2. FOCUS GROUP
In October my group and I carried out a survey to find out what people
thought to our music video ideas. We sat in a group and recorded
ourselves taking turns to ask questions and hear feedback as well as
ideas from our audience. We asked questions such as “Do you think our
video would offend males?” and “Do you understand the narrative?”.
We received excellent feedback from the audience, as well as some
ideas for our MV. Also we only used people from our class who were all
between the ages of 17-18 years of age, so it related to out TA age
range quite nicely.
3. NOVEMBER TA
We came up with some questions that we feel we needed
for our TA to find out what would sell our MV and album.
In the following slides there are questions and answers we
received from our feedback.
4. QUESTION 1: HOW DO YOU CONSUME
MUSIC VIDEO'S?
For this question I found out that over 50% of
the people that we asked use YouTube as a way
of streaming their music. I think this is because it
is a free site and is easily accessible. These
answers were very useful as we now know how
to advertise the music video so our TA will view
it.
5. QUESTION 2: DO YOU LISTEN TO A LOT OF
MUSIC?
This in my opinion is quite an obvious
question but we found that 100% of
my TA do listen to music which is
excellent for my music video. I would
change this question if I could as I feel
that most people (especially teenagers)
in a modern day society listen to music
on a regular basis.
6. QUESTION 3: HOW DO YOU MOSTLY LISTEN
TO THE MUSIC?
This question similarly told me that my TA use
Youtube to listen to their music. Spotify is also a
popular site as it has been running since 2006 so
it has many customers, whereas sites such as
Apple Music have recently been created so it
wont have as many customers. I feel that this
question is not needed as it gives us the same
answers and feedback as question 1.
7. QUESTION 4: DO YOU EVER DOWNLOAD
MUSIC? IF SO WHERE FROM?
Luckily I found with this research that the
majority of my TA download music in some way.
ITunes seems to be the most popular way of
downloading music so I will use this when
creating my CD advert. However some of them
do not download music so this could cause a bit
of a problem, so we will post it on YouTube so it
is also free to stream. This question was very
useful and relieving as we found out that 75% of
our TA download music from some sort of music
site/app.
8. QUESTION 5: DO YOU EVER BUY CD'S?
From this we found that most of my TA
do not buy CDs, I feel that this is
because we are targeting a modern day
audience so they prefer to download of
stream music from their Mp3/Mobile. I
found this questions feedback very
interesting as the number of people
who do not buy CD’s are very high
which tells us that CD’s are becoming
out of date.
9. All of these answers helped my group and I to establish what sites/apps we
needed to use and include when advertising the album. From this feedback
we gained information on ways to advertise our music video. I used this
knowledge when creating my advert for my digipak. For example I used the
Itunes logo on my advert to advertise to my audience that it can be
downloaded from Itunes, as this would relate to them a lot more. Upon
reflection however I wish that we used different questions to ask the
audience as some questions overlapped and gave me answers that I
already knew and some of the questions were quite obvious. These answers
developed my creativity as they gave me new ideas of what to include on
my CD advertisement and ways to advertise the star and her album.
10. FOCUS GROUP 2
For TA feedback I put a post up on Facebook asking if people
could give me some feedback on my MV. I received many
responses from friends and family who are inside my TA age
range. I asked a range of questions to find out what out TA
thought to my music video and if they could give any
feedback on ideas that they did not understand about the
MV.
11. 1. DID THE PERFORMANCE SHOTS
ENABLE YOU TO IDENTIFY THE
STAR/SINGER?
Yes, as there was alot of them
yes
Yes, the majority of the shots were of the star/singer making it easy to identify her
Yes, for sure
Yes
It was easy to identify the singer, and it gave a clear representation of her feelings
Yes
Yes
Yes they did very clearly, straight from the start
The performance focused on the singer and performer all the way through and
could really identify who it was
Easily see the main singer
Yes, I liked the performance shots that were used-the one in the beginning with the
bruises was really effective-and told a story by themselves-Sophie’s acting was
really good swell-and you felt empathy towards her right from the start.
Yes
Yes
Yes, very quickly realised she was singing about herself in a abusive relationship
Yes
Yes
Yes, the singer was displayed in the most shots
12. From this question I had a lot of positive feedback that was very
reassuring for me as 100% of my audience identified the star of the
MV. However I feel that this is because Sophia is in every shot so it
would be extremely hard not to identify her as the star. This was very
useful as this means my TA know who the star of the video is so they
should be able to understand the narrative of the MV a lot easier.
13. 2) WERE THERE ENOUGH CLOSE
UP’S OF THE MAIN ARTIST?
Yes
yes
Yes, most of the shots were on the main artist
I’d say so
Yes, just the right amount
There was enough close ups
Definitely
Yes
Yes they were, however there could have been maybe a few more different angles because it did
seem like most of them were from head height
There was a handful of close-ups of the artist which was in detail showing the purpose of the
performance
Plenty of close ups
Yes, I think that there were enough close up’s of the main artist-and I liked the fact that she was
central a lot of the time and singing directly into camera-it helped to create a connection with
the audience and viewer-and really helped to tell the narrative
Yes
Yes
Yes, close ups show her in pain mentally as well as physically
Yes
Plenty
There were lots of close up shots of the artist
14. This feedback was also positive as all of my audience felt that there
were plenty of close-ups of the main artist. The reason that we used
this idea is because we wanted to make sure our audience could feel
the pain and upset of our star and prove that this is a social message as
it is a problem in a modem day society. Also we wanted to capture the
strong use of make up to capture her good looks so it would appeal to
both genders. Though if I was to go back, I would alter this question to
ask that if there was enough close up shots ‘do they capture the
emotion of the star well enough?’ as this is something we wanted to
achieve with the close ups of our star.
15. 3) DID YOU UNDERSTAND
THE NARRATIVE OF THE
VIDEO?
Yes, I feel it was made quite clear
yes
Yes, from the narrative of the video I gathered that the star was suffering from domestic
violence
I did
yes, was made very clear
The narrative was clear and interesting
Yes
Abusive relationship, but in love
Yes, it was made very clear
The narrative of the performance was very well understood and was the main focus
Narrative easy to understand
I think so, Sophie was in an abusive relationship-and it was about her getting out of it-I
liked the shot of the happy together as well as it suggesting that just because the
relationship seemed ‘normal’ on the outside that things can still be wrong-not every shot
is black and white.
Yes
Yes
Yes, young woman who has finally had the courage to leave her controlling abusive
partner.
Yes
Yeah I understand very good
I understood the story it was told perfectly, the scenes were made very clear
16. All of my TA understood the narrative of the MV and some even told us
what they thought the narrative was. This is very useful for us as now
we know that we have used good representations to make the narrative
clear to the audience. We tried to make the narrative clear by showing
the bruises and their relationship status on Facebook. We also even
showed Jason abusing Sophia in one of the scenes. Like I said before I
think that because the audience recognise Sophia as the star, they
automatically see her side to the narrative.
17. 4) WHAT DID YOU
THINK OF THE
STAR’S
REPRESENTATION?
(HIS/HER IMAGE)
I thought she was portrayed quite well as the victim with the makeup showing the bruises
She was pretty, and the makeup was well done and effective
I thought the star’s representation was of a young woman expressing her feelings about her abusive relationship.
I thought the representation was very appropriate for the theme of the video
I thought she was represented as someone who was stuck between what she loved and what she knew was right, which I
felt was ideal for the song choice
The representation of the star showed how she was willing to stay with him, until it was too late, which she managed to
escape.
I think she represented what was tried to be shown very well and it truly showcases the story being told
Hers was really good, he was portrayed aggressive
I think her image was spot on for this type of music video because she doesn’t have too much makeup on and isn't over
dressed for the video and I think this makes the viewers relate to her as she is just a normal young girl
The image of the performer was well thought out and showed the purpose of the piece
Represented well (I’m guessing a girlfriend of beating boy)
I liked the use of binary opposition with Charlie wearing a white shirt at the beginning, even though he was portrayed as
the ‘villain’ within the story. I liked Charlie’s acting as it was very convincing- and i liked that he portrayed both the
‘villain’ (in the scene that he hit Sophie), but then as the good guy when they were talking it suggested that there were
two sides to him and the majority of the people saw the good side. I liked how fragile Sophie appeared throughout the
plot her acting was really good and you could see the emotion within it and how upset she was it made her very relatable
to a lot of people. I also liked the fact that she was wearing casual clothing as these outfits looks are outfits that other girls
can look at and replicate.
Very good portrayal. Image-victims usually have very low self esteem, so no makeup, nothing too showy to make them
stand out, I think you have done that well!
They both represented a couple that was happy but behind closed doors they weren’t.
Good, not sexualised
The wounds look good
I thought it was well presented and got the message across
The makeup of the artist in the shower scenes were good, she was portrayed to be very serious which fitted the story very
well
18. A lot of our feedback for this question supported the theory of Propp
as they recognised that Jason was the villain in the MV and Sophia was
the innocent victim. Successfully most of my TA research came back as
the ideas/messages that we wanted to portray. However I feel that we
did not word the question well enough, which could have made the
audience misunderstand the question being asked. I would have re
worded it so it said “Do you understand the stars representations? And
what are they?”.
19. 5) WAS EDITING USED
WELL ENOUGH FOR THE
MEANING TO BE CLEAR?
Yes, I think it was used well
yes
Yes, the meaning was very clear, as the black and white shots clearly showed previous memories
Yes definitely
The editing was fantastic, loved the section towards the end where two shots merged together
to create a flashback feeling, indicating she was really thinking which was good.
Editing was used well, it helped to show the change in time
Very well
Yes, I like when the images were layered near the end
Yes it was, it was just enough so the video remained quite simple and elegant as well as being
interesting to watch (loved the part where the two clips were layered together) and also loved
how the black and white shots clearly showed memories
The editing was really good and made the meaning clear and specific
Yes it made it clear
Yes, I definitely think that the meaning was clear and loved the closing shot with the broken
phone and then the torn up photo showing her getting over it.
Yes, very clear
Yeah, I liked the bit in the mirror it was very clever
Yes, very clear meaning
Yes
It was used superbly
The switches of the scenes were good however some different camera shots could be used for
example blurring.
20. Again we received lots of positive feedback from this question as some
people described the editing as ‘fantastic’ which is extremely good for us. I
am very happy that people liked the editing in our video as this was new to
us so unlike Adobe we were not familiar with the software. We wanted to
use editing to create meanings and representations in the MV. For example
we under cranked the MV when she walked away from the house and the
line ‘I don’t wanna fall another moment in your gravity’ to create synergy
with the name of the song and to represent how it was a hard thing for her
to do. This was successful as we received lots of positive feedback on our
editing which tells us that we managed to have an understanding of how to
use Final Cut Pro X.
21. 6) DID YOU LIKE THE
COSTUMES/LOCATIONS? DID
YOU HAVE A COSTUME OR
LOCATION THAT YOU
PARTICULARLY LIKED?
Yes, again I thought the makeup was good for showing the bruises and I like the location where she ripped
the photo up
Yes, I liked the wood location
Yes, I particularly liked the shots in the woods and in front of the pond
I thought the costumes and locations were good choices, however there was no particular favourite
I felt they all worked really well, I especially like the location where the two were having some form of
picnic together, I feel this represented what the relationship was supposed to be like perfectly.
I like the costumes and especially the locations, were very good, as it showed that even if it happened
behind closed doors, it effected people on the outside.
Yes, my favourite was the last scene where she was sat alone I think clearly demonstrated what was being
told
I liked the dark bathroom scene
Yes I did, like previously said her costumes work well with the video as it plays on how she is just a normal
girl
All locations were used effectively, the best two were in the house and when they were in the field as it
shows that it isn't always noticeable outside of the home or when others can see.
Costumes just seemed usual clothes but shower part was good as it highlighted the personal aspect
I particularly liked the over the shoulder mirror shot, I thought the lighting and miss en scene in that shot
was really good! I also really liked the fact that she wore casual clothing for a lot of the shots as it made her
relatable. I also like the shower shot in the beginning as it really portrayed her vulnerability.
The costumes were accurate. I think someone in that frame of mind would have found a quiet place to sit
and think more.
I liked how the locations changed from being happy in outdoor areas and not indoors
Costume shows her to be dressed like anybody else so you can empathise with her. Shower scene is most
powerful as it shows the extent of the physical violence.
I liked the locations and the costumes but i don't have a favourite
Loved them, the shower one very unique thing to do and the bruises were very realistic!
Yes, I liked the location of the forest/woods place, it made it look although it was somewhere for her to
escape
22. I received mixed feedback on the favourite locations/costumes. This is
good for us as this means we used a range of successful locations and
costumes throughout the MV as they all attracted my TA to the music
video. The shower scene at the beginning of the MV was the most
popular out of all the locations, as people describe the scene as being
powerful as it automatically hooks the viewer. We received positive
feedback on the costumes we used throughout the MV, but because
there was mixed feedback on the locations you could say that this is
successful as we used good locations for each shot.
23. 7) WOULD THE MUSIC VIDEO
ENCOURAGE YOU TO BUY HER
MUSIC OR PRODUCTS?
Probably not, not because of the music video because I don't usually buy things from just liking
a video
Yes
Yes, as the video connected with the audience and the topic of the song could be related to
people’s everyday lives.
Possibly
Yes
The music video would encourage me to buy her products
yes
Yes, I love her voice
Yes definitely would because the music video doesn’t make her seem to over the top and like a
nice relatable kind of girl.
The music video encourages me as a viewer to watch out for the violence but also could make
me buy more music
Yes it showed song well and the artist
Yes, I think that it would as I liked the overall affect of the music video.
Yes, she told the story well
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yeah, it gets to your heart
Yes
24. Our feedback tells us that people would be encouraged to buy our
stars music as they feel that the MV represents her as a kind and
innocent girl. This tells us that we have been successful as we have
introduced our star into the music world and people already like her so
she will be successful. Upon reflection I wish I had asked in this
question ‘what way would you buy the song?’ to find out what
site/app/store will they buy the song from, e.g. ITunes, Spotify, HM, etc.
25. 8) DO YOU BELIEVE THE
NARRATIVE COULD BE ABLE TO
ENCOURAGE YOUNG GIRLS
WHO ARE IN A BAD
RELATIONSHIP TO GET OUT OF
IT BEFORE IT IS TO LATE?
Yes, I thought the video gave out a good message
Yes, the video was extremely touching
Yes, as it showed that the violence could get worse and the singer was not
happy.
I’d say so
Yes, it shows that even though it can be difficult, you can still get out
I believe this would be very encouraging to someone in a similar situation,
and it would help them to be able to ask for help.
Yes I think it represented bad relationships very well and showed what was
wrong with the relationship thoroughly
Could go even further to encourage girls to get out if there was another
scene where it showed her happy and single with her friends or something at
the end
Yes I do, the words are meaningful and could be inspiring to someone going
through the same problems
I believe this will encourage both genders to get out a bad relationship
before it is too late as it shows the emotions very well and also can show
what happens later on.
Yes very
Yes, I definitely believed the narrative and I thought that it was really strong
and powerful
I think that an added piece at the end showing her happy that she got away
would help.
Yes
Yes, the video shows that there are always people around to offer help and
support
Yes
I believe not
Yes, it shows what it can lead to therefore girls will learn that if these things
are happening it is wrong
26. My TA feel that our video could encourage young females to come out
if they are in an abusive relationship, which suggests that our video will
be a good social message to people and could relate to a wider TA. It
also tells us that our narrative was successful as people understand the
representations and meanings from what we wanted to achieve. I also
feel that our music video was successful as it gives the social message
of technology being destructive and can influence anger and upset, as
every time Jason and Sophia argue in the video, Jason had been on his
phone before hand.
27. 9) IS THE MALE CHARACTER
PORTRAYING AN OFFENSIVE
MESSAGE TO OTHER MALES
STEREOTYPING THEM AS
BEING VIOLENT?
No, I wouldn't say the video stereotyped all men
No, I just see his character as an abusive person but I know and understand that not
all men are like that
No, because the video showed one couples relationship and didn't imply that all
males are violent.
No, I wouldn’t say so
I don’t think so, I believe it sits comfortably in acceptable stereotypes for
representation
I believe that the male character is portrayed in a way that isn't offensive to other
males, but shows clearly how some people treat others.
No
No, there is other videos where men do worse
No I don't think he is at all, and i don't think this has been controlled well by the
short clips of him, plus i also think it would make males really think about how they
would make a girl feel if they were to be abusive as well.
I agree this could be seen as a stereotype but on the other hand there is males who
are in bad relationships but statistics may show it happens more to women
I don’t think so
No, I don't think that he portrays and offensive message to males or stereotypes
them as violent as it could be easily be role revered and then from an other
perspective. It portrayed an abusive relationship it didn't portray an offensive
message but portrayed the fact that abuse is always wrong and shouldn't be done, if
anything it taught people not to do it.
No, not at all
I think in this situation it isn't as its a female artist I don't think it would look right
the other way round.
I didn't find it offensive or stereotypical as there are men like that and if the video
helps any woman leave and abusive relationship they that is a good thing.
It does stereotype males. So you could of done two different relationships one with
the guy being abusive and the second being the female being abusive.
No
28. This was one of the biggest concerns about the MV as we did not want
to offend males or portray males in a negative way at all. As some of
my audience for this question were males, makes me feel better as they
have not been offended by the MV. The feedback was successful as I
found out that the video will not make males uncomfortable while
watching it, however if I was to go back I would change the video to
show of more of the males side to the story to show why he acted the
way he did, and why he was so aggressive.
29. I did not share the MV to Facebook as I
only wanted people that trusted to view
it, so I wrote a Facebook status asking if
anybody could help me and I would
private message them the video instead.
As you can see I had many people
willing to help.
30. COMPANY LOGO FONT
For this we printed off 20 sheets of paper with these fonts on
and handed them to people in our TA range. This showed my
sense of journey as I used a larger number of fonts than I used
in AS. These fonts were for our logo as by this point we did
not know what our company logo would look like. So we
printed off our company name ‘Rebel Records’ to find out
which one people liked the most and would suit our logo. This
was not as useful as we thought it would be as we did not use
the full name of our company in the logo and only used the
first 2 initial letters, as we thought this looked more symbolic
and eye catching. However this developed my creativity as we
knew which font to use for the ‘RR’ for the logo.
31. INSTAGRAM TA RESEARCH
We decided to use Instagram as a way to get
feedback from our TA on which logo we
should use for the company. We thought that
Instagram was a good site to use as it is a
modern day social media site and it is used for
mainly photos, so we thought this would work
in our favour. This TA research was very
successful as this helped us choose the logo
as the TA chose the logo in the top left got
the most votes. This also developed my
creativity as I had to create different logos to
find out which one my TA think I should use,
as well as finding out which one appeals to
my TA the most.
32. FLICKR TA FEEDBACK
We used Flickr to find out which are the best images
to use for our digipak and ancillaries. This was very
useful as we received feedback and improvements
on what we should use and shouldn’t use. This was
successful and useful as we received plenty of
comments on the images on if people liked
them/didn’t like them and what they would use each
image for in terms of advertising and the digipak.
33. SUMMARY
Overall I feel that this TA research has highly influenced my music video
as it has given me a list of ideas that I needed to include in my MV,
which helped us create it. The TA feedback also helped with the
creation of the digipak and advert because of the feedback we received
from Flickr. I feel that the feedback has also developed my creativity as
they have given me ideas on how to advertise the album and what I
need to include on the advertisement, as well as feedback on
representation ideas and other ideas for the production stage of the
MV.
