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Adressing the target audience

When we decided on the genre of our project, indie, we looked at several videos and althoug music itself cannot be restricted to a target audience in terms of age, the videos we looked at did seem to appeal more to those of our own age group, being teenagers and students perhaps from the ages of 13-19. The music itself is subject to the persons taste but visually the target audience we tried to create for were of teenagers between 13 and 19.

We adressed the target audience in a variety of ways, firstly by using actors that were of the same age group as that we were trying to target. All characters in our video, including the girl used to represent the artist, were around the age of 17 and this is made very clear. This similarity in age will hopefully help the audience relate to certain issues raised in the video, some they may have even been through themselves. The most prominent example of this relatabilty being the break up that occurs very early on in the video. Many young people of this age group have been through breakups and by looking at a very realistic circumstance at a realistic age we are targeting our audience completely.

The use of bright colours conforms to the ideals of the indie genre as the vibrant colours are playful and almost childlike, seeing the video and promotional material, such as the magazine advert and digipak, not being made too serious. This use of colour and its childlike connotations also ensure that we are targeting our audience of 13 to 17.

By using masks as a dominant prop we are targeting our audience as masks are again, a fairly playful prop, one that may not be fully appreciated by an older audience. This sees us targeting our audience through visuals and combined with the age of the characters wearing them, sees us using people that would be in our target audience connecting to and targeting those that are potential viewers and customers through the commonality of the age gap.

What did you learn from your audience feedback?

Reviewing our audience feedback was very useful as it enabled us to establish what the audience thought worked well and what they thought could be improved or made clearer. It gave us an outside perspective which proved very useful.

A reoccurring aspect of the video that the audience picked up on was the use of performance shots. It wasn’t so much the shots themselves that was questioned but more the actions of the girl playing the artist. A common aspect of this picked up on was the fact that the girl playing the artist could have been more enthusiastic in her movements and lip syncing, perhaps getting more emotive with her actions as the song progressed.

As well as this it was stated that the role of the ‘performer’ was not understood by all, one audience member did not understand whether she was intended to represent the artist, which she was, or whether she was acting as a second character in the narrative, this coincides with the previous point about perhaps encouraging more enthusiasm from the actor.

The masks were intentionally the most ambiguous aspect of our video and so we were slightly concerned that the audience would not fully understand their purpose, yet this was not the case. The audience members asked found the use of masks very original and appreciated their meaning and the animalistic imagery fully, this being that they represent the fantasy in the girls head and that the mask each character wears represents their personality or their role in the girl’s life. It was found that the masks made the video stand out and conformed to the conventions of the indie genre.

The silent two shots of the video that were intended as an introduction were queried at one point by a member of the audience who stated they were unsure of what it signified or meant. If these two shots were not understood by the audience, an improvement may be to cut them completely so as to have the entire video make sense rather than the majority.

A positive comment from the audience was that they found our video to be balanced throughout in terms of fantasy verses reality and narrative verses performance.

The narrative itself was praised as it made sense and happened over the short time of one day and so was easier to keep with and was complimented greatly by the reoccurring motifs such as the masks. The audience found the narrative very clear and understandable as it was spaced out and paced well, although the animals coming together at the end was questioned by the minority.

The use of the “I Wish” sign was found to be very effective in reinforcing the meaning of the song, more so than merely having an actor lip sync the words. This was further appreciated as the video splits into four screens with the “I Wish” sign in each screen, again emphasising the meaning of the words and their importance to the song.

A slightly negative aspect we found out was that the narrative was thought by some to have outweighed the performance, giving our video the feel of a short story rather than a music video. However it was suggested that if slightly more performance was put into the production it would feel more like a music video. This was already a concern of our but to have it confirmed by the audience helped us realise what we needed to change according to those consuming the product rather than the group creating it

New Media Technologies

New media technologies were of great use to our group during our advanced portfolio work, the music video for the track "Cradle" by The Joy Formidable, and helped us in many ways across the research, planning and evaluation stages.

The technology we most relied on during the research stage was the Internet and this was most beneficial to us. During the initial research we used the website YouTube to watch existing music videos of our genre, indie. This increased efficiency greatly as we were able to understand the conventions of the genre to get a better idea of how to emulate them in our own product. YouTube.com is a search engine of videos which meant we were able to narrow our search to specific videos and artists, for example I looked closely at the video for Regina Spektor "On The Radio" to obtain a sense of the conventions of some videos in our genre and they are handled by different directors. This saw increased efficiency as it was quicker than sifting through vast categories as well as audience control as we, being the audience at this point, were able to actively choose what we viewed.

In addition to this we also used the social networking site Myspace.com to research unsigned bands and possible tracks. Once again we saw minority interest in place as in the 'music' category you are able to search by genre and artist. This increased efficiency as it took much less time than browsing endless profiles of artists not in our genre. Myspace.com also benefitted us as it is an example of media convergence as it is not only a social networking site, but allows browsers to view videos embedded from youtube, read blogs posted by the band themselves, much like the blogs we have been setting up and updating following the progress of our project, and has a music player which allowed us to sample tracks, all of which is free and so provide us with a cheaper media.

During the planning for our music video we used compact cameras and 3G mobile phones to take digital photographs of possible locations for filming. For example, we photographed more than one cafe before deciding which was appropriate to use. We were then able to use multimedia messaging as well as bluetooth on our phones to send the images to eachother. This increased efficiancy dramitically as it allowed us to view, analyse and upload the photographs to our blogs individually, rather than waiting for the group or passing around memory cards which may have been lost or damaged.

The use of MP3 files was also of great use to us, firstly by providing a cheaper media. This is so as we were able to download or purchase the track, "Cradle", from Itunes for 79p as opposed to purchasing the entire album for considerably more. MP3 files are also the most commonly used for music file sharing and are so compatible with MP3 players such as Ipods. This increased efficiency for the group as we were able to download the track onto our mobile phones or Ipods or mobile phones and were then able to develop ideas from the lyrics individually. It also ensured that at least one member of our group had a copy of the track on them at all times. This is also an example of media convergence as 3G mobile phones such as the LG Renoir have recently been updated with features such as music players, providing the foundation of the increased effeciancy previously mentioned.

The social networking site Facebook.com was found useful in the stages of evaluation as we were able to use the messaging feature to confer on what each member of the group thought worked well and could be improved and also to plan filming dates and such aspects such as when we planned to edit the video. This again provided cheap media as Facebook.com is a free website. Its use also increased efficiency as we were able to confer at home as opposed to constantly meeting, this is also helped save time at this stage.

A large amount of our evaluation came from the use of Youtube.com. We posted scenes of and eventually the final product and asked people to view and give feed back on our video. This gave the audience control and allowed audience interaction as they were able to have their own input in what they thought worked well and what could be improved. This is shown by the fact that on youtube there is a feature which allows the audience to post comments on the video they view. This increased efficiency as it is quicker, esier to access and more environmentally friendly than using questionnaires.

The use of the site Blogspot.com has been very helpful and crucial in all stages of the production of all the tasks we were asked to do. During the research stage we used the blog to post analysis of videos embedded from youtube.com in order to attain an idea of the conventions we were working with. This increased efficiency as it allowed us to quicjly access and refer back to the research we had done during the other stages of production. Blogging, during the planning stage, was crucial as it allowed us to create an online schedual of when we planned to film, and to post images of the locations and ideas we had for filming as we progressed. Finally, in the evaluation stages our blog helped us to publish the feeback we had been given, increasing efficiancy as it was very easy to access and reflect on. Blogging has enabled us to keep a working document that we can update at any time. As it is avaliable online it has increased efficiancy dramatically as it is easy and quick to access from any computer, whether it be at home or in the classroom. Efficiancy was also increased by the fact that it did not matter in what order work was published or how it was initially put together, due to the fact that we were able to edit posts at any time and save them as drafts so as to keep working on them as our work progressed. This way of working gave us complete control over the content of our work, and allowed us to add photographs and embed videos which increased the impact of our work as it would have been much more difficult to do all we have if we were working on paper.

Narrative Theory - How concentions are followed or challenged

The narrative of our A2 music video of "Cradle" by The Joy Formidable both conforms and challenges conventional narrative theories and this has had a positive impact on our final product.

The narrative of the product takes form as a whole narrative rather than an enigma or section. As the video progresses so does the narrative as it follows the main character of a girl who suffers a terrible day due to a sequence of frustrating events. The narrative is made whole by the use of a twist at the end, conforming to the conventions of a resolved ending, in this case being that the entire narrative is a day dream and not reality as it is portrayed to be.

The structure of the plot is again conventional in some ways yet does not conform in others. The narrative is not linear, but made up of three layers: a primary layer of the conventional narrative, the second taking form in flashbacks being made clear through the use of black and white, and a third layer signified with masks. the layers are completely separate and yet are spliced into and integrated with each other. This integration is clearly identified by the changing and contrasting locations used. For example, the conventional narrative layer that follows the girl from her home, an urban, concrete city setting, is interrupted with jump cuts to the forest scenes. These ever-changing and contrasting locations echo the change and contrast between how the narrative begins and how it progresses, showing a working narrative. This concept is illustrated through the jump cuts to the flashbacks from the cafe of the boyfriend cheating. The way in which the audience is taken from the cafe to the flashbacks is sudden. It so fragments the narrative while at the same time providing information that informs it. Below are three examples, each representing a layer in the music video, urban, flashbacks and rural.

The narrative is also represented through more than one layer and cab also be represented through the opposites used between the layers. This relates to Levi-Strauss' theory of binary oppositions and is most represented in our production through the opposition of fantasy verses reality. This concept is illustrated greatly in the three shots in which the audience see the girl walk past a boy on the street who crudely approaches her. The audience see the boy as simply that, yet we jump cut to the girl and back to the male and the audience now sees him in a pig mask, emphasising his characters behaviour. This sudden change between fantasy and reality is in keeping with the unique feel of the indie genre and the fact that it happens in such quick succession shows just how fine a line there is between fantasy and reality and how quickly it can be crossed. We also challenge Strauss' approach in regards to fantasy and reality, in that we see the two oppositions collide. This is seen in the shot in the forest where the girl is surrounded by people in masks. She is the only real person, showing that oppositions not only attract but the fact that she becomes a masked character herself sees them collide.

Due to the use of layers to fragment the plot or narrative our video can be seen to embody post modernist characteristics, and its lack of linear narrative allows it to be considered a post modernist production. Baudrillard's post modernist theory of simulara can be seen both conformed to and challenged in our video. For example, despite the fact that the situations presented to the audience are fairly mundane and easily relatable in real society, it is still merely a representation and not reality. However, the second part of our video is not set in reality but in a day dream and so we are not trying to represent reality, contradicting Baudrillard's theory entirely.

Intertextuality is another post modernist technique used, that can seen clearly throughout all three tasks, being the music video, the digipak and the magazine advert. For example, a prominent motif we carried through each task was that of the rural and urban setting. This is seen to be a dominant theme in the music video as we see the girl progress from the urband street areas, such as the cafe and the house she is evicted from, to the more rural areas such as the forest where she is approached by the masked characters. The digipak continues this motif but does invert the chronology of the transition from urban to rural, seeing the four panel digipak begin in the forest on the front panel, and slowly morph into a brick wall representing the urban setting on the back cover. This change in chronology echos the nature of the indie genre, never quite knowing where it is and allowing the childlike mind set of 'anything can happen'. Finally the urban/rural collision is reinforced in the magazine advert which sees the artist pictured against a brick wall, however there are three branches sweeping in from the sides of the frame. This sees rural still trying to penetrate the urban society it has been shut out from, and also echos the concept of fantasy and reality as the rural areas are intended to represent fantasy and the brick wall is intended to represent the gritty, mundane aspects of life. By the vines sweeping across the brickwork it communicates the idea of fantasy seemingly penetrating reality, echoing that seen in the video production.

Our group has embraced aspects of many theorues and yet refuted others. This partial compliance yet remained lack of conformity shows us still being faithful to the genre of indie as its principals are to literally be 'individual', hence the name 'independent rock'.

Challenging forms and conventions

Our music video production was made for the music genre of indie and in producing our video we came across many forms and conventions, some of which we embraced and others which we felt better to challenge.

It is common in music videos for the content of the video to have a strong link with the genre of the music it is representing. This is a very typical convention of music videos and one we tried very hard to embody in our video production. As our genre is indie we watched several music videos to determine specific traits of the genre, for example from watching Kate Nash's video 'Pumpkin Soup' we found that indie videos tend to use high contrast and bright and vibrant colours. We emulated this characteristic in our video by heightening the contrast during the editing process and, as we shot most of our video outside, tried to shoot in sunny areas to give a brighter colour to the shots. For example, the forest scenes were shot mostly in sunlight which made the greens and crisp browns of the leaves stand out and the artist's clothing bright, as is seen in typical indie videos such as The mystery Jets 'Two Doors Down' where their costumes are brightly coloured, as seen below along with a screen shot as an example of the colour we used.

There is a relatively strong relationship between the lyrics and the visuals in our music video which we used so as to reinforce the meaning of the song. As a strong genre characteristic of the indie genre is to literally be individual, we found some indie videos not to have an absolute or clearly defined link between lyrics and visuals, such as the music video for 'Cousins' by Vampire Weekend, which sees the hook or dominant lyric "Me and my cousins, you and your cousins" is in no way paired with what is shown on screen, quite the opposite. Our music video challenges this convention by pairing perhaps not every shot or specific objects with the lyrics but by creating links to the lyrics through things such as the narrative. For example, the song 'Cradle' is about a girl who wants a relationship to end and so we took the idea of the girl wanting the relationship to end and applied it to her wanting the terrible day to end, presenting her with difficult situations which echoed not the specific word of the lyrics but the meaning. This is illustrated by the shot that occurs just after the artist sings "I'll pretend a pretty pretend" which then cuts to a shot of the girl hugging the cheating boyfriend. It becomes apparent in the following few shots that the boyfriend has cheated and so the lyric "pretty pretend" emphasises the pretense that the relationship has become and shows a distinct link between the lyrics and visuals, seeing the meaning of the lyrics and sees this meaning represented in the what is shown onscreen. We do at some points illustrate the lyrics literally on screen, the best example of this is the point at which the lyrics state "I Wish". At this point there is a jump cut to a girl holding a sign that literally echos the lyrics as it reads "I Wish". This is reinforced by the next shot in which the screen cuts into four with the sign being multiplied. The use of this shot reinforces the meaning of the lyrics and the meaning of the song by heightening the importance of the words acting as perhaps the 'hook'.

We have conformed to the convention of establishing and maintaining a link between the music and the visuals throughout our music video. The link between the two greatly engages the viewer with the video and helps keep pace throughout the video. A link between the visuals and the music itself can be seen in that the pace of the visuals shown and the cuts used increases as the pace of the track does and are well times with certain parts of the song. This is illustrated perfectly by the part of the song where the guitar suddenly gets very loud and this sudden burst of volume is paired with a jump cut of the girl treading on a stick and is in perfect time with the loud guitar chord. This timing of the music combined with the visual greatly amplifies the sound and the content of the shot itself, the stick breaking, almost illustrates the tone of the music, seeing and angry and spontaneous action echo the aggressive increase in volume and pace of the music. This echoing of the music through the visuals is also seen in well known indie videos such as that of Arctic Monkeys "The View From the Afternoon", specifically in the shot where the music begins with loud drumming and so there is a long shot of a boy literally drumming, making it seem as though he is playing those heard in the track.

The artist and the shots which 'promote' her were a key aspect of our music video, in that the ultimate purpose of a music video is to promote an artist and the single it is presenting , and so we tried to make her shots in the video have certain characteristics or a motif that the viewer would associate with her directly, we found this motif to be that she is filmed in a woodland area. In every shot she appears in she is immersed in or surrounded by trees, leaves and sky and even though these are all aspects that appear in some other shots in the video, ultimately the viewer relates the area of the forest with the artist. This association ensures a sense of memorability to the artist, providing a connection that the audience will not forget and ensuring publicity for the artist. Indie videos often have a separate motif for the artist, portraying them in different backgrounds or in different clothing to others, an example being Patrick Wolf's video for "Magic Position" in which he wears a bright red/ orange shirt at the beginning of the video and even though the colours of the video are bright he begins in a grey room and so his shirt immediately sets him out as the artist and shows his significance to both the track and video. We emulated this by getting the girl acting the role of the artist to wear a checkered shirt to contrast her surroundings, as seen below with a screen shot of Patrick Wolf's video.

The use of close ups to sell or promote the artist is also a common convention which we felt it beneficial to conform to, this is also illustrated by the above example. The conformity to this convention was beneficial as it communicates a sense of the artist's identity to the audience, engaging them with the person singing the track rather than them just hearing the words. We embraced this convention with great success as almost every shot featuring the artist is a close up, literally selling the artist just as much as the track which conforms to the very purpose of a music video in itself.

Goodwin's theory states that there are frequent notions of looking at or voyeuristic treatment of women in music videos. We have challenged this convention to a great extent in the fact that we do not objectify or see characters looking at the main female character for the majority of the video as this was not a characteristic of the genre of indie at all, however we didn't refute the convention completely. This is seen in the scene that sees a male shrewdly approaching the girl and jeer at her as she walks by. This is aperfect example of looking at women in an objectifying manner, however it is not so much a voyeuristic representation.

Final draft of digipak

(click to enlarge)

Here is the final draft of our digipak, which sees the finished design of all four panels and how it would appear as an unfolded album. We were very faithful to the original ideas as can be seen in the sketches previously posted, adding colour, in a very childlike fashion, to rough sketches that were desired to conform to certain conventions of indie album covers, such as that of Jason Mraz's album "We sing. We dance. We steal things." Although he is not typically associated with the genre, his style of acoustic music could be and the album cover, as seen below, embodies the same style of childish sketching that our digipak trys to. The face seen on the cover is loosely drawn with no great care taken to make the drawing perfect and this relates completely to the way we used sketchy and loose drawing as the background for every panel, using a real photograph on the front cover.

This combining of medias can also be seen to echo that seen in albums such Santogold's self titled album "Santogold", as seen below, seeing photography being manually manipulated with the use of glitter.

• The front panel is simplistic in its design and we did not deviate from our initial ideas much at all. The artist's portrait is a crucial feature as it is one thing to promote the album but by having the artist as part of the album cover there will be an instant association created in the audience's mind which will ultimately help better the sale of the album and band. The artist is also placed in the centre of the frame so as to accentuate her importance and to an extent, her fame.
• The band's name, The Joy Formidable, is placed at the top of the frame in a different font and style of writing to the the rest of the words on the cover, this positioning and font shows the band's importance and fame. This positioning also corresponds to most album covers, regardless of genre, in that to promote the band to their full extent they are usually placed at the highest point of the frame, the top. This aspect is also seen in the two examples above as well as our own product.
• The background of the panel is the forest and sees intertextuality in play as it links directly to one of the locations used in pour music video. This background of the forest is the are in which the artist is shot in the video as well as the area in which the character of the girl ends in at the end, so there is automatically a link with the artist as well as the video production. This association will ensure a sense of memorability, promoting the band in the subtlest way possible, subliminally.
• The inside left and right panels see the setting of the digipak change, slowly morphing into an urban setting of a brick wall. The inside left panel sees a brick wall slowly emerging through the trees although the trees remain the prominent aspect of the image, linking to the video again and echoing the sense of the girl being very much in control of her life and to extent, her sanity. This is completely contradicted by the inside right which sees the brick wall very dominant with only a few branches crossing the bricks. This now represents the idea of her insanity deteriating further and it is completely gone by the time we reach the final panel which is complete brick. The transition from urban to rural echos that seen in the music video.