1. What have you
learned from
your audience
feedback?
ALICE CHILDERHOUSE

2. Peer feedback
 The first question I asked was what audiences favourite images or connotations were.
I received the most feedback on the use of chess pieces as the main prop and
image. Most people picked up on the connotation of the chess pieces with the
name of the song „Games‟, which was a conscious decision to use.
 “Chess pieces connoting games/manipulation tying into the title and the message of
the song. Use of black and white film emphasises contrast further” – This comment
was really useful for me because it told me that my intentions had worked. I wanted
there to be a strong connection between the song and the music video, so the chess
pieces helped achieve this as well as the colour scheme used.
 One peer wrote “The chess pieces give an interesting metaphor that is open for
interpretation from the audience” – This suggested to me that although I have an
idea of what the chess pieces mean personally, my audience will take different
things from it, particularly due to the face that there is a fragmented narrative.

3. Peer feedback
 The next question I asked was what aspects of the video promote the track. Most
peers said that my chess pieces were the most promotional aspect of my video,
mainly because they related to the name of the song
 “The pacing works really well with the track” – I tried a new technique I hadn‟t
used before, which was jump cuts, as I felt it would keep up with the quick beat of
the song. I also felt that it would make the video a lot more upbeat as I used mostly
slow shots, and then speeded them up during the editing process.
 “urban scenery typical of indie music videos” –
This showed me that my use of locations was a
clear convention of indie pop music videos.
When doing research I discovered that there
was a heavy use of focus and lighting in music
videos. I decided to use this in my own work
because I felt it would highlight the genre of my
track, and create a clear connection between
my video and real media products

4. Peer
feedback
 The third question was how does the video use musical genre
conventions. One comment that came through really strongly
was that the video focused on my main characters journey
and emotional struggles, and that this was a clear convention
in indie music videos:
o “Focuses on emotional journey of central character”
o “Focuses on the character‟s story”
o “focused on showing the audience the character‟s personal
struggles”
 This showed me that my narrative fitted into the tracks genre,
and my audiences can recognise that.
 One peer even picked up on a Los Campesinos poster in the
back of one of the scenes. Although this wasn‟t planned, it
showed me that small details can actually have quite a big
impact on audience members. If I were to do this music video
again I would definitely take into account the props and
objects around me more, as this comment showed me that the
audience is actually very aware of what they‟re watching.

5. Peer feedback
 The fourth question was concerned with the creative use of technical skills (controlled use of
camera; variety of shot sizes; editing techniques etc.). I was worried about this question,
because I hasn‟t actually added a huge amount of effects; a lot was done simply with my
camera.
 Every single peer picked up on my use of a time lapse in the second half of my video. I sped
up a short sequence of a street, and all my peers thought this was a very effective editing
technique which went with the pace of the track.
o “Out of focus cars connote uncertainty”
o “the out of focus lights gave a soft and thoughtful appearance”
 These comments were relating to some shots of cars and lights in the street, which I filmed
by using my lens to create a very out of focus effect. It was nice to have feedback relating
to camera skills, and showed me that there are techniques possible to do with just a
camera and not using Premiere Pro.

6. Peer feedback
 The last question was areas for improvement. When I
received this feedback my music video was around 85%
complete, so there were a few gaps which people
commented on. However, I knew what I needed to film so
this wasn‟t a concern for me.
 “Perhaps another close up on chess pieces for further
reinforcement of the overall message” – This was a really
interesting idea, and I ended up filling up some of my gaps
with close ups of chess pieces, and I felt this was really
effective. This taught me that I was able to gain ideas from
audience feedback, and add to my work through suggested
ideas.
 “I think the video would benefit from a more
concluded ending, as it seems to just trail off” – My
intention when editing my video was to have an
ending that was open to interpretation, as I felt this
would be more effective in standing out from other
music videos of similar genre. However, this
comment did make me realise how they might think
that the ending doesn‟t conclude any of the
narrative. I also had to think about y actors schedule
and she was limited on time so it would have been
difficult to arrange a new date to film a new ending.
It was also only one respondent who didn‟t like the
ending.

7. Focus
groups
 Images and connotations – One member of my focus group said that the
use of black and white was really effective as it matched the props such
as the chess pieces. This was good because my use of colour was an
important part of the whole of my promotional package to create a
brand identity, so it was important that my target audience liked this
aspect.
 Another member of my focus group commented on how the darkness
and black clothing used at the start of my music video really contrasted
with the upbeat style of the song. She said this worked well, and I agree as
I was trying to make a distinction between the two. I felt that a use of
juxtaposition would make my video stand out from others, and also make
the audience interested in what was going on as it may not make sense.
However, I can see how some of my target audience may simply be
confused by the contrast between the audio and the visuals, so I would
make a point to not do this again in my work.
 I also think the lyrics are very much open to interpretation, because I even
experienced this myself. When I first listened to the track I felt that the song
was about person losing someone they loved. However later when I was
forced to change my idea because my actor dropped out, I was able to
interpret the lyrics and song differently and therefore come up with a
different idea.