Final music video

COULD NOT UPLOAD DUE TO YOUTUBE NOT  BEING ACCESSIBLE BEFORE HALF-TERM

Comparison of music video

*insert vid*

Do you think you have created a successful music video why?



In my opinion, I believe that we have created a successful music video,  due to the feedback we have received as a result of constructing and distributing them to our target audience of females aged 16-25. All 3 of our products (music video, magazine advert and digipak) are successful because they are not only coherent with each other and flow continuously due to the repeated conventional elements embedded within. All products follow the correct characteristics of the Indie genre and develop it by doing so.The music video we as a group have created is successful for a number of reasons and successfully fulfils our central aim of developing our chosen genre of Indie. Our video offers our target audience highly conventional micro-elements: the use of naturalistic lighting, location/iconography associated with the genre (that is familiar with our chosen audience), simplistic editing common of the genre, a large narrative element, an evocative artist performance and lastly a relatable artist image (something our target audience prefer in comparison to an elaborate and unachievable artist image)




Which micro element, best shows your creativity and understanding
of your music genre the most?

Although we have chosen to develop the Indie genre and followed it's conventions almost strictly, we wanted a creative looking outcome. We wanted our music video to engage audiences rather for them just to experience a regular viewing. Therefore, we offered thoroughly thought out Mise en Scene that is not only highly conventional but works on a symbolic level. Firstly, we used sparklers to signify a temporary 'spark' and love between the artist and her boyfriend as they are facing issues within their relationship due to his bad habits. Sparklers are used to emphasise the struggle of the artists relationship with her boyfriend. Once the spark has disappeared it holds a symbolic purpose of their relationship also losing its spark. We also manipulated the forest location also to capture natural light. We believe the use of sunset shooting is romantic and feminine, therefore drawing attention to the artist in her thinking space as her boyfriends place to escape is the urban skatepark. The stark juxtaposition of locations also present contrasts in their relationship as they two have very different representations throughout. The artist is portrayed to be vulnerable and relatable for her target audience whilst her love interest will be shown to be destructive and rebellious; therefore two contrasting images conveyed through not only the use of editing and cinematography but setting and iconography too. 

Playing cards labelled King and Queen of Hearts are also examples of creatively considered iconography used within our product. Not only does the visuals of the playing cards match up in parallel to the lyrics "and his pack of cards" but they also work on a symbolic level with an explicitly referenced meaning. The choice of cards we have used have heart symbols on them which connote to a loving relationship in which the audience view in the flashback scenes (sparklers and forest scene) However, the audience are previously presented with the visuals of the artists boyfriend igniting a lighter flame in which he burns the cards which directly symbolises a relationship that is coming close to ending due to the problems they are facing.  We also decided to include a guitar smash within our video, despite the fact it is more typical of an Indie Rock genre rather than pure Indie. However, it is an acoustic guitar not an electric one which is the main difference between the genre and sub-genre. We felt it was important to include because the guitar means a lot to the artist and therefore, by destroying it in front of her it will symbolise the breaking of their relationship. Weather conditions are also something we considered in creating the correct atmosphere in different parts of the song which harmonise with the final music video. An example of this is the use of pathetic fallacy which warns the audience something bad is about to happen as it is raining heavily within the skatepark scenes where the artists boyfriend is shown on his own wasting time and consuming his bad habits of drinking excessively and smoking. This is therefore symbolic of their worsening relationship also.

All of the above elements make our music video product individual without challenging the genre but instead developing it and conforming to what our consumers wanted from the product as noted in our intimate feedback sessions.

Now our music video is complete and able to access by the public consisting of our target audience of females aged 16-25, we have decided to compare it to another existing Indie music video in aim to analyse whether or not it was successful in being similar and conventional to the Indie genre. I have chosen to compare our music video to Passenger's 'The Wrong Direction' as he is a similar Indie artist to our intended artist representation. Although he is a male artist, I am able to draw stark similarities between my artist and Passenger because they both derive from the Indie genre, and therefore, their products contain highly conventional components. 

Goodwin's theory is heavily influential to both Passengers music video to The Wrong Direction (TWD) and also my music video of Nina Nesbitt's Noserings & Shoestrings. A number of his 7 main points are relevant to both videos, including the noticeable genre characteristics, meaning the two are highly conventional. To begin, both videos use a combination of mid to close-up shots which switch between each other to show the artists face and also the guitar in which he/she is playing. 

 Close-up shots are vital when promoting an artist and are used within many videos which have a strong performance element. Close-up camera shots crucially present the artist to the audience which thus enables the audience to build a relationship with the artist. The only difference is my video uses close and mid performance shots throughout whilst Passenger is only really performing with his guitar in the first minute. We believe it is more conventional for the artist to be seen performing more within a video of the Indie genre therefore have decided to display that in addition to our narrative element. Our video is defined by a 70% narrative, 30% performance split which is the correct ratio for a typical music video deriving from the Indie genre. Within these close-up  shots, it allows for an evocative performance to commence (the performance evokes emotion conveyed within the lyrics which therefore allows the audience to gain sympathy and therefore gain a larger fan base due to the interest within her) Additionally, these close-up shots are successful in gaining eye-contact, which is crucial when engaging audiences whilst promoting the artist.

Mid-shots are also used in both music videos belonging to the genre of Indie. We felt a mid-shot was important to include because it emphasises the artists musical talents. By using mid-shots, it allows the audience to witness the artist playing the guitar which illustrates that the artists adopt a genuine talent. Audiences would favour this and would be a quality they look within an artist of the Indie genre. As a result of this portrayl, audiences would find the videos increasingly appealing as they are forced into the position to relate to the artist and consequently would hold an ongoing interest into their audio and visual products.

By employing a mid-shot, it presents both artists as down-to-earth and ordinary individuals which is favoured by fans of the Indie genre. This therefore allows the appeal of the video to increase to the target audience who will be consuming the product as they feel at ease watching the artist perform and also relate to them through the relationship that has been built.

Goodwin's theoretical point of 'parallel visuals to lyrics' is largely evident within both videos. Within TWD, the artist sings “leave us on our a****”  which is supported by the visuals of a woman falling over in the street, projected upon the green screen behind him. Also, we as an audience witness the artist fall back into a paddling pool joined by animated fish either side of him whilst he lip syncs the lyrics "fish in the sea for me to make a selection" This allows the audience time to connect the two pieces of information together to form the narrative and therefore, TWD video succeeds in telling audiences a story through the effective combination of lyrics and visuals which are parallel to each other which enhances the simplistic and conventional approach of Indie.

Within our music video, we also felt it was important to produce parallel visuals to support particular lyrics to highlight important scenes within the narrative which drives it forward. There are many examples of when we have chosen to illustrate the lyrics as they are being sung by the artist such as when the artists sings about how her boyfriend hangs about at skateparks "with his lighter" where he is shown on his own under a skate ramp flicking the lighter towards "his pack of cards" which we then also see, burned around the edges (refer to my symbolism paragraphs near my introduction) By illustrating the artists boyfriend to adopt rebellious attributes such as consuming alcohol and smoking, we have created an abrupt persona for him. This was inspired by the lyrics "he's just misguided, I think" where the artist attempts to make excuses for his unruly behaviour, to realise that in reality, he has serious issues to overcome which are in turn effecting their relationship as conveyed throughout. The word "misguided" became the artists album title as it addresses many key themes which are embedded within her lyrics about adolescence and how it is wasted on the youth. 


Despite the fact we followed this point within Goodwin's theory, we also decided to break/challenge it. This is because we felt that by following all of the generic conventions, our product may become predictable for our consumers which therefore means the audience will not find it interesting. We challenged the 'parallel visuals to lyrics' theoretical point in the shot where the couple are seen laughing and joking at the skatepark together when the lyrics being sung at that particular moment is "Another 5am call sitting worried in my hall" If we had chosen to use the theory of 'parallel visuals to lyrics' through the entirety of the music video, the audience would know what they were about to watch if they had heard the song prior to viewing it which would spoil their experience. Despite this juxtaposition and breaking of one of Goodwin's points, the audience witness the couple argue and end their relationship as he drives away, leaving the artist to pick up the pieces (quite literally with the broken guitar remains) 

Artist image remains simplistic for both artists which is highly conventional for the genre of which their music derives from. Passenger wears the same outfit throughout which suggests his image isn’t overly important for him, therefore there is more focus upon his music for audiences rather than an extravagant/elaborate/overly complex 'costume' which is generic of Pop genres in which the clothes are vibrant and eye-catching. Passenger as a male Indie artist in the industry favours neutral coloured high-street/affordable clothing which contrasts male hip-hop/rap/pop artists who promote exclusive brands/designers by wearing their clothes within music videos. This is known as 'Intertextual references', another theoretical point proposed by Goodwin which conventional Indie music videos avoid because they are typically simplistic and therefore organic, not wanting to advertise items but instead have the sole focus upon the music itself. The artist is shown wearing a simple shirt and jeans. By adopting a very neutral image, audiences may become interested in the artist as the image is achievable by male fans which has a direct correlation to the qualities in which the audiences favour by being able to feel similar to the artist and therefore influences them in maintaining an interest as he is portrayed to be down-to-earth (and 'ordinary' as presented in Dyer's Star Theory)




As our Indie artist is female, artist image was more important for us to consider in juxtaposition to Passenger. This is mainly due to our target audience consisting of females aged 15-25 who may or may not be fashion concious, and therefore influenced by clothing worn by Daisy. Throughout this video, Daisy wears clothes which would be associated by teens as adopting a 'vintage' yet modern style which can be purchased for affordable prices on the high-street. An example of this is the outfit the audience see the artist in the most, the combination of the floral dress, denim jacket and beanie hat, all of which items can be relatable for audience members and therefore securing a strong fan base in relation to that.

High-angle shots are used within both but for different purposes to communicate different messages. Within TWD music video, a high-angle shot is embedded to show the artist surrounded by people miming the chorus of the song along with him. In this example, the high-angle is used to signify unification as the artist unifyies people by his music. Typically, high-angles are used to show a power struggle or employ vulnerability which we exploit within our music video in which there is a high-angle used when the artist is standing looking down on her boyfriend. This presents the idea that she is ashamed of his bad habits and wants him to change.

Within our video, a high-angle shot is also used when the artists boyfriend is destroying her guitar. By using a high-angle shot for this particular moment within the narrative, it allows the audience to see the extent of his anger towards the artist discovering his bad habit and also conveys the idea that by taking this drastic action to upset his girlfriend, he is belittling himself as he is the subject lower to where the camera is held. A high-angle is also employed to show the couple laying on the ground of the forest. This contrastingly presents the idea that nothing else matters when they're together.





It is very rare for a music video of the Indie genre to involve green screen within it's production and it is even rarer to see the literal green screen within any music video. This is because it shatters the illusion the green screen was invented to create. The video to The Wrong Direction however challenges the music genre by doing so. After we see the artist perform intimately to the audience (typical of the genre), the background of a vintage looking living room disappears and we are presented with the visuals of two members of the production team waking towards the camera behind the artist and placing the green screen which begins to flash with images. When we first began planning our video, we wanted to involve the green screen in some way, shape or form because we felt it would be beneficial to us to learn a new technical skill through the editing process. We wanted to use the green screen for the artists performance scenes, but decided against it after conducting research on conventional Indie music products. As evident in our final music video, we decided to use a plain white wall as the background for the artists performance to draw the main focus onto her and her music rather than making the visuals complex so that the audience does not connect or build a relationship with the artist. Therefore, Passenger's video to TWD adopts an unconventional element, despite the fact it is of the Indie genre where audiences expect a simplistic visual outcome. However, the green screen is effective within this particular video as it is combined with animations, also highly unconventional, yet effective. These animations include the use of fish and a heart, the fish linking with the lyrics "fish in the sea for me to make a selection" and the heart linking in with the general theme of love, heartbreak and running away from it "seems I've been running in the wrong direction"


Our final music video is the central outcome of the target audience feedback we recieved throughout the many different processes we endured to create it. Our final music video  conforms to stereotypical Indie genre conventions. This is because we considered our feedback of what audiences wanted from our product and what they preferred to see in a music video. When collecting feedback from our audience through a primary resource, questionnaires which we created into easily visible pie charts, we found that the majority favoured simplistic videos rather than ones which include special effects, much like the video to TWD does. Therefore, we decided not to include special effects in response to our feedback and also because it would break/challenge the typical Indie genre conventions. In conclusion, by conforming to what our target audience stated they wanted, the appeal increased in addition to the success of our product from our consumers perspective.

Overall explain how you have followed the aims of the brief by creating a music video?

For our A2 Media coursework, we were allocated with the task of combining individual and group work in aim to create a music video of a chosen artist, song and therefore genre.

As individuals, we each maintained a blog that holds evidence of our research prior to planning our music video and ancillary products in preparation to fulfil the brief in creating a music video and 2 ancillary products (digipak and magazine advert) that promote the main product. This research consists of artist image, theories, and styles of music videos in addition to primary and secondary research about our target audience which assisted us when creating our music video. By conducting holistic research from various sources, it allowed us to create a highly conventional music video in which audiences would find appealing. This enabled us to thoroughly plan the elements of our music video for example the microelements: cinematography, lighting, setting and editing in addition to which theories we chose to follow and artist image too. Throughout the processes of production and editing, we considered information we gathered throughout the planning process, especially from our target audience to ensure we were not only developing the Indie genre but doing it in a way that audiences can relate to the artist and build a relationship with her.

Target audience feedback

Explain why audience feedback is important to a production?

As a group of Media producers creating a product for audiences to consume, receiving these comments on our final music video made us feel as though we had met the initial brief successfully and satisfied our consumers. Although we received a combination of positive comments praising our products, we also received some constructive and critical comments. We were not disheartened by the negative comments however, because if we were working within the industry of music, it would allow us to reflect on which elements we could improve upon to determine success from a mass audience and of course, approval from the artist we were working with. The positive comments however reinforced the fact that we have created conventional products which appeal to our young female target audience. By having people who had never seen our products before (with fresh eyes) commenting on them, it allowed us to reflect upon our creations critically and realise what we could possibly adapt and improve upon if we were provided with the opportunity to do so. Therefore, audience feedback is crucially imperative to a production of any kind.

How did you receive audience feedback from your target audience?
(Screening of production, focus group, questionnaires)

Before our production began and throughout the various processes, we recieved and considered feedback from our target audience consisting of females aged 16-25. By doing so, we believe it assisted us in creating a set of conventional products which would have a high appeal to the people who wish to consume them. If we did not consider our target audience at any stage, our products would not serve the purpose of appeal, which is the main outcome we strived for and wanted to maintain their interest and provide them with entertainment.


We decided the age range of 16-25 after conducting primary research which involved a questionnaire of which we asked 40 random people. As part of this, we asked them to state their age and the majority were aged 16-25 which meant that was the age we were to set to target. Our chosen artist Nina Nesbitt who we evolved into Daisy started her career in the industry at age 16 and is now 19 and very successful. This therefore means the lyrical content she produces is very appealing to a young audience as they can relate to it as they may be enduring similar experiences, expressed through the organic Indie genre. We also chose to target females too, mainly because our chosen artist is female and we believe the song itself is not appealing to males of our specified age range, although the video features a young male which may draw a niche/minority male audience. Once we had decided exactly who our target audience consists of, we then conducted further primary research into their preferences in order to consider them when planning and making our music video. These preferences were generalised to allow our products to be holistic. After this, we displayed our quantitative date onto pie charts for them to be visually appealing and easy to reference to. Therefore, questionnaires played a very fundamental role into creating consistent, coherent and conventional products which are highly appealing to our target audience (our primary consumers)


How would this feedback benefit your production and the industry?


By receiving feedback from our intended target audience via a number of different sources including social networking sites (Facebook, YouTube and Twitter), interviews and word of mouth has benefitted our small scale production massively. This is because it is evidence that we have created products that are popular amongst our audience and were appreciated as they served the purpose of appealing to them. Working in the music industry is very competitive and considered tough by many as it is fast-paced and respected therefore if I were to be working as part of it, the feedback recieved would benefit the production greatly. This is because the music industry is ever-changing and therefore, the needs of the product consumer/target audience change as a result of the fresh and new ideas that are being produced each day, deriving from all kinds of genres. If I was presented with the opportunity to improve upon my existing products, I would take each audience members feedback into account for example I would not change the artist image because they are able to relate to it but I would alter the editing of the argument scene. I would insert the argument shots earlier into the music video because I received a comment suggesting so in order to feel more sympathetic towards the artist and the position she is seen in. If I was to improve upon that specific area, my music video would increase in audience appeal which would thus benefit me as the product producers success in addition to the artists success. 

In addition to the central product (music video), I was presented with the task of creating 2 ancillary products to support it. This includes a magazine advert and digipak, both promoting the central product. Product promotion is absolutely fundamental in determining the main products success because without advertising it's existence or selling the product well enough, audiences would not consume or enjoy/give us feedback on them, hence why all 3 products are equal in how much effort we put into creating them because they are all imperative to present to the audience. Receiving feedback from the final magazine advert and digipak was also important and would be considered if I was working within the music industry. An example of this is when one audience member commented upon our magazine advert, stating that she felt the use of the brick wall as a background was uneccessary and not typical of the genre/what she expected from the genre. Therefore, taking this into account I would use a forest location as it conveys rawness of the artists talent and the organic Indie genre more conventionally and not use a brick wall as it may alienate or potentially confuse audience members as they did not witness a brick wall location within the music video. This means that our products are not coherent with each other, which would be something I would tackle if working within the ever-changing industry of music.


Include 3 positive comments and reflect on them (You must include
the same comments as your group)



Our first interview was with Bethany Smith aged 16. Bethany stated: “When watching an Indie music video, I expect to see the artist perform with an instrument which is typical for the genre. I think you have created a video that links to the supporting products as they are coherent in regard to the components you have combined together such as the artist Indie style image with her messy hair and red lipstick. I also think the locations you have used throughout your music video link to the song Noserings & Shoestrings because it mentions a skate park in the lyrics. Well done!”

When receiving this comment, it made me feel positive about our music video creation because it seemed she enjoyed it, therefore meaning it was appealing for her. Bethany stated that she felt that our products joined nicely together and were therefore coherent. This also ensures the fact that we have been successful including the correct conventional components within our products, thus being visually appealing and enjoyed by our target audience.


We questioned Penelope Miller aged 21. Penelope stated: “I really enjoyed your music video, mainly because the storyline links to the lyrics the artist is seen singing in the performance shots. I think that young people can relate to this storyline of a broken relationship and can therefore build a relationship with the artist. I also find your digipak effective because it really shows the artist in a positive light so the artist can act as a role model and potentially persuade people to express themselves with the guitar shots you included too”.

Penelope stated that she believes our artist, Daisy is successful in appealing to young people and has the potential to become a role model. This is something we wanted as an outcome from our organic artist image as it enables audiences to relate to the audience, thus bonding/building a relationship with her too. This directly follows Dyer's star theory of a star being 'ordinary' contrastingly to 'extraordinary' due to the highly relatable and easily achivable image we have created. This comment also made me feel as though our strong narrative element was successful too because it follows Goodwin's theory of parallel visuals to lyrics as suggested by the 21 year old female. We wanted to follow this point  deriving from Goodwin's theory because our target audience wanted a simplistic music video as conveyed within the questionnaires which allowed us to receive vital feedback form our audience targeted.


We also interviewed Karen Jarvis aged 19 who stated: “I think your framing of shots are good because the artist is central which is important when promoting her.  It allows me to relate to the artist more. Also, I think your digipak follows conventions of the Indie genre as it follows what is expected of the genre. Therefore I was able to recognise the artist's style in order to relate to her once again"

As a media producer, the comment we received from Karen made me feel as though we had enough knowledge to understand the importance particular camera shots and what a huge impact they can have on our audience. As a result of this, Karen confirms that our artist performance shots and framing are successful because they vitally provide the audience with the opportunity to build a relationship with Daisy which would benefit her career within the harsh industry of music.  

Include 3 constructive comments and reflect on them (You must
include the same comments as your group)

There was Samantha Hedge aged 25 who we interviewed to receive feedback upon our final music video. Samantha stated: “Although I enjoyed your music video and was introduced to a new artist of my favourite music genre, I wanted to see more of the artist performing because it looked believable and not like the bad lip-syncing videos you often see"

Samantha critisised us on our division between narrative (70%) and performance (30%) as she wanted increased performance from the artist. Although this is something I could potentially adjust, I personally believe we got the split between the 2 styles perfect because our main aim was to tell a story through visuals as opposed to focusing upon the artist performance. This is a positive comment to consider however because she praised the artist performance, claiming she believed what she was singing, therefore, an emotional connection was made between the audience member and artist.

We also received a second criticism from Samantha Hedge who stated "I think the narrative was effective because it links to the lyrics, however, I would have liked to see the argument scene at the end earlier on and seen the consequences of her boyfriend’s actions much sooner for dramatic effect to feel sympathy for the artist”

This comment adopts both a positive and negative aspect from the audience. Samantha states that she wanted to feel more sympathy for the artist, suggesting she did feel some amount of sympathy, just that she wanted it increased because she can relate to the artists situation. However, to achieve total satisfaction from our audience, I could make it more appealing by altering the narrative slightly to engage the audience further within the product, therefore increasing success.

As well as giving us positive feedback, Karen Jarvis gave us criticism to better the video; "However, I believe that the quality of your camera is not as highly defined as you would expect to see in a professional music video. Also, I believe your magazine advert does not follow conventions. This is because I don't see how the brick wall is relevant as I have seen it used in more grime/hip-hop genres”

Although Karen's comment is negative, I agree with it which means I am able to critisise my own product as after all, no creation is ever 100% successful unless it has been adapted to suit the audiences wants and needs. She states that the quality of the cameras aren't as highly defined as she would expect to see in a professional looking music video. If we were to re-create our video, we would have access to much more expensive and therefore better quality equipment. In addition to commenting upon our video, Karen also considered our magazine advert, one of our supporting ancillary product. I agree with what she stated which was that it could be presented more conventionally to be considered as a product belonging to the Indie genre, however, we used the brick wall background as during our research we spotted it frequently within many adverts, including that of Nina Nesbitt! Therefore, I disagree with her last comment regarding the existence of the brick wall because it is widely recognised by fans of the Indie genre.

Overall explain how you have followed the aims of the brief by
creating a music video




Our A2 coursework required a combination of individual and group work. As individuals, we conducted research into various elements of music videos, music genres and the music industry in general and maintained a blog as part of this. This research was prior to the creation of our music video and ancillary products because it was our research that assisted us in creating the products due to target audience research highly influencing it as they are the people consuming our products. Our brief was to create a music video to support the song of our chosen artist in conjunction to 2 ancillary products which include a digipak and magazine advert, promoting the central product. 

Whilst planning and creating our products, we had to consider whether we wanted to either strictly follow or bravely subvert the conventions/characteristics traditionally associated with the genre we had chosen. After conducting market research consisting of interviews and questionnaires, we created a video Vox Pops showing key people we interviewed and also collated all of the information we found from the general public into easily understandable/visually appealing pie charts. It then quickly became apparent who our target audience was, which made planning and creating our products much easier as we gained an insight into what they wanted the music video and ancillary texts to contain.
We have followed the aims of the brief by creating a music video in addition to supporting products (magazine advert and digipak) and therefore fulfilled these aims.

Music video rough cut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUV9pLgu9iA

A rough cut is very important consider because it allows us as a collective group to reflect upon decisions we made throughout the filming and editing process which we may not agree with more recently. This may be due to certain shots not being as effective as we first thought to a cut not flowing as fluently as we first thought. 

Why is it important to consider audience feedback? 

Receiving audience feedback is an essential process when creating any product, and in our case; a music video. Audience feedback is important to consider because it allows us as a group to come to terms with the strengths and weaknesses of what we have created, which is hard to address when you have watched it many times through the camera lens on set to editing on Final Cut Pro. By learning how our audience feel about our product, we can discuss as a group about how we could potentially improve upon the music video because it then becomes more likely that after taking our audiences feedback into account, our final product will achieve the mass appeal we initially strived for. Overall, audience feedback is fundamental to receive because it allows us as a collective to come together and discuss ways in which we can improve certain elements of our product for example how can we address the audience and make them feel more emotionally connected through the type of editing style or how can we make our product more typical of what audiences may expect from an Indie music video. Afterall, the audience we have chosen to target will be the consumers of our product and they know what they enjoy to watch and what they do not.

How did you receive your feedback? Youtube, interviews?

We received lots of helpful feedback from our target audience, some positive and encouraging and some constructive critsism that we would prefer to address later on in our project when improving what we have provided as a rough cut (far from finalised product) Rough cuts are essential when wanting to hear from audiences because you are at a stage where you still have time to improve upon your product without it being too late to consider how your audience has responded and which changes they would like to see in order for it to fulfil maximum satisfaction. Therefore, rough cuts are a great way of showcasing a product and also acting upon audience feedback, an element we as a group consider highly because after all, the consumer know what they would like to consume and how they would like to consume it and of course: enjoy it!

The ways in which we received our feedback was also varied as it was explored through a number of formats: firstly through Facebook.

What feedback did you receive?

I shared our rough cut video on Facebook via YouTube. I felt this was necessary because Facebook is one of the largest and most used/popular existing social networking platform. This sharing process proved very successful because it led to other users also sharing the link, eventually increasing our rough cut views. This is evidence that technology is developing and sharing video content combined with audio has never been easier! YouTube is easily accessible for all and therefore is the best platform for us as a group to display our product and distribute it to mass audiences. As evident in the screen shot on the left hand side, 10 people clicked the 'like' button in response to our rough cut on my individual profile alone, therefore meaning if each member of our group shared the link via Facebook also, our audience would widen, therefore more of an interest will be apparent.

Also on Facebook, I received a comment from a female aged 18 who stated that her friend named Emma, also aged 18 said that the artist reminds "her of Ellie Goulding", another popular Indie artist within the niche genre. This is fantastic feedback because it is an opinion which has arisen from a prime example of someone we would classify to be our central target audience (females aged 16-25) In addition to this, the female commented saying that the artist reminds her of Ellie Goulding, which is great for us as a group reflecting upon our decisions because it means we have successfully followed conventions and stuck to genre characteristics which would traditionally be associated with Indie. 


This screenshot taken from Facebook tells us that our audience commonly consuming our created product via a mobile device. This reinforces the feedback we received through conducting primary research as a collective group (pre-planning process) where we discovered that many people consume video content via their mobile which again acts as evidence supporting the evolution of technology and the experience of sharing. The 17 year old female commented that she believes the video is 'unreal' which suggests that we were successful in following the typical conventions of what audiences may expect from a music video of the Indie genre.

In addition to this, I received a further comment via Facebook from an 18 year old male named Christian, who believes our music video is 'brilliant'. This comment further encourages us as a group that we have successfully created a conventional music video that is highly appealing to our target audience.  

I also received a message from a male aged 17 who studies A-Level Media at a different Sixth Form. He suggested a method which could improve the quality of our footage which I will experiment with once we have a finalised video. 

He also made a suggestion regarding the contrast of the rough cut video of which he supported with a screenshot from the artists performance after adapting the contrast settings. I agree that there is a dramatic difference visually and I may take this feedback to the group and discuss. We may chose to experiment with the contrast once other changes are made to our music video and then compare the quality in aim to decide whether the natural lighting suits our genre (organic: Indie) best or whether it needs adjusting and brightening (more typical of a Pop/Dance genre)

One of our group members named Emma Harris received audience feedback through the use of interviews in which I will state below:

Firstly, Emma interviewed a female aged 40. Although we do not consider people who exceed our 16-25 bracket as part of our target audience, it is important to consider others who may break the boundaries of who we would stereotype to be traditional listeners of Indie music/viewers of Indie music videos. This particular female (anon) stated that she enjoyed our rough cut very much, despite the fact she also stated she doesn't typically listen to music of the Indie genre, she believes that we succeeded in creating a video in which develops the genre. The 40 year old female also suggested that we alter the shot in which zooms into the artists boyfriend. When editing the music video, we knew as a group that we would not include it within our final showcase, mainly because it zooms into his chest more than to his face. This shot is irrelevant and does not provide the audience with a clear or concise image of the central focus of the video. Emma and I agree with this comment because we believe it is paramount to achieve professional looking camera shots within our final music video to result in the enhancement/increase of audience appeal and satisfaction with the overall product.

During an interview Emma conducted with a male aged 19, he suggested that we should crop the mid camera shots of our artists performance. This is because it is evident there is a different coloured wall on the right side of the shot which admittedly looks highly unprofessional which in turn reduces the quality of the shot as unnecessary iconography is present. As a group we discussed this comment shortly after receiving it and decided that when we return back to editing we will adjust this shot (crop it) This is because it is important to consider any feedback from audience members, no matter how small the issue may look, it could still have a negatively profound effect on our audience, something we wish to reduce as much as possible to increase consumer satisfaction. 


Another individual Emma chose to interview was a female aged 25. She chose to comment upon the on the contrast of some of the shots present throughout, much like the male A-Level student did on my Facebook page. It is good that comments have been repeated because it enhances how much they have effected the audience and therefore encourages us as a group to conduct these changes to have a more positive effect upon our target audience. After we received the comments concerning the contrast of shots, we watched our rough cut together as a group and noticed that due to the varying contrast it brands the video with a lack of flow and is therefore unconsistent due to this.

How will the feedback assist you with finalising your final music video?

As previously mentioned, receiving feedback of any kind is important to consider when reflecting upon the rough cut of our music video, and therefore by identifying our strong and weak elements it will assist us when finalising our product to eventually showcase to our target audience. 

Through receiving a combination of both positive feedback and constructive criticism concerning our rough cut version of the music video we have created, it has allowed us to identify certain moments within that are in need of adjustment which may lead to an increase in audience satisfaction and overall success of the artist. 

Without receiving feedback regarding our music video, as a group we would not know whether we have successfully planned and created a music video in which develops our chosen music genre: Indie.

Group notes: ROUGH CUT -> FINAL

• Zoom in shot of Jordan
• Crop artist performance mid-shot due to to other coloured wall showing
• Lighting (change contrast/add an effect for performance)