Storyboard by Canisha and Ella

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnKBtngyl0w

Focus Group Analysis

Ella
We decided to do a focus group of our target audience to get feedback on out idea. We used two 17 year old boys and two 17 year old girls. The feedback we received was extremely helpful as they guided us in the right direction. The main concept they pushed for was for the the male singer to be most important, which we agreed with as that is who we are selling and it is very important for the female side of our target audience to see a good looking singer. All in all the focus group was extremely helpful as they not only praised our ideas, they all gave us constructive criticism which has polished off our ideas.

Canisha

To find out if our idea worked and if the themes were strong enough for our music video we asked a few students that fitted our target audience description some questions. In the interview we asked the respondents various questions about the indie genre, successful music video conventions and what they would expect to see in our video after we explained the ideas. The feed back that we received from the questions was very helpful as it supported the ideas we had and it gave us some new ideas to play around with. We found that the audience would be interested in seeing a dominant feature of the main artist singer with a few feature shots of the female love interest. The settings they also recommended were of places that teenagers would hand out and scenes that highlight the relationship between the two characters. This feedback from the focus group will help our music video become successful and as a group we will frequently refer to the feedback throughout the construction process.

Focus Group

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gBkp7iBz3Q

Pitch

Ella
In our pitch we explained our ideas to our teacher. She agreed with the song choice, narrative factor and ideas. She stated that our technical ideas may be a bit to advanced, however we should try them anyway. She agreed with how we interpreted the lyrics and gave us some more ideas about how we could show them. She asked us lots of questions about research and our audience in which we explained.

Canisha
We pitched our idea for music video to our teacher. The process allowed us to reflect on our ideas and see what worked or did not. It was helpful to get some feedback on our idea and also gave us some questions to ask ourselves in terms of what settings or the theme we wanted to run through our video.

Crew List

Crew list

Camera crew, directors and editors

Ella

Canisha

Cast

Guy Finch- James Bay
Oriana Carswell- Female love interest

Shooting Schedule for October - Ella and Canisha

Date	Time	Location	Shot	Character
Monday 19th	8:30-9:10	Woods (Locations)	Throughout video Midshot, long shots, close ups, over the shoulder shots, pan, high angle shots	Guy
Tuesday 20th	1.30-3.20	Woods (Locations)	3:20-4:30 Midshot, long shots, close ups, over the shoulder shots, pan, high angle shots	Guy and Oriana
Wednesday 21st	1.45-3.20	Flower Scene Guy’s House (sofa scene and bedroom)	1:45-3:30 Long shot, close up, over the shoulder	Guy and Oriana
Friday 23rd	3:30-5:00	Guys House- Texting Street Scene (street lights)	1.13-1.21 Midshots, long shots,  close ups, two shot, over the shoulder shot	Guy
Half Term - Monday	2:30-5:00	Train Scene Wokingham - Shops	0.17-0.25 Long shot, wide shot, establishing shot, close up, two shot, mid shot	Guy and Oriana

Lyrics for our song - Canisha and Ella

Lyrics

"If You Ever Want To Be In Love"

Saw you today after so much time
Felt just like it used to be
Talking for hours bout a different life
Surrounding us in memories
We were close never close enough
Baby are we now
'Cause if it's torn we can stitch it up
Don't rule it out
Oh no no

I'll come around
If you ever want to be in love
I'm not waiting, but I'm willing if you call me up
If you ever want to be in love
I'll come around

Wanted to ask if we could have been
But my tongue wouldn't break the seal
You always had something effortless
At school you were the biggest deal
Little quirks close and open up
Time is slipping by
Always thinking 'bout the two of us
Replay on my mind
Always playing on my mind

I'll come around
If you ever want to be in love
I'm not waiting, but I'm willing if you call me up
If you ever want to be in love
I'll come around

We were young we were side by side
Don't know when we started losing touch
If you want we could walk around
Maybe that would be enough
Used to talk drinking to the night
I would wake up on the front room floor
All along you'd be in my bed
Make me crazy make me want you more

I'll come around
If you ever want to be in love
I'm not waiting, but I'm willing if you call me up
I'll come around
If you ever want to be in love
I'm not waiting, but I'm willing if you call me up
If you ever want to be in love
I'll come around

Equiptment, Props, and Costume List - Ella and Canisha

http://prezi.com/k_rtz-ud91fx/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share  

Description of target audience by Canisha and Ella

https://www.emaze.com/@AIOCOCCI/target-audience

Mise en Scene Discussion - Ella and Canisha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlYuvPLiyHc&feature=youtu.be

Copy right permission for song use

Representation in our music video - Ella and Canisha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlrZxLXsanI

Questionnaire Analysis Canisha

Questionnaire analysis

We conducted a survey to gather primary data on what people’s opinions were for music videos. To carry out the research we used an online survey website called ‘Survey monkey’ and in total we got 50 responses. The mix of qualitative and quantitative data provided us with a range of information that we could use for when we produced our music video.

Question 1: How old are you?

This was a basic question however crucial to finding out what age range we should target for our music video. 86% of the responses we got said they were in the ’16-21’ age range which suggests that’s the target age that would be interested with our music video. This information also lets us keep in mind what is appropriate for this audience to see in our magazine and not use any explicit shots.

Question 2: What is your gender?

The results here show that out of the 50 responses we gathered 36 of them were from females with the remainder being males. This data will be useful when looking at the other responses we gathered as most of the responses are female opinions.

Question 3: What is your occupation? (You can select more than one response)

It was decided that we would give the survey participants to answer more than one as the options can overlap. It is clear from the data that the most popular choice was ‘student’ and ‘part-time’ which tells us that we would receive a better response from these groups when we release our music video. From this information, we can adapt our music video to suit themes and scenerio’s that ‘students’ or ‘part-time’ workers undergo so that they see themselves in the video and for the video to feel realistic. This will make our video successful as they feel encouraged to watch the video due to the familiarity. Therefore, our indie theme will suit this audience well as it is not based on wealth or flashiness unlike Hip Hop music videos.

It was decided that we would give the survey participants to answer more than one as the options can overlap. It is clear from the data that the most popular choice was ‘student’ and ‘part-time’ which tells us that we would receive a better response from these groups when we release our music video. From this information, we can adapt our music video to suit themes and scenario's that ‘students’ or ‘part-time’ workers undergo so that they see themselves in the video and for the video to feel realistic. This will make our video successful as they feel encouraged to watch the video due to the familiarity. Therefore, our indie theme will suit this audience well as it is not based on wealth or flashiness unlike Hip Hop music videos.

Figures:

Unemployed: 5

Part-time: 22

Full-time: 4

Student: 33

Other: 1

Question 4: What is your favourite genre?

The most popular genre selected by the respondents were pop, R&B and Indie. This feedback shows there is a high interest in the three segment and a lot of potential for use especially with us targeting an indie audience.

Figures:

Pop: 13

R&B: 11

Hip hop: 1

Country: 2

Grime: 0

Indie: 10

Jazz: 0

Rock: 8

Other: 5

Question 5: Do you like music videos?

Question 6: In your opinion what makes music videos more appealing to watch?

This question gathered some qualitative data as the respondents gave us their opinion on what was more appealing in music videos. There was a mixed response however there were 3 main things that was repeated throughout the response. These include: Attractive characters both male and female, lots of shots of the artist, a storyline that the audience can follow. This is going to be something that we keep in mind when we create our music video as those are the features that attract the audience.

Question 7: What type of music video do you prefer?

Before carrying out the survey, our group had considered the idea of doing a narrative based music video due to its high frequency in appearance in Indie music videos. The results that we gathered support the idea of a narrative, so therefore we plan to stick to it. It also showed the impact that the style of music video has on the audience watching. For example, performance style music videos were the least favourite in this survey, so it suggests that audiences are less likely to watch the whole duration of a music video.

Figures:

Narrative: 32

Performance based: 8

Concept: 10

Question 8: What service have you heard of that allows you to watch music videos?

This was another open question to the audience that allowed us to generate qualitative data. The most popular service that was reported by the respondents was YouTube with Vevo coming to a close second. This indicates to use that YouTube is the best service for our music video as it reaches a global audience and is accessible. 

Question 9: What stands out the most to you in music videos?

Mise en scene was the most popular choice followed by camera shots/movement. The reason behind this could be because that is the most noticeable features of a music video. This data tells us that we must take some time working out camera shots/movement and mise en scene when creating our music video as they stand out the most in music videos. It will also help with our narrative and making it understandable for the audience to read.   

Figures:

Editing: 7

Camera shots/movement: 20

Sound: 15

Mise en scene: 28

Question 10: How many music videos do you watch a week?

This question allowed us to establish the popularity of music videos and the frequency in which people watch them. The most popular amount was the ‘6-11’ per week option that had 34 respondents answer that.

Figures:

None= 3

1-5= 34

6-11= 8

More= 5

Questionaire Analysis - Ella Croft

Questionnaire analysis

We conducted a questionnaire so we could widen our understanding of what are audience are looking for so we can interpret this into our music video. We asked people to fill out our questionnaire in our sixth form and we posted it on social media so we could get replies from a larger range of people. In the end we managed to get 50 replies. This is my analysis of the questionnaire.

How old are you?

We asked this so we could see the main age of the people that are interested in music videos. The most popular age group was between 16 and 21 which was 86% out of the 50 people that answered out questionnaire. This makes it clear to me that these are the people we need to be targeting. The least popular age group was under 15’s this means that we don’t have to worry about being too explicit as our target audience is young adults not preteens.

What is your gender?

We asked this question so we could see who is more interested in the music industry and music videos. Ideally we wanted to make our music video equally for male and female. The results we received were 72% female and 28% male. This came across as quite surprising to me as I thought interest in music for this age group is popular for both genders.

 What is your occupation?

The options were un-employed, part-time, full-time, student, or other. We allowed the candidates to answer more than one. The majority of the answers were students with a part time job. This is what we were aiming for as our main target audience. We decided this is the occupation we were aiming for because they would be around the ages of 16-21 which will be dealing with relationships and heart breaks which we will portray in our music video.

 What is you favorite music genre?

We decided to ask this question as it would make it clear to us what music genre our target audience like the most. We were heart set on doing an Indie music video of “Let it go” by James Bay. However if our audience didn’t want an Indie genre we would have adapted to suit them. The most popular genre is pop with 26% closely following by R&B with 22%. This was expected as this genre is currently over powering the music charts right now. Indie got 20% which we were happy with as it was up in the top three. We decided to stick with the Indie genre.

Do you like music videos?

 This question was used just to make it clear to our audience that this is what we are doing. 96% said yes and 4% said no. When we looked closer and who said yes and who said no we noticed that only the people over 35 said no, which we were okay with as they are not our target audience.

 In your opinion what makes music videos more appealing to watch?

This question was used so we could get ideas from our audience for our music video. The replies were very helpful and extremely interesting. Some of the best replies were “The storyline relates to the lyrics” this was our main aim in our music video and we were pleased to see that this is what people look for. We had about 20 other responses implying the same thing. Another answer was “I would like it to be realistic not fake.” We are hoping to keep to a realistic love story that the audience can adapt too. There were 5 others who said the same thing. A lot of people said that they would like to see “good looking people.” We had around 15 replies saying this. We have decided that we will incorporate the male gaze into our music video.

What type of music video do you like?

We had the three main options of narrative, concept, and performance. WE wanted to do a narrative music video with a few concepts. 64% of the people that did our music video said narrative. And 20% said concept. Narrative was the most important and we are 100% sure we will focus on doing this in our music video.

What services have you heard of that allow you to watch music videos?

The majority of the people that answered this question said YouTube which is where we would post out music video if we were to upload it so people could watch it. A small amount of people said TV music channels and iTunes which is not the area of the industry we’re looking for.

What stands out the most for you in a music video?

For most people the answer was mise en scene which was 56% this could be because they don’t understand the reason for camera shots and movements etc. Mise en scene consist of props, make up, costume etc. I think the artists outfit will appeal to the audience the most as at this age trend is what people look for.

 How many music videos do you watch a week?

We asked this question so we could see how important a music video is to people. The majority was 1-5 which had 68%. Only 6% of the people that did our questionnaire said they don’t watch music videos which gave us confidence in our popular our music video may be.

Audience Questionnaire Ella and Canisha

Digipak analysis by Canisha

Digipak analysis by Canisha

Digipak Advert - Ella Croft

Digipak Advert Analysis- by Canisha

Digipak Analysis - by Ella Croft

Conventions - Conventions of music videos in your particular genre

Our music video has an Indie genre as we are doing “If you every want to be in love” by James Bay. 

Indie bands tend to use performance based music videos such as Imagine Dragons with “Radioactive.”

This way the main focus is on them as performers doing what they love to do. It also keeps the focus on the actual music itself and the talent that the artists have. We have decided to do a narrative video following Andre Goodwin’s theory of relationships between lyrics and visuals. A narrative video is used to tell a story throughout the video by using a sequence of images and videos that relate to the song. This is done in a way that makes sense to the audience so they can follow and understand the relationship with the lyrics.

Mise en scene is very important for the conventions of a music video. For an Indie music video you need to have a distinct style. For example: costume is important to establish who the artist is. For example Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus wear very outgoing outfits to show how wild their character is. 

So an Indie singer may wear a casual laid back outfit to show that’s what his personality is. Or if they are an Indie rock singer they would wear black leather jacket and boots. 

Makeup is also used to portray a character. Someone in an Indie rock band may wear dark eye make up to show their genre. It all down to how you want to be seen as an artist.

 Props are also an important convention for a music video. An example of props being used is in the music video “Pretty Girls” by Britney Spears she uses a nail file while singing to show the audience she is very girly.

 In an Indie music video a guitar may be used to show he’s musical, or a photo frame may be shown to show he is heartbroken over a girl.

Camera shots are used in Indie music videos, close ups are commonly used to show artist emotions and feelings. Close ups a convention of indie music videos so the artist can be seen in a certain way.  Full length shots should also be used to show the setting of the video and also give the audience a clear view of the artists and their outfits. This is important in an Indie music video as a lot of artists are seen as style icons. This is also good to show body positioning so the audience know how the artist feels in the video.

Conventions of music videos

Conventions of music videos

Conventions of music videos in general By Canisha

The codes and conventions are rules and techniques used in music videos to create meaning. They can be divided into two types: Technical and symbolic. 

Technical techniques: This is how meaning is created using the technical areas like camera, pace and style of editing, mise on scene etc. 

Symbolic techniques: This is the way of showing meaning further than what can be seen e.g. facial expressions, body language, movement, gestures and mise en scene. 


Using codes and conventions can help an audience get familiar with a certain genre and attribute features they see in music videos to that music video 

Intertextuality also commonly takes place in music videos with artists playing fictional or non-fictional characters like Beyonce ft Jay Z 'Bonnie and Clyde' or Katy Perry 'Roar'. This can make it more interesting for the audience as they can be familiar with certain storyline's and it also takes the attention away from the artists. 

Below, is an image of common codes and conventions of music videos.

Conventions of music videos of your particular genre by Ella

Our music video has an Indie genre as we are doing “Let it go” by James Bay. Indie bands tend to use performance based music videos such as Imagine Dragons with “Radioactive.” This way the main focus is on them as performers doing what they love to do. It also keeps the focus on the actual music itself and the talent that the artists have. We have decided to do a narrative video following Andre Goodwin’s theory of relationships between lyrics and visuals. A narrative video is used to tell a story throughout the video by using a sequence of images and videos that relate to the song. This is done in a way that makes sense to the audience so they can follow and understand the relationship with the lyrics.

Mise en scene is very important for the conventions of a music video. For an Indie music video you need to have a distinct style. For example: costume is important to establish who the artist is. For example Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus wear very outgoing outfits to show how wild their character is. So an Indie singer may wear a casual laid back outfit to show that’s what his personality is. Make-up is also used to portray a character. Someone in an Indie rock band may wear dark eye make up to show their genre. It all down to how you want to be seen as an artist. Props are also an important convention for a music video. An example of props being used is in the music video “Pretty Girls” by Britney Spears she uses a nail file while singing to show the audience she is very girly. In an Indie music video a guitar may be used to show he’s musical, or a photo frame may be shown to show he is heartbroken over a girl.

Camera shots are used in Indie music videos, close ups are commonly used to show artist emotions and feelings. Full length shots should also be used to show the setting of the video and also give the audience a clear view of the artists and their outfits. This is important in an Indie music video as a lot of artists are seen as style icons. This is also good to show body positioning so the audience know how the artist feels in the video.

Research questions 1-5

Question 1
http://prezi.com/jzlzjko709s3/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Question 2
https://www.emaze.com/@ALTFFWLR/question-2-prelim

Question 3

Who are some famous music video directors and why are their videos so well known/successful?

Some of the best music video directors off our time are Hiro Murai, Eric Wareheim, and Ace Norton.

Hiro Murai’s background in illustration and visual effects means his videos are full of incredibly subtle tricks and motifs, forcing your eyes into every inch of the screen just to make sure you’ve taken it all in. While this alone is enough to make a strong impression, when combined with such compelling visual concepts as he is known for, the results are nothing short of mesmerising.

Eric Wareheim, along with Tim Heidecker, rose to fame with their cult Adult Swim TV series Tim & Eric’s Awesome Show Great Job – a show that saw them take deliberately DIY, amateurish green screen effects and marry them with absurd and often grotesque situations to huge (if profoundly niche) acclaim. This experience, combined with Wareheim’s personal background in music and photography, has allowed him to create some of the most bizarre, memorable and hilarious music videos of recent years.

Ace Norton has been a consistent source of great music videos for the last ten years. In 2007 he was nominated for a Grammy for his work with Death Cab For Cutie (although he lost out to Bruce Springsteen). In that same year his darkly satirical video for Simian Mobile Disco’s “Hustler” was named as one of the 100 best music videos of all time by the NME, and since then his videos have been routinely applauded for their combination of curious imagery and bizarre optical illusions, all of which are likely to elicit more than the occasional double-take.

Music video directors are successful because they go outside the box to try entertain and attract an audience. For example Eric  Wareheim goes down the humour route by putting bizarre yet entertaining things in his videos. Where as for other directs such as Ace, he relies on consistency and being well known by a lot of people. What makes a music video successful is the individuality of the video its self compared to others.

Question 4

https://www.emaze.com/@ALTZCFLL/the-making-of-music

Question 5 

http://prezi.com/w5qak92nqr1n/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Laura Mulvey Theory

https://www.emaze.com/@AIOZIOWQ/male-gaze-theory

Andrew Goodwin Music video theory - By Ella Croft

http://prezi.com/ltybub9k4fwe/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Research into the music industry

How are music videos generally made? 
What is the production process?

http://prezi.com/eouta2bwwt3v/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

What is the purpose of a music video for the companies/artists that make them?

A music video has several purposes for companies and artists when they are created. Originally their purpose was to serve as a marketing tool intended to promote the sales of records. They still have that use but they also have the aim of leaving a lasting impression on the audience through several features like imagery or the edit. Another use of a music video is to provide the listener a greater understanding of the song especially if it is a narrative style. They also help to provide exposure and expansion for an artist profile through creating something of an entertainment value. 

Who are some famous music video directors and why are their videos so well known/successful?

DAVID FINCHER

   

David Fincher has built up a portfolio that expands decades from directing Hollywood blockbusters to multi-selling platinum music videos he is well known with his work on "Express yourself", Madonna (1989); "Vogue", Madonna (1990). The compelling cinematography that can range in mood from darker appearance to bubbly pop makes him versatile in his style of directing. 

SPIKE JONZE

Jonze's artist portfolio on who he's worked with touches a range of genres from indie to hip-hop stars which shows to versatility as well as creative ability to work with different genres that each have their own criteria's for music videos. He's known from steering away from conventional videos that MTV stream and creates his own style which makes him an influential figure. The individuality of Spike's music videos contributes to his success as a music video director and is responsible for videos like "Flashing lights", Kanye West (2008); "The Suburbs", Arcade Fire (2010); "Otis", Jay Z & Kanye West (2011). 

F. GARY GRAY

Gray has been a major player in shooting hip-hop videos that are well known and influential. Some of Gray's contributions include "Waterfalls", TLC (1995); "Show me what you got", Jay Z (2006); "It was a good day", Ice cube (1992). Working alongside Ice Cube for the "It was a good day" single, Gray showed is talent with his ability to provide visual aid alongside the narrative made it a compelling piece from what it could have been a video lacking stylistic touches. Most recently Gary Gray has been involved in the hit documentary "Straight outta Compton" a film about the rise of N.W.A a hip-hop group that Ice Cube was once a part of.  

These music video directors share in common their ability to add visual compliments to songs that will appeal to an audience of viewers. They are able to entertain the audience as well as sell artist brand and image in a memorable manner decades on. 


How much money is usually spent on the average music video? Have any been made very cheaply or are there any that have had huge budgets?

The amount of money spent of music videos varies for many reasons and very often they can be based on whether the money comes from the artists pocket or a major record label. A music video is often considered a part of the promotional package so therefore the money spent on the video can contribute greatly to the success of the single. Most notably David Bowie spent as little as $12.99 on his 2013 video for "Love is lost" which just goes to show that money is not always necessary.  The most epensive music video recorded was  by director Mark Romanek for Michael and Janet Jackson "Scream" for $10,546,626. This just goes to show that price can majorly range for music videos and can depend on who's funding the promotional tool. The large expenses can cover a range of features of the music video like production equipment, cast and crew, props, food, editing and post production. 

How do audiences access music videos? Where can they be seen?

http://prezi.com/xjcbvhnkvpvy/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy