Audience Research: Blog Poll On Blog

This is a print-screen of my Blog featuring my Blog Poll:

Audience Research: E-mail for my Blog Poll

This is my e-mail - featuring a link to my blog - to all the media groups so people can fill out my blog poll questionnaire for my audience research. This is a good strategy so i can reach out to a wide range of opinions from my target audience who are both male and female - 'Teenagers' - aged '16 to 20's' years old. In the social class of B,C1 & C2 because my main target audience will be students so they will be in full time education (or hold a part-time job as well).

History Of Chosen Medium (Music Videos):

An early example of a music video is; St Louis Blue's - Bessie Smith - 1929. Where the blue's singer Bessie Smith appeared in a short film called 'Saint Louis Film' featuring a performance of the hit song - it was shown in the theatres until 1932.

In 1940, Walt Disney released Fantasia, an animated film based around famous pieces of classical music.

In1950's & 60's -

1963 - 'The Summer Holiday' was released which starred the artist Cliff Richard as the mian male role. And it also which featured the musical hit 'Summer Holiday' - Cliff Richard's well known songs. (Below)

The Beatles' first major motion picture, 'A Hard Day's Night' in 1964 - Which starred the characters as themselves. It took the genre to new heights with their groundbreaking films for 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' made in the early 1967 which used techniques like; dramatic lighting, unusual camera angles and rhythmic editing. These two landmark films were the first to purpose-made concept videos for many of their famous songs; shown in performances or abstarct ways to 'illustrate' the song in an artful manner - rather than creating a a film of a performance. (The Opening scene of ' The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night' is shown below which features the theme tune 'A Hard Day's Night'.

1966 - Bob Dylan's clip performing 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' The clip's ironic portrayal of a performance; featuring randomly celebrity Allen Ginsberg - in a non-performing role. Which was all filmed and performed in one single shot; with Bob Dylan holding certain lyrics on cards in a alleyway behind a theatre.

The 1970's -

Queens - Bohemian Rhapsody also started a whole new era for using music videos as promos. Which was only formed 1975 - 10 years after Bob Dylans single shoot for his song 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'; this shows how videos have developed.

An american band 'Devo' - 'The Truth About Devolution' were also important developments in the evolution in the genre and these Devo video cassette releases were arguably the first to form long-form video productions; as well as Bob Dylan's single shoot of 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'. The UK importance of 'Top Of The Pops' created competition and an environment of innovant between bands; artists and record labels.

The 1980's -

1981 - MTV is launched; the first video to be aired is 'Buggles - The Video Killed The Radio Star'. (Above)

Above - David Bowie scored his first UK number one in nearly a decade - thanks to eye catching demo - 'Ashes to Ashes'.

In the early mid 1980's - artists started to add more sophisticated effects to their videos, and added a storyline or plot to their music video. 

Michael Jackson was the first artist to create the concept of a short film; which has a beginning, middle and end. He did this in a small way in 'Billie Jean' then in 'Beat It' which has influences from the musical film 'The West Side Story', but it wasn't until the 1984 release of 'Thriller' short film that he took the music vido format to another level. (Below)

Top Of The Pops was concious in its approach to video content, so another approach was for an act to produce a promo that will be banned or edited and so use the resulting controversy and publicity to promote the release.
Early examples are - Duran Duran's 'Girls On Film' ( Below) and Frankie Goes To Hollywood - 'Relax'.

1986 - Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel was first shown.

1989 - Madonna - Like A Prayer - is released.

Madonna owned a great deal of her success to the skilful construction and seductive appeal of her videos. It has been suggested by these short films; artists like Madonna have constructed an image that echoes their image/ego. Although MTV see the mid 1980's as an 'Golden Era' of music videos and an unparalleled success of new art form in popular culture. Others see it as hastening the death of the true musical artist; because physical appeal (aka the artists image)  is now critical to popularity; which justifies Madonna's success and popularity.

Music Today:

Music today also justify popularity by the success of their music videos. Instead of watching music videos for the music, they now appreciated for the visual qualities/effects, whilst the viewer remains uninterested in the audio. This is a normal sociological reaction; by the increasing trend in the music business to be focused/interested on the visual appeal of artists, rather than the quality of the track.
 

1991 - Nirvana 'Smells like teen spirit' was released; changing MTV from Glam rock to Alternative Rock - catapulting Grunge genre into the American and Worldwide mainstream. (Above)

1992 - Credit was given to music video directors. And Guns'N'Roses video November Rain was released and remains one of the costliest ever produced. (Above).

1996 - Pop-up video first launched VH1. And M2 is launched as a 24-hour music video channel; as MTV has largely replaced videos with other content. But then in 1999 is renamed MTV2; which is then replaced by MTV Hits in 2002 so MTV2 plays fewer videos.

2006 - The Norweigain unsigned band 'Rektor' makes the world's first playable videogame music video game. ( Above)

Audience Research: Blog Poll Questionnaire

Poll On Blog

Aim - Do want to know what audiences like; concerning music videos.

 1.     What type of music do you listen to?

Alternative/Rock - R&B - Indie - Pop
 
2.     Are you male or female?
Female - Male
 
3.     How old are you?
14-16 - 17-19 - 20-25 - 30+
 
4.     When do you listen to music?
Every day - Every Other Day - Once a week - Other
 
5.     When do you watch music videos?
Every day - Sometimes - Once a week – Never
 
6.     How do you watch music?
TV – YouTube - Other
 
7.     What type of music videos do you watch?
Narrative - Abstract - Performance

8. What would you expect when watching an Alternative Rock music video?
Story Line - Abstract - Performance

9. What colour would you see the music video to be in?
Colour - Black and White - Combination of both

Costume Ideas, location and prop ideas:

Costume Ideas:
Alternative Clothing - different otufits for female;

• Happy scenes - dresses & girly outfits - to connote positive associations - e.g Colourful Clothing
  

• Sad scenes - dressed in mainly dark outfits - connote negativity - e.g Black Clothing

Leather Jacket
Tattoos

Location ideas:

Both male and female's bedrooms.
Woods
Bowling Alley

Prop Ideas:

Razor
Fake Blood
Make- up for the female character and for the fake scars
Alcohol Bottles (Some will be empty but some will be half full)

Inspirations referncing to Cinematography and Editing -

Calvin Harris Ft Ellie Goulding - I Need Your Love. 
Referencing to the Cinematography - using a handheld camera to film a couple style video. At the beginning of the video, there are shots of the couple in bed; using close-ups and two shots to capture the attitude and feeling created by the couple.
As well as Editing of this video references to the idea i have for my own video. For the Editing i really like the fast cuts and jumps from scene to scene - past and future, can capture the 'out of control' feeling people may have when they're in a relationship.

(Right) is a screen shot of the Editing used for the fast cuts from scene to scene (past and future) which is a reference to my own music video.
(Below) Is a screenshot of a two-shot of the couple at the beginning of the video referencing to Cinematography.






















Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness.

1:35 - linking to Cinematography, i like the footage of each character like they are spinning each other around - this connotes to the audience that they are happy like children with each other because you associate that kind of behavior from a problem-free-young child. That can connote the feeling she had with this girl - young-wild and free.
00:00 - 00:30 - linking to Cinematography; is the establishing shot of the location. Shows the audience that the characters are away from everything. I especially like the Editing as well; it creates the illusion that the footage is old/antique; by the dis-colouring of the footage, and the fact some parts are jumpy.

 Here are some pictures taken from the music video - to the left - is a shot when the characters are spinning with each other and are care free. By the prop it shows she is filming a home made video. - Below left- shows a two-shot of the characters in the car. - Below - shows the audience another side to this music video - changes from happy to sad. Close up of the characters face as she cries.

Initial Idea I Have Chosen:

IDEA ONE: