Since I created my questionnaire last week, I have 15 results that are very helpful.
Questions 1 and 2 have provided me with information about the demographic of my target audience. Firstly, my target audience is mixed in gender, with just over half (53.3%) being male and the rest being female. In addition, my target audience is very young with the majority belonging to the 15-24 age group and only two belonging to the 25-34 age group. This may be because younger people invest more time on social networking sites such as YouTube and Twitter, where music videos are commonly shared. Also, a lot of young people idolise artists and as a result watch their music videos.
The next question is the first of many that informs about the psychographic of my target audience, where this one focuses on preferred genres of music. I have found that the favourite genre of music within my target audience is hip-hop, so I am likely to create a music video from this genre. This was followed by electronic, RnB, garage and techno genres. It is also interesting to note that some people used the 'Other' option to include grime as one of their favourite genres. I hadn't considered this genre thus far, so it might be helpful to explore it more.
The next question asks about the demographic group most represented in music videos of my audience's favourite genres:
The majority of answers mention youth, so I know that my video will definitely have to represent young people in order to make the audience comfortable as they are familiar with this representation. Some answers mention the ethnicity of the group most represented, such as 'white women', 'black teenagers', 'minorities', 'black youth' and 'youth - black and white'. From this I learn that there is a mixture of different ethnicities represented in real products. In addition, two people have said 'working class' and one 'middle class', suggesting that wealth isn't particularly flaunted or associated with the demographic represented.
I found out the reasons why my target audience thinks this is in my next question:
The answers of this question are structured to link with the answer in the previous question, which helps me make more sense of both questions. For example, the first person to take the questionnaire said that 'white females' are the most frequently represented demographic group in the previous question, and stated why in his answer of this question, 'because women are most sexualised and objectified'. The information I have received from this question will be helpful to me when casting performers for my video.
The next question asks about the favourite style of music video amongst my target audience, where performance videos have been most popular. This means that I would be satisfying most of my audience's needs if my video is performance based.
I found out what aspects of music videos are the most important for my audience with the next question, where location and interesting editing have been jointly voted the most important element. This means that during the pre-production stages I will choose the location of my music video carefully, as well as research editing techniques that I can include. The joint second most important aspects are costume and set design/theme, so it is important for me to also consider both of these during the planning for my video in order to maintain the interest of my audience.
The next two questions refer to the actions in music videos. The answers from the first question reveals that the majority (80%) of people prefer the actions of the video to match the beat of the song, so I will definitely make sure to match the actions with the beat. The next reveals that most of my audience doesn't have any preference about the actions matching the lyrics, so it isn't an aspect I need to focus on so carefully.
The last question asks my target audience if they prefer music videos to have a certain theme, where people either answered yes or no and gave their reasons. From the results, I have learnt that themes are popular. This information is useful as some people have given examples to real media products such as Kendrick Lamar's Alright music video and Beyonce's Why Don't You Love Me.
Sticking to the schedule I recently created, I have spent my study period creating this questionnaire for my target audience. It's important for me to research my audience's needs as it will help me to create a video that is more likely to be successful. A questionnaire is an efficient way to obtain feedback from my target audience, as it is a method of primary research therefore it has been designed by me to gain the specific information I need. It is a form of demographic and psychographic research that also allows me to have more of a connection with my audience, as there are options that require written answers, meaning that my audience has the opportunity for their opinions to be heard. This is something that consumers don't often get in regards to larger brands, as they usually would not use questionnaires in their marketing strategies.
Below shows the live form of my questionnaire.
I have asked questions that will help me to understand the target audience I must focus on. The first two questions will provide me with information about the demographic of my audience, as I will be discovering their age and gender. The next questions inform me of the psychographics of my audience, as I will be learning about their interests, values and beliefs.
I used Google forms to create this questionnaire, which was an application I had never used before however it was very convenient and easy to navigate and design the exact questions I wanted to ask.
I was able to make the questionnaire in a short space of time and it also provided me with a shortcut link to share the questionnaire:
As it is a part of Google, I can access this on my mobile which means that I will be able to simply send the link in a text message where my target audience can easily access and fill out the questionnaire on their mobile phones at the click of a button. This will allow me to access results from a range of different people, rather than a group of friends who are more likely to have the similar interests and provide me with similar information. Also, I was originally planning on having to print out the questionnaire and hand it out to people in my free period tomorrow, so this will help with time management as it is saving time. However, I am still going to collect the information next Tuesday as planned, as this will allow more time to obtain results.
Demographic research shows "market segmentation according to age, race, religion, gender, family size, ethnicity, income and education. Demographics can be segmented into several markets to help an organization target its consumers more accurately." - http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-demographic-segmentation-in-marketing-definition-advantages-disadvantages.html Psychographic research is "the study of personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests and lifestyles. Because this area of research focuses on interests, attitudes and opinions, psychographic factors are also called IAO variables." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychographic It is important for me to know these two types of research and understand the difference between the two as I have scheduled to create my questionnaire tomorrow so I will need to design it so that I obtain information about both the demographic and psychographic of my audience. This will help me understand my audience better and ultimately produce a product that fulfills their needs.
To keep organised throughout this project it is a good idea to keep a schedule of what needs to be done next. Now that I have decided what free periods I will dedicate to working on my media coursework, I am going to create a schedule of what needs to be completed in the next couple hours.
23/9/15
My study period on this day is one of the extra hours I have decided to devote to media work. This week, I am going to use this hour to create a questionnaire for my target audience to fill out, to help me get a better understanding of their needs.
24/9/15
In my free period on this day, I am going to spend time giving out my completed questionnaire for people to fill out.
29/9/15
On this day I have a free period before my media lesson, where I will analyse my questionnaire results and the information I learn about my target group. As I have a lesson after this, I will have two hours to complete this task efficiently, if needed.
Above is an image of my school timetable, so that I can see what free periods I have to decide which ones to dedicate to media work. I would like to dedicate two extra hours of my free periods to spend time on my project.
On Wednesday week 1 period 2, I have a study period which I can spend working on my media coursework. This is convenient as it is after my set media lesson at 9am, so I will already be in the media lab and can continue with work that I started in the lesson. On Thursday week 1 period 3 I have a free period before my media lesson at 12:15 that I will spend doing media work before the lesson begins.
On Tuesday week 2, I have periods 1 and 3 free, which is before and after my media lesson in period 2. This means that I can decide whether I would prefer to start working before my lesson, or to continue working on what I started in the lesson afterwards. On Friday week 2 period 3, I have a study period before my lesson at 12:15, so I will spend this hour working on my coursework before the lesson.
Wikipedia definition: "A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes.Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings."
Music videos date back to when they first appeared as musical short films in the 1920s, however they become popular in the 1980s when U.S. video channel MTV launched, which began an era of 24-hour-a-day music on television. This allowed music videos to play a key role in popular music marketing by the mid-1980s. Many popular artists of this period, such as Duran Duran and Madonna, owe much of their success to the skillful construction and seductive appeal of their videos.
During this time, the nearly 14-minute-long video for Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' was released in 1983. It is said to be the most successful, influential and iconic music video of all time, and set new standards for production, having cost US$800,000 to film. Prior to Jackson's success, videos by African-American artists were rarely played on MTV, however this video, along with Jackson's earlier videos for songs 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It', played a prominent role in getting music videos by African American artists played on MTV.
In 1983, Country Music Television (CMT) was launched, followed by The Canadian music channel MuchMusic which was launched in 1984. In 1984, MTV also launched the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA's), an annual awards event that continues to highlight MTV's importance in the music industry. In 1985, MTV launched the channel VH1, which featured softer music and aimed at an older demographic than MTV. MTV became an internationally known company when MTV Europe was launched in 1987, and MTV Asia in 1991. The launch of The Chart Show on Channel 4 in 1986 was another important development in music videos. This was a program which consisted entirely of music videos without presenters, and was the only outlet many videos had on British TV at the time.
Since the creation and increased popularity of YouTube, mainstream artists now promote new music videos by releasing trailers of short promos on the site for their upcoming song and music video. Consequentially, YouTube has been converted into a social media platform for celebrities and artists to market themselves to their fans and audiences.
Music video institutions are companies who help produce and fund music videos for their signed music artists. As an audience with an interest in music videos, we watch them nearly every day as we are intrigued to see what new videos are starting trends on YouTube. It also gives us the opportunity to view our favourite artists. This brings profit for the companies. I have conducted some research on music video institutions such as EMI Music, Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.
EMI Music
One of the world’s leading music companies, as it home to some of the most successful and well known recording artists. (These artists include Lily Allen, Bat For Lashes, The Beatles, Beastie Boys, LukeBryan, Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Gorillaz, David Guetta, Iron Maiden, Norah Jones, Lady Antebellum, MassiveAttack, Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry, Pink Floyd, Corinne Bailey Rae, Sir Simon Rattle, Snoop Dogg, Tinie Tempah,Thirty Seconds To Mars, KT Tunstall, Keith Urban and Robbie Williams.)
They bring artists and fans together by driving action and creating value wherever music is to be experienced.
Their record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Latin, Capitol RecordsNashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records Nashville, Manhattan, Parlophone, Virgin Classics and VirginRecords.
EMI Music provides EMI’s list of artists – as well as independent labels and artists – with a global menu of commercial services and seamless access to expanding range of revenue streams and business models, including digital and physical distribution, sales, press and promotion, marketing, licensing, synch, brand partnerships, live recordings and merchandising.
Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Formerly known as Sony BMG Music Entertainment and changed its name to Sony Music Entertainment Inc. in October 2008. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in New York.
One of the world’s most well known music companies, as it includes ownership and distribution over music companies such as Arista Records, Columbia Records, Epic Records, J Records, Jive Records, RCA Victor Records, RCA Records, Legacy Recordings, Sonic Wave America and others.
Sony Music’s featured artists include Avril Lavigne, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Foo Fighters, Foster The People, Glee, Jackie Evancho, Pitbull, Sade, Shakira, Willow Smith and many others, who have all become music superstars.
It offers hip hop, country, classical, gospel, pop and rock archival recordings and labels.
Sony Music has a worldwide distribution access for music artists who want to be well-known around the globe. This consists of artists promoting their music in different countries to attract a good fan-base that will stick behind them throughout their career.
Universal Music Group
World’s largest music content company with market leading positions, inrecorded music, music publishing and merchandising.
UMG’s list is comprised of artists covering the full music spectrum around the world, making UMG the leader in both international and local repertoire. (These artists include Akon, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Busta Rhymes, Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Nelly, Jennifer Lopez, LMFAO, Duffy, Bryan Adams, Adele, Taio Cruz, Cheryl Cole, Mumford and Sons, Florence + The Machine)
The recorded music business discovers and develops recording artists and then markets and promotes their music across a wide array of formats and platforms.
Their publishing company, Universal Music Publishing Group, discovers and develops songwriters, in which they own and administer copyrights to musical compositions for use in recordings, public performances and related uses such as films and advertisements (through television, radio, posters, billboard and many more).
Their merchandising company, Bravado, sells artist and music branded products by multiple sales point such as fashion retail, live performances and the internet.
Warner Music Group
Home to a collection of the best known record labels in the music industry, which includes Asylum, Atlantic, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros and Word, as well as Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world’s leading music publisher, with a catalogue of more than one million copyrights worldwide.
They comprise an array of businesses aimed at helping artists achieve long-term creative and financial success by providing consumers with the highest quality music content available.
WMG is engaged in the recorded music business (including artist services) and the music publishing business.
A leading company in national and international repertoire that operates through numerous international affiliates and licenses in more 50 countries.
Warner Music Group’s artists include James Blunt, Paramore, T.I, Emmy Lou Harris, Kid Rock, Plan B, Josh Groban, B.o.B, Estelle, Bruno Mars, Janelle Monae and many more. These artists have become extremely successful through the guidance of Warner Music Group, in which most of these artists have published their music to a worldwide audience.
I have researched a couple media representation theories such as Laura Mulvey's, Berger's, Bell Hooks' and Richard Dyer's. To advance my investigation I am going to apply these theories to some popular music videos.
Laura Mulvey - The Male Gaze:
Mulvey believes that in film, audience have to ‘view’ characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male. She believes the camera lingers on the curves of the female body, and events which occur to women are presented largely in the context of a man’s reaction to these events. She believes film relegates women to the status of objects and the female viewer must experience secondarily, by identification with the male.
Some criticise this theory as some women enjoy being looked at. Also, the gaze can also be directed towards members of the same gender for several reasons, not all of which are sexual, such as in comparison of body image or in clothing.
Berger:
"Men look, women appear". Similar to Laura Mulvey, Berger argues that women are there solely for the objectification of men.
Bell Hooks:
Hooks argues that skin colour is a code. Lighter skinned women are considered more desirable and fit better into the western ideology of beauty.
Richard Dyer - Star Power Theory:
Dyer argues that institutions use stars to attract a larger audience to the text. __________________________________________________________________
The first video I looked at is Chris Brown's 'Loyal' music video, which I would classify as RnB/rap.
It is clear from the beginning that this video heavily objectifies and sexualises women, through the choreography of their dance moves as well as the costumes and positioning within the scene. For example, in both the screenshots of the video above and below, we see the women in positions which can be seen as vulnerable and exposed, as the flexibility of their bodies is emphasised. The girls in the image above also wear very little clothing, whereas in the image below they are dressed in tight fitted clothing to accentuate their bodies. On the other hand both Chris Brown and Lil Wayne are fully clothed. It is interesting to note that in both of these shots there are multiple girls surrounding the male rapper, suggesting they are all attempting the get his attention. In addition to this, the image below is shot from a low angle which shows rapper Lil Wayne much higher than the other girls, and ultimately adds to the degrading of the women. We are able to see the face and front side of Lil Wayne however we can only see the backside of the girls, quite literally, suggesting that their faces aren't important, merely their body parts.
In the images to the left we see how the women are looking for the attention of the rappers, whilst they are clearly giving none to the females. This shows that the purpose of women in RnB and rap videos is to comfort the male and be his accessory, which conforms to Mulvey's 'The Male Gaze' theory. If we compare all of these screenshots from the music video, it could also comply with Bell Hooks' theory where he suggests that skin colour acts as a code. In the image that shows Lil Wayne with the dancers, they are fairly dark skinned women and unlike the women in the other images, we cant see their faces well, suggesting they are less important. On the other hand, the images on the left show details of the faces of the lighter skinned women, suggesting they are perceived as more beautiful.
The second video I want to analyse is Fifth Harmony's 'Worth It' video.
The opening images in this video show sky-scraper office buildings and stock market figures, which displays the girl band's name 'Fifth Harmony' as well as the phrase 'women in power'. Immediately, we gain a sense of empowerment to women and link this demographic with money and business. This disobeying the usual representation of women in music videos, such as that seen in Chris Brown's 'Loyal' video. Instead, women are portrayed as powerful and independent - they can work to provide for themselves rather than relying on a man to take care of them. It also addresses an issue which still exists in some parts of the world, where women are paid less than men despite doing the same job.
We are soon shown the girl group together during a long shot of their dance routine:
It is interesting to witness how the representation has changed. The women here are shown similarly to how they are in Chris Brown's 'Loyal', where their dance displays them in what could be seen as provocative or vulnerable positions. In addition to this, their costumes are all rather tight fitted and in some cases revealing. This applies with Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory and it seems that although they are attempting to promote female empowerment, they still need to display women through 'the male gaze' to attract the audience. However, it can be argued that they are shown as independent as their costumes don't follow a theme or match, which suggests that the females are unique individuals than make their own decisions, rather than dressing how others want them to or following a dress code. The act of objecting against wearing a uniform could be symbolic of how they are trying to rebel against the typical female stereotype.
The rapper Kid Ink is featured in the video, which allows us to compare how male and female artists are portrayed in this video.
We first see the rapper accompanied with a model sitting next to him whilst another is approaching him. Immediately we can link this with the females in Chris Brown's 'Loyal', where their sole purpose is to accompany the men, whilst they are paid no attention in return. Both females are also wearing heavy make-up which could show them as very appearance conscious, perhaps because they know that their purpose is to be watched. In addition to this they are both wearing low-cut clothing and seem to be wearing a uniform, which opposes the notion that the girl group displays regarding being an individual. This element also applies to Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory, as well as Berger's theory. It could also apply to Bell Hooks' theory that argues that skin colour is a code, as these women and Kid Ink are light skinned, suggesting that they have purposely been included as they are more attractive.
To start my research I am going to be investigating the conventions of music videos. The codes and conventions of music videos are the different techniques used to construct meaning in them. These techniques can be divided into two types; technical and symbolic.
Technical techniques - how meaning is conveyed using technical equipment
Camera Shots: Music videos tend to include many long shots, close ups and mid shots that will display the artist, location and emotions. Also, close ups can be used to show the artists lipsyncing the lyrics of the song.
Camera Movement: The movement of the camera is used to follow and trace the artist or the actions of the video. The camera movement often involves tilts, pans, tracking and crane shots. High/low angle shots will be employed to show a certain image of the artist/object.
Editing: Jump cuts are the main editing technique used in music videos. This is because it allows a sudden change from one scene to another. The pace of the editing matches the tempo of the song and can help create emotion.
Symbolic techniques - ways of showing meanings beyond what you can see
Props: These are a vital in aiding to add to the scene and create significance on particular objects or people.
Costume: This goes with the scenes in the song and reflects the genre. Costume is an important factor because it has a slight influence on how the viewers will dress because they use some of the celebrities as role models
Colour: Colours tend to set the mood of the song through creating an atmosphere. For example, dark colours are used more in rock songs such as Kings of Leon and bright colours are seen to be used more in hip hop and pop videos.
Lighting: Some music videos are black and white which help emphasise a particular mood and some videos have artificial lighting which put the artist/s in an enhanced look.
Mise-en-scene: This refers to the arrangement of performers and props on stage or in a scene for a production of a music video or any other media text. Mise-en-scene puts importance on the representation of something.
We must also consider the different types of music videos, such as performance, narrative and abstract videos. Performance consists mainly of the artists performing in the video, whilst narrative videos follow a storyline, often related to the lyrics of the song. In contrast, abstract music videos have no storyline and can be confusing to watch, with various motion images unrelated to the lyrics of the song. Styles of music videos can be combined; for example mixtures of performance and narrative are often seen as it can be difficult to create a pure performance or narrative video.
The conventions and styles of a music video vary depending predominantly on the genre of music.
POP MUSIC VIDEOS
In terms of symbolic techniques, one of the main conventions in pop music videos is their use of colour: they contain lots of different bright colours to create a fun and lively atmosphere which is evident in Beyoncé's Countdown video. This is because the target audience of pop music videos is young people (teenagers and young adults), so bright colours are more likely to appeal to this demographic group. Lighting is also bright to determine a happy atmosphere. The costumes in pop music videos are also influenced by colour - they are very extravagant which enables the audience to view a style which contrasts everyday clothing.
Beyoncé's 'Countdown'
Pop music videos always include an appearance of the artists and there is usually some element of performance - dance routines are very common. If there is a narrative within the lyrics, it is likely that the artist will play the role of the main character. They usually have an element of fantasy in them, where they aren't doing everyday things - for example in Katy Perry's California Girls video. This has an impact on the location of the video. Many pop artists such as Beyoncé have become similar to a brand, so she stays relevant to her audience by allowing them access to her through her interesting music videos.
Katy Perry's 'California Girls'
Costumes for female pop artists as well as female background dancers are often very revealing, which can also be seen in the California Girls video. Artists are shown in a sexual way to attract the audience and this relates to the male gaze. As many pop artists are seen as role models to their fans, the way they dress may have an influence on how their audience dresses. The facial expressions of the artists are always happy.
We get to view facial expressions of the artist because pop music videos include many close ups, as well as many extreme close ups. Perhaps this is to give the fans a chance to feel like they are close to the artist, who may be their role model. Long shots are used to capture the artist in their environment, however mid shots are the most common as it allows the audience to see the artists face in enough detail, whilst still being able to view their outfit/body. This further sexualizes the women in the videos. In terms of frames, the artists will always be captured in the centre frame, to keep the focus on them. The camera will usually track the artist if they're moving to maintain this focus. Editing in music videos is usually quite fast paced to maintain an upbeat vibe. Jump cuts are most commonly used to achieve this. These videos are very high budget.
RAP MUSIC VIDEOS
Unlike pop music videos, the colours and lighting used in rap music videos is often dark and dull, which can be seen in Jay Z's Holy Grail video. Perhaps it is to establish the difference in genres instead of creating a similar atmosphere. Maybe this is because the audience of rap music videos is likely to be older than the audience of the pop genre, so they are trying to create a more mature atmosphere. These videos are usually very high budget, like pop music videos.
Similarly to pop music videos, rap artists will almost always appear in their videos. Most rap artists today are male, which has an impact on the audience that may be viewing their music videos. We can assume that most of the audience are also young males, because this is the demographic group most interested in this genre. This may influence the conventions of rap music videos in terms of their costumes etc. Costumes in rap videos are quite basic - consisting usually of jeans and some kind of shirt. The men are much more covered up than women are, as women often appear accompanying the artists in these videos as dancers etc. Props are an important aspect of rap videos, perhaps because the artists are idolised less without these. Common props include chains and other jewellery such as watches and rings to show wealth. Alcohol and cigars are often present too. The style of these videos are often performance based and never narrative. Camera angles range however many are low angled to portray the artist as dominant. Many camera shots capture close ups of props. Close ups of the artist aren't seen frequently - mid-shots and long shots are more common to show the mise-en-scene and location. The editing is paced to match the beat of the song, it usually isn't as fast as pop videos.
ALTERNATIVE MUSIC VIDEOS
These music videos have a similarity with rap videos where many of them have very dark lighting and dull colours, and this is evident in Hozier's Work Song video. It is also very common to see live performance in their videos, to show the passion the artist has for performing their music. This means that the artists will almost always appear in their music video. Also, there is often a link between the visuals and lyrics, so an element of narrative will be present.
The costumes in alternative music videos are very casual to fit the mood of the genre. Also it helps to relate with their audience and keep an 'ordinary' vibe in comparison to those seen in pop music videos. This is part of the reason that these videos are low budget. The backgrounds are usually quite plain so longshots are seen to show the band together or the costumes. Instruments are always part of the mise-en-scene to add to the live performance effect - they are often the only prop in the video. Close ups are seen to show the artists miming the lyrics. Mid-shots are used so that we can see the artist playing their instrument with enough detail of their face. Titles or pans are used most commonly in narrative videos. Alternative music videos are edited to the beat, using lots of jump cuts. However, slow cuts and fades are used also to highlight the genre.
A2 has begun and I have been given the task to make a music video along with a digipack and poster. I am extremely excited about this project as I love music, and it gives me the chance to create visuals for audio and ultimately combine music with film. The task requires a lot of pre-production work, such as researching into codes and conventions of music videos and into similar products of the same genre, as well as planning the narrative, camera shots and production schedule. In terms of post-production, I will then progress to heavily evaluate my finished product.
I will be building upon the knowledge I gained in AS media regarding production, marketing, distribution and exhibition, where I will be able to put what I have learnt into practice this year. A2 also differs from AS where I will largely focus on the macro elements (audience, genre, narrative and representation), rather than the micro elements I studied last year (mise-en-scene, camera shots, sound and editing). Although I am pleased with my AS film opening project, I want to enhance the skills I learnt in order to improve the quality of my final project this year, and I believe I am giving myself the opportunity to do this by working on the music video individually instead of in a group.
