A2 media planning and research coursework - in progress.

1. Questionnaires Results for Planning & Research
(Music Video)
For my planning and research I created a questionnaire to determine the target and
secondary audience for my chosen genre on music. The questionnaires were in-depth and
featured mainly qualitative questioning, for example, the sample audience were asked to
list things i.e. lifestyle factors and their associations with their chosen genre(s).
When collating the results I have used pie charts when collating results from
quantitative questioning, but due to the qualitative questioning and the list style answers, I
have opted to display some of the answers given in spider diagrams supported by statistics
and analysis. As my music video fits into the Indie/Alternative Rock genres I have focused
my presentation around the sample audience of nine people. I have however identified the
conventions of other genre’s in order to avoid crossing over in the planning and production
of my music video.
From these questionnaires I have been able to narrow down and specifically target the
primary and secondary audiences in a way that allows me to question things previously
stated in the original questionnaire in a more in-depth manner.

2. Audience Research - Questionnaire Results
Favourite/most watched Genre of music video?
For this question I only took one answer per questionnaire, but took into account the other
‘favourite genres, in attempt of identifying some links between genres.
9 of the 20 asked, watched and preferred
Indie/Alternative music videos, and none
stated that they had another ‘favourite genre’ R'n'B
of music video. Whereas the 2 ‘R’n’B’ fans Rock
both circled Hip Hop/Rap, and likewise from Metal
Grime
the 2 Hip Hop/Rap fans. This tells me that the
Indie
target audience for my music video are
Alternative
people that know what they like and can
Pop
possibly be guilty of ignoring or blocking out Hip Hop/Rap
other genre’s. with this considered I have Trance
decided that the video should conform to the
social ideals and the sub-culture’s own view
of their genres.

3. Audience Research - Questionnaire Results
continued… The ‘Sample Audience’
Of the 9, that make up the sample
audience, 6 are male, 3 female, 7 are
students in higher education, 2 work
male Higher
full time, all enjoy live music, socialise Education
regularly and 6 can be considered as female Employment
part of a interactive audience as they
regularly share music links via social
networking sites, promoting new and
existing artists.
64%
100%

4. Audience Research - Questionnaire Results
Other than the music. Why do you prefer the chosen genre(s) of music videos?
I asked this question to gain insight into what the sample audience looked for in their choice of
music video i.e. attire, performance, role models etc.
In the Indie/Alternative categories sample audience of 9 stated the following:
‘the clothes worn in music ‘seeing the band 5 out of 9 of the ‘Attitude, lik
video’s’ – ‘Dress sense and perform’ – ‘the Sample audience e in oasis
style’ instruments’ stated that the videos’
attitude of the band
84% of the sample audience /lead singer was
stated that the clothing worn 76% of the sample important. For oasis to be
in a music video is important. audience sated mentioned I feel that this element
This shows that performers that they liked to is important as Liam Gallagher's
are seen as style icons by fans see the band stance on stage is almost iconic and
and sub-cultures alike. performing and this can be seen consistently
the instruments. through music video’s
This leads to regardless of genre or
thoughts that in when it was produced,
further planning i.e. Serge Pizzorno –
the performance Kasabian and Jimmie
shots should Hendrix, iconic shots of
include close up’s his performances are all
of instruments. over the world.

5. Audience Research - Questionnaire Results
Can you list things that you associate with your chosen genre?
I asked this question to understand the factors that support the music and help define the
genre.
100% of the sample audience said that clothing was important. the clothing
worn identifies the genre of music and the sub-culture that follows. When
‘Clothing ‘ these results are compared with the results from the previous question it can
be seen that clothing is a fundamental part of this genre and should be a
prominent feature in the music video.
‘Lyrics about society and life ‘Gigs’ and ‘Bands
‘women’ and ‘relationships’
in general’ performing’
66% stated that the lyrics in 66% stated that the lyrics in 92% stated that live
the songs should have the songs should have performance and seeing the
meaning and focus on society meaning and focus on society bands perform are important
and life. Although I can not and life. Although I can not for the fans of the
alter the lyrics of the song I alter the lyrics of the song I Alternative/ indie genres, this
can emphasise selected lyrics can emphasise selected lyrics can be used in the
and their meaning through and their meaning through production of the music video
elements of mise-en-scene. elements of mise-en-scene. when considering how much
band performance should be
included.

6. The Sample Audience
regularly attend gigs Socialising
More male
than female
Clothing
Attitude and
Hairstyle lifestyle
Internet/ Social
networking
Alcohol

7. Audience Research - Questionnaire Results
In the second part of the questionnaire I focused on what audiences would like to see in a music
video, the questioning is more quantitative and I have used this to put in place a framework for
the planning and production of the video.
Do you like to see an intro in a music video? 8
6
6 out of the 9 prefer a small intro into a music video therefore 4
I feel that the music video should feature an introduction that 2
conforms with the genre conventions and instantly establishes 0
the genre and the band. yes no
8
How much artist performance and storyline do you like
6 to see in a music
video?
4
7 of the 9 stated that they prefer band performance to
2
0 storyline, this may be down to the fact that the sub-culture of
the genre are heavily influenced by the bands they follow in terms of appearance
storyline performance
and attitude and enjoy live music, showing that the performance is possibly of greater
importance than it would be in other genres. I think that the mixture of performance and
storyline may be a better option than having a clear divide between the two.
10
How do you mainly watch music videos? 8
The majority of the sample audience watch music videos via the 6
Internet, only 1 of the 9 watch them mainly on television. When 4
Creating the video and looking for feedback, I will use the internet 2
0
To gather feedback.
internet tv

8. Audience Research - Questionnaire Results
Favourite current music video? I asked this question in order to gain a starting point for my
analysis of other music videos (product research). I asked for current videos as these will have
the current conventions for the genre. I chose the 4 most matched to the music by O.K. Corral
and will analyse 1 area of production i.e. camera, per video.
Kasabian – Switchblade Smile
Arctic Monkeys – A View From Kings of Leon –
the Afternoon Charmer

9. Camera Editing Mise-en-scene Representation
Kasabian High & low Fast cuts, graphic Lighting– the lighting in the video is The band are seen to be aggressive, confident and
angles, zoom, pa matches, fade. artificial, high contrast and suits the black and laree. All of this conforms to stereotypes of the genre
nning Diagetic white style well. and the sub-culture that follows. These ideas of
Switchblade shots, group sound, synchronous Props – for the video all of the instruments were aggressive attitudes and confidence are supported by
shots, close with drum beat and sprayed matt black in order to keep the black the black and white theme, the band being dressed in
smiles up, medium and lyrics. Bold red copy and white theme consistent. black shows power but at the same time unites them
extreme long is placed in the Performance – the bands performance reflects in the eyes of fans and audiences, the instruments are
shots. Varied video to accent the the attitude of the song and hold the audience’s given ‘pride of place’ also as they are all
speed of zoom word move and is attention. black, showing the importance of them. The video as
and panning synchronous with Costume – the clothing is typical of the genre a whole seems to embrace ideologies rather than
shots. the lyrics and would appeal to the target audience. conforming or subverting them.
Arctic High & low The editing that Lighting – the video features ambient and There is very little representation of the band
angles, panning features is, as the artificial lighting. There is a change in lighting themselves in the video. But the audience can draw
Monkeys shots, group camera, quite basic, that almost signals the start of the song and the from the video that the band aren't afraid to point out
shots, close however the speed drum. the cracks in society and that they will make music
up, medium of synchronous cuts Props – there is little use of props in the video, about social circumstances, this in a way conforms
A view from shots and master holds the audiences instead the location is used for mater shots etc. with the genre whilst subverting social ideals. the
the shots. The video attention and is Performance – a member of the band features video is subtly rebellious and symbolic of the
afternoon features the appropriate for the throughout and this maintains both performance problems that appear in the lower classes and
least in terms of tempo of the song. and narrative at the same time. The video is deprived areas of the country. Examples of this
variation of symbolic and has more meaning in terms of symbolism can be seen throughout the video, the
camera shots but references to society and life than any of the wheel running over the cracks in the pavement,
was shot on the others. The performance in the video is possibly reflecting cracks in society. The use of master
lowest important and is the key feature in the video’s shots on a sign that states ‘do not throw sharp objects
budget, the success. into the children's playground’ with the ‘not’
video is still Costume – the clothing worn in the video is scrubbed out shows another aspect of living in a
effective and is stereotypical of genre and of the different people deprived area. The song title has a literal meaning and
idolised by fans. seen i.e. The lads that are seen throwing chips the video shows ‘a view from the afternoon’ on a
are dressed in a way that conforms to council estate in Sheffield.
stereotypes.

10. Product Research
Kings of Leon – Charmer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCd1vXsvkV4&ob=av2n
This video is entirely performance based, however the song has little in terms of storyline when
the lyrics are analysed. The performance is however shot in a way that interests audiences and
features multiple camera and editing techniques. Mise en scene is used in a way that supports
what the sample audience were saying in terms of clothing and props, i.e. the instruments and
the live performance style video. The camera supports the sample audience also as the low
angles and fast cuts create a idealistic view of the band and their importance.

11. Analysis – Kings of Leon (Done more in-depth due to this being the closest match to O.K Corrals
style of music)
As with the Kasabian video, songs with few lyrics tend to have little or no narrative in the video.
This may be due to the lack of narrative within the song, or to leave the song open to
interpretation to a sub-culture that clearly have strong opinions. This performance based video
allows for the image of the band to be portrayed clearly and this is evident in this video as in
the Kasabian video. The representation of the band as a whole is stereotypical in terms of
attitude, the lead singer is seen to have presence at the front of the stage and as in all the
videos can be seen playing to the camera and is separated from the rest of the band by his
clothing, the two guitarists and the drummer are dressed in dark clothing whereas he has a red
shirt on, supporting the attitude displayed. The video features editing techniques that ‘shake’
the camera in time with the lead singers voice, this creates a visual impact and generates yet
more impact when used in conjunction with the lyrics. The use of fast cuts and varied camera
shots and angles create more intensity within the video and this is suited well to the actual
song. The low angles and panning shots accent the lead singers presence and bring about a
sense of importance and power to the audience. Finally in terms of lighting, as with the
Kasabian video and the Arctic Monkeys video, there is a shift in lighting in a section of the
video, this change in lighting almost breaks the video up and adds another element to the video
when there is no lyrics to keep the audience’s attention, it’d almost as though the video uses a
change in lighting to shift the emphasis from audio to visual.
I feel that the video is successful and has many positive areas that conform within
the genre. In terms of camera and editing I feel the video has got everything right and when
looking at camera, I feel that using this video would in terms of inspiration would be more
appropriate than any of the other videos based on the fact that of the three videos, this is the
closest in terms of sound and tempo to O.K. Corral’s song.

12. Editing
The use of editing across all 3 videos
shows that cuts match the tempo of
the song throughout and are used to
emphasis certain parts of the song
i.e. where there is no lyrics, faster
more erratic cuts are used in
Camera conjunction with lighting to generate Costume
The use of camera shots in the 3 more visual impact. Attire worn in the videos is associated with the
videos are pretty standard, from genre in all 3 videos. When looking back at
my product research it is the audience research it is evident that costume is
editing and how the shots are important as it acts as an inspiration to the
compiled that gives the video’s the sub-culture that follow the genre.
sense of disorder not the use of
camera .
CONVENTIONS OF Performance
THE GENRE The band performance should reflect the
attitude of the band and the overall feeling of
Lighting the song as this is what can be seen in the 3
All of the video’s feature artificial/ videos I have looked at. So when looking at the
enhanced lighting, this is a common lyric analysis for ‘Victor’ I feel that themes of
trend within the genre and will be confidence and intoxication should be
featured in the O.K. Corral Video. Props generated and portrayed to the audience.
In terms of props, all 3 videos use the
instruments as these are a huge part of the
genre and appeal to the fans in a big way. Q
magazine described Kasabian’s music as ‘real
music’ i.e. they play their instruments and
write their own lyrics, a crucial part of gaining
appeal to the core fans of this genre. A large
percentage of the audience like to see the bass
guitar as much as the lead singer.