What have you learned from your audience feedback?

1. EVALUATION
QUESTION 3What have you learned from your audience
feedback?
Amy Taylor
Candidate 3129
Centre 16607

2. WHY ARE FOCUS GROUPS USED IN
THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
Focus groups are a research method used to obtain feedback
from consumers. Each member of a focus group will
participate in a discussion or complete a questionnaire for
the researcher in order to give feedback about specific
products.
Audience reception:
Focus groups are important to determine if the preferred
meaning of the products are being interpreted.
Furthermore, focus groups allow the producer to
understand their target audience and audience expectations,
to ensure consumers are completely fulfilled after receiving
the products (Blumler & Katz).

3. FOCUS GROUP
➤ The purpose of my focus
group is to gather
feedback on my products;
they view them as
consumers and have
expectations I need to
foresee. I selected
individuals with an interest
in indie music, as they
would give me the most
insight for improvements I
need to make, which
ensures I am following
conventions based on
their existing
perceptions of indie
products.

4. FIRST DRAFT OF
MUSIC VIDEO➤ My focus group were satisfied
with the overlays, where
footage of Nancy singing in
front of the projector was put
over the footage displayed on
the screen. I thought this
displayed the ‘hazy/dreamy’
effect of the music video.
➤ From this feedback, I included a
couple of fade transitions between
shots in order to enhance the
representation of psychedelia
within the music video.

5. BRAND IDENTITY
➤ Carol Vernallis states:
➤ Jamie suggested I improve the footage of
Nancy singing the opening lyrics to
establish my artist’s identity and conform
to direct address, which engages the
audience at the beginning of the
performance. I improved this by changing
the shot type from medium to close-up,
as shown in the images to the right.

6. ➤ I learnt the importance of syncing the visuals to the lyrics. In my
first draft, I received feedback from 2/4 focus group members about
my editing.
➤ After familiarising myself with iMovie, it became much easier to
develop precise editing skills so that Nancy is singing in time with
the lyrics. Katie proposed Nancy should sing out loud when filming
with the track in the background, as the sound of footage will be
turned off in iMovie so it will not be heard. I did not do this when
filming for my first draft so I made sure I applied this feedback to my
following drafts.
➤ I believe this advice was important, as when editing the videos and
cutting footage, I could sync the shots perfectly (which I planned out
in my storyboards).

7. VARIETY OF ANGLES
➤ There is an obvious improvement in my choice of shot types for the
opening verse of my music video. The images on the first row are from my
first draft and the images below are from my final version.
➤ In the first draft, I used medium shots at slightly different angles, whereas
the final cut features a medium, close-up medium and close-up shot, with a
variety of 3 camera angles.
➤ This made the video more interesting rather than having Nancy perform in
a single position, which is quite boring for the audience to watch.

8. ‘INDIGO’ - BAND NAME
➤ Following my research into
psychedelic subculture and
feedback from my focus group, I
named my artist ‘Indigo’. From
my research I planned to have a
purple theme throughout my
products, however my focus
group influenced me to name the
band Indigo, which provides a link
for negotiated readers, who may
not understand the preferred
reading for the psychedelic
genre. Those who understand
conventions of the psychedelic
genre would understand where
the idea for the purple theme
derives from.

9. STUART HALL’S PREFERRED READING
➤ My focus group and classmates gave the message they received from my music
video in their responses to my questionnaire. Becca, from my focus group, gave
a preferred reading, as she understands indie conventions well. Most classmates
gave negotiated readings, as everyone interprets messages / conventions
differently. I justified this by asking what their preferred genre is - most people
did not listen to indie music and therefore may not be as familiar with indie codes
and conventions.
➤ Everyone correctly identified the genres of my music video, which suggests the
conventions were well established. This also allowed meaning to be decoded
correctly.

10. ➤ I formed the name ‘Uncertainty’ from the message I wanted to
portray to the audience about the individual being lost after a
relationship has ended and is now uncertain of the future
(preferred meaning). Uncertainty also summarises the mixed
messages from the song titles featured on the back cover of the
digipak.
‘UNCERTAINTY’ - ALBUM NAME
➤ My image for the ancillary products
represents the navel-gazing indie kids
who form part of my target audience.
This is anchored by my talent’s facial
expression and body language, which
is contemplative, uncertain and lonely.

11. ➤ I asked my classmates what they
expected to see in an indie /
psychedelic music video.
Responses included ‘slow-paced
editing’, ‘nature’, ‘dream-like
effects’ and ‘colourful effects’
➤ Therefore, I learnt from my audience feedback that I have
conformed to the uses and gratifications theory, as I
predicted audiences’ expectations and included these
conventions in my music video.