Evaluation: Q3

3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
I gained a huge amount from constantly getting feedback from various audience members. Audience feedback is incredibly important when putting together a product as, in this web 2.0 landscape, the audience shapes the media more than ever. Throughout production I posted rough cuts on facebook and my advert was decided purely on the huge positive response one of the two options got (which you can see in this video for Q4).

In order for my products to be successful I also had to look at who I was aiming my video at. My target audience was 16-24 year olds who like to watch music videos, specifically dance music or remixes of pop songs as that is the song I chose. 

From this post

As the research I found was that the a big proportion of people watching a video with a female artist was male I also began to think about female representation, which I looked at here. I looked at representation quite a lot as I thought it was an important message to get across and a great way of subverting the conventions of a dance music video. I wanted to present a strong female protagonist that the modern women could identify with. Through this aim I came up with the idea of using flashbacks as I wanted the narrative that she has been in a relationship but actually now prefers to be single to come through. Therefore portraying the relationship through rose tinted eyes (emphasised by using a 'romantic' filter on iMovie) can help contrast with her now in 'reality'.

Quite early on I researched the type of audience member who would watch my video and found that almost half of teenagers watch music videos online rather than on TV. This made me think about how I could grab the audience and keep them watching as well as highlighting how social media has grown in modern society.
I learnt a lot from the feedback I got and made changes to my production based on their comments. For instance, when putting together my first part of the video - the interlude section - I posted two different versions on facebook (one with lyrics and one without) in order to see what they thought. There were a few conflicting answers and so I compromised by reducing the amount of lyrics as well as taking on board the advice of having the footage in black and white - something which I found worked and made its way into my final cut. 
It was clear from the beginning that this was an incredibly useful resource and so I posted frequently, another time being when I couldn't decide whether to have the ending with my female lead looking out to sea or walking back towards the camera. After posting one facebook I decided to cut it short which I talked about in my Rough Cut #1 Director's Commentary. 

After finishing my third rough cut, I was more confident about it nearing completion and so I decided to show it to a focus group class of year 9 students to see what they all thought. I got lots of positive and helpful feedback from this which led me to my final cut. I learnt from this that the narrative was much stronger now I'd included the flashback sequences and that this class of 13-14 year olds, while a little younger than my target audience, picked up on a lot of the subtext of the video which I was extremely pleased about as it showed that it was clear: I was worried initially that it might have been hard to follow.
Throughout production I was anxious that my preferred reading was coming across to the audience...


Audience Theory: Readings of my text
Stuart Hall’s theory relating to Reception Theory was that of encoding/decoding. He put forward the idea that the text’s encoded by the producer which is in turn decoded by the reader. However there can be a big difference between the producer’s and audience’s readings. So, in order to try and bridge that gap, the producer can try and use recognised codes and conventions which can position the audience into reading it how he/she wants them to.
This can be termed the ‘preferred reading’ which is something Morley also looked at.
Morley’s theory looks at how texts have different readings due to the individuals reading them all being from different backgrounds. Therefore the audience has four responses to a text; dominant, oppositional, aberrant and negotiated. The dominant or preferred reading for my text would be the recognition of female empowerment, where the audience takes away a feeling positivity surrounding the end of a relationship rather than the typical weepy ballad. Yet some members of the audience, particularly males, may instead have a negotiated reading where they see the message I’m trying to make but don’t agree with it and would rather see women being objectified. Other viewers may have an oppositional reading as they may think that the end of a relationship is sad and that actually she may still be sad now she is on her own. An aberrant reading is where someone has missed the point entirely and so may see my video as enjoyable to watch and may not interpret any of the narrative. All these different readings can be had by different genders, class, ethnicity or age. As I, the producer, have my own background and cultural experiences then not everyone will agree with me - however as part of my target audience’s age range I hope that will help me.

example facebook comment

example youtube comment

example yahoo comment

I gained audience feedback by talking to my peers as well as posting rough cuts and ancillary drafts on sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Yahoo as a way to gain ideas and constructive criticisms. Modern audiences are much more aware of how a text is put together due to Web 2.0, meaning that much of the audience are producers themselves. Therefore modern day audiences are more aware of the conventions of a text so appreciate when the conventions are subverted, which is something I have tried to do. 
The genre of my music video is dance and so there are many conventions that come with that genre such as quick editing to the beat, dancing being featured as well as it being creatively filmed. As Hall said, I tried to include these conventions so that the audience watching will recognise the genre as well as it being more likely they will have a preferred reading. As the song is about love I used a rose as a visual signifier of this as it connotes passion. Therefore the audience’s interpretation of the protagonist destroying the rose will hopefully help to cement the narrative that she is over the relationship. The flashback sequence at the beginning of the video is a way to make the audience aware of the relationship and how serious it could have been which correlates with the lyrics “we could have had it all” which is repeated throughout the video with the images of the lips singing it to highlight the importance of that line. Therefore the audience can hopefully read the significance of the relationship to the protagonist and thus identify or empathise with her.

original cover idea

In terms of my ancillaries, I started off using a photograph of my female protagonist and editing it artistically as were the conventions of dance/remix covers. I gained audience feedback and found they wanted something more simplistic, which eventually led me to the idea to move towards the jamie xx brand of the 'X' and the convention of using a still from a music video, which I think looks a lot more professional and sophisticated thus fulfilling the conventions and meeting audience expectations. 

final cover

Audience Feedback: Focus Group

Last week I showed my third rough cut to a class of year 9's. Before the screening I found out that what they wanted most from a music video was seeing people having fun. Also when discussing modern music videos they described Lady Gaga as "weird", "sexual" and "terrifying", which was interesting to hear!

In terms of what they liked about my video they said they liked the use of scenery as a way to reflect the emotions in the video. They saw that she was happier in the brighter locations such as the beach and then a little more sadder in the darker locations such as the forest. 
They also liked the editing, including the varied images being on the beat. 
Another thing that stood out for them was the circular narrative, as they liked how it began and ended on the beach, neatly tying everything up.
The majority of the class managed to understand the narrative being about a break up and they liked that it portrayed a strong female on their own.
Lastly many of the class commented on how much they liked the interlude section as it showed her in a plain room and they said that was very effective.

They also mentioned a couple of things that I could work on, including making sure the audio/visual were in sync. An issue that I wanted to know was if the flashback sequence at the beginning with the different song was confusing or made it more interesting to watch. The class took a vote and the latter view won, but I shall try experimenting with new ways to make sure that it definitiely makes sense to the audience in the future. 

Representation: Readings of my music video

To begin with my decision to use a dance remix song instead of a mainstream song was so that I could produce a more abstract, post-modern video as well as going against the norms for dance videos and use more mainstream conventions, using elements from both to create a mash up of both genres which so far has worked well. I made this decision as I wanted to take a fresh look at music videos and, through subverting the genres, understand further the conventions of music videos by both following them and breaking away from them.


Looking closer at my video so far, the main person that is being represented is a strong female who knows her own mind and can review a relationship clearly and honestly. But more than that anyone who has ever been through a break-up is represented and so this gives it an even wider audience. I've managed to convey these representations by showing my female protagonist on screen for the majority of the video and she is confident and assured, as well as thoughtful which is more positive outlook on a break-up than many of the mainstream outputs.

An example of a negative iconic break-up song- Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2 U

Readings
The preferred reading of my text is that the audience watching would feel good after watching it and feel more confident in themselves that, while some relationships may have been great you can often be better on your own. I would also like the audience to be inspired by what they see and be entertained by the energy of the editing and the beats and want to buy the song - which is ultimately, as I explored here, what music promo videos are for, to promote the song.
I am going to try and undertake some audience feedback to try and find out how the audience reads my video to look at different readings as well.


Also in terms of narrative and structure, Tzvetan Todorov's Equilibrium theory tells of an initial calm period which is then disrupted before ending with re-equilibrium. The song begins with a more negative vibe and then ends more positively which I've tried to reflect in the video. I don't have much equilibrium to begin with to try and contradict the norms of narrative and it just about works. However, I would like to film a few extra scenes with my female protagonist to provide a clearer narrative for the audience. This would be done with either filming the artist sitting on the beach looking at an old photo of her relationship or through filming a few flashback sequences: either having a very short prelude to the song or to place before the first chorus of the video. 

Representation: Sexuality in Modern Music Videos

Female representation in the music industry
As I am filming using a female protagonist, I need to consider how females are shown to audiences. I made a conscious decision to go against the stereotype and clear conventions of representing females as sexual objects. While the successful female artists of today are seen as powerful and in control they are still often shown wearing very little clothing and using suggesting poses and dance moves.
Instead, I decided that as a dance remix, I have more freedom to be more artistic that following the pop route of sexualisation.
Here is some evidence of the sexualisation of females...
Of the Top 25 Album Selling Artists of 2010, only 7 were sung by single female artists.

Here I've included are the single covers of their biggest selling singles to show how they are represented...

Rihanna

Here the artist appears to be completely naked, and the title (which is provocative in itself) covers her up, she also seem to have a cigarette in her mouth a connotation of rebellion and self-destruction.

Lady Gaga

Here the artist is in a suggestive pose wearing leather which also has connotations of rebellion and 'rough' as it is traditionally seen on Bikers. She is also wearing a mask, which can be seen as seductive.

Alicia Keys

Here the artist is wearing a very low cut top showing her cleavage, otherwise her overall pose isn't necessarily sexual, which could mean she isn't signified by this.  

Susan Boyle

As Susan Boyle is much older she is already against the convention of a young female artist, so is more innocent, cupping her face, reflecting her genre of music.

Florence & The Machine

Florence & The Machine is a very indie genre and therefore her single cover very much represents this. She is shown as being ethereal and hippy like, while still having done up hair, make-up and glamorous red shoes.

Cheryl Cole

Here, the artist is going for a more simple single cover and has direct eye contact with the audience, reflecting the more intimate lyrics of the song. She is wearing a hat over one of her eyes, so is more mysterious. The background is also of lace which has connotations of underwear and innocence.

Katy Perry

Here the artist is in a very sexual pose and is wearing very little clothing. The patterned bra she is wearing highlights her body and her open mouth is suggestive. It is reminiscent of old style, retro pin ups.

One of the biggest selling artists of 2011 so far, is Adele, who is the female artist in my remix. 

She is one of the few exceptions to the rule of using her body to sell records and instead allows her incredible voice to shine instead. This is another reason why I decided to not sexualise my female protagonist. 


Why women still feel the need to represent themselves sexually in order to sell their music is an interesting question. While there is an air of change about gender equality, if you look at the entertainment business it is actually clear that very little has changed and that women either still feel that is how they must do it (pushed by the patriarchal leaders of the industry), or that they want to as a new kind of feminism. It is still a difficult issue and one that may take time to change.
There is, however, some evidence of change.
For instance Birdy, as a 15 year old, is represented very innocently, and rightly so, being so young. 

However so were females such as Miley Cyrus, but once she hit around 17/18 she suddenly started dressing much more provocatively in order to shake off this 'good girl' image, and, it would seem, sell more records. 

At 14 

At 17

Is this the fate awaiting young girls such as Birdy? Not necessarily, but they won't, typically, be very successful. Unfortunately in our present society the female sexualisation still seems to be how females are represented and the only (perceived) way to make a profit, but thankfully exceptions such as Adele, are slowly making progress, so that one day women won't feel the need to represent themselves in such a demeaning and oppressive way.

Audience Research: Genre

Who listens to dance music (and the surrounding genres)?

My target audience is 16-30 year olds who regularly listen to, download and share music, specifically from the genre dance. They are more likely to have a disposable income, also, as they are young but will be students or starting out in their careers. As my video would broadcast on music channels and YouTube, I need to think about the differences in grabbing the audience through these different mediums. The majority of my audience will watch over YouTube as they spend more time on the internet than watching television. This means they have chosen to click on the video so will need less hooking in than on television, which can be easily flicked over to another channel. The beginning will be slower paced than the rest of the video but is still engaging as it introduces the artist and will be shot artistically. Then, once the beat kicks in the pace will build so by then the audience should want to continue watching.
According to this useful website on the media use of US teenagers, about 44% of what young people watch online are music videos. And the internet is incredibly important to young people in the UK as well, as this recent Guardian article states, just 23% of 16-24 year olds say they would struggle without tv.

Source

So the audience I'm targeting an audience that is very internet literate and is used to spending hours online a day, so in order for my video to stand out from the rest and to be successful I need to make sure it engages with the viewer and looks professional, fitting with the conventions the audience is used to (see below).


How are they traditionally targeted through the media?
Looking at some of the statistics for social networks, Facebook has a huge influence over my target audience's age group...

Source

So marketing is now primarily done through social networking sites as that is where most young people spend there time. There is a lot of business to be made advertising through these sites, so in order for music artists to be known to their audience they need to have a marketing campaign on these sites, with their own pages and interact with the audience, to get them sharing to their friends and talking about the music.


Music video conventions
- Lip-syncing 

- Dancing

- The artist featured and engaging with the audience

- Editing to the music

- Different locations/costumes to keep it interesting

- Visual signifiers

- Reoccurring motifs

- Some sort of narrative

- About 3-5 minutes long


Combining my research into what the audience for dance music videos want to see and the established conventions for music videos as a whole here is what the audience will expect to see in my dance music video...

- The artist featured and engaging with the audience
- Great cinematography
- Sharp editing to the music
- Lip-syncing 
- Dancing
- Changing locations
- Colouring/Lighting carefully considered
- Repetition techniques - manipulation of the film
- Emphasis on the beat through cuts and pacing
- Close ups of the artist, which provides empathy for the audience which they can identify with


Further detail in specific shots:
Many videos I have looked at have visual signifiers/reoccurring motifs, which anchors meaning for audience. Here are a few that I will include...
- extreme CU of lips to main line of the song
- crash of the waves

New Ideas

After talking over my ideas so far in class, I have come up with a few new ideas that I'd like to integrate into my video.

As one of the lines is "lay your ships bare" and I'm setting a portion of the video on the beach I thought shooting in front of the fishing boats would be an excellent visual signifier for the audience. 

Also reoccurring motifs are a good way of making music videos successful so I am looking to include one in mine and thought a paper boat might fit in well. I could use it in most of my locations; the beach, the river, the forest. The visual image of the paper boat floating out to see is a strong image, something I have looked at here. Otherwise on the river rapids would also look good. 

Another great new idea is to have my artist throwing rose petals into the water. I think this a really strong visual code for romance, being thrown away - akin to the line "we could have had it all". However, I want it to be a positive action so will probably have the artist smiling as she does it as she is glad to have moved on from the relationship.


I also realised I need something a little more unique in order to stand out in the market, which is why I had an idea to shoot some scenes at night. I'm not sure which scenes would benefit from darkness but my initial thoughts were the beach scenes - especially with the match falling shot as it would really stand out in the night. The scene doesn't have to be entirely shot at night, in fact intercutting day and night might up the pace even more, but the darkness would give it more of an edge. 


Lastly, I'd like to look a bit further into the representation of my female protagonist and how female artists are portrayed in music videos, which I wil put in a seperate post. 

Semiotics

Semiotics
Semiotics is the study of signs and is the process of understanding signs and codes, interpreting what they signify.
There are three main figures who have a strong connection with the development of Semiotics; Ferdinand de Saussure, Roland Barthes and Charles Sanders Peirce.

Ferdinand de Saussure

(1857-1913)

Saussure was a Swiss linguist who is one of the founders of 20th century linguistics and semiotics. His concept of the sign/signifier/signified is the core of semiotics.
Signifier = the form which the sign takes
Signified = the concept it represents

 Denotation and connotation describes the relationship between the signifier and signified. 
Denotation (1st order of signification) is the literal meaning of a sign.
Connotation (2nd order of signification) is the socio-cultural and 'personal' associations of the sign, which are determined by 'codes'.


Charles Sander Peirce

(1839-1914)

Peirce was an American philosopher, mathematician, scientist and logician. He was also a founder of semiotics and called his general study of signs semiotic or semeiotic, which he began writing about in the 1860s, around the time when he devised his system of three categories. Later, in 1907 he defined semiosis as "action, or influence, which is, or involves, a cooperation of three subjects, such as a sign, its object, and its interpretant, this tri-relative influence not being in any way resolvable into actions between pairs".

The three basic elements to semiosis are:

1. A Sign

2. An object (subject matter of a sign and an interpretant)

3. An interpretant (the sign's more or less clarified meaning) 

In order to understand or interpret the object the mind needs to be familiar with it, so as to know what a sign denotes.

Roland Barthes

Semiotics became especially important in the late 1960's, party due to Roland Barthes, an important intellectual figure, who developed Semiotics further through his book 'The Death of the Author' and collection of essays 'Mythologies'. In 1964, Barthes declared that "semiology aims to take in any system of signs, whatever their substance and limits; images, gestures, musical sounds, objects, and the complex associations of all of these, which form the content of ritual, convention or public entertainment: these constitute, if not languages, at least systems of signification"

He looked at how the audience interprets meaning, which is influenced by each individuals own background and experience. 

Jean Baudrillard

Baudrillard built on Saussure's ideas that meaning is given through systems of signs working together, but he argued that meaning is created through difference - through what something isn't. He felt that the excess of signs and meaning in late 20th century had caused society to become a 'hyperreality' of itself. It is a 'simulated' version of reality, where the media can shape and filter events and experiences so that consciousness can no longer truly define what is actually 'real'. The media's 2D version of the world has become naturalised to us as we have grown up to read their images as realistic.

Representation
This then leads to representation as, after all, media texts are a representation of reality; the process by which the media present to us the 'real world'. If this reality is in fact a 'hyperreality' this can seriously impact society, leading to issues such as stereotyping because, for many, how they see the world is through the media's non accurate portrayal. The process through which the media represents issues, ideas and events, is called mediation.