Task 4: Audience Research

Audience Research 

All media products are made to be consumed by audiences. To figure out the audiences for your product you use socio-economic groupings of class, gender, race and age in order to target them for your product. Also they look at lifestyle, occupation, education and habits.

Our prediction for Beyonce's audience was that we thought she was a univerisal artist as she is commonly known and liked however to identify our target audience we used the website YouGov.co.uk to profile them and here are our results...

The target audience YouGov generated is a female aged 18-24 of working/non-working class. I do agree that people of these demographics would like Beyonce, however I believe she has a much wider target audience. For example in terms of gender both females and males listen to Beyonce's music. Females enjoy her music because they may consider her a role model, also the fact that they are of the same gender as her. Her music genre varies from soul e.g songs like Heaven to R&B which both appeal to females. 

However males also enjoy her music because they may consider her attractive which encourages them to watch her music videos. Furthermore although males may not be keen on her more soul, emotional songs, they do like the R&B /rap songs, especially ones that include a featured artist, for example Jay-Z or Drake. 

In terms of age 16-24 is probably the highest proportion of people who listen to Beyonce, however Beyonce has been making music since 1990, when this age group wasn't even born or were only young, so adults also listen to her as they have been since they were teenagers/young adults. Although adults may prefer her soul and pop songs and may not like the rap songs as in their generation rap was less common which shows that she has a range of audiences listening to her music. Some adults and the elderly may not like Beyonce due to some of her videos being quite provocative and her songs including explicits. 

In regards to class, I believe a range of alclasses listen to Beyonce. However working and middle class may have a higher percentage who like her music than upper class, as the upper class may believe some of her videos are provocative and coarse.

Although it is shown that London, Yorkshire, Wales and Avon are the top regions that listen to Beyonce, This shows that many regions in the UK listen to Beyonce, along with people of all countries in the world, as her music is very universal. 

I agree in the terms of politics that her audience would be mostly left wing because left wing means an attitude that sees social equality as very important and that is what Beyonce portrays through a lot of her songs. An example of this is her song Flawless which advertises the importance of feminism (equality of the sexes.)

Task 3 Mind-Mapping: Music Video

Generating ideas for our music video

Our final choice for a song is Heaven by Beyonce. We originally chose White Noise by Disclosure as it is a lively song and quite energetic, but we thought that we would be able to get a clearer narrative and better representation by using the song Heaven. This is because its original story line is quite heartfelt and we thought it would be good inspiration for our music video. The narrative in her music video is based on Beyonce having a miscarriage and loosing her child and therefore we wanted to go with a similar theme of loosing someone because we believe it will be a clear story line for the audience. 

We found inspiration from researching and looking at other music videos pf similar narrative and setting to help with ideas of what we want to include. 

Firstly we looked at Sam Smith - Lay me Down as it has a church setting and includes a wedding and a funeral which corresponded with the theme of life and death with Beyonce's music video. We liked how at the start there was dark low key lighting with just candles lit so you could only see shadows of people then transferred into a happy wedding which contrasted the two. 

We then looked at Leona Lewis - Run because we liked how it was set in a rural setting of fields, forests, trees as it gave a very suburban twist which emphasized the lyrics in the song. 

We wanted to look at classic videos as well as current to see if there is any similarities of things that would inspire our video. This is when we decided to look at Whitney Houston - Always Love You as it is one of the most classic love songs. In the video they had Whitney Houston sat on a chair on an empty stage singing to her song which we thought was effective and classic because of the basic layout, also as it gives a feel of isolation it would work well in our video as it's about a mother loosing her child. From watching that video it this gave us the idea of having the singer sat in a isolated room surrounded by mirrors and panning the camera round so you can see the singers reflection in the mirrors.

Task 3 Mind-Mapping: Childhood Research

Generating ideas using the topic of 'childhood'

As a group we used the topic of 'childhood' to generate some ideas. As a group we reminisced about our childhood looking at school, home life, clothes, food, games ect to come up with these ideas. As the group was all of similar ages we all had the same sort of experiences as a child.

Task 2.2 Research Into Existing Products: Print Artefacts

Initial Ideas/Inspiration for Print Products

Before starting any designs for our print product we looked at existing products that could give us some inspiration for our cover. We thought of several artists that are similar to Beyonce that we could look at to help us create our own ideas. Some of the artists we looked at included; Taylor Swift, Leona Lewis, Adele, Rihanna and Carrie Underwood. 

Creating Our Own Short Film

Short Film 

We had a attempt at our own short film. After doing many hours of research on short films we attempted our own. We was given a scripts which we altered to fit what we wanted to record. 

In groups of 4 we created a storyboard together which was more of a rough copy at the time. For the storyboard we wanted to get down the main shots we wanted to use and what angles. We then got our cast together (which didn't take too long) then found a school classroom which we thought would work. 

Then we set up out camera on a tripod then started filming several clips. However the filming didn't go to plan as we felt like the shots kept getting muddled up and we found it hard to remember what we still needed to film. If we re-done the short film we would of done some extra preparation to ensure that we had all the information we needed before starting as this would of helped us during our practical. 

We decided to do two edits within the group as this would allow all four members of the group to have a chance to input their ideas into the final edit. When editing the shots became muddled up so we named each clip so we knew what was in each one instead of having to open them all up.


What went well?

• Used a range of shots (match on action, medium shot, close up)
• Use of titles
• Attempt to match shots together in edit

What would you do to improve?

• Better sound effects and dialogue, use of them better
• Prepare more 
• Film in a better quality as it was quite blurry
• Match eye line shots

Task 2.1 Research Into Existing Products: Films

Research into films

Christian Metz said that all genres of film pass through four phases eg horror

•     The experimental phase (Noseferatu)
•         The classical phase (Frankenstein)
•         The parody phase (Scary Movie)
•           The deconstruction phase (Se7en)

Short films:

• Short films are like a signature/calling card as it just shows a slice of life. They are normally around the 15 to 20 minute mark and normally have a main story line shown through metaphors and meanings. 
• The internet has allowed a platform for short films as you can use websites like Vimeo to access these whereas before you would have to go to a cinema or a festival.

Andrea Arnold "Wasp" 

We watched her short film called the Wasp and from it I found several things;

• Short films don't need to be profound as its a slice of life and not a feature film, which is shown through the shaky camera shots which makes it kind of real life like a documentary.
• Throughout the film there is dark lighting reflecting the deep themes of urban London as you see council estates, hear swearing, also seeing the mouldy bread shows that the family were living in a deprived state. 
• We see several young children who are shown as vulnerable and alone which is emphasised by the dangerous elements shown eg enhance traffic noises. When they were left outside the pub there was a emphasis on them playing dangerously as you felt like the baby was going to fall out of the pram which gave us a sense of fear and panic.
• The wasp in the film could be seen as a metaphor of the mother. As she is a danger to her children and society by how she is acting for example leaving her children in the car park whilst she was in the pub. However it could be argued that society is the wasp for the mother as things around her do not benefit her and make her life worse.
• The short film shows that there may be a desperate underclass in British society which is irresponsible, this is show through the mis-en-scene as well of the suburban London accents.
• It shows a lot of realism throughout as it's in a documentary style as the shots were continuously moving ever so slightly which allows the audience to know that it is real and it does happen to many families. The only time the family is seen to be as a 'unit' is when the mother was happy and not swearing at the children which shows that the children's happiness is dependent on what the mothers sufficient mind is at the time as at the end she goes from shouting and swearing at the kids to hugging them all affectionately in a group form. There are many point of view shots through the short film although they are not too profound, this is to allow the audience to empathise with the characters which adds to the realism of it as some people who are watching may be feeling the same and can relate to the characters.

Todorov - Narrative Theory

1. Equilibrium - this is where everything is balanced or neutral at the beginning of the film.

2. Disturbance of equilibrium - this is where the balance in the story line has been disturbed by something eg; in Ransom, the child has been kidnapped. 

3. Recognition of this disturbance - this is where you become familiar with the disturbance and you see how you can fix it. 

4. Attempt to repair - this is where you try and fix the problem that's occurred and try to restore the balance that was there in the first place. 

5. Reinstatement of equilibrium - this is where everything goes back to its original state, usually the problem has been fix and happiness has been restored. 

A film that does this is 'Ransom' starring Mel Gibson. Other similar films like the Taken franchise follow this narrative theory. 



This shows that its a cyclic structure and not linear as the narrative is driven to restore the equilibrium which was once in place. However the beginning equilibrium is not the same as the end one as the characters involved in the narrative transform through the progress of the interruption. This theory can be shown in typical narrative films. 

Lynne Ramsey is a female, Scottish director however she didn't like being referred to as a female director (same as Andrea Arnold) as she didn't want a label as she wanted to be equal to other directors. 

One of Lynne's films was called Ratcatcher, this was because the bins hadn't been cleared in weeks which caused rats etc.

It was set in 1970's Glasgow which was portrayed as being unsafe and unclean. In the first few minutes of the feature film you see a boy drowning in a canal that is dirty and diseased ridden which is emphasised to reflect the uncleanliness of the town. 
Throughout the film the shots are choppy and episodic to break up the scenes also with a range of angles including close up's to portray the characters emotions and feelings. This allows the audience to empathise with the characters and allows them to engage in the film more as they can understand them. 

Gasman
Lynne has also made a short film which shows a slice of life. It is set in the late 70’s, the story behind ‘Gasman’ is one of adultery and deceit,as the father of a working-class Scottish family lies to his wife and children as he lives a double life that includes a mistress and their two children together. The film raises many controversial themes and issues, including sibling rivalry, lack of education, endemic poverty, unemployment, economic deprivation and social
disenfranchisement and alienation. 




















The town is reflected as dark and depressing by the low key lighting as although the shot is outside it is still showing a dreary atmosphere. This wide shot could also reflect isolation as there seems to be little around the characters and there is a sufficient distance between the characters body language. 

The issue of economic deprivation is also brought to the foreground in this opening scene with the lighting and mise-en-scene of the house showcasing this. The grim, grey lighting gives the house an almost run down feel and represents the harsh situation that the family are in.  




















This shot is quite scenic and painting like as it reveals a lot. The flats in the background are the ones that are in Andrea Arnold's 'Red Roads'. These flats began as a symbol of community and happiness however they have evolved into a downwards spiral of crime and poverty. 




















Sibling rivalry is shown here as the more dominant sibling is bullying her sister by pulling her hair and she does not listen to her father when he tells her to stop. This could show lack of discipline on the parents behalf as he doesn't punish her for pulling her sisters hair. However it could spark jealousy on one of the sisters behalf because her father is letting the other sister sit on his lap which could be another cause of this sibling rivalry. 


























However at the end of the short film the family is shown together as a family unit which could represent that tight bond that only families can have. 

Task 2.1 Research Into Existing Products: Music Videos

Music Video Research 

Rihanna's new music video "B*tch better have my money"

In marketing they are always looking of new mediums to help market their product. Music videos used to be played on mediums such as TV on MTV and radio station, although they are still seen on these they have transferred to online eg; Youtube where you can just click on to watch it then share it over social media. Then it turns into a media fanatic as it becomes a trending topic, especially when artists make more controversial footage such a Lady Gaga's.

The article was shown in the Daily Mail which is a right wing news source.

Throughout the music video Rihanna shows many masculine 'gangster' traits such as smoking drugs, violence and guns. There is a clear divide between the two main characters, the white middle class female was victimised where as Rihanna was seen as a stereotypical lower class black female.

When teenagers watch these sorts of videos it isn't sensitive to us because of our demographic and due the fact of desensitisation as we are constantly exposed to these through every day life eg; media and every day life, this is a trope of repetitive clichés.

Many companies use their mediums that they are affiliated with to allow maximum marketing. For example a 30 second advert during the Superbowl cost £4.5 million to air.

However some see Rhianna's new music video as a enlightening video that empowers women through feminist views. Obviously by allowing a known performer to share these views, it allows them to be dispersed over a wide audience. 


Another female artist who has made many controversial music video is Lady Gaga. 

In many of her videos she has proven to of broken the record for most unique videos. Many of her videos include drugs/poison, men and dying elements. For example in the above video there is a clip of the girls poisoning the men.



In her music video 'Paparazzi' she is shown as disabled and glamourizing it to portray the image that just because you are disabled doesn't make you any different. 

Task 2.1 Research Into Existing Products: Types of Music Videos

Music Videos 

Types of music videos

     Narrative based This is when the music video has a story line which connects to the lyrics in the song.

Performance based This usually consists of a band/artist performing live or in a studio.

          Abstract and artistic This is when the artist creates a unique music video that usually is more memorable. It doesn't always include the band/singer and doesn't always have a story line that you can follow. 

Richard Lenter started music video recordings with the Beatles; he used multiple cameras, multiple angles/shots and main shots of lead singer. 

Then MTV was born in the 'golden era' during the 1980's which allowed artists to broadcast their music videos to the world as at that time MTV was just one single channel. 

Some music videos have been reproduced and modernized. A prime example of this is Robert Palmers Addicted to Love which was re-made by Shania Twain many years later to the song Man I Feel Like A Women however the genders were reversed. 

In Roberts version he is performing in front a women who seem to be perceived in a sexualised way. 



However the roles are reversed in Shania's version as she is performing in front of men. 

Task 2.1 Research Into Existing Products: Video Games

Generating ideas for video games



Fall Out 4 Analysis 

From watching the trailer to the video game I found that it was based on survival as it had a post-apocalyptic vibe to it. This was shown through elements of technology (aircraft), the lightning bolts, the famine and fires. You could see that the wars were still going on as the dog walked through the different scenes.

At the beginning of the trailer it was shown to be quite old fashioned as it had distorted effect on the song "It's all over". This is easy listening music and allows the viewer to keep their attention locked on the trailer. Throughout the music changes to more ironic, loud music to quicken the pace and entice the audience into wanting to buy and play the game.

The editing had many elements including flashbacks, cross cutting, horizontal tracking and panning. This mixture of shot types allows each shot to be fresh instead of continuously using the same shots.

I would argue that the target audience for this particular game would be a male between the ages of around 16-20 who's subculture is classed as a 'gamer'. This is purely because it isn't really shown to be popular with females and it may not be as easy to understand for younger people.