Ben Fellows

Understanding my audience / Questionnaire

Analysis
Part 1:

A music video should be entertaining and interesting, as well as appealing to

your target audience of the music genre.

The most popular style of music video seems to always be the same, and it
never changes. For years the most popular genre is Pop, and this also carries
through into the music videos that are made for those songs. The reason for its
popularity is mainly because Pop is the genre which is played everywhere:
online, on the radio and a lot at music festivals, which is why it has the ability to
reach out to so many listeners, who then enjoy the music, buy the songs, share
the songs, creating the huge amount of popularity. On YouTube, the in just the
top 5 music videos ever to be watched, all fall into the Pop genre. These videos
accumulate over 10.7 billion views combined. Because of the audiences ability
to easily access YouTube, billions of people across the planet can view, and then
trend a video, which then shows up on millions of other peoples trending tab.

Gangnam Style, being the highest watched music video ever, stands with over
2.7 billion views, and given that it is a foreign (to all outside of Korea, and that
language), outrageous and totally random, it is understandable as to why it has
received so much buzz in the time that it was released, which was 2012. There
are also other videos which have come high with video views, some of them are:

See You Again by Charlie Puth achieving 2.32 billion.

Sorry by Justin Bieber which obtained 2.16 billion views
Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson which achieved 2.13 billion views.
Blank Space by Taylor Swift which managed to gather 1.92 billion views.

The main target audience for music videos is commonly easy to see and
understand. In theory, the target audience is anyone who watches YouTube,
typically because the music videos which are trending or that are increasingly
popular, will show up on everyones feed. For Pop music, and their music videos
on YouTube, it is seen that mainly teenagers and young adults of both genders
use YouTube to stream music videos, and popular videos depending on their
personal interests. This is because it has become the easiest way to see the
videos, and be in the know with trends or interests that people online and friends
may have. It is them who then share the videos, whether it is on social media, or
to their families and friends in person. It is most probable that the reason they
are the main target audience for music videos, is because they have more spare
time, and not as many problems or responsibilities to keep up with, in which
adults do, and spend their time on, as well as work. It may also be that younger
users are more technologically aware, knowing what to do, how to share and
what it does, whereas, again adults may not.

My main target audience will also fall into the demographic of teenagers and
young adults of both genders, because both demographics commonly use
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YouTube to access their video content, whereas adults arent as in-touch with the
web and YouTube, as there go to for entertainment is television. Despite my
chosen song falling into the Alternative genre, if the video were to trend, then
the normal religious viewers would end up watching the video, or hearing the
song at some point.

The psychographics of my audience are:

Young people (ages 10-18) of both genders, being born into the world with
the internet, and growing up with it (A digital native).
At maximum, a part-time job
Lots of free time
In the know of current trends

The psychographics of my target audience are all quite similar, in ways that
represent a small group of people rather than a large amount of different people.
For example, the age psychographic that my target audience holds is most
commonly within the range of age 10 to 19, as they are the ones who use
YouTube the most. As for age, the research that was found was that it is most
commonly females who use YouTube for music videos the most. They enjoy
viewing their celebrity artists in their videos more than anyone else, whereas
men will only play the video for the song, rather than watching it. The main
reason for the women/girls to be viewing the video, instead of just listening to
the song, is because you most commonly see women artists who make Pop
videos, meaning that the girls can relate to them when they seem them in said
video.

Probably the most popular music video channel that airs on TV is MTV. They not
only have their dedicated channels for daily entertainment, but also, they have
their dedicated music channel, which solely shows Top 40 tracks, and their
videos. Meaning that the popular artists and their songs with videos are always
being shown for the viewers, allowing them to just switch on the channel, and
have a continuous stream of videos.

This is the same for other channels which do the same thing, but MTV is the most
popular, simply because of its name and hype. MTV host the Music Awards every
year, and this is a popular setting for teenagers, where they can see their
favourite artists.

YouTube however is the hub of entertainment, as it shows off many different

types of video entertainment, as well as all of the music videos that people
make. The main reason for this is because it is so easy to access, especially for
people who own mobile phones and/or tablets.

For the majority of the time, you see that music videos are made for the viewing
of all audiences, simply so that the video gains more traction, and is able to be
Ben Fellows

shared among more people, which is easy for young people to do on social
media. The normal age range for music videos is usually above the age of 7, as
children below that age are not seen to be directly interacting with social media,
and music videos. However there are the odd amounts of videos which are rated
so that young viewers cannot see, this is to keep them safe from explicit
language, or sexual practices of any sort.

Part 2: Here I will analyse my questionnaire findings, and discuss the data and
information I can retrieve from them.

Question: Analysis:
As shown by this question, it is
close to being half with the gender
of people who answered this
questionnaire, and so the opinions
of it is mostly balanced, however
there may be a slight amount of
bias on the results, in the sense
that males could have the
influencing percentage of answers.

From the questionnaire chart, there

Ages 20+
was a varied result on the ages of
people who answered the question.
Age 20 However, the most plain to see age
Age 19 group that answered my
Age 15; 5; 9% Age 14; 1; 2% 20+; 7; 13% questionnaire was ages 17 and 18.
Age 18
This means the following opinions in
Age 20; 1; 2%
Age 16; 3; 5% Age 17 the questionnaire are from a young
Age 17; 20; 36%Age 19; 6; 11% Age 16 target audience age range. It also
Age 18; 12; 22%
Age 15 means that with the rest of my
Age 14 results, they will be somewhat
influenced by the younger aged
ideas and opinions.
Ben Fellows

When looking at these results, I see

that my chosen genre, Alternative,
was the third most picked to be a
persons favourite, with a
percentage of 40%, compared to
Pop, which has a percentage of
60%. This could mean that if I
wanted to attract a larger audience,
I may have to incorporate some of
the Pop genres codes and
conventions, for example trendy
clothes, so that the people who
enjoy Pop, and relate to that the
most, can find something extra to
relate to in my music video. A good
side to the Rock genres percentage
is that it is common in a lot of
songs. My chosen song features a
few different Rock elements, which I
can also take into my video, by
using specifically styled guitars, and
the use of a stage, or flashing
lights.
As shown by the high 62.50%
percentage on the fact that people
enjoy a mixture of both narrative
and performance, it challenges me
and my planned video, which is set
to be a performance. The
percentage is a large increase
compared to the other two choices,
confirming that it is the most
popular, but also pushing the fact
that in the future, when production
starts, I may have to add a story
element to my music video,
changing the type into a mixture,
allowing more viewers to relate
more, and enjoy both types of video
that is shown, for example the
bands performance, and a lyrical
narrative to accompany.
Ben Fellows

This question asks what styles of

music video people enjoy the most.
In this case being that they enjoy a
symbolic video. Meaning that
again, it goes against my video, in
the fact that it doesnt feature a
narrative. This may become a
challenge when it comes to
production, depending on how in-
depth I can create a narrative, and
if I decide to incorporate one in my
video.

By looking at these results, I see

that the audience prefers a music
video when it features lots of things
that they can relate to. Not only do
people want to relate to the
characters, but mainly, they want to
relate to everything: characters,
costumes and props. When it comes
to how this could affect my video, I
think that it will in the sense that I
am definitely going to make sure
that there are props and trendy
costumes which the viewer can
relate to, and apply to something in
their own lives, allowing them to
connect to the video.

By looking at these results, I see

that people have mixed opinions on
whether CGI and effects should be
added to a music video. Some
people think that having effects in
videos is a good way to enhance
the video, and to entertain the
viewer in different and effective
ways. Other people either dont
think that it makes much of a
difference to the overall video, and
others dont understand what CGI
is, or what the uses of effects are.

This may not affect my video in any

way, as there doesnt need to a
Ben Fellows

heavy addition of CGI to make the

video work, however the younger
viewers may be entertained by it,
and what it shows off in terms of
story connection, and the
connection to the song.
It is seen to be that people like
music videos when they are
thought provoking, meaning that
they have a story, or an idea that
has to be understood and followed.
Basically, its like giving the music
video a purpose.

For me to incorporate this into my

own video, I would have to create a
narrative, and have this alongside
my performance, thus creating a
mixture. As the viewers would not
be able to relate to a thought
provoking video that is solely
performance, as there is no story.
The real basis for this question was
to pick out certain opinions that
would allow the video to benefit in
the form of entertainment, and then
gain a larger target audience. The
answers that I received from this
question offered variety, which
makes it more difficult to analyse.
However, from some of the results,
it is clear to see that people would
like to see lots of specific things. An
example of this could be that if I
were to include a fast-paced story
line, which featured flashing lights
and some action, then I may gain
different types of viewers. Another
example may be that like a person
has said; if the song is catchy, and
the video is gripping they will stay
interested, and potentially take
their viewing further with sharing.
Because of these ideas I have read
and thought about, I will apply the
fast-paced technique to the video,
when the song compliments the
technique. This could mean that
when the chorus starts and the beat
becomes louder, it may be
appropriate to have faster shot
changes to match the speed of the
Ben Fellows

song.
It seems as though viewers are
attracted to many different
elements of design when it comes
to album artwork, as the results
show that there is a very small
difference in percentage to the
amount of people who would
choose to see bright colours, real
life images and assorted graphics
(text, shape, patterns).

This confirms my decision to

photograph my model on-location,
and to then edit the image to have
different graphical elements, like
text and bright colours, attracting
new viewers to watch my music
video.

After conducting and analysing my research, I am able to make decisions on

what my audiences will be. My chosen target audience for my music video will be
teenagers, and young adults aged 12-22, of both genders. This gives me a wide
variety of people that I can create the video for, adding different elements which
will target and specifically entertain that age range. Giving everyone who
watches the music video different and unique ways for them to interact, and
relate to the video.

I have chosen this target audience because in my research, it was shown that
this was the most popular age range that had the most interest in both music
videos themselves, but also my chosen genre. Meaning that whatever I feature in
my video which relates to that age group, and the song combined will guarantee
a good level of entertainment.

I will aim for the age rating of 12, because of its allowing of minor explicit
content like swear words, and slightly violent behaviour. Another reason is
because of the fact that the video is going to feature an intensive performance,
and possibly a narrative. If the narrative were to be applied, then it would need
to relate to the lyrics, so the audience would understand it, and in some ways,
the lyrics may illustrate as being depressing to some viewers.

The main ways in which I will make my music video appeal to my audience, is
through the use of codes and conventions. Throughout my video, there will be
different parts which show off the use of the genres codes and conventions. For
example when the performance sections of the video are shown, you will see the
band in trendy clothes, on-stage with flashing lights used to add effect to the
music thats playing, meaning that the audience will see the flashes, or
movements on stage, which coordinate with the beat of the song.
Ben Fellows

I will also use effects and editing to appeal to my audience, in ways which attract
them to the video rather than keep them entertained midway through. The
effects will also coincide with the beat, allowing the viewer to see a visual
representation of the music, which they could react with if they want. For
example, when the chorus arrives, with the addition of a screen push to the
video, the beat will be emphasised, potentially making the viewer do the same
by tapping along, nodding their head, all easy ways for them to interact with the
video.

My song belongs to the Alternative genre, which gives it certain types of codes
and conventions. In my music video, I will only use a few of these codes and
conventions. The whole video will mostly feature a performance, showing off the
band and the ways that they interact with their music. This not only will allow the
audience to relate to them, but also because it is entertaining to see.

In terms of an Indie video, post production usually offers a lot of editing that
follows the narrative, for example if it about love the pace will be slow but if the
tempo increases so does the editing, just so that the video becomes more
appealing, as it may not have had as much money spent on it compared to other
genres. I want to follow this technique and use the editing code of the
Indie/Alternative genre which will complement the end product in terms of
entertainment. The addition of CGI will be used to add different visual effects to
the video. When it comes to the performance scenes, I will use a fast paced
editing technique, as this is what a person expects to see in a performance,
however when it comes to the narrative part of the video (if it were to be
applied), I would allow the editing to slow, allowing the viewer to easily take in
and understand what is happening, or the story that is trying to be shown.

Representations are important to music videos, as they allow the audience to

have something to relate to the most. Within my music video, I will use the
strong male stereotype, and then challenge it in a way that shows the
progression of a male character going from the bottom, to wanting to better
himself, and achieving his life goal, which is being a band, singing and
performing, finally ending up on the stage with his band.

I will represent my artist in a way that shows off their personality, rather than
their image. Meaning that they will be positive and happy to be in the position
that theyre in, performing and signing for their music video. This is similar to the
original artist, as they are proud of their position, and the music that they can
share with their fans.

After conducting my research and now understanding what the audience likes to
see. I think that I am going to create a mixture music video, which shows off a
symbolic type, allowing the audience to see the feelings and story that is created
from the song itself, and the narrative which is based on it. The video will be
symbolic in a way that shows the ways in which a person can go from a dark
place, to one where they enjoy life, and want to share and help others, especially
when this was the reason for the characters story.
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My music video will appear on both popular TV channels like MTV, as it offers a
large fan base, and a huge interest in upbeat music. I will also publish the music
video to YouTube, as this is the place that it will gain the most views, and
opinions. Also, it will allow it to be shared among millions of people just because
of the ease of copying a link. YouTube is now the home of music videos, as it is
the easiest place to access them, and view them as many times as the viewer
wants.