Audience Research

PLANNING:
In order to understand what audiences expect in our music video based on 'Before The Worst' by The Script, we intend to carry out a piece of research to test our ideas to the target audience, and gain any possible information that will assist us with planning so that our production can be as effective as possible.
Methodology:
We are going to carry out a piece of qualatitive research, as opposed to quantatitive, as we believe that this will provide with a variety of audiences expectations in greater detail than a piece of quantatitive research such as a questionnaire. Our research will consist of a semi-structured interview process in a focus group, which we believe is the best way of conducting this research as we can control the circumstances and put questions to the group. We will have a list of questions that we are looking to be answered, but this will be much more informal than in a questionnaire, not every participant will be expected to record their answer to each question on a sheet of paper aslong as the responce is generally agreed.
Purpose:
We intend to find out what audiences expect in the music video to this track. This not only includes whether the video will be an example of illustration, amplification or disjuncture, but even the band image, locations, mood etc. As a group, we are keen to include some aspects of narrative in the video, aswell as performance, as we believe that this suits the song choice very well and is something that we all like and agree is common in videos of this genre. In the focus group we aim to test this idea and find out exactly what kind of narrative is expected with this track, and the kind of mise-en-scene that will reinforce this, such as locations and contrast in lighting to convey mood.
Sample Audience:
As we intend to conduct a focus group and gain qualatitive research, we need to keep the number of participants fairly low, to about five people, as this way we can ensure that a discussion is able to take place whereby all participants are able to put forward their ideas. We are open to participants of any sex, ethnicity and class to partake in our research as we aim to keep it as un-biased as possible. However, we are aware that this may prove to be difficult as we will conduct the focus group during a lunch hour and so the participants are likely to be our friends, and so coming from an all boys, middle class school this will not provide much variety. However, an advantage of this is that we can be sure our participants are fans of the genre and will definately have some interesting ideas to put forward.
Media Stimulus:
To begin with, we will play the track to the group and ask them to write down anything that comes to mind when listening to it; from ideas for the video to clothing, colours, locations, textures etc. We have chosen to do this as we believe it will provide participants with their own piece of material that will get the conversation flowing as they feel confident to put their ideas to the rest of the group. Also, this we will be able to collect these from the participants after the focus group and use their ideas to help us with our production later on. We will also show our moodboards to the focus group, and discuss the ideas that we have for the video to recieve feedback. Having our group Blog on hand may be useful as we may wish to show them a video by The Script or a similar group such as The Kooks, as it is impossible to predict where the discussion will take us.
Questions:
As mentioned in the 'Methodology' section, we will have a list of questions that we are looking to be answered by the group, but this will be much more informal than in a questionnaire, not every participant will be expected to answer each question aslong as the responce is generally agreed. This are:

• What do you think of this track?
• What do you think of The Script?
• Which music videos do you like? Why?
• What have you recently seen in a music video that stood out to you?
• What sort of locations come to mind when listening to the track?
• What kind of moods or emotions are evoked from the track?
• What kind of storyline comes to mind?
• What would you expect to see in the video to this track?

We are aware that when asking the group questions we need to consider the fact that not all of them may be Media Studies students, and therefore they may not necessarily understand terminology used such as narrative or mise-en-scene. However, we believe that using non Media Studies students will provide us with authentic research that is representative of the target audience and non-biased.
We hope that our focus group will provide us with useful information to assist our planning. We have done a great deal of research and come up with a variety of ideas which we hope the group will accept, and not reject. We expect the group will agree that a narrative video with performance shots would suit this track well, and are keen to test this idea.

Martin De Thuruh

Auteur Martin De Theruh challenges many conventions of typical music videos. He tends to focus on the music coming out of Scandinavia, including quite a mainstream ambient house group; Royksopp. This group focuses on the more ambient, subtle synth style of dance music, dubbed as the mainstream “Chill-out”. In the video for ‘What else is there”, De Theruh uses a lot of very ‘Noir’ styles when directing, such as dark omniscient lighting and places a heavy emphasis on shadows. The video at first glance may seem extremely cryptic and enigmatic, but after closely listening to the lyrics and ‘interpreting’ the video, a clear metaphor is evident. Also the evident emphasis placed on roads, darkness, explosions and feet throughout the video may be referring to a car accident, anchored with the lyrics; “it was me on that road, But you couldn’t see me, Too many lights on”, and finally “Flashlights and explosions”. After applying this interpretation to the piece itself, the viewer may understand a bit more what is happening. But this is just one interpretation of his work; there could be multiple other meanings; which I believe makes this, a piece of art.
The technical aspects of Auteur music videos have more or less no boundaries what so ever, this is what makes them unique. From looking at another one of De Theruh’s videos: Special by Mew. This extremely sexually implicative video has many of the techniques evident I the Royksopp video. The use of Meat shots of the artist reinforces the bands identity, a common feat in many music videos of today. Even though this video may be placed outside the mainstream it has a paradox at heart; it does have some typical indie boy band elements within it such as dancing with a girl, band shots, but in my opinion it is an extremely emotion evoking video/song combination, therefore making it art.

Video Analysis No. 2--------The Kooks- SWAY

This is the latest Kooks song released off their new album entitled Konk. Indie group The Kooks have a reputation for creating very meaningful tracks including naive and Ooh La, and they are extremely popular in the teen indie scene of 2008.This video has many of the typical conventions which indie tracks follow. The Black and White saturation has connotations of loneliness and unhappiness, usual lyrics within the genre. Like many of their videos the camera tends to go in and out of focus during particular drops and changes in melody, connoting the changes in mood. Furthermore, during the chorus a number of visual links are evident; the floor seems to physically rupture, along with the walls and numerous other objects. I suppose you could call this video 'narrative' based as it following the lead singer from start to finish expressing his emotions through song, whilst on the phone, most likely his girlfriend. It is predominantly set by the seaside, anchored by the beach obviously, and the arcade. It shows the group conversing and somewhat having a good time, then as the climax of the song is reached, the lead loses it; a common feature in indie videos.The visual techniques used include low camera angles, which are used to place emphasis on certain aspects of the video, once again the lead singer; more technically known as a meat shot. The use of a handicam along with fast motivated jump cuts gives the audience a sense of the irrational thinking and emotions evoked by the lead singer throughout.the band are represented in a very stereotypical way as they are all together, playing cards, drinking, watching television etc... But what makes this video individual is the representation of the lead singer. He is on his own through the duration of the video, and dominates many of the shots. They band seems more gritty and authentic as they are in a dilapidated setting, also anchoring the lyrics of the song.The video includes a number of intertextual references such as the 'Indie Scene', for example the messy hairstyles, skinny jeans and other odd garments, so therefore adding to the bands persona and metanarritve. This allows the audience to immediately recognize the genre, consequently adding a relevant meaning to the song; 'don’t let go of a good girl'The video may seem coherently stereotypical, but their are a number of factors which could reinforce it as post-modern. There is a strong contextual reference to the slums and gritty Indie scene of the south, which is evident through the location shots. But at the end of the day, the band is solely out to get money as they are extremely within the mainstream. By Capturing the Zeitgeist with their style, they are seen as icons which potentially sells and artist/band.There is a clear social group represented in the video; the 'indie kids' of the 2000's. The scene has really taken off over the past few years and many would interpret the lyrics and apply them to real life. As the lyrics have an ambiguous meaning it allows many readings for all audiences also.This video is potentially mainstream so it would be consumed both ambiently and focused dependant on the person watching it, which would vary. As it, in my opinion cannot be considered art, I believe that it would be consumed ambiently as it has a catchy rift and recognizable chorus which one may sing along to. But as the Kooks are within this indie dominated mainstream, all of the songs are used solely for commercial gain and the generation of revenue.

Chris Milk

Aswell as the more iconic auteurs of today such as Jonathan Glazer, Chris Cunningham, Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze, there are a number of ‘new visionaries’ or emerging auteurs such as Chris Milk, who stated “If I had to say one specific thing that seems to affect people, it’s the use of narrative”. His 2004 direction of Courtney Love’s ‘Mono’ is an example of an auteur video through it’s distinguishing feature of dark fairytale, created by filming live action and adding animated composites post production. It is very innovative in it’s modes of appearance, such as the paparazzi breaking through the ground and children appearing from underneath dresses and morphing from gardens. Courtney Love is shown as an empowering, rule breaking artist through shots such as her pushing a man over into a trolley she’s pushing, and her smashing a spotlight almost connoting she doesn’t want the fame. However, close up ‘meat’ shots reinforce the hegemonic image of beauty prevalent in society today with her airbrushed, flawless skin.

Toms Mood Board

When constructing my mood board i took into account the basic song lyrics; Before the worst, therefore subdividing the page into two halves, which i thought was relevant. Starting on the top half, the colours are bright, vivid and have general connotations of happiness, and the overall mood is a positive one. All of the images in the mood board bear some significance, for example, the red rose outline over the word "before" implicitly refers to the past relationship being sung about. The overly saturated image of the beach could play a part in the video also, as it sunny and symbolic of good times. The hands also anchor the lyrics of the song, and the guitar; dominant throughout the track. The mood dramatically changes though, the explicit lyrics of the track; the ones which have most meaning, allows the audience to recognize the reality of the song itself. The falling hearts are symbolic of his 'love' which has evidently drifted away, the underlying theme throughout many of The Script's work. i have also included a number of contextual more iconic images including a filtered image of London, representing the lonly aspect of the busy capital, as well as another beach shot. But instead of a 'happy' beach it is a lot more miserable as it is desaturated and has a greeny grey wash over it. the spotlight has numerous connotations as most of their videos are performance based and this is an aspect we will definatly include in our own video. overall i think this mood board is a good adaptation of many of the scripts lyrics and videos. it has many different readings for all audiences. The themes and ideas generated by Scripts music are all evident in this piece.

Textual Analysis #2 'The Script'

The Script's second released single was 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' which goes along side our chosen track 'Before The Worst' on their debut album. The single was released on the 25th July, 2008.

There are various techniques used in this video which I have taken in mind with the thought of our group's music video approaching such as the undercranking used to speed up time. Locations as well I looked at as we aim to go for a similar look to previous videos from 'The Script'.
It is a narrative video in which the group tell a story visually and also through the lyrics of the song. It begins with the lead singer walking down the street with a depressed look as he is iscolated and alone. The video is a simplistic one however it doesn't need to be over complicated.

With the street scene, the artist tells the story of the whole song through his emotions with not a lot of props needed. He sits alone on the side of the street waiting for the one he loves and shows he will do anything to get her back. The camera focuses on a photo of the girl from time to time as well as his watch which adds to the effect of time going by. Undercranking is then used to show night turn to day and people walking past which is effective as it emphasises the waiting game the artist plays.

There are additional band shots with the group in an underground car park, lip syncing the song. I really like this location as it makes the group stand out and the natural lighting of the car park works well, edited to make it brighter and make the artist shine. The colours in the video are mainly quite dull with black and whites often used for clothing etc. There would have been a wash used on many of the shots to achieve this look. These performance shots can be related to the study of Andrew Goodwin. There is a clear link between the lyrics and visual shot which conforms to this theory. In addition, there are many 'meat' shots of the group (mainly the lead singer) to help convey his emotions.

The video like many of the Indie genre is not so much art however at the same time it isn't really a commercial video either. They aim to portay feelings and moods throughout the video and this is a techique which adds to authenticity, the ideology of the band is to convey their feelings which they conform to here. In many of their songs, they aim to get a message across to the audience which can make them be seen as an influencial and aspirational group.

There is a sense of masculinity shown as he will break rules in order to get what he wants, yet he is still effected by his feelings and concentrates on one thing, to get his girl back. The lyrics anchored by the video will appeal to mainly a male audience who may have gone through the same feelings before with a loved one. 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' will aspire many to not give up if they have lost a loved one.

The video doesn't challenge ideas and therefore is seen as an advert for the band, more than anything. The video doesn't appeal to ambient viewing which is shown by the number of narrative and performance shots. Audiences would be most likely to view this video on mainly mainstream channels such as 'The Hits' or 'TMF' as the band is a popular one who would get a high number of demand and interest from the audience. The band are one of the newest big things in the UK and therefore their demand is high right now.

Textual Analysis #2 - The Kooks - She Moves in Her Own Way

"She Moves in Her Own Way" is a song by English band The Kooks and is featured on their debut album, 'Inside In/Inside Out'. It was released 26 June 2006 as the fifth single from the album, charting at number seven in the UK Singles Chart.

In this video, the band are presented to audiences in terms of their authenticity through shots of them eating pizza, getting drunk, and creating a mess on their tour bus. In this way, they appeal to audiences through appearing as 'normal’ and genuine artists who are solely orientated by their music as opposed to celebrity lifestyle in comparison to other mainstream artists who, as quoted by Stephen Hill in his article ‘how music didn’t kill the radio star’ advertise their material overindulgence, living by the ‘because I’m worth it narrative’.

• In ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ (1992), Andrew Goodwin identified a number of features of music videos. His theory can be applied to this video as the video demonstrates characteristics of the indie genre through the outgoing, party making representation of the band with some performance shots. There is a clear relationship between the lyrics, music and visuals, such as the medium shots of the lead singer playing the guitar and singing on the tour bus. There are also a number of close-ups of the group, especially the lead singer, meeting the demands of the record label with this first person mode of address through ‘meat shots’.
• Visual techniques used include the white/grey wash over the daytime shots giving a much lighter, softer feel to the video which enforces the bands portrayal as authentic artists. Night time shots are much darker, with directional lighting used to give a realist image of nightlife.
• It may be argued that the group are capturing the zeitgeist through their image. Even though the single is now two years old, their 'indie' appearance with skinny jeans, baggy t-shirts, and long messy hair is still a current a trend in society today. In this way, their video can be seen as a marketing tool used to attract audiences as the band are presenting an image of themselves in hope that audiences will buy into it.
• This video is an example of illustration, with shots of the band playing to the music and lip syncing such as the performance shots during the pool sequence.
• It is unlikely that this video will be considered as art or an ‘auteur’ style of video, but it also does not appear to be inherently commercial. It may be argued that just because the band are presented in terms of their authenticity, as opposed to their wealth or body image, doesn’t mean that this isn't just as much of a business decision as other mainstream artists as it ultimately it is determining target audiences.
• This video has a hetro-normative discourse. Although there may not be shots of the lead singer with the female he is singing about, his sexuality is clear through the lyrics and song title ‘she moves in her own way’ therefore leading to his unquestioned masculinity. This is reinforced through the presentation of him enjoying himself with his male band members, such as when they are out drinking or relaxing on the tour bus, reinforcing his masculinity.
• The video is essentially a commercial product, simply acting as a marketing tool for the band. It doesn’t present any challenging ideas or disjuncture and therefore simply advertises the group in an illustrative style. It doesn’t demand a focused viewing, allowing for ambient viewings through the cuts between the performance and the narrative. This means that audiences can freely flick through music channels and choose whether they wish to watch the video in its entirety or not based on whether they like the track, as opposed to the video. Audiences would be likely to come across this video on any mainstream channel such as ‘4music’ ‘MTV Hits’ or ‘The Hits’ as the band has received a large amount of publicity, airplay and interest with heavy backing from a number of radio stations.
  

FINAL SONG CHOICE

Our group has chosen to create a music video to the track 'Before The Worst' by The Script.

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Ideas from various videos

Enrigue Iglesias - Do you know:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd3VPEHX11o

Saw this vid on the music channels, thought it was quite similar in places to some of our ideas.
around 2 mins - in the forest - misty - dark. Worth a look if you haven't seen it before.

Take That - The Greatest Day:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zHzMLGH1Rfs

A new video which ive seen. Looking at location for this 1. Sunset, city backdrop, lights. I really like the landscape used behind the band and various long shots to establish this location.

Danny's mood board

click on image to see a larger version

Danny's Mood Board

Click HERE to see my mood board.

I created a mood board to reflect the discussions I have made with my group, and the thoughts that I have based on our track "Before The Worst" by The Script.

I have included a variety of still shots that I have captured from a selection of videos on Youtube which have particular techniques that I like and may suit our track. These include the text that appears across the screen in ‘Closer’ by Ne-Yo, and the post production illustrations from Kanye West’s ‘Good Life’ as well shots from videos produced by Justin Timberlake, Estelle, Justice, Afra and The Script’s three singles released.
I have also incorporated a number of photographs, such as the close up of the bramble which I believe is effect in that it blurs out all off the negative space, focusing directly on the subject. This is a technique I wish to include in our video, as I believe it is not only extremely useful when creating focus on a specific subject, such as the artist, but it also provides an interesting aesthetic. Images also include a number of locations, and techniques used when shooting them. For example, I have included photographs from Brighton seafront, connoting thought and loneliness. In contrast, there are also shots from London, a very busy city which connotes confusion. This is something I have found in a number of videos, especially by The Script as this contrast is often used in the blend between performance and narrative shots, used to reflect the mood of the artist. I particularly like the images taken into the sunlight which create silhouettes and a high contrast of black and white. I think that this provides an interesting aesthetic and may be something our group could include in the music video.
You may notice the colour theme of the mood board is quite dark, with certain highlights. This is something that I have found in the majority of the mainstream videos that I have discovered useful techniques in. I believe this softer effect gives a cinematic feel to the videos, and is something that I have noticed in all of The Script’s music videos. Furthermore, they also add to the track and assist in constructing the bands image, as the connotations of these less brash colours present the band as easy going, down to earth, genuine people, which in turn creates an image of band authenticity. This is reflected in the clothing worn by the group which I have also included in the mood board. Casual wear such as jeans, trainers, ‘hoodies’ and plain t-shirts present the band as ‘normal’, un-constructed and genuine. Although these connotations are prevalent, it is important to note that this is a decision made by producers and the artists, determining how The Script are presented to audiences just as Britney Spears’ team determine how they wish to present her.
I have included a variety of text which comes to mind when listening to this track. Some of the words are lyrics from the track which are essential in creating the video. However, other text included is more technical, such as ‘capturing the zeitgeist’ which I have included as I believe there is a current indie trend in society which is not only reflected in clothing but is finding its way into music video too, such as ‘Dance’ by Justice. The other text included will be useful during production as it will remind me off aspects from videos that I like and wish to include, such as ‘spotlight, blend of performance and narrative shots, rule of thirds’ etc.

Mark's Mood Board

With my mood board, I have shown what i felt from the song we have chosen "Before The Worst" by The Script. Listening to the lyrics, i have put a collection of pictures together about certain feelings conveyed through the song as well as various location shots. It is a song about looking back upon a relationship and wishing they could be together again therefore i have picked out ideas of isolation, depression etc.

I firstly took location in to consideration as this will provide the basis to the video. One half of it we have mentioned to be in a city area with people walking past and the lights creating an effective backdrop. The Script have filmed various shots from their videos in a city environment which is an aspect of their work. The other half of my location idea is somewhere iscolated which can emphasise the stoyr the lyrics convey with the singer being alone. A misty, dull forest or an empty beach would work well for this. Also we could use various long shots to emphasise this further. I've finally got a picture of a romantic restaurant shot between a man and woman which is the sort of sequence we could use for a flashback 'Before the worst.'

I then looked at clothing and the feelings the song conveys. The Script has a simplistic, casual style with hoodies, jeans and trainers worn which are features of the 'indie' look. The story of the song is about love and how great his relationship was before it ended. I have shown this through various images such as the holding of hands. There is then a sense of depression and sadness as the artist is looking back on happier times and wants to be able to have that joy back.

I then finally encorperated various shots from other music videos, effects that i liked and ones which would be good ideas for our video. There are a few shots of performance clips which we have additionally thought of doing.

Michel Gondry - Auteur

following on from looking at Chris Milk, I have now looked at auteur Michel Gondry who clearly shows in his video an aestetic approach. The video I looked at of his is 'Around The World' by Daft Punk.
The main element to this video which is also apparent in other Gondry videos is the choreographed dance routine which lasts throughout. The dancers are dressed in various colourful and extravegant outfits to make the video look more artistic. The dancing is in time with the beat of the music which also makes it aestetically pleasing. Gondry takes the lyrics from the song into consideration with the moves of the dancers. The video would have been made up of a few cuts as it is all performed in one studio location. The dancers are constantly walking around in circles "around the world" and there are elements of life and death with the skeletons for example which all adds to the auteur approach of the Director.
There are various other aspects such as the colourful lighting which adds to the artistic approach. This all contributes towards these sort of videos to be aimed towards ambient viewing. The audience will study the video in a lot more detail more so than the commercial videos as the artistic approach constantly keeps the audience interested and focused.
There are no shots of the band which again shows how the video is artistic. Various other videos by Daft Punk also don't show the band themselves which connotes that the want to be judged upon their music.

The Script

Seeing as we're now starting to think about The Script a bit more, I thought id just post up some links with the tracks from the album. Some of them already have videos, but are still worth a look if you haven't seen them yet just so you can get an idea off what kind of stuff they produce and how they market themselves etc. But have a listen to the tracks that don't have videos to see if anything jumps out other than Before The Worst and If You See Kay. Let me know what you think =)

The Script:
We Cry - The 1st single to be released from the album (April 28, 2008). Already has a video.
The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The 2nd single to be released from the album (July 28, 2008). Already has a video.
Breakeven - The 3rd single to be released from the album (November 24, 2008). Already has a video.
Talk You Down - Not released as a single yet. No video. Starts off quite slow but builds up to a faster pase. Would be a good song to use with some narrative and performance.
Rusty Halo - Not released as a single yet. No video. Fast pase song which I can imagine having mainly performance shots. Might work quite well with some 'wacky' shots of the band or creative editing or other post production techniques.
The End Where I Begin - Not released as a single yet. No video. Quite a slow song but there's a faster build up bit in the middle. Again, I think it would work quite well with some narrative and performance. Or maybe even an auteur style of video..?
Fall For Anything - Not released as a single yet. No video. Fast Pase song which I can imagine having some fast pase editing to match it such as undercranking. Near the end it begins to slow down and sound quite dream like which would go well with blurred shots with the camera swurving or something similar.
If You See Kay - Not released as a single yet. No video. As disgussed, would be a great choice, easy to make a video to (with narrative and performance). Maybe some shots of someone walking down a street looking for Kay, similar to that in The Man Who Can't Be Moved. This could be mixed with performance shots of the band on stage/in a studio.
I'm Yours - Not released as a single yet. No video. I don't think the track is right for what we are looking at doing based on the discussions we've had and the song choices that have been brought up but it's still an example of how The Script are a good choice based on the fact that making a video to any of their tracks is achievable.
Anybody There - Not released as a single yet. No video. Like 'I'm Yours', I don't really think this track is what we are looking for but is still worth listening to so that you can get an idea of some of the other stuff they produce in order to understand how they construct their image.
Before The Worst - Not released as a single yet. No video. One of my favourite tracks from the album and, in my opinion, an excellent choice as it would work really with some narrative and performance. I can imagine shots working with this video both out on location and in a studio or on stage. We could also include some creative post production effects, such as text over the shots (like in Closer by Ne-Yo...worth a look if you haven't seen it) or any other techniques that we wish to include.

Having listened to the entire album myself, I personally think that the best tracks would be If You See Kay and Before The Worst. However, i still think that tracks such as Fall For Anything and Rusty Halo are possible options, let me know what you think =)

The Script if you see Kay

after some careful consideration, i think that this would be a good track to do! i have listened to the lyrics and music and on that basis i belive that this song would be our best bet.
everyone happy??