You can view our video for Fireflies at the following link
Audience Feedback
After completing the music video we decided to do some audience feedback. To gain some audience feedback we produced a questionnaire, and asked people to fill it out, without no influence from the group. The audience feedback also allowed us to see if we achieved the aim of reaching our target audience. In our questionnaire we included open questions which allowed the audience to give their opinions, again this allowed us to see if we achieved our aim. The results of our audience feedback proved that our music video was successful. Some comments we received from our audience feedback included:
“I would definitely buy this bands album now that I have watched this video”
“I found the video good as it was not like normal music video’s.”
“The song and the video went well together, although initially I did not understand the video, after watching it again it became more clearer.”
If I was to complete this project again, I would take into account the audience’s feedback, and make their suggested changes. This would ensure that the video would meet the expectations of the audience.
One of the questions our group asked on our post evaluative questionnaire was: How do you rate this music video? We gave the audience a scale to determine this on, with 1 being a poor quality video, and 5 being an excellent video. We distributed 20 post evaluative questionnaire and here are the results we gained for this question.
| Score | Total number of people |
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3 | 1 |
| 4 | 2 |
| 5 | 12 |
| Total | 20 |
Post Evaluative Questionnaire:
Please answer the following questions
Gender:
Age:
Rate this video 1 being poor and 5 being excellent. Please circle your choice.
1 2 3 4 5
What was your initial reaction to the video?
Does the music video appeal to you visually and audibly?
From watching this video would you consider buying the song or album?
In your opinion what were the successful aspects of the video?
In your opinion which aspects of the video could be improved?
Questionnaire:
Please answer the following questions
Gender: Male/ Female
Age:
What genre of music do you prefer to listen to?
R & B
Hip Hop
Pop
Rock
Trance
Other: [Please state]
What is your least favourite genre of music?
R & B
Hip Hop
Pop
Rock
Trance
Other: [Please state]
Do you prefer current music artists work or past artists work or a mixture of both?
Why?
What are your favourite music artists and bands?
Do you buy your music online or in the shops?
Do you watch music on the music channels? If yes, why?
Please Circle
Yes
No
Media A2 Evaluation:
For my A2 media project I decided to produce a music video. Initial ideas which my group planned proved unachievable, so we split our group and decided to concentrate on two separate music productions. The first idea which my group decided on was to remake the video for the song named Word Disassociation by Lemon Demon. However, after discussion we decided to concentrate on a more well known song ‘Fireflies’ by Owl City. We felt that a more popular song would increase the CD sales. As part of our groups planning we watched a selection of music videos and A level music videos which have been produced on Youtube. We also analysed two existing music videos, this allowed us to gain ideas about the content of music videos, and what type of shots could be used effectively. As well as this I also analysed CD covers from existing artists which again allowed me to understand conventions of a CD cover, and what looks effective on an album cover.
Our media project uses forms and conventions of real media products for example we incorporate the use of captions detailing our song and artists name. As well as the captions giving the song and artists name it creates a linear structure to the video. As we were recreating the video, we also felt it necessary to change the band name. To do this we used an online random band name generator. You can visit it at www.bandnamemaker.com. The name which we generated was Evil Banana. Our project develops forms and conventions as we have used shots like the reverse action shot which are not generically used in music videos. This allows us to create a unique product.
The media piece we produced also challenges existing media products as it is an original idea, and there are not many videos which are produced which have the same plot as ours. We felt it was important not to copy existing videos, as we were trying to appeal to a wider fan base. Our video also allows the audience to form personal relationships with each other, as the video promotes a talking point.
For our groups ancillary texts, we produced a CD cover and a magazine article promoting the video. These combine effectively with each other as they share the same purpose; to promote the new song. For my CD cover I created a black background to reflect the new band name; Evil Banana, as black is a colour which has connotations associated with evil. However, this contrasts to the song we chose and the video we created as the video is meant to reflect everything which is good in life. The magazine article is effective as it incorporates the album cover, this icon would make it recognisable to fans and potential buyers. The article details information on the band, such as the sound which they produce and information on the song and the video. The group felt that detailing facts about the band would also help to widen the fan base.
Before producing our music video we conducted some preliminary research. Part of our research was producing questionnaires which we asked a range of people to complete. We asked audiences from a wide range of age groups as this would allow us to gain a varied set of results, and allow us to make a video which would appeal to a larger fan base. We decided to appeal to a wide fan base as we wanted to promote a different style of music to people. The people we asked to complete ranged from 12 to 40 years old. We tried to ask a variety of people from different sexes also so we could fully understand the audience we were targeting. In total we issued 14 questionnaires. Our group were aware that this was a relatively small sample size, and if we distributed the questionnaires again we would consider a larger sample size. Our questionnaires asked people to comment on their preferred genre of music, their favourite artists and bands and did they watch music on the music channels. Some of the results to the questions are shown in the table below.
‘What genre of music do you prefer to listen to?’
| Genre | Total number of people | ||||
| R & B | 9 | ||||
| Hip Hop | 3 | ||||
| Pop | 7 | ||||
| Rock | 6 | ||||
| Trance | 4 | ||||
| Other | 4 | ||||
| Total | 33
To gain these answers we asked 4 males and 10 females. However, again if we were to complete this we would ask the same amount of males and females, to gain a better set of results. The total for the answers to this question is 33, however we only distributed 14 questionnaires. The reason as to why the number is so high, is because some people chose more than one music genre as their preferred choice. When creating a questionnaire next time I will take this into consideration and not write such open questions. Although our research showed the most popular music choice to be R&B, we decided to create a song which based on the genre called “Synthpop.” “Synthpop is a genre of pop music in which the synthesiser is the dominant musical instrument.” From the total number of people we asked 27% chose R&B as their preferred choice of music. Synthpop is where the artists incorporate the use of a synthesiser in to a pop song. We decided this as because this genre of music is not widely popular at the moment, creating a song of this genre would open it up to a new audience.
‘Do you watch music on the music channels?’
Our group felt that it was justifiable to ask this question, as the purpose of our project was to create a music video. From the questionnaires distributed all 14 people said that they watch music on the music channels. Some of the reasons we received for doing this included: “To see what new songs have been released.” “Because some of the music videos are cool.” “Because it is a good way to hear new bands” Our group felt that the combination of questions we produced combined well, as they allowed us to explore our audiences music tastes, and gain valuable results which would help us in our production. Again as part of our research we analysed existing music videos. The video’s which I analysed were Jay Sean Down and Jordin Sparks battlefield. From the video’s I analysed I decided to incorporate some of them into my groups own video. Prior to filming our group produced storyboards, which allowed us to detail our ideas and what we expected to film. When our group did decided to film, we used the location of town. This allowed us to film the scenes where we needed people walking and we also needed a natural setting. The story behind the film is that a girl is reflecting on her relationship as her boyfriend is moving abroad. Filming in our chosen location allowed us to film shots which were busy and allowed us to film in scenes which were quieter. Whilst filming our group kept in mind the 180 degree rule. Our group did not worry about the continuity of our film, as because it is reflecting on the girls relationship and she is remembering memories it didn’t matter if it was raining in one shot and not in the other. Continuity did not matter also as parts of the film are meant to be a dream, so we could make it look like the main character was dreaming instead of a filming error. Although we used captions to create a linear structure, the non linear structure adds to the dream within the film. Our film also uses Todorov’s structure. At the start of the film the equilibrium is that the couple is together, however the disruptive force is that the boy is moving abroad. The restorative force which occurs within the music video is that the girl remembers her good memories with her boyfriend. The music video ends on a new equilibrium which shows the main female character alone, but happy that she has good memories with her boyfriend. In our project, our group used media technologies to create our video. To create our video we used the software Imovie. In our video through the use of Imovie we have added transitions to the video. Throughout the video we have applied transitions called cross dissolve and cross blur. These allow us to dissolve the energy of the film when parts of the song change, such as go quieter. We have also added effects to our music video. The effects we used were called dream and glow. We felt that the use of the glow effect made some of our shots lighter and looked more eye catching. The dream effective was used as our main character was dreaming about her relationship with her boyfriend. The dream effective allows the audience to distinguish what was real and what the character was remembering. Throughout our editing process, we also sped some of the shots up. This is evident when we film scenes of people and speed them up, to match the song lyrics. The shots which have been sped up also keep with the pace of the song. In contrast, we have also slowed some shots down, again this was a conscious decision as it kept with the pace of the song. Again these effects add to the dream we were trying to create. One line of lyrics in our chosen song is ‘Because everything is never as it seems’. To reflect this song line we decided to reverse one of the shots. This creates a contrast and makes the video different to other music videos. Binary opposition has been used within my media project as my group has contrasted light and dark, as we have used black and white shots for the dream scenes. Again the effect of this is it allows the audience to distinguish between dreams and real life. Media Technologies were also used with our planning. This is evident as we used a word processing document to create questionnaires, which formed part of our preliminary research. Throughout the process of creating a music video our group has constantly been evaluating our work. To evaluate our work we have used a blog. The effect of using the blog has meant that we can access it anywhere and update our ideas and reflect on the production of our project. To view the blog you can visit it at the following link: http://blogs.thegrangeschool.net/04connorss/2010/01/19/a2-log-book/ Reflecting on the planning, research, filming and editing aspects of the project if I was to complete this project again I would analyse more music videos which would allow me to gain more ideas about what is effective in a music video. Concerning research I would ask more people to complete questionnaires, as this would allow me to gain more varied results. I would also not ask open questions as it makes analysing the questionnaires more difficult. If I was to improve on my filming then I would allow more time, as our filming was crammed into a short space of time, as our planning took longer than anticipated. I would spend less time on initial planning and more time on filming as I feel this is more important. I would not change anything about the editing process as I feel this was our groups strongest aspect of the project. I would also not change the ancillary texts I have produced as I feel they are effective for my portfolio. |
