Post 1: Audience

My audience as specified in the brief is a 'culturally sophisticated, 16-25 yr old, AB class demographic'

Lifestyle
These are the four key areas I have identified in my audience, what is necessary and important to them and therefore areas/experiences I should gratify in my video

• Likely in education, university/school/college
• Part time jobs
• Relationships/friendships 
• Transition into adulthood & finding your way in the world

An artists target audience is often dictated by their label, they decide which group to market them on based on who they think they will appeal to (and generate income from) the most.

This demographic don't want sentimentality and are not as easily impressed by technological intricacy in videos due to being tech savvy.

A psychometric method of audience categorisation developed by Young and Rubicam.

A - upper middle class, higher managerial administrative, professional
B- middle class, intermediate managerial, administrative or professional

• Lots of disposable income
• Social media usage
• Intertextuality will reference modern consumer tastes
• Target audience for my video are people that enjoy dance music

Mood Board

Guidelines & Regulations

"To improve consumer awareness about the content of certain music videos, and to improve child protection online, Vevo and YouTube, working in partnership with the BBFC, are making permanent a pilot scheme to age rate all music videos by artists signed to Sony Music UK, Universal Music UK and Warner Music UK that are unsuitable for younger children (under 12s). On 18 August 2015, Government also announced that independent UK music labels will take part in a further six month phase of the pilot."

E4 & UK Tribes

The TV channel E4, targeted at my 16-25 AB demographic too has done extensive research on this demographic in order to improve programming and marketing. UK tribes is a community of more than 400 people who share views online. They do market research through surveys, interviews and video diaries and in conclusion have found 25 tribes within 5 key groups. I have decided the one that most fits my target audience would be the Aspirant group, despite my artist being within the 'leading edge' group of artists and content creators.

Dictated mainly by their aspirational lifestyle and the way in which they share it with the world, often making others envious through fronts on social media. They are up to date with cutting edge clothes, music and hot spots and being sociable and moving in the right circles is very important to them. This makes them big consumers, often in AB class demographics with lots of disposable income and brand loyalty is a key trait.

Trendies – my core audience

-love fashion

-focus on ‘brand-me’

-lean towards instagram, vlogging

Vloggers – secondary audience

Sharing their attitudes, vlaues and beliefs through online presences, though not necessarily creating content, more reblogging etc.

Reference to the tumblr generation

Other aspirants:

• New casuals
• Hypebeasts
• Hipsters

Notes:
Students contribute an estimated £20 billion to the UK economy per year

Culturally sophisticated people want products that adhere to a high standard

They are some of the largest media consumers so intertextuality is important to them, they recognise familiar tropes from tv shows, music and social media content

Wide range of interests from sport, gaming, fashion

Geo demographics, the generation is everywhere, many could be in university to close to university cities

Want to see the generation positively and accurately represented, often given a negative media portrayal outside of the demographic

A report by Demos in 2014 found 80% of young people believe this generation is more concerned with social issues than previous ones. This is also how I hope to generate a response in my adverts by challenging social issues like gender stereotypes and peer approval.

"Many of
the Tribes follow their favourite artists on YouTube and Facebook to keep up to date with new releases, collaborations, tour dates and music videos in order to stay in the loop with the latest music. They also use Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat to keep up with the day to day to lives of the artists they follow and reading their account bio and about me pages in order to get to know them better."

Uses and Gratifications Theory

Audiences make choices about what they consumed with growing technological change. They were less of a passive mass and instead chose media outlets that provided functions for both individuals and society as a whole. The theorist Lasswell has suggested four functions:

Want of surveillance of wider society, things they do not know about, issues and events they was exposure to

Correlation - notably fan bases, to confirm values, attitudes and beliefs and share in those they already have

Entertainment - e.g. comedy shows, reality TV, game shows

Cultural Transmission - experiences learning e.g. documentaries

As new media forms have emerged, Blumer and Katz have expanded this theory, suggesting the following uses and gratifications for audiences:

• Diversion
• Personal relationships and emotional interaction
• Personal Identity
• Surveillance

I therefore need to make sure that in order to create a relatable and accessible artist, video and website I need to gratify what audiences/fans want.

Audience Research
I identified two key members of my target audience, Hattie and Rick and asked them questions relevant to their values attitudes and beliefs and how this dictates what music videos fulfill their needs and gratifications.

Rick Jones, 19, University of Warwick student
What do you feel is important to your generation?
I think now more than ever, politics and the world around us is making the youth wake up and want to take responsibility for it.

What's your favourite music video and why?
Pulp, Common People, mainly because I love the song and I like the way the video describes the story of the lyrics

What brands/styles speak to you the most?
I don't really follow high fashion because its so expensive! But I usually get my stuff from vintage/retro shops and I go for mainstream brands like Adidas and Nike.

What are your hobbies/things you spend your money on?
Right now I'm at Uni, so all my student loan is spent on rent and food. Extra money I have goes on nights out in Warwick and the occasional item of clothing.

What dance music do you listen to?
I love techno and I went to dimensions festival this year which was perfect and I really got my fix, I don't think in the UK there's as much variety of techno events and widespread appreciation of it as a genre.

Hattie Palmer Noon, 16, Marylebone school student

What do you feel is important to your generation?
Expressing your individuality because quite often older generations make assumptions about young people that are collective and unfair.

What's your favourite music video and why?
Dua Lipa New Rules, I love the outfits, colour scheme and obviously the song itself.

What brands/styles speak to you the most?
I always like looking for second-hand designer clothes from places like Depop, Rokit and Ebay. I love 70's inspired clothing, like flares and statement jewellery at the moment but my tastes are constantly shifting. I usually use celebrity instagrams to find the latest trends, people like Lily Allen and Anne-Marie.

What are your hobbies/ things you spend money on?
Food! I go out for dinner a lot with my friends to places like Wagamamas. I also like cooking at home and the shared experiences of eating together and feeling like you've made it yourself. In terms of hobbies I do lots of extra curricular stuff like model United Nations and dance.

What dance music do you listen to?
I love disco, songs like 'Groove is in the heart' by Dee-lite, Donna Summer and Chaka Khan. Recently I've been getting more into Drum and Bass and Garage though because I stream more independent artists through Soundcloud.

NEA Task

The mini-NEA has been a huge learning curve for me. Since beginning the project, I have found which areas of production I enjoy the most and where I need to pay particular attention in my real NEA. I have found that where my strengths lie are in the research and planning stages but not so much in the technical areas so I know that while I have developed ideas about lighting and camera shots this is where I’m, going to hone my skills over the summer. I have also found the performance workshops useful in terms of giving me the confidence to know I can perform in my own NEA project in September, rather than essentially hiding behind the camera!

The first thing I did was extensively researching music videos. This was a fairly unfamiliar territory for me, particularly the dance genre. I really enjoyed learning such niche codes and conventions, for example, how editing works for specific artists, the EDM ‘look’ and narrative style for these kinds of videos. Planning the styling makeup and hair for my persona allowed me to think about the overall look of my video. I found the editing was the part I really enjoyed the most, I like the way continuity rules apply differently for music videos and allowed me a lot of creative freedom, experimenting with slow motion, fast motion, grading and pace. I made a detailed shoot board with visuals, camera angles and shots and this helped me think about what really goes into a music video and how meticulous my planning for September will be. I took part in lip syncing and performing workshops to build my confidence, dance skills and knowledge of performance. We also took a detailed tour of the studio, cameras, lighting and other equipment.

I have honed an enjoyment of editing/styling in particular and am fully on board to carry on with the music video brief for my A level coursework. I will make changes to details like the song and artist persona I created, but will likely continue with the studio setup and mise en scene used this time round. I can appreciate the paired back and colourful backdrop that is typical of lots of dance music videos, as I have found from my research. I’m going to utilise my time over summer to make creative decisions regarding my project so I am ready to start fresh in September. I will definitely continue with the same process in terms of doing things in a set chronological order and working my way from research to planning to styling to making a shoot board etc. as I feel this was really beneficial and helped me organise my ideas this time round. In September I will be shooting all new material so this will need to be planned soon so I am ready to go on more or less the first day back. I’m going to create an extensive shoot board detailing around 6-8 set ups that I will use in my final edit. I’m also going to reccie locations outside of the studio and think about promo shots that I can use on my website. 

13. Closing Post

This blog is now closed.

Thank you for reading my blog, I have had a great time working on this project and I hope that comes across through my work. Everything in the project is under the label 'AS Research and Planning'.

12. My Final Production

Here is my final production!

This is my first advert.




This is my second advert.

11. Production review: My production and my intended improvements

Review 1 - BLK - Advert 1
After doing a rough cut of my advert, I decided to re shoot some scenes with a slightly different story line. The idea of 'coming out' wasn't coming across clearly and there wasn't a clear sense of fun and energy which I was going for. On re shooting I decided to use dialogue to better convey the emotions and point I was making and also to change the idea of 'coming out' to going out. However this would feature both a boy and girl getting ready together, allowing the audience to fully accept that a boy could put makeup on just as a girl can.

Review 2 - Technician -  Advert 2
On doing a technical review, I was told I needed to grade my footage carefully. This was because I shot outside on a very bright but not particularly sunny day, leaving a lot of my shots very overexposed. In the final two, the can of deodorant is hard to make out so I need to up the contrast and do some colour correction either with oranges or blues.

Review 3 - DYM -  Advert 1 and 2
For advert 2, my feedback was mainly positive, the storyline was clear but it was suggested that I include some voiceover to make the decision making of the main character clearer and relate it back to the branding of the product, for example, having someone say that the boy chased after the girl because he had the confidence bestowed by wave. I am going to record this today and test it out to see if it works. For advert 1, we discussed my re shoot and made a plan of a different storyline I could sue that would better convey the message. We also decided that when I next film I should have the boy already in a full face of makeup and make my actors feel more comfortable in front of the camera to give off a more upbeat and fun vibe. Furthermore, the costumes don't make it particularly clear that the actors are getting ready for a night out, so I need to make sure they wear something bright/sparkly and convey that via their emotions.

Review 4 - Technician Advert 1
We decided that the use of colour was important in this advert, so decided to up the saturation to make the costumes and makeup pop. We also considered whether the montage of footage would look better and allow more of a storyline if some of it was put in fast motion - I am going to try this out and then decide. I was told to swap the usage shots to show a clear image of the deodorant bottle. I also decided to include more shots of the boy actor to convey the storyline better.

Review 5- DYM - Advert 1 and 2
We discussed adding sound effects into both adverts, for example spraying in one and panting in the other after the actors have stopped jogging. We decided

Review 6 - Target Audience
I used two girls and a boy ages 16-18 to represent my target audience. They thought the message was clearly conveyed and said the fun and upbeat feel allowed them to engage with the brand and the product. I was advised to change the music on my first advert as it felt too comical/jazzy. They suggested I use the same rock/pop style on both adverts to better convey the idea of a 'series'.

Review 7 - BLK - Here we discussed leaving some background noise in to create a level of atmosphere and realism to the adverts. I was also advised to swap the first and second shots round so that the audience would get a clearer picture of both actors faces and to build suspense of the fact that the friend you expect to be a girl is in fact a boy. I was advised to use some slow motion in the advert where the boy and girl bump into each other to create a more dramatic effect.

Review 8 - Technician
We adjusted the grading and sound mix levels to make sure there weren't any peaks.

10. My planning evidence

These are my shoot itineraries.

These are my scripts

Here are the storyboards I made for both my shoots detailing the storyline, shot type and providing a guide for me to use while shooting.

Here is a large PDF document I made and gave out to my actors, it contains a location report, Prop list, risk assessment, voice over plan and a cast costume and makeup list.

9.The Practicalities of filming: when and where production will take place and who with

When?

My shoot will take place across two weekends. The first advert will be shot on the 4th of March. It will last from 12-5pm. If necessary it will go on longer if I don't get all the footage I need. As it's an exterior shoot, I need sunlight and so have decided to shoot in the morning. If it's not sunny enough on the day I will postpone the shoot to Sunday but have checked the weather and conditions are expected to be clear.

My next shoot will take place the week after on the 18th of March. It will last from 8-12:30 AM but could potentially overrun into the afternoon. This shoot is interior so doesn't require specific times of day and can mainly use the natural light available.

Where?

My first shoot will take place in an area of Hilly Fields Park. I have an area in mind with a running path that I plan to use. It is quite secluded and free of trees so I will have lots of natural lighting.

My second shoot will be shot in the spare room of my home. This is useful as I can dress it to look like a teenagers bedroom. It has large windows and two skylights so I will have lots of natural lighting, however I will be using lamps as well.


Who?

I will be directing and operating the camera on my shoot. I will be using two actors for my first shoot, Zoe and Scott. On my second shoot I'll use Zoe and Mahir. I will be using a crew of 1 person for each shoot, a sound operator, makeup/hair/costume role and a set dresser.