, shots, and an outline of my narrative. This will be extremely helpful when it comes to the filming of my music video, along with a shot list which I will create later on, as I can refer back to it in order to produce a successful music video, though certain shots are subject to change.
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Andrew Goodwin: Music Video Theory
Andrew Goodwin's theory suggests that music videos can be defined or analysed by a specific set of characteristics;
1 - Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals:
These can be either illustrative, amplifying, or contradicting. Using aspects such as themes, mise-en-scene and events of the video to match the lyrics, the message of the song can be portrayed. This convention explains how Goodwin noticed a music video's visuals either had a complete similarity or direct contrast to the lyrics of the song.
2 - Relationship between the music and the visuals:
The cuts and edits of the video are in sync with the rhythm, whilst the beat of the song matches different effects to specific beats or notes.
3 - Genre characteristics:
Certain features are expected out of a video depending on the genre of the music, for example a girl bands/artists are expected to have dancers and close ups of the singers, whilst an Indie band is expected to have performance shots of the band with fast paced editing.
4 - Star Image:
The star image is another vital aspect of music videos. Meta narrative, which is a big story that describes the development of the star over time, has an important part to play in the music video production process. Often due to the demands of the record label, artists videos will include many close ups and will often develop motifs that recur across multiple videos. This allows the record label to promote a set image for the artists, which will help target audiences connect to the music.
5 - Intertextual references:
Music videos reference other forms of media, most commonly film, but can also be television and other music videos/artists.
6 - Thought Beats:
Seeing the sound in your head allows the audience to understand the music far more easily. Music can be used to tell stories, which is why a music video can become an important medium in which the viewer can watch an unfolding story. This can be achieved by taking into account the structure of the song, such as the chorus or verses, including the voice; the artist's voice is extremely unique and can form identification or trademarks that work well with the star image.
Roland Barthes' theory of the Grain of voice can be related to this: He sees the singing voice as an expressive instrument and therefore able to make associations of its own.
7 - Narrative and Performance:
Audiences only tend to understand a small part of the song's real meaning, making up the remaining narrative for ourselves. Goodwin explains that music videos should ignore common narrative, for it is important in their role of advertising . Narrative and performance working hand in hand makes it easier for the audience to watch without losing interest. The artist acting as both narrator & participant helps to increase the authenticity; if the audience does not find the performance believable, they cannot connect to the music.
8 - Technical Aspects:
Technical Aspects hold the music video together through the use of camera work; movement, angle, mise-en-scene, editing, sound and special effects. Speed, camera movement, editing, cutting and post production are all forms of use of camera. Lighting and colour helps to set moods and emphasise key moments of the song for dramatic effect, whilst mise-en-scene, if authentically used, maintains professionalism. Beats and specific cuts to go with the song's rhythm, make the video more entertaining to the audience.
1 - Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals:
These can be either illustrative, amplifying, or contradicting. Using aspects such as themes, mise-en-scene and events of the video to match the lyrics, the message of the song can be portrayed. This convention explains how Goodwin noticed a music video's visuals either had a complete similarity or direct contrast to the lyrics of the song.
2 - Relationship between the music and the visuals:
The cuts and edits of the video are in sync with the rhythm, whilst the beat of the song matches different effects to specific beats or notes.
3 - Genre characteristics:
Certain features are expected out of a video depending on the genre of the music, for example a girl bands/artists are expected to have dancers and close ups of the singers, whilst an Indie band is expected to have performance shots of the band with fast paced editing.
4 - Star Image:
The star image is another vital aspect of music videos. Meta narrative, which is a big story that describes the development of the star over time, has an important part to play in the music video production process. Often due to the demands of the record label, artists videos will include many close ups and will often develop motifs that recur across multiple videos. This allows the record label to promote a set image for the artists, which will help target audiences connect to the music.
5 - Intertextual references:
Music videos reference other forms of media, most commonly film, but can also be television and other music videos/artists.
6 - Thought Beats:
Seeing the sound in your head allows the audience to understand the music far more easily. Music can be used to tell stories, which is why a music video can become an important medium in which the viewer can watch an unfolding story. This can be achieved by taking into account the structure of the song, such as the chorus or verses, including the voice; the artist's voice is extremely unique and can form identification or trademarks that work well with the star image.
Roland Barthes' theory of the Grain of voice can be related to this: He sees the singing voice as an expressive instrument and therefore able to make associations of its own.
7 - Narrative and Performance:
Audiences only tend to understand a small part of the song's real meaning, making up the remaining narrative for ourselves. Goodwin explains that music videos should ignore common narrative, for it is important in their role of advertising . Narrative and performance working hand in hand makes it easier for the audience to watch without losing interest. The artist acting as both narrator & participant helps to increase the authenticity; if the audience does not find the performance believable, they cannot connect to the music.
8 - Technical Aspects:
Technical Aspects hold the music video together through the use of camera work; movement, angle, mise-en-scene, editing, sound and special effects. Speed, camera movement, editing, cutting and post production are all forms of use of camera. Lighting and colour helps to set moods and emphasise key moments of the song for dramatic effect, whilst mise-en-scene, if authentically used, maintains professionalism. Beats and specific cuts to go with the song's rhythm, make the video more entertaining to the audience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)