Target audience research

Questionnaire 

A target audience is a group of people that an artists intends on marketing their song or service to and the group of people that it is aimed at. Music artists have different target audiences based on the genre and nature of the music and who is best suited for, for example pop artists such as One Direction would have an target audience for girls and teenagers aged 10-19. These target audiences become clear to artists through market research and what groups of people find the song the most popular and have an interest in their music. This is affected through marketing and advertising of things such as songs, albums or tours and the songs and music videos for the artist and the conventions of that genre and artists character that their target audience can relate to. The purpose of an target audience is that when a media product is being planned or created, one of the most important questions the creators have to consider is 'who are our target audience' and 'dos this have an target audience we can make the product best suited for. If not their is no target market or audience that will buy the songs or listen to the artist and the artist will not be a success with no real direction therefore their will be no point in making the media product. For our research we asked 40 people to fill out a questionnaire based on questions related to our planning for our own music video and questions on the indie genre and put our answers into pie charts in order to find out the most popular ones and our target audiences preferences. We also created 5 vox pops, video questionnaires, of people answering our questions in order to take on board their feedback and to get an understanding as to what audiences prefer and expect from existing indie artists and from the indie genre as a whole. This research was carried out in order to get a clear understanding as to what is deemed suitable and relevant in terms of conventions, camera and editing techniques and other media elements when creating our music video and to get an understanding as to what our audiences prefer and want so we can make it as successful as we can and as relatable to our audience as we can. We asked a total of 40 people to complete our questionnaire so that we could get more opinions and answers for our questions and in order to get a wider spread of answers to make our answers more clear as it will bring out which techniques and things we could include are most popular as our research was carried out from a number of different people. This is better for us when creating our video as if it was only completed by small amount of people then the answers may not suit the general preferences or interests of our target audience or a mainstream audience and it would just suit that small minority. We will use our results from the questionnaires in our music videos as we will find out which answers are the most popular and include them in our video in the best and most relevant possible way. For example, if musical instruments was the most popular answer for our iconography question then we will add a performance element into our video with the artist playing the guitar or a piano, depending on the style of our song and video. This will also be the same case for our other questions, including our open questions where audiences elaborated on their answers. For this we will have a clearer and more in  depth question therefore giving us exact ideas to include in our video rather then generalising and just including one popular answer occasionally. 

For our first question in the and pie chart in our questionnaire, we aced audiences how old they were and what gender they are, in order to put everyone into different categories and genders in order to first of all find out the most common age and gender for our target audience and to find out some of the gender differences and the preferences of each. This allowed us to have an understanding and knowledge of what sort of conventions and techniques we could include in order to make our video as suitable as possible and it gave us a clear starter for identifying out target audience as the most important thing about our audience is their age and gender. Firstly, we found out that the most common age of our audiences was the 17-25 bracket with 40% of people questioned being within that age bracket. Our research also showed that only 3% of people were over the age of 46 and that our second most popular age was just older then our target audience with 30% being aged between 26-35. This means that our video will have to be adolescent friendly and we will have to have age restrictions in some aspects of out videos or warnings as some of our target audience are not yet 18. This gives us some limitations and restrictions when creating our video as we may not be able to or may have to hold back when creating and planning the relationship concept of our video and some of the dark stuff such that is involved so we do not upset our audience and keep it suitable. However, we also need to keep in mind the conventions of indie music videos and most indie music videos we have watched or taken inspiration from often have a deep and meaningful message in them about sexuality, depression etc, therefore we need to ensure that our audience are of age to watch and listen to this sort of thing to give us the freedom to create what we can't, whilst ensuring it is conventional to the indie genre. 

We then asked our target audience carrying out our questionnaire whether they like the indie genre. The purpose of this was to find out how popular the indie genre is amongst people within our target audience age and whether there was any point or purpose into creating a indie music video as we need to make sure if it would be successful or popular enough before going ahead with the process of planning it and creating it. It was a simple closed question on our questionnaire and our results showed that 90% of people questioned answered that they do like the indie genre, in comparison to the 10% of people who said they don't. This vague question and answers we got allowed us to go ahead with the same target audience and same planning for our own indie music video as we have a established audience who know and like the genre giving it more chance of being successful. Our figures also show that it statically should be popular, given that we create a good, conventional video.  However, because this wasn't an open question i can't analyse why 10% of people don't like the indie genre which i could take on board and adapt my music video to suit a wider target audience. Although, because this isn't the case i will keep my music video conventional so that it appeals to the indie target audience. 

Another question that would help form the basis of my music video is 'what conventions do you expect to find in an indie music video?'. This was our first open question included in our questionnaire and its purpose was for us to find out what sort of conventions and micro-elements our target audience expects to see in an indie music video for us to take on board and include in our own music video. Our results showed that the highest rated convention people expect to see in indie music videos was the use of iconography and in this case, musical instruments. This is something I have planned to use in my own video with the girl in our narrative playing an guitar as part of the performance element and to give it a conventional feel. Our results from our questionnaire has now made this plan a reality as I now know it will be a successful, conventional and popular part of my video. The 2nd favourite convention was 27% of people answering for 'love narratives' which i will take on board through using a couples relationship as the narrative. I am considering using a couple in real life so that the chemistry is there and it doesn't look fake. 23% of people then said that quirky costumes would be a good convention to include into a indie music video. This is something that could be used well in our narrative as our narrative includes lots of different scenes where a boy and girl in our relationship are out reminiscing on past experiences and times they've had together so we can include a number of different costumes and items of clothing to match the theme of the scene and nature and feel of the video. Finally, 20% of people voted for close up shots which is also a popular choice when questioning people on cinematography later in our questionnaire. Although the least popular choice, this is still something we can use a number of times in our video as it is conventional, easy to use and a good way of adding dramatic effect or emphasis on a shot or moment.

We then asked our target audience what style of music video do they prefer when watching a music video and why. The answers for this question were either a performance, concept or narrative element and the purpose of this was to find out what was the best way to structure our video and if we could include all three at times and what was suitable for each one, hence making it one of our open questions. 30% said that the narrative is their favourite style because it allows the artist to tell a story, which will keep them engaged and be able to build a relationship with the artist better. I will definitely take the narrative style on board because i have seen myself that the indie genre uses a narrative to help tell the story of the artists past and to give a representation to how they are feeling. The target audience also stated that they like the concept style because it empowers them, with 23% of people answering for this. I really think this is a good point to take on board because empowering the audience conveyed a positive message and links society to the indie genre. I will try and include a concept along the lines of although you want to look out for someone else don't loose yourself along the way as this will help the audience to relate to an emotion they have felt in a relationship. I will also include the performance element even though it only rated 18% for performance to show that the artist is talented and 17% because performance shows the artist plays their own instrument. Having the artist singing and playing an instrument makes the music video and lyrics more personal as well as helping the audience to see the artists talent and emotions through what she is singing.

The next question we asked was what are your favourite camera and editing techniques and why. This was our most in depth answer for our questionnaire and an open question so we could get an idea to the certain micro elements audiences would like to see and expect to see in indie music videos. The highest rated answer at 23% is point of view as it gives the audience an understanding of the artists perspective. I will take this on board because when analysing the indie genre I also noticed a lot of point of view shots as it makes the narrative more personal to the artist so that the audience can relate to the artists life. I will use this shot a number of times in my video as it can be used to relate to a number of different meanings and scenes and it is also a good way of creating dramatic effect when necessary.  The second highest percentage was 18%, which was a long shot to establish the narrative as long shots show both the foreground and background so make it easier for the audience to see the whole of the artist and the location that they are in.  This helps to create a conventional and natural feel to the video as the audience are able to see the artist for their true self and indie music videos tend to be quite simple with their settings with nothing to over the top or expensive to use. At 17% is a blurred effect because the audience believe it shows them how the artist is feeling because its like the artist trying to blur out the past. This will help us in creating our music video because it helps to create added effect and emotion and is representation of the artists emotions and how she is really feeling. 15% said that a shot reverse shot is their favourite camera technique because it helps show the relationship between the characters. Due to this I will take this idea on-board because the narrative I want to create it about a couple so this will help the audience relate and build a relationship with the couple in my music video. The editing style montage was rated 10% because its more engaging and will go along to the beat of the song and close ups to show the artists emotions also rated 10% so I will take these on board to as i want the audience to be able to build a relationship with the artist to feel more connected to the song and the narrative. I will also attempt to use the green screen in my music video for shots that may be hard for us to film in real life due to complications with settings, micro elements etc, as long as the shot still looks realistic and relevant to our video, as 7% voted for the use of green screen.

An open question that was asked was 'what costume and iconography works best in an indie music video and why?' This was asked to find out what the audience think is conventional and then what I can take on board to include in my own music video. One of our most popular answers was the use of fairy lights which 23% of people voted for as fairy lights are low budget and so are indie music videos. This makes the video more personalised and the audience can relate to this type of iconography because it recognisable and creates that warm feeling like at Christmas when these type of lights make an appearance. The most popular answer for this question was that the costume should be edgy because it matches the narrative. I will take this on board for my own video as it will prove to be the most popular convention and dress my artist in quirky, edgy clothing such as flowery, summer dresses, boots and baggy jumpers as these are all conventional with the indie genre. Another element of iconography that the audience expect to see if flowers because the narrative tends to be about love. I will take this on board by including in my own video a scene where the boy in the relationship picks flowers for the girl to show his love and at the end when they are breaking i will include a close up shot of dead flowers to symbolise their love has died.

We then asked our audience, what do they like about our artist Gabrielle Aplin and why. This allowed us to have an understanding as to what makes Aplins so popular and successful and whatever was answered about her we could match with our own artist to almost copy and imitate Aplins character and way of preforming in order to make our own video as relatable and conventional as possible. This pie chart shows that out of those forty people asked that 33% like her because she writes her own songs because this will make her music personal to her. Our second most popular answer was that 30% of people said that her style of indie was very unique. This meant our artist has her own identity and style that we can use to give our video something different. From this analysis i will take on board making the music video personal to the artists style so that the target audience will still believe she has created it making my music video fit the audience and look professional. Another element i will take on board is to keep her style of indie running through the video, which is very girlie and innocent compared to other indie artists that are more grunge style. I want to take on her style because the audience have stated it is unique which is a reason why they like her, however only 20% of people voted for this making it the least popular but just as important to us in having an understanding into our target audiences opinion on Aplin.

We then asked our target audience what lighting techniques work best in indie style music videos to get a concept of the most popular micro element and how they will work. Our most popular answer was 30% of people who felt natural lighting works best in indie music videos because it is simplistic. This is something that we relate to indie music videos as artists are often simple and not over the top in their production of their videos and it something that we can use in our own video as it is easy to use and do for our setting as most of it is filmed in natural day light due to our narrative. The second highest rated was natural lighting because you can see the artist clearly. This will also be taken on board because the audience won't no my artist well so natural lighting will show them clearly to help the audience to relate to the artist. Not only will i use natural lighting but i will use all of the elements of lighting that the audience have stated to make the music video interesting. 23% of people also said high key lighting because it creates a warm atmosphere. This will help us when creating our video as it brings more attention and chemistry to my on screen couple and makes the relationship and video seem warmer and more loving, supporting our narrative and concept of the video. In contrast, I will also use low key lighting and flashes of colour such as fire or fireworks to show the anger in the relationship at times of break up or sadness.

Lastly, we asked our target audience what narratives would they like and expect to see in a indie music video. This is a major part of our video as it allows us to plan the structure and purpose of our video. The highest percentage was a relationship narrative at 37% so i will definitely take this on board when creating my own video as this will engage the audience with my video and make it conventional to the genre. Other answers included 25% of people voting for break ups or dark pasts, which are both elements we could tie in with our love story narrative, however, I will make the breakup over addiction such as alcohol or drug abuse because 13% stated that is a narrative they expect for the indie genre and it relates back to the convention  that indie narratives always have a bad twist. This has taught me that I could create a narrative where the couple are loved up at the beginning to help the audience relate and then they break up to shock the audience.

Target audience Questionare

 

The concept of youth sub-culture is where a group of people who are united through a common value system and tastes such as clothes, music or politics have their own beliefs and preferences. They are positioned outside of the mainstream and often go against what is deemed popular.  The theory that I have chosen to apply to my questionnaire and music video is the CCCS (Centre for contempary cultural studies) views. They believe that all sub cultures come from one big culture, the reaction to mainstream. Sub cultures go against the mainstream and my music video will offer many conventions and rateable moments that a mainstream audience can apply themselves with in order to make it as popular and successful as I can. The CCCS generalises rather then specifying and do not take into account the fact that teens will often move between sub cultures or that adults can appear to conform for most of the working week, but re enter the subculture at specific times, meaning anyone could like my own music video. Much like the CCC's approach, I feel that pop stars or any artist are constructed to appeal to specific markets with specific values and the audience are so unpredictable in their likes and dislikes that I can not generalise a specific target audience but instead make my video open and relatable to a wide audience for every chance of success, whilst maintaining that it is conventional and suitable to everyone and the indie genre.  I will include this theory  as I believe this theory matches best with my own opinions and what I believe in and  I will be able to apply it to my own work as I will work on my own values, which I believe is important for the indie genre because it is seen as a sub culture compared to the mainstream pop and rap.

 Vox pops are interviews with members of the public, which are usually recorded through a media device. The questions from my questionnaire are asked in vox pops to be able to understand what the audience want and expect to see in the indie music video genre I am creating. The open questions are useful for vox pops because the answers can be analysed as the person being interviewed is able to elaborate on their answers. The purpose of the vox pops are to record what the audience say and then to be able to analyse what they say at any time because I can watch it back and understand different parts of their answer. Also It gives me a more detailed answer to my questions because they are speaking instead of having to write down an answer so it is on the spot and what their initial ideas are. I created 5 different vox pops so I got a lot of different answers and am able to include a lot of ideas into my music video rather then just the same thing. They are beneficial because you can see the speaker as they talk so can understand what they are saying more clearly and they are beneficial because it gives longer answers to the questions.

All 5 of my questionnaire vox pops.

Magazine Advert Analysis

Magazine advert analysis 

Music artists promote their new music, albums or tours in places such as magazines and adverts in order to get their music across to their target audiences. The purpose of artists using magazines is to promote their albums in order to help market their music and themselves as an artist to target audiences. This means that the artist is able to reach a wider target audience, e.g. the people who read that chosen magazine and listen to they genre of music. If the artist has chosen a mainstream music magazine such as billboard or Rolling Stones, then it will reach a wider audience as the magazines cover a wide range of music genres and branch out the mainstream music audience, making the artist more well known and gathering more fans and audiences. Music artists also use magazines to act as a constant reminder that they have an upcoming tour or album coming out so audiences don't forget if they have seen it before but not realised and the dates, songs, important information etc, is stuck in audiences head. They also help to link in with other advertisements of the album to create more marketing and to get support from other companies to help push sales further. This benefits the artist as they get help in the marketing aspect of the album from powerful companies that are affiliated with the music industry and multi media companies, as well as improved advertising and marketing for the album. The advertisements also link in with any articles within the magazine on the artist. This benefits both the magazine and the artist as it allows the magazine to publish new an exciting articles and stories and allows the artist to give more information about their album and sell themselves and their service to their intended audience. Magazine advertising is also a benefit for the artist and their media product or service they are advertising as the magazine companies have the ability and knowledge as to where to display these advertisements and to make them high quality, represented with full colour and gloss giving a clearer message of what the artist is advertising and allowing the audience a better idea of the message they are trying to give and an idea on the artist. By advertising in magazines within your industry, you are almost guaranteed to reach your intended target audience and magazines are have a huge influence in todays society and are a major media platform, therefore people are influenced by magazines will engage with them and take on board the contents of there magazine as it is a constant growing form of multi-media and highly popular media platform that artists use to promote services. 

Album or tour advertisements are created in order to give audiences vital information on the artists publishment or new service (album or tour). It is also has to be conventional to their particular genre and relate to their target audience whilst giving audiences a clear understanding in to the artists character and the concept or nature she is trying to portray in the album or tour advert. The advert I have chosen to analyse for my own artist Gabrielle Aplin is a picture advertising her latest tour, with information on upcoming gigs, ticket information and information on the artists, record labels and tour organisations websites, social medias etc. I have chosen to analyse this tour advertisement rather then an album or song advert or any previous tour adverts as I feel this advert gives a better representation of her character and has more conventions that can be analysed. It also includes details on her new and latest work therefore it gives a representation on her as an artist now and her current music meaning none of the analysis or conventions of the advert our outdated or on her previous character and music. The lighting used on this tour poster is dull and somewhat low key with a black and white effect. This could connote that the background doesn't particularly matter to her and that she wants to be the centre of attention and wants the audience to focus more on her actions and the representation of her character. The black and white filter on it is used to match the dim, isolated background to create a mysterious and conventional feel and setting towards the poster and as a representation of some of her music as it is quite depressing and meaningful. This also helps when linking in with the her choice and genre in music as her indie, acoustic style is seen as quite subtle and not out there, giving an insight to her as an artist and possibly what to expect from the tour she is advertising. Gabrielle's positioning in the tour poster gives us a representation of her character. We see a long shot of Aplin which is unusual as we cant see her face. This subverts the stereotypes of indie artists that we can always see their emotions and close ups of music artists however it shows Aplin is independent and unique. You can also apply the male gaze as she is showing some of her body. She is not using direct gaze which also subverts her genre stereotypes. This also connotes that she is secretive and has a sense of mystery about her. The location and setting of the poster is also a very secluded and lonely environment, much like herself in the poster. It looks very vintage and old fashioned which is a connotation of acoustic music and the indie genre. The iconography in the poster such as the colourful umbrella signifies whatever she touches gets better and brightens up. It also symbolises she's a fun, loving character and has many different characteristics. This allows the audience to relate to Aplin and find her conventional as she can get across to a variety of people and show true emotion in whatever she makes or does. The font and typography in the tour poster looks sophisticated and the English rain title appears to be in a handwritten font which is common in the indie genre. The name of the tour is also the name of her album and  a song in her album therefore it doesn't draw attention to itself with a quirky and irrelevant title that a lot of pop artists whose titles have nothing to do with their songs. It is also a good promotional way of getting their song ore album names across to their target and the mainstream audience. There are connotations of the advert that the artist is promoting in this tour poster as well lots of different tour dates and information displayed across the bottom of the poster. The language used is, "plus guests" which shows the audience that at the concert there will be other guests; however, she is the main focus. Not having the names of the actual artists shows that they probably aren't well known so they're not put on it in case it puts the audience off from watching Gabrielle Aplin. Her debut album is also mentions; however, it is at the bottom and it isn't described by adjectives to make it seem amazing, which could be because the artist doesn't want to sell her music through an idea of how she perceives it because she wants everyone to have their own take on what she sings about. This advert promotes her by showing her as bright and colourful compared to the rest of the world, which could be implied as other artists showing that she is influential and her music stands out compared to the mainstream genres such as pop because she stands out in the picture of her on the advert. These connotations would make the audience relate to the artist as they will see her as an idol because she is different from others so the audience will want to listen and follow her songs and what she says.

I have also chosen to analyse the magazine advert for indie artist 'Birdy's concert poster. I have chosen to analyse a advert from the artist Birdy as she is very similar to Gabrielle Aplin in a number of ways, including her style and genre of music, artist characteristics and the way the conventions of her promotions and music videos. Much like the magazine advert for Gabrielle Aplins tour poster 'English rain', this concert poster is very similar in the way it represents Birdy as an artist and how she makes it conventional to herself and the indie genre. First of all, her costume in the poster makes her stand out as it not an ordinary or popular piece of clothing that you see many people wearing in the style that she does and with those colours. However, this helps the audience to build a relationship with the artist as it shows her unique style that helps to portray her personality and conveys the unique style that her music also has. The audience will relate to the clothing as it is conventional of the indie genre and each piece of clothing is recognisable. The artist is also represented as feminine due to the colours she is wearing as they are stereotypical female colours as well as her attire being a dress. The overall feeling and assumption when looking at Birdy's image and clothing is that she looks very feminine. Being represented as feminine will attract a female target audience as they will feel as though her music will relate to her because the artist herself is trying to relate to the audience due to her gender. This representation is also shown through the way the audience  build a relationship with the artist through the colours and outfits she wears as it conveys her personality and represents and gives the mainstream audience and the buyers of the magazine an insight what her music is like, very girly and quirky like her magazine advert. The colours used on the advert are green, off white and brown. Although this is the decor of the house in the setting, it also represents the indie genre as they are very natural colours, which has connotations of the earth and the distressed look to the colour could show the artists views about the world. This helps the audience relate to her style of music as they will be able to tell what her music will be about due to the colour on the advert and they will be able to build a relationship with the artist because they can understand her music more by the way she advertises herself, showing that she is passionate about the narrative and concept of her music videos. It is also a representation of the setting in the poster with Birdy standing alone in a plain, simple room with nothing to suggest about her character unless audiences begin to listen to her music to understand these conventions more. The layout of the advert is very clear as it initially shows the artists name which leads onto a large photo of her. The name ends where her face starts so that the audience can straight away see what the artist looks like if they don't already know which will help them connect to her as they believe they know her more. Underneath her name as the important dates and information that the audience will need to know about. The typography used in the poster is very large to introduce the artists name and make it stand out and is displayed in an off white colour to stand out from the other writing on the advert and to show the artists tinted view of the world and to give consumers an insight into her music style and emotions. This will help the audience to relate to her as they can see her views and see the unique style she has as well as helping them build a relationship with her by understanding more about her such as her style of music which is conveyed through the off white colour meaning her music is different compared to the mainstream genres. The advert is a good form of promotion as it shows that the artist is a good singer as she has a tour at the Shepard's bush empire, which makes the audience think they should listen to her music and is able to preform at big and popular venues. It also promotes the artist by promoting her debut album as well as promoting her through a full length image of her so that the audience can see what she looks like and therefore build a relationship with her and relate to her style through her facial expression and clothing.

In conclusion, I will use the research I have taken and inform it into my planning by following the codes and conventions of the indie genre i have identified in Gabrille Aplin and Birdys magazine adverts and use them in my own work. For this I will look at the micro elements they have used and how they produced the piece of work and whether i can replicate it when using photoshop or make something similar following the same structure, colour schemes, cinematogorhy etc. To be specific, i will take a similar photo for my own advert as in the Birdy one where it is a still, simple shot of the artist wearing conventional clothing and having little expression or i will have a close up of my artist with more emotion and more dramatic effect for the audience. I will also use similar fonts and typography as in the Gabrielle Aplin magazine advert as this is a similar representation i want my artist to have and it suits the idea i have for my own and the representations that go with it. Furthermore, I will also inform the same colour schemes into my own advert as the two i have researched are successful and popular conventional adverts and if it was to make them similar mine would also be as conventional, e.g. the dark colours and dim lighting make the artist have a dark mysterious side to there characters and make the audience want to engage with their music and listen to them to find out more, making them take notice of the advert.