For the next scheduled filming day we went to Lincoln to set up one of the flashback scenes, we decided to film near the river as it was a warm day and created a picturesque setting. Filming went well but after looking at the footage on the computer we are going to have to re-film some of the scene as there is a change in the background when the shots cut which creates a jump that can not be over-looked, this looks messy which we don't want.
Ben, Harry and Tuesday setting up the camera ready to film the flashback
First day of filming we decided on the Horse Riding scene because we didn't want to loose track of time and do it in the middle of Harvest, it went really well and we got the shots we needed and more; the horses behaved and worked well with Ben and Tuesday. All in all it was a successful day.
Having looked into primary and secondary research for the genre Pop we have come to the conclusion that our Priary target audience will be young girls (11 to 18.) Who tend to like music videos that have a narrative and good looking people involved, therefore myself and Ben will make sure this applies to our video by having good looking actors and that there is a strong story-line attached to the video. We will also film in various places and keep the shots short but sweet to keep the audience entertained as younger people don't have as long attention spans as others.
For
our groups target audience interviews, we interviewed five people from
our primary target demographic (11-18 year old females). In preparation for the
interview, we put together a list of 10 questions relevant to our work
to be answered by our target audience members.
Our first question was, 'Do you
like pop music?'. As expected the majority of our group answered yes,
apart from one girl; Laurel who answered no. Later on she added to this
answer by revealing that she thinks pop songs are too "winey". However
the other four members did answer yes, and confirmed their liking towards
pop music.
The second question to our group was 'Out of the pop music
genre, who's your favourite artist?'. For this question we didn't get a real answer from the girls, who seemed unsure of their choices,
however they all confidently answered the follow up question of, 'Do you
prefer male or female artists?'. This time all of the group immediately
answered male, with some commenting on how they prefer males as they
have better voices and can reach a higher pitch than some females, and also because having a good looking make makes for a better viewing.
Our next question was whether
the girls preferred a music video that shows a story, or one that
focuses on the artist. All of the group members agreed that they
preferred a story to be shown in a music video. The follow up question
was whether the group enjoyed listening to 'love songs' or not, to which they all
answered no, which was surprising as the girls did like our song choice,
which is an emotional, love song.
"What do you like to see in a
music video" was the 6th question we asked. The group responded by
saying they liked to see attractive males, which is stereotypical of pop
music videos. Especially Taylor Swifts, as most of her songs are about a relationship her videos include an attractive male.
Next we asked if a music video should be "fast or slow
paced" the girls replied that they thought it would depend on the songs
tempo, which is something we agree with, and feel that our video will be
fast paced to match the song medium to fast tempo of the beat.
"What makes a pop song a pop
song?" was the next question asked by us towards the group. The response
from the girls was one I, and the rest of the group predicted. "A pop
song is repetitive, irritating, catchy and has annoying lyrics" were
some of the answers from the group. The key word being repetitive, which our chosen song is, but we will use all the negative feedback as a strength, and include reoccurring themes in the video to get a point across.
"Do you like a music video that
goes with the song?" was our next question and again attained a fast all
round response, with the group all strongly saying yes. The reason
behind this was that it was "less confusing" and helped the girls "follow
along" with the video and song when they both worked together.
And finally we asked "Do you like Taylor Swift and her songs?" with all the group replying yes, apart from one who gave the reason of her being "obsessed" and "annoying". We found this though to be directed at her personality rather than her music, which the majority did favour, highlighting our chosen artist as a popular one. In conclusion we can understand that the group do like pop music and our artist in particular, which is all good news for us going into our production, especially as our ideas were quite favourable.
Done from the perspective of a member of our chosen target audience age range, we took the BBC social class test. From doing the test in the shoes of an 18 year old female (the age in the middle of our primary target audience range) we found that typically someone in that range is of a lower social class, that generally keeps within her own boundaries in terms of social interaction.
The results did not seem to relevant to us or as expected. To the group the typical pop music fan (particularly Taylor Swift) is from a more established middle class background, full of more interaction with others. In my opinion a lower social class is more likely to be linked with Hip Hop or Rap, as many of artists of that genre can relate to deprived backgrounds, unlike those of Pop music artists who are normally more privileged. Overall doing this test hasn't affected the groups choice in target audience and the ideas for the look of the final video.
We decided to ask Lauren some questions about Pop music because
she’s in our primary target audience demographic, and enjoys listening to Pop music in
general.
Name – Lauren Clilverd
Age – 16
Occupation – Student
Class – Middle
Do you have any hobbies or anything you enjoy doing in your
spare time?
I enjoy walking my dog, and playing my guitar, as it is a
form of escapism.
Do you like Pop music, why?
I like Pop music because it’s catchy, and has a good beat.
Who is your favourite artist or band?
Favourite artist – Lana Del Rey
Favourite band – Little Mix
Do you have a favourite music video, if so what is it?
In general I don’t really watch music videos yet I do like,
Kiesza – Hideaway. As it’s upbeat and makes me want to dance and enjoy myself.
What do you expect to see in a music video for Pop music?
The person who’s singing the song, including the rest of the
band because then it isn’t just about the singer. An interesting story and exotic
places; ‘not just in a building but in varied places.’
What wouldn’t you like to see in a Pop music video, and why?
I don’t want to see any naked women, or if a guy
has a provocative attitude,
as this promotes patriarchy and makes women been seen as an object. After asking Lauren these questions, it shows us as a group that our music video needs to feature different and usual places and have new ideas. We also need to take the last answer into account, and how Lauren is very keen on not having a patriarchal lead role, so the male actor we decide to use needs to be equal to the female and not show dominance or act in a controlling manor.
These are the questions we have decided to ask our focus group, to find out their individual opinions on pop music, music videos and Taylor Swift herself.
1.Do you
enjoy listening to pop music?
2.Out of the
pop music genre, who’s your favourite artist?
3.Do you
prefer female or male singers?
4.Would you
prefer to watch a music video that includes a small story or one that focuses
on the artist?
5.Do you
enjoy listening to love songs?
6.What do you
like to see in a music video?
7.Would you
prefer a music video to be fast or slow paced?
8.In your opinion
what makes a pop song a pop song?
9.Do you like
to watch the music video that goes with the song?
10.Do you listen
to Taylor Swift? If so, do you like her music?
