Media evaluation

1. Question3 – What have you learnedfromyour audience feedback?
For the initial partof thisquestion,Iconductedsome audienceresearchinordertoestablish
theirviewsonmyprojectand itprovidedasample of how my audience willinteractwiththe
musicvideo.Icollatedthe databy constructinga surveyusingSurveyMonkeywhichIwould
thendistribute toahandful of people togathera sample of feedback.Byconstructinga
survey,Icouldask the questionswhichIwantedansweringandprovidingaregimented
structure to the way inwhichquestionsare asked. Furthermore,itprovidedme withthe
opportunityof askingbothquantitativeandqualitative questionstograspa widerbreadth
of knowledge andinformationaroundthe video. Byaskingaboutthe sex of the responder,it
allowedme togathertrendsandsee if there was a difference inthe attitudesof males
comparedto femalesandvice versa.Thiswouldbe further enhancethe definitionof my
demographicandhelpme package the productionstoa particularaudience orimprove itto
become more inclusive.By askingquantitativequestions,itallowedme to receive numerical
data on subjectslike age,whichhelpswiththe consolidationof demographic.Onthe
contrary,whenI requiredconstructive feedbackon the positiveandnegative elementsof
my musicvideowhichwouldprovide points of improvementandgivesthe audience ascope
to suggestimprovementswhichwouldimprove the videoandconformitmore to the
constructedaudience. Bycollating,recordingandrespondingtothe feedbackI’ve received
to improve myproductionsandconstructthemina mannerwhichpackagesthemmore to
the audience asoppose todistancingthemandbeingstubborn,particularlyinthe firstmusic
videoof an independentartist,itactsas a commercial package andone which needstobe
soldand manufacturedinthe correctmanner.My surveywasreducedto 10 questionsto
ensure the partakerretainedattentivenessandthusgave useful feedbackwhichcouldbe
usedto developmyproduction,inreality,Iwouldhave likedtoquestionfurtherontopics
surroundingnarrative,genre andtechnical codesbutthatwouldlose theirattentionand
decrease the qualityof answer.Ithinkthe attentionwasretainedwiththe average time
spentonmy quizbeing7m11s whichis fairlyimpressive.
I distributedthe surveytomembersof mymediastudiesclasswhoare knowledgeableand
practicedinmusicvideosandcan cast a subjectiveeye andprovide constructivecriticism
froma technical,theoretical butalsoademographical viewpointasthey make upcomply
withmyconstructedaudience’sage.Ivaluedtheirintelligentfeedbackastheygoing
throughthe same processI am undertaking.Thisgivesmysurveyadegree of authenticityas
oppose topeople whoperhapslackunderstandingbutwanttopraise me for the workI’ve
conducted(forexample,mymother).Personally,Ifoundthismethodextremelyuseful for
collectingreliableandalsouseful datawhichcombinedintellectualitywithdefinitive
responses,whichmade forapleasingcombinationtohelpanalysemyproductions.
My firstquestionwasdesignedtogather
quantitative datatohelpme establishand
distinguishtrendswithinmydata.By askingthis
questionof myaudience,Iwasable toevaluate if
there wasa trendas to howmalesandfemales
answeredthe questionsandif thiswasdifferent
inanyway.Thisknowledge could,aspreviously
stated,adddefinitiontomydemographicand
allowme to pinpointaparticularsex withinmy
age bracket.Furthermore,Iwasintriguedtosee whethermalesall enjoyedonce element
whichthe femalesdidn’tpickuponand vice versa.It justallowsforprecisionwithinmy
data. Thiscollectionof quantitative datacontinuedasIaskedsimilarquestionssurrounding

2. age andgenre distinction.Thistype of multiplechoice questionsallow me todictate the
answerprovidedthroughpresentingachoice andis usedfordefinitive questionsasIhave
appliedit. Bycollectingquantitative data,itprovidesthe opportunityfortrendstobe
spottedwithinmyqualitative data,itprovidesthe numberswhilstqualitative dataprovides
the implicationsforthose numbers.These questionsalsoprovide astructuredbeginningto
the surveyandis statistical bydesign. Numberscollectedneedtobe accurate andcan be
usedto forma hypothesisatthe endof an initial survey.These numbersare directand
simplistic.The balance of combiningfacts(quantitative data) and thenthe opinionbased
responses(qualitative data) whichoccurlateronwithinthe surveyallowsme tohave a
range in regardsto the style of response Igatherand these twoelementscomplementeach
othernicelytoequate forbalance withinmyconclusion.Asthe graphabove graphically
illustrates,mysurveyhadmore femalepartakersthanmale whichalthoughmaybeisn’t
ideal asan evensplitwouldhave beenmore beneficial tomyresearch,presentedanice
angle as the videoisshotfromthe perspective of amale protagonistandI thinkitwas
intriguingtogatherthe opinionsfrommore femalesandthenidentify if therewas acertain
viewpointof thatelement.Ideally,Iwouldhave wantedthe same amountof answersfrom
bothsexesinorderto establishanequilibriumwithinmyresponses andenhance the
breadthof my responses,thisissomethingIwouldstrive to doif I conductedthe research
again.
Questiontwowasanotherquestionwhichwas,bydesign,intendedtocollate quantitative
data and establishfactssoIcould
recognise the demographicof my
audience butasI soughtto establish
the opinionsof myconstructed
demographic,Ionlydistributedthe
surveytothose whomthe videois
producedfor.92% of those who
participatedinmysurveywere
betweenthe agesof 17-21 which
placesthemwhich placedagreater
emphasisonthe thoughtsof those
withinmy targetdemographicinorder
to establishthe wideropinionof my
demographic.The additionof an
opinionfromthe 22-30 categoryprovidedmore scope andallowedme togatherdataon the
opinionof those whositonthe peripheryof mydemographic.If Icouldconduct this
researchonce more,I’dwant a more rangedresponse fromdifferingdemographicstosee if
there wasa wayof packagingmyvideotoa wideraudienceinordertocreate a commercial
package whichwas widerthanjustmydemographic.Forthistask however,the factthe
answersare mainlywithinthe constraintsof mydemographicisuseful tocomplythe video
withthose whoitis targeted.If itis resentedbythatdemographicof people,thentweaks
wouldevidentlyneedtooccurby adoptingthe feedbackwhichwasreceivedinthe latter
stagesof the survey.The graphillustratesthe emphasisonfeedbackfrommytarget
demographicandthisissomethingwhichIstrivedtoachieved,whilstabalance wouldhave
givenme a widerperspective,thisselective sampleallowsme toensure mytarget
demographicenjoysthe content. The contrastbetweensexeswithinmydataprovidesthe
opportunitytoidentifyareaswhichappeal more toa certainsex thanthe otherand this
allowsrectificationif needed.
Identificationof genre ispivotal tothe overall successof the productions,astheyplaysuch

3. an importantpart of the interaction and
connectionfeltwiththe audience.Through
askingthisquestion,itprovidedagreatsense of
howwell I’dmanagedtocomplywiththe
conventionsof the genre andthe feedbackI
receivedcouldmake orbreakthe wayaudiences
decidedtoconnectwiththe productions.This
closed,quantitative questionpresentedarange
of optionsandthe fact 76% of people whotook
the surveyidentifiedthisandthisshowsthat the
productionshave translatedinthe waywhichI
wanted.Whilstthisisamajority,there isstill
some of my demographicwhofailedtoidentitythe genre correctly,andsuggeststhatmore
neededtobe done inorderto complywiththe conventionsof the genre andmake the piece
as close to the genre as possible tohelpthe audience identifywiththe piece andformy
artistto establishanaudience.Whatitdisplaysalsoisthat,withinmysample frommy
demographic,thatthe data suggeststhisconstructedaudience canidentifythe conventions
of thisgenre successfullywhichstandsinabettersteadto connectwiththisdemographic
whichithas beenpackagedfor. Overall,thisquestionhasallowedme todiscoverhow wellI
managedto adoptthe conventionsof Indie Rockandplace themintomyvideoalongside
hownoticeable the genre isforthe audience.WhilstPopisthe answerwhichreceivedthe
nextamountof votes,itis significantlylessthanIndie RockreceivedanddisplaysthatIhave
conveyedmygenre well withinmyproductionsandmanagedtopresentproductionswhich
are consistentingenre.Genre issucha keypart of any musical package as itallowsthe artist
to establishanaudience withinthe genre andthe quantitative dataallowsmycollationof
data to incorporate one of the most importantfactorswhichhasseeminglytranslatedhow I
anticipatedmakingforasuccessful productioninregardstoestablishingmygenre.
To marry alongside myquantitative data andprovide balance to
the surveywasa couple of questionswhichallowedthe
partakersto be more expressiveandvocalise prosandconsof
the productionswhichcanbe usedtorectifymyproductions
and helpimprove themtorelate more tothe audience. These
questionsare pivotal togive the licence foraudience members
to expresstheiropinionsandpresentconstructivecriticisms
whichperhapsare differenttothe weaknessesIidentifiedafterthe constructionprocessof
my productions.Byunderstandingthe proposedimprovementssuggestedbymyaudience,I
coulddevelopmymusicvideoandtailoritina waywhichtranslatesfurtherontomy
productions.Furthermore,byrecognisingandaskingthe participantstostate positive
elements,itallowsme togatherdata onwhethertheythoughtcertainfacetsworkedand
answerswhichIconcurredwith,such as the editingandlinkbetweenthe narrativeandthe
songpositivelyimpactedthe wideroutcome of mymusicvideo. Asalarge portionof my
surveyorswere partof my constructedaudience,toreceivepositivefeedbackregardingthe
narrative andeditingwaspleasingasthese elementsare crucial andoneswhichare classic
of the genre sothese elementstranslatedinthe mannerIintendedtostrengthenthe
message receivedbythe audience. Togive amore roundedpointof view onmyvideo,Ialso
soughtfor constructive criticismtocomplywithStuartHall’s Encoding/Decoding Theory is
a theory of communicationwhichsuggestsaudiencesactivelyreadmediatextsanddon't
justaccept thempassively. The audience oftenreadmediatextsinalternate waystohow
theyare derivedandbyaskingforconstructive criticismallowsthisfreedomandactivelyof
the audience tobecome pertinentandhelpsmake myworkmore fluidandthe connection

4. withthe audience stronger.Asthisproductionwasmade fora wideraudience,this
constructive criticismisimportanttocreatingamusicvideoforthe people whoenjoy
consumingindie rock anditwas vital I gotfeedbackandwasn’tarrogant enoughtoassume
my productionswere flawlessandnotinneedof revision.Assome of myparticipants
weren’twithinmy constructedaudience,alackof relatabiltymaybe toblame forsome of
the constructive criticisms;acommon
response wasthatof a lack of versatility
and dynamismwithinmyperformance
shots.Thisis a reoccurringcriticismof my
videoandonce whichneedsadjustingand
adjustinginorderto keepthe
entertainmentfactorpresentwithinmy
videobutalsoto displayaflexibilityand
correct the mistakesproposedbymy
audience.Whatisdifferentwiththis
particulartopicis itwas highlightedbya
range of participantsandnotsimplya rarity
and naggingconcernof one participant.
Thissample isuseful asif one criticismis
highlightedbyarange of people,the
likelihoodisthatthe majorityof the audience will agree uponrelease andthiscouldhinder
the positive interactionandconnectionwiththe audiencewhichthe productionsreliesupon
if it isgoingto be consideredasan ‘indie’piece of music.Asthe performance shotsare a
majorpart of the brand identityI’mlookingtocreate formy artistso ensuringthisbecomes
strengthwouldbe a priorityif Iwas goingto act uponthe informationI’ve gatheredthrough
thissurvey. Overall,thesequestionsare the oneswhichIfeltI gotthe bestvalue outof in
termsof feedbacktomyproductionsandhow theycouldadapt andevolve if Iwasgoingto
incorporate the feedbackreceivedtoimplementthe suggestionsmade bythe wider
audience.
Followingonfromthis,Iwantedtosee if the narrative translatedwell ontomyaudienceand
createdthe desiredimpactwhichIintendedonmypiece.Byaskingaqualitative questionon
the audiencesunderstandingof the narrative,Icoulddecipherhow wellIhadportrayedmy
narrative throughtechnical elementsandquestionhow goodmystorytellingelements
withinmediatextsare.The intendedconstructionof the narrative wasbasedarounda
relationshipandthe multifacetedelementsof one whichcansee ittransitionfrompositive
to nonexistentrapidly.Pleasingly,the intentionseemedtobe readbyaudience with100% of
responsesidentifyingandrecognisingthe issue rose.One commentstated ‘The girl andthe
boystartedoff in love butslowlystartedtofall apart.By the endof the videowe understand
that the boy andgirl and no longerinlove,andwe can thenappreciate how the lyricsfitinto
the musicvideo.’Thiscommentreinforcesthe
overall understandingof the narrative andhow
it marrieswiththe lyrical aspectof the
productiontocreate the desiredeffectand
impactthe audience inanemotive manner.
The negative elementsof thisquestionis
sometimesanswersare simplisticanddon’t
provide auseful response butdescribe in
Lehman’stermstheirinterpretationwhereas
othersdescribe indetail theirinterpretation
and give youa bettergauge forhow successful

5. I was inregardsto presentingthe narrative. Malesidentifiedthe narrative inamore
descriptive waywhichpresentsarelatabiltywiththe narrative. Narrative issuchan
importantaspectof any productionasit oftenhelpswitharesponse,eitherintellectuallyor
emotionally,fromyouraudienceandiskeyto how theyfeel aboutthe video.If the narrative
was emotionallyenrichingandrelatable,the enjoymentfactorwill be more prominentthan
someone whocouldn’tconnectwithit,soit’svital tohave a strongnarrative.
As the productionwasconstructedona
nonexistentbudget,Iwasintriguedtoaskmy
surveyorstheiropinionsurroundingproduction
values.These are crucial astheyplaya huge part
inestablishingwhetherthe videoappears
amateurishorprofessionalandIwas seekingto
have highproductionvalueswhichaccreditsme
witha successful piece.Productionvaluesare
pivotal,asif theyare professional,the audience
usuallyenjoysmore.Highproductionvalues
marriedwitha lowbudgetistypical of the indie
genre howeverandformyproductionstobe consideredasasuccessful indie production,
thisbalance neededtobe struck.The weightedaverage of responseswas3.83,and rounded
up is4. Thisisa highlypleasingpieceof datawhichsuggeststhe productionvalueshelda
qualitywhichwasprofessional despitethe lackof budgetwhichisoftenseeninother,
arguablybettersupportedgenres,likepopmusicwhichisheavilymonetisedand
commercialisedforglobalisation.Evidently,with42% of respondersagreeingthatthe
productionvalueswere 3outof 5, there iswork to dowithinthe productionelementsto
raise thisand itincludesagreatervariationincameraworkandlinkstothe constructive
criticismsofferedpreviously.Overall,thisquestionallowsme togatherdata onwhere my
productionvalueslie andthe weightedaverageispositive,however,withthe majority
selectingthree outof five,thereisstill worktobe conductedtoraise thisfurtherand
enhance the qualityof mybudgetbutthismustbe done withinthe constraintsof afinancial
straitjacket.
Before analysingtrendswithinmydata,I
wantedtogain a understandingastohow
attentive myvideowasandthe likelihoodof my
audience buyingthe album.Attentivenessis
essential inanage wherebyaudience’sattention
span isdecreasinganddemocratizationis
becomingincreasinglymore popularthrough
mediumssuchasYouTube.The digital age has
seenthe producer/consumerrelationship
change drastically,withagreateremphasison
producersto locate the audience asoppose to
how theyhad
the power
previously. What
ispleasingisthat0% believedthe productionswere notso
attentive ornotat all attentive whichisincrediblypleasing
and showsI can retainthe attentionof myaudience
successfully. Onthe contrary,onlya handful believeditto
be extremelyattentive withthe average of people believing
that the productionswere somewhatattentive which

6. suggestsIhave greaterwork to do.The chart displaysthat50% of participantsbelievedthe
productionstobe somewhatattentive andwhilstisn’taterrible piece of data,itsuggests
furtherimprovementsare requiredtopushthatattentivenessfurther.Thisintrinsicallylinks
withmyaudience’slikelihoodtobuythe album.Thisisthe onlypiece of data whichreally
rangesand lacksconsistencywhichdevaluesitasthere isa lackof coherence.Whatitdoes
suggestitthat my productionsrequire agreaterdegreesof workto doto ensure thisfigure
becomesmore consistent.
In regardsto trends,recordingthe dataas a whole itisclear that onaverage,the average
attentivenessandlikelihoodtobuythe albumishigheramongstmalesthanfemaleswhich
couldbe because of the unbalance withinthe dataas more femalesansweredthe survey
than males.Furthermore,itshowsthatmalesconnectedmore withthe productionsthan
females,thusmatchingmyintentionandchoosingtofocusonthe malesperspectiveasIfelt
I coulddraw amongemotional memoryandincorporate thisinamore realisticmannerthan
a female perspective. Malesviewedthe videoinamore positive wayandif I couldconstruct
the productionsagain,Iwouldbalance thismore toincorporate female perspectivesmore,
however,Ifeltthere wasenoughfemale orientatedperspectivescoveredandthiscould
opena niche andrelatable marketformales.
Feedbackfrommyteacherand peersthroughoutmyproductionsallowedme toaddress
aspectsof my productionthatrequiredaddressing,adaptingorevolvingtomake itsuitmy
demographicfurther.Thishasbeenanongoingprocessfora noticeable periodof time to
gaina goodamountof feedbackfromasmanypeople asI couldto developmyproductions
and make themas successful astheycouldbe.Thisfeedbackcentredonthe placementof
shotswithinmymusicvideoandrearrangingthe orderingtocreate an alternative effectto
howsoundis introducedinthe embryonicstagesof the video.Forthe productions,my
feedbackcentredoncolourscheme whichevolvedfromanunoriginal andboringblackand
white toa more vibrantcolourscheme whichadoptedcoloursymbolismandusedthe
colourwheel tosee whatcoloursmarriedeffectivelytocreate agood aesthetic.This
providedadifferentdynamicandconnotationstomyworkand helpedmake themmore
cohesive whichIfeltmade thembetterandmore successful asproductions,solisteningand
usingothersfeedbackandconstructive criticismsare pivotal tocreatingagreat mediatext.
Overall,audience feedback hascontributedtothe recognisingof positive andnegative
elementswhichcouldactuponto improve mypiece.Astheyare the consumersand
ultimatelyhowmyartistwouldbecome successful,theyare the keydeciders of whether
these productionsare successful.The resultsof thissurveyindicate thatworkstill needsto
be conductedinorder to make thisproductionaresoundingsuccessbutitappearsto still be
withinthe developmentphase andthe audience feedbackhasprovidedanothereye to
proceedingswhichisultimatelyintegral tothe productionsdevelopment.