Question 4: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research,planning and evaluation stages?

Question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Audience profile:

Throughout the creative process, I received feedback which helped me to reflect upon, re-evaluate and develop certain aspects of my music video, as well as my print productions. For example, during the construction of our music videos, we had a small screening of around 8 people between the ages of 17-18 to which they completed genre specific questions in order to inform our progress. Once the whole promotional package was complete, I then distributed 2 questionnaires as well as conducting one in-depth interview with audience members. The two questionnaires focused on the music video and print productions, to which this method enabled me to receive quick and instant feedback, in the sense that answers where relatively simple. This then allowed an in-depth interview to explore these questions further, properly conversing with a member of my target audience. Both methods of feedback were given to a similar age group to that of my target audience; ages range from 17-21, male and female. However, these members of the public didn't necessarily have the preference of acoustic music. This was useful in terms of feedback as it allowed me to see whether an audience member outside of the acoustic 'fan base' could decode any conventional meanings and expression within both the music video and print productions.

Feedback During Construction:

Below, are the 'Peer Assessment' sheets that were handed out after the first rough cut of our music video. The aim of this feedback was to confirm whether our intentions established within the planning stages regarding genre conventions and representations, were successful. This method also enabled us to create a strong print production piece on the basis of the feedback; questions such as 'what aspects promote the track' being particularly useful, as these images or themes could also be referenced within the digipak.

At this stage of the creative process, my ideas regarding my print productions were still very much up for development and manipulation, therefore this audience feedback was very informative when considering how to appeal to a wide audience, whilst correctly representing the acoustic genre.

The 'favourite image' varied in answers, ranging from mise-en-scene to camera techniques such as focus pulls. Because the feedback on this particular question was so diverse, it gave me the opportunity to potentially express each aspect within each panel; for example, the focus pull on the back panel, as well as capturing nature, and the protagonist. However, the feed back for what promoted the track focused primarily on the nature and 'love story', therefore informing me on what potential images to use or themes to continue throughout the digipak to order to achieve coherence. 'Nature' was also highlighted as a acoustic convention, which would appeal to and attract a 'loyal' audience if an audience with varying musical preferences were able to pick up on this aspect.

Furthermore, these feedback sheets very much influenced us upon our second edit. This is because we focused on the promotion of the track being the naturalistic imagery and heartfelt storyline, therefore we revised and developed scenes; drop cutting to nature and making sure that the editing moved the storyline forward.

Further feedback during the production of both the music video and print productions included direct, verbal feedback. We got audience members to watch certain sections of the music video, to which they said whether it appealed to them/cut to the beat/ understood the storyline.... Therefore informed our reflection on the shoot, to what would appeal within the digipak to create an overall, coherent promotional package. This constant use of having a 'second opinion' allowed me to confidently make changes and develop my products without feeling like a lost anything.

Feedback of Finished Products:

As mentioned, I used two methods in order to receive feedback; questionnaires, and an in-depth interview. Regrading the demographic of participants, the questionnaire was given out to 10 people aged between 17-21, 6 of which were female, 4 of which were male. There was also an equal amount of questionnaires distributed for the music video, and the print productions (5).

Gender and Age demographic. The majority of my audience feedback was attained from females aged 16-20 which, referring to my audience profile, was predominantly, our target audience. 4 questionnaires were completed by females 16-20, 2 were completed my female 20+, 3 by male 16-20 and 1 male over the age of 20.  This demographic pans across both questionnaires to which there were both male and female participants for the music video questionnaire and print productions questionnaire.

Music Video:

What was your favourite part of the music video?
This opening question is somewhat vague, as a favourite 'part' can pan from editing, to narrative and mise-en-scene. However, the point of this question was to evaluate whether the participants preferred aesthetical qualities such as the location and lighting, or the more thought-provoking aspects, such as the storyline or reserve technique. With this is mind, the feedback was, as anticipated, varied; much like when asked during the construction of the music video. However, preferred aspects seemed to resolve around the naturalistic and aesthetic theme, such as the opening nature shots, woodland scenes and the bedroom/mirror shots. Therefore the feedback for this question was successful, seeming as throughout the planning and production process, focus was always upon the mise-en-scene, and how this implied romance.

Did you understand the storyline?
Focusing upon our narrative structure, this question was particularly important to see whether the narrative and storyline was clear and coherent. The response to this question was generally, good, for the majority of participants understood the storyline, indicating that it was about a 'heartbroken'. However, a few participants, male and female said that they partly understood the storyline. Due to this, I explored this question further in my interview.

What was the representation of the protagonist? Did this representation appeal to you?
The representation of the artist was crucial in terms of audience appeal; we didn't want to represent the protagonist as identifiable, especially with the female demographic. Regarding female participants, they wrote that the protagonist was appealing, as her representation was realistic; one participant stating that she was 'looking for love/friendship' which is a universal concept, regardless of gender. The feedback also shows that the appeal of the protagonist derives from the storyline; they can relate to heartache, and therefore evokes sympathy from the viewer. Male participants didn't state whether they related to the protagonist, simply stating that she was 'lost' and 'pretty'. However, this feedback was welcomed as this was often the representation of other female artists researched such as Gabrielle Aplin.

How does this music video represent the artist? Did this representation appeal to?
A slightly more complex question, to which answers were rather short, combined with the fact that the artist was not present within the music video. Answers included 'fresh' ,'naturalistic' and 'sensitive'. This was positive feedback considering the importance of location reflecting the artist. However, it was mentioned that the artist was 'shy' due to not being in the video themselves; the only time the absence of the band was acknowledged, this implies that the audience were focused upon the storyline to consider the 'image' of the artist.

How effective was the camera work and editing?
Although feedback regarding camera work and editing was generally positive, it was also the most critiqued aspect of the music video. This is because, whilst participants enjoyed the focus pulls of nature, the construction of the bike scene and the conventional cutting to the beat, we also received comments on how the editing at the start of the music video, contradicted the soft and natural mise-en-scene as the cutting to the beat looked quite choppy and 'harsh' at this particular point.  However this critique is welcomed as it highlights Stuart Hall's reception theory. This regards agreement between the encoder and the decoder; the encoder being the producer, and the decoder being the audience. Therefore this suggests that meaning at this particular part of the music video was interpreted differently to what we intended.

Does the mise-en-scene correlate well with the music?
This question was highly successful as each participant confirmed that the mise-en-scene did correlate with the music.

Would you watch the music video again?
A simple but extremely important question, watching a music video multiple times enables an artist/band to establish a strong and loyal fan base. Again, each participant said they would watch the video again.

Did the music video hold your attention?
Again, each participant answered with 'yes'.

What aspects could be improved?
Whilst many participants commented upon the opening shots, there were also comments regarding the mug. Although the reverse technique was very well received, some participants were unsure as to why the mug was included; how it contributed towards the storyline was somewhat confusing and therefore participants felt that it looked quite isolated, in terms of narrative structure. Again, this highlights Hall's theory, to which it is evident that our intentions were not fully understood. However, this is extremely constructive criticism, which could easily be amended by reverting back to certain aspects of the creative process, such as storyboarding.

Print productions: 

Do the print productions create an overall coherent promotional package?
Arguably the most important question in the questionnaire,coherence not only indicates a professional outcome, but also a collective identity throughout all products and a visual appeal with the audience. Each participant said that the print productions did create an overall coherent promotional package, in which they could make visual links with the music video.

Do the print productions create a correct representation of the genre and/or artist?
The response to this question was generally 'yes', to which I assume if there was any further questioning, the answers would be similar to the representation of the protagonist within the music video.

Are the colours appealing?
For this question, there was a united agreement that the colours were very appealing, particularly the inner panels as they particularly vibrant. This response is appealing as our promotional package was very much focused on the beauty and aesthetic qualities of nature, to which colour was extremely important in creating an  inviting, natural tone, as well inter-textually referencing fairy tales through the bright colour choices, and coherence with the colours and lighting within the music video.

What is your favourite aspect of each panel?
All answers were focused upon the naturalistic imagery; the symmetrical trees on the front panel, the bark detailing and the text layout on the back panel, and the back lighting on the flowers on the middle panels. The protagonist was not mentioned within any of the questionnaires, proving our focus on the nature and also the music, due to the layout of the text. This also somewhat proves and conforms to the convention of the acoustic genre being very music orientated, as no participants were visually 'sold' on the protagonist.

What could be improved?
I received little feedback on what could be improved, except for font size. However, I understand this criticism, as the trees can be seen as over-powering, due to my intentions of referencing fairy-tale locations that have a sense of awe. Therefore the font could possibly seem 'lost' upon the image, although my intention as an encoder was for the font to reflect the long, slender trees, adding to this sense of surrealism.

What is your favourite aspect of the magazine advert?
Despite what was said about the font previously, this aspect was mentioned as many of the participant's favourite aspect of the magazine advert, combined with the font placement. This is successful feedback as the purpose of a magazine advert is to sell the artist and, more so in my case (regarding the acoustic genre), the song, to which all the appropriate information is in the form of text. 

What could be improved?
This question was often left blank, however, one participant mentioned that the size of the protagonist could have been altered. Interested by this commented, I decided to explore it further in my interview, to which the participant, also female, said 'She is further away than expected, which is quite unusual, especially as she is a new artist, but it brings focus upon the location'. This was interesting as although it was a performer, to the audience, they are somewhat representing the artist. It also made me consider the prospect of a 'new artist' which I admittedly dis-regarded during the creative process because our aim was to promote the music, instead of the artist themselves.

Does the magazine advert 'sell' the song?
To further the questionnaire's simple 'yes', the participant of my interview said 'Some adverts use a completely different image, but considering that this artist is new and unsigned, this is a good technique because it establishes the artist and makes them instantly recognisable'. Therefore, this 'sells' the song.

Interview:



The interview above was a more in-depth exploration of the questions asked in the questionnaires. However, the interview clearly expresses Stuart Hall's reception theory regarding an 'agreement' between encoder (me) and the decoder (audience). This is because some of the responses where more critical than the responses from the questionnaire, but nevertheless constructive and honest.

For example, discussion regarding the use of quote on the magazine advert was particularly interesting. The participant stated that they hadn't seen a radio quote on a magazine advert before, which could potentially link to genres being 'manipulated' in the media today, which we have already done so within our music video by not including the artist.

Because of these critiques, it could be regarded that, as a fan of acoustic music myself, as well as being the encoder, elements of the music video were directed at 'me'. However, I was constantly aware of a wider audience due to feedback throughout the production process.

In conclusion, the value of my audience feedback has been extremely constructive; without it, I would have no idea whether my ideas and techniques were successful and more importantly, whether my target audience were able to easily decode meaning. The strengths of this research include the range of detail within the responses, as well as the feedback being quick and immediate; this was particularly useful for the feedback given during the creative process as developments were then allowed to me made. However, weaknesses include possibly my lack in clarity for the questionnaire; answers are most effective when short and precise, which have to be promoted  by a very clear question. However, because of this, I was able to conduct a longer interview, which was very insightful.

Question 1: In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

During the pre-production process, we established our target audience fairly early on with no hesitations; acoustic audience, young adult (between the ages of 16-25) and due to the artist, predominantly female. With reference to our audience profile, other media interests include creative activities such as photography, painting and social gatherings to which the result is attaining some sort of personal memorabilia or experience. In terms of consuming music, festivals and intimate gigs are preferable. Establishing a target audience then enabled us to easily use, develop and challenge certain forms and conventions of real media products in order to strengthen audience appeal.

Firstly, it is necessary to consider the general forms and conventions surrounding music videos. For example, when planning and creating our product, we carefully considered Goodwin’s theory of music videos. His theories include:

•          There is a relationship between visuals and lyrics
•          There is a relationship between visuals and music
•          Genre conventions; specific to our music video, this would be techniques and stylistic features commonly seen within the genre of acoustic music videos.
•          Voyeurism; either a sexual depiction of women through the ‘male gaze’ or, a notion of ‘looking’.
•          The need for close up’s of the artist for marketing purposes
•         Inter textual references.

Regarding acoustic music, many of its genre conventions derive from the mise-en-scene. For example, soft lighting, focus pulls, casual but beautiful clothing and beautiful locations all express a sense of aesthetical yet natural beauty, which is a strong theme throughout the acoustic genre. This was important for us as our whole idea revolved around the stylistic theme of nature, beauty and aesthetics. Therefore, we predominantly used these forms and conventions.

Opening shot containing lens flare.

Elli Goulding’s ‘Your Song’ exhibits these conventions, but especially shots containing beautiful lens flare, which in turn create warms colour tones. We used this convention at the start of our own music video (garden shots) due to a number of reasons; not only does the technique create a warm and welcoming tone, but it also assures the audience that this is in fact an acoustic music video. As Christine Gledhill states, ‘genre permits the creation and maintenance of a loyal audience which becomes used to recognising the conventions of the genre’. Therefore as lens flare is so widely used within the genre (both Ben Howard and Laura Mvula use the technique within their music videos), the audience instantly recognise and become familiar with the genre.

The dog connotes the freedom which the location enables.

In terms of location, many acoustic music videos include both an outdoor and indoor location. Whether this is a park, such as in Kodaline’s video, or a beach (Nina Nesbitt), the conventional vast expanse of space connotes a sense freedom and adventure, as well as the obvious theme of nature which is very strong throughout acoustic videos. Particular influence came from Kodliane's ‘All I Want' video. Due to the conventional location choice, combined with the use of slow motion, lens flare and a variety of close ups and extreme long shots, the outdoor location is represented as almost a place of release and safe haven for both the protagonist and his dog. We also wanted to portray this sense of freedom, but developed this further through the placement of arrows, spinning shots and a quick mixture of close ups and long shots to connote a sense of intrigue, confusion and mystery (similar to a ‘magic’ fairy tale wood). Usually, the natural location is presented as the main focus within the shot, creating emphasis upon nature and its beauty. However, Ben Howard’s ‘Keep Your Head Up’ cleverly combines a somewhat industrial human activity against the idyllic woodland and field location. This subtle relationship between prop and location was particularly influential upon the placement of our arrows.

We also developed this convention further by including more shots of the indoor, ‘personal space’. Often a supplementary location, we decided to include shots of objects within the bedroom such as photos and personal objects. We developed this convention in order to establish a clear sense of character, due to our video being narrative based.

However, when focusing upon performers, we challenged Goodwin’s theory of having close ups of the artist which would predominantly help ‘sell’ or market the artist, instead using performers/characters within own music video. We chose to use performers instead of the artist as it helps further establish a surreal, ‘fairy –tale’; being one of our inter textual references, by not referencing the artist, enables the storyline to be somewhat isolated from reality, like a fairy tale.

In terms of narrative structure, our music video has a very strong and clear storyline; any relationships made between the music, lyrics and visuals surround the ‘love story’ of the female protagonist. This is relatively unconventional as acoustic music videos are often about the artist/band and their experiences; although they are presented to be very casual and humble, they are often shown playing their instruments, or being with friends, such as Ben Horward’s video. Therefore, we challenged this convention due to our protagonist being a performer, but did not lose the other conventions stated by Goodwin. For example, in order for the narrative to be successful, we cut to the beat, creating a relationship between the visuals and the music. This is also seen within ‘Full Circle’ by Half Moon Run, as well as cutting to shots of instruments when you can hear them within the song.

 

This being particularly influential, we both used and challenged many conventions shown within this media product. For example, a genre convention of acoustic music is to have shots of the artist playing their instruments; particular focus is on the instruments, rather than the artist, portraying an organic tone and creating emphasis upon musical talent. However, we decided not to include any performance element. This is because we felt it would somewhat distract from the storyline, but would also intrigue our audience. As Abercrombie states, ‘We derive pleasure from observing how the conventions of a genre are manipulated’. Therefore we are still appealing to our audience as they can evidently acknowledge this ‘manipulation’. Also, instead of using instruments, we used the prop of a bike to signify musical movement in terms of dynamics as well as narrative, furthering supporting this sense of ‘manipulation’.

Our media product also develops the conventional use of editing effects such as slow motion and reverse. Not heavily used within acoustic music videos, the reverse technique, such as in Ben Howard’s ‘Keep Your Head Up’ depicts a sense of memory and worthwhile experience. However, we decided to also add a reverse element within our narrative. Often a technique used in sophisticated and complex alternative/indie videos such as Breeze Blocks by Alt-J to express complex meanings within the lyrics, the acoustic genre tends to focus more upon simplicity, and the beauty of it. However, we decided to develop this convention because it created an interesting structure to our narrative, as well as portraying the protagonist’s feelings towards finding her new ‘love’.

Traditional representations of females within acoustic music videos are a strong sense of femininity, beauty and slight vulnerability. With this in mind, we have conformed to this conventional representation, with our own protagonist being heavily influenced by the representation of Gabrielle Aplin within ‘Home’.

However, challenging Goodwin’s theory that voyeurism is present within music videos, we have dismissed the hyper-sexualised representation of women, instead including a sense of voyeurism, but through the notion of ‘looking’; this creates emphasis upon the protagonist’s beauty, without shooting through the ‘male gaze’ (for example, there are no slow panning shots of her body). Instead, many shots and angles are at eye level with the protagonist, portraying a sense of equality and familiarity between the audience and protagonist, supporting this sense of personal intimacy which is appealing to an acoustic audience.

Initially, our main inter textual reference was the rom-com film ‘PS I Love You’. This was subtly referenced through the plot of the protagonist following arrows. However, throughout the production process, we developed this reference further, using the conventional ‘fairy tale’ as is seen with Taylor Swift in ‘Love Story’.

Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' single cover.

 For both the Digipak and magazine advert, we used the generic conventions of the 4 panel layout associated with CD packaging, and the A4 poster. For example, the front and back panels have a sense of continuity, as do the inner panels. The integration of text and image is also conventional; the image being the focus of the panel, with the song title and artist name complimenting the image. The font indicates the genre through its simplistic style, very much reflective of the long trees within the image.

The front panel is heavily based upon Gabrielle Aplin’s ‘Panic Cord’ as well as Ben Howard’s ‘Old Pine’. Conventional for many genres, the text is centred in the middle, to create focus upon the music (song title), as well as an appealing composition. The distortion and positioning of protagonist is also similar to ‘Old Pine’ by Ben Howard. The long trees are overpowering, suggesting the immense beauty of nature, to which I also adopted this technique. 

In terms of the back panel, the image and text placement are rather simplistic, similar to ‘The Letting Go’ by Bonnie Prince Billy; positioned to the left, there is a construction of the rule of thirds through the text and the tree in the foreground, enabling focus upon both aspects. This is ideal as acoustic music is all about artist credibility which is expressed through the list of songs and, the nature.

The magazine advert is somewhat of a repetition of the front panel but, with a few adjustments. For example, whilst the layout is rather conventional such as a centred text placement with vital information directly underneath the artist’s name. The use of a quote also helps to enhance artist credibility.

Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main product with ancillary texts?

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