question 3 evaluation rough
TRANSCRIPT
What have you learned
from your audience
feedback?
By Joe Stevens
Introduction
Receiving audience feedback for both my music video and print
productions has helped me identify strengths and weaknesses of each,
which I have been able to fix, therefore improving my media texts. The
use of social networking sites such as Facebook has really helped to
establish weaknesses in my media texts, by allowing me to post them for
quick and easy feedback. Along with this, sites such as Survey Monkey,
have also helped, as respondents are anonymous, therefore reducing
any bias or feelings of guilt. This answer will be split into sections,
focused on both my music video and print productions, by use of social
networking feedback and surveys.
My Target Audience
The target audience for my band The Colours, is 16 – 18
year old white females mainly British and possibly
homosexual males of the same age. The genre of
Alternative-Pop and Dance is a hybrid, but Pop is very much
the main genre in the single „Tonight I Let You Go‟.
My target audience may also enjoy music from pop artists
such as The Wanted, or alternative rock band Coldplay.
Music Video: Questionnaire / Facebook
To receive feedback from my audience, I had to create a questionnaire
to be filled in. Respondents watched the music video then filled in the
questionnaire. The questions ranged from whether the music
successfully reflected the genre, to the strongest and weakest features
of the music video. I decided to give the questionnaire to two males and
two female aged 16 to 18. This allowed me to gain feedback from my
target audience (16 to 18 year old females/homosexual males), whilst
also finding a balance between males and females, to show the
difference later on in my evaluation.
I will be discussing each question and analysing the difference between
male and female responses, as well as any answers that may have
recurred.
Question 1) Does the video successfully reflect the genre of music?
Respondents had to rate the success to which my music video reflected the genre of my
band The Colours, pop.
Genre
1
2
3
4
5
Out of the 4 respondents one rated the music videos success
as 3, two rated it as 4 and one rated it as 3 and a half.
This shows that respondents were relatively satisfied with how
the music video reflected the pop genre, with an average of a
3.65 rating overall. Responses have taught me that my music
video isn‟t strongly related to the pop genre and could have
been improved, possibly my using more conventions of pop
music such as a dance routine or shots of performances,
featured in music videos such as Foster the People‟s –
Houdini.
Male respondents rated the music videos success in reflecting
the pop genre, an average of 4, compared to female
respondents who rated it 3.75 on average. This clearly shows
that males were able to identify the genre more effectively than
females, which could be a result of the performer being male,
allowing male respondents to relate to his situation more easily
than females.Foster the People - Houdini
Question 2) Does the video successfully promote the artist / band?
The reason for a music video is to promote not only the track but also the artist /
band. It is important that my music video promotes the band, because that is it‟s main
function, alongside my print productions.
Promotion
1
2
3
4
5
As shown on the graph, all respondents rated the
music video 4, in terms of successfully promoting the
artist / band.
From these ratings, I have learnt that my music video
successfully promotes the artist / band. This may be
due to the focus on the artist, in which I used a
combination of close ups and the majority of the
shots include the main character. On the other hand,
this could also be because the music video works
well with the music, linking lyrics with visuals, which
corresponds to Andrew Goodwin‟s Theory of music
videos, point two „There is a relationship between
lyrics and visuals‟. For example I used a mid angle
lyric card shot during my music video, which is in
sync with the track.
Question 3) How do you rate the overall effectiveness of the music video?
In order for the music video to promote the band (The Colours), the music video had
to be effective to increase interest from the audience.
The graph to the left shows that the most common
rating was 3, although one respondent rated the
music videos effectiveness 4 and another 3 and a
half. The responses from males and females don‟t
particular differ, with females rating the music videos
effectiveness on average 3.25, compared to males
rating it 3.5.
Effectiveness
1
2
3
4
5
From this question, I have learnt that my music video could have been more effective. This
could be achieved by increasing the tempo of the edit, or perhaps using more interesting and
innovative shots throughout the video.
Now that I have analysed this question, it probably would have been better to add a comment
section, so that respondents could clearly outline why the music video wasn‟t so effective, this
would allow me to get rich in depth data, as to the specific weaknesses.
Question 4) How do you rate the tempo of the music video?
Music videos within the pop genre, are often fast paced, with quick cuts. For
example, in Katy Perry‟s Last Friday Night, the opening has very fast cuts between
shots in the bedroom (link below).The average rating received for question 4, is 3.125.
Males on average rated the tempo as 3, where as
females rated an average of 3.25. Again like
question 3, the difference between males and female
is limited.
These results clearly show that the tempo of my
music video is very much the weakest point, with an
average score of 3.125. Tempo is something that
could severely affect the overall effectiveness of the
music video, which may have reduced the ratings for
question 3. To fix this, the majority of the shots
should have been quicker. For example, some of my
shots in my music video lasted more than 10
seconds. If I was to speed these shots up, or cut
them, the tempo would have been a lot
quicker, which in turn may have effected the overall
effectiveness of my music video.
Last Friday Night Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlyXNRrsk4A
Tempo
1
2
3
4
5
Question 5) How successful is the „Britishness‟ of this music video?
My band The Colours are British, therefore the music video needed to convey a sense
of „Britishness‟, which reinforces a British image, as it‟s a big part of the bands
identity.The average score of all respondents
comes to 4.25, with males rating
„Britishness‟ at 4 and females at 4.5 on
average. No respondent has rated the
„Britishness‟ of my music video below
4, with the highest rating being 5, from a
female.
These results have shown me that I
successfully conveyed „Britishness‟
within my music video. This could be a
combination of the use of a post box in
my lyric card shot, as well as using the
generic costume conventions, such as a
suit jacket and tight chinos, similar to
the costume of British boy band One
Direction.
‘Britishness’
1
2
3
4
5
Question 6) Would you buy the music, because of it‟s video?
As said before, the music video is vital in promoting the band and track. Therefore if the
music video is interesting, then it could potentially be a reason to buy the music.
Out of the four respondents, two would buy the music
because of its video, one wouldn‟t and another was
undecided.
Although there is not a significant difference between
answers, I‟ve learnt that if I were to improve the tempo of the
music video, then answers may have been more significant,
compare to the results I gathered.
Video
Yes
No
Undecided
Question 7) Where there any aspects that you find offensive?
If a music video was to cause offence to the audience, it‟s
effectiveness would be seriously reduced, which in turn would demote
the band / artist. For example, No Doubt‟s music video „Looking Hot‟
sparked controversy, as it was seen as offensive to native Americans.
The video shows Gwen Stefani, riding a horse and singing in a
Tipee, which was seen as offensive. Because of this, No
Doubt, apologised for the offense and pulled down the music video.
Fortunately I managed to find the Spanish version of the music video
(left)
Fortunately all respondents found no aspects offensive, in terms of
representations of ethnicity, gender, age or culture.
The Gaze Theory – Question 7
The Gaze Theory proposed by Jacques Lacan, suggests that Gaze (a
psychoanalytical term) is described as ‘the anxious state that comes with
the awareness that one can be viewed’, this can be heavily linked to
voyeuristic imagery within media texts. In terms of music videos, The Gaze
Theory would suggest that objectification would be an unjust
representation of gender (mainly females). Objectification of
females, features in pop music videos such as Lady Gaga‟s „Bad
Romance‟ and Justin Timberlake‟s „Cry a River‟. Some people viewing
these music videos may be offended by this imagery. My music video does
not attempt objectify women, like the music videos below, therefore those
watching may not find it offensive in any manner.
My Music Video
Question 8) What is the strongest feature of the music video?
By adding this question, I was able to identify the best part of my music video, for easy analysis and evaluation.
Two respondents claimed that the narrative structure was the strongest feature, which was a focus point during my music video, as I wasn‟t planning on adding any performance or dance routines, which feature often in pop music videos.
This has showed me that my narrative structure was successful and respondents were able to identify the narrative. This could have been strengthened by again, adding another comment box, so that respondents could summarise what they thought the narrative revolved around.
Question 8) What is the weakest feature of the music video?
This question is more important than question 8, as it identifies weaknesses, which can be changed in the future, thus improving my music video.
Responses were based around effectiveness, in terms of location and longevity of shots.
As said in question 4, it is clear that the tempo of my music video wasn‟t up to standard. This means that when creating similar texts, I can take this into account, to improve my production
Question 10) Rate the music video overall (1= low 5= High)
Once respondents had answered each question they were asked to rate the music video
overall, from a low score to a high score. On average respondents rated my music video
3.625, with females scoring it on average, 3.75 and males rating it 3.5
This shows that although there isn‟t a significant difference between male and female
responses, females tended to enjoy the music video more than males. The music video
therefore successfully appeals to the target audience – females aged 16 – 18 – with a few
points to be improved such as the music videos tempo and effectiveness.
I also posted my music video on the social networking site
Facebook, despite limited results, those who responded were
predominately males aged 17 to 18.
Those who gave feedback, said that the narrative was “a bit
weird” but they liked it, one respondent said it “put across the
right message of regret and sadness”, similar to the remorse of
the protagonist which I tried to convey in music video, by using
flashbacks. One individual said that he liked “the Bob Dylan
references” but he ”would've used a tripod though for many of
the walking shots” which is definitely something to work on.
Overall, responses have been quite positive for my music
video. The results show that I was successful in conveying the
Britishness of the band, but it lacked effectiveness, tempo and
some of the shots were too long.
Print Productions: Questionnaire
Similar to my music video feedback, I got people to fill in a
questionnaire, answering questions such as „Does the package
successfully reflect the genre of music?‟ and „Would the covers
encourage you to go to an event by this artist?‟. Each questionnaire was
given to four respondents (two males, two females), who filled it in
truthfully.
Like my music video feedback analysis, I will be analysing each question
separately, determining the difference between male and female
responses, as well as calculating averages for ratings.
Question 1) Does the package successfully reflect the genre of music?
It is important that the print productions convey the genre of music, because it has to
cohere to the music video. It would be pointless conveying pop through a music video, by
using performance shots, then conveying conventions of the hip hop genre in your print
productions by using shots of males in hoodies with „bling‟ around their neck.
Genre
1
2
3
4
5
All respondents both male and female rated the success of
the package in terms of promoting the pop genre, as 4.
This clearly shows me that my print productions convey the
pop genre. This may be because most of my panels were
focused on the main character, which is often the case for
pop genre digipak‟s. For example, in Michael Jackson‟s
album „Dangerous‟, two panels are focus on him, and on
The Jackson 5‟s album „The Motown Years‟.
Question 2) Does the package successfully promote the band / artist?
Like the music video, both the digipak and magazine advert are methods of promoting
the band / artist and their music. If the digipak and magazine advert are not promoting
the band / artist then they may not be successful.
There were a few mixed results, with one individual rating
my print productions 3, another 5 and two more 4. On
average females rated my print productions 4, whilst males
rated it 4 also.
On average, there isn‟t any difference between male and
female responses, but one female rated the print
productions 3, another 5, showing a clear difference
between opinions.
Promotion
1
2
3
4
5
This has showed me that although the majority of the panels contain the main character, it
doesn‟t necessarily mean that its promoting the artist. This may be because of a lack of identity
or relationship between the character and audience. Those who filled in the questionnaire did not
view the music, therefore they may not have been able to develop the relationship with the main
character.
Question 3) How do you rate the standard of graphics, text and finish of the digipak?
The overall graphics, text and finish to my panels is very important, as it helps the
digipak to stand out from the rest. This question gives the audience the chance to
assess whether the digipak looks pleasant, which allows the audience to give a
judgment as to the graphics work, as most people determine thoughts on face value.
DigiPak
1
2
3
4
5
Three of the respondents circled the rating of 4, and one
rated it 3. Females on average rated it 3.5, compared to
males who rated it 4 on average. The average of ratings is
3.75.
These results show me that the graphics, text and finish of
my digipak is relatively professional and one of my
strongest points in print productions, with an average rating
of 3.75.
If I would have added a response section, respondents would have been able to identify the
strengths and weakness of the digipak, which determined their rating. Those who rated the
digipak graphics 4, may have been impressed by the digipak‟s contrast between the text and
the image, but may have identified that the some panels weren‟t as effective as the others.
Thus reducing their rating to 4 instead of 5.
Question 4) How do you rate the standard of graphics, text and finish of the magazine
advert?
The same applies to the magazine advert as the digipak, it allows the audience to
assess the magazine advert on face value.
Magazine
1
2
3
4
5
Three participants rated the
standard of graphics, text and
finish of the magazine advert
4, whereas one participant
rated it 5. The average rating
of respondents was 4.25.
Females rated the finish of the
digipak at 4, compared to
males who rated it at 4.5.
These results tell me that the overall look of my magazine advert
is slightly better than the digipak‟s overall look. This could be
because of the range of colours from the red of the postbox to
the green of the lyric card.
Furthermore, the digipak could be seen as bland, compared to
the magazine advert, maybe lacking vibrant colours, such as red
and green.
Question 5) How successfully is the „Britishness‟ of the package established?
Similar to question 5 on my music video questionnaire, „Britishness‟ is part of the bands
identity, helping them to establish a fan base, within their home country.
Sales
1
2
3
4
5
Two participants rated the „Britishness‟ of the print
productions as 4, one other as 3 and another as 5.
Females on average rated the „Britishness‟ of the print
productions as 4, compared to males of 4.5.
These results suggest that opinions are divided as to
the „Britishness‟ of the print productions, with two
females divided in opinion.
Despite the use of the post-box in print productions, participants may not
have identified other British references such as the typical English estate-
like locations. On the other hand, participants may have thought that there
weren‟t enough British references, in the print productions.
Furthermore, participants may have thought that there weren‟t enough
references. For example, for panel 2, I could have used one of the tracking
walking shots to show the estate streets, which may have strengthened the
ratings of this question.
Question 6) Would the covers encourage you to buy the digipak?
If the covers would encourage consumers to buy the digipak, then the reason for the
digipak (to promote the band) would have been fulfilled.
Encourage
Yes
No
Undecided
Two of the respondents said that the covers
would encourage them to buy the digipak. One
said the covers wouldn‟t and another was
undecided. The females responded saying „No‟
and „Undecided‟, whereas both males said yes.
This shows me that males would be encouraged to buy the
digipak more than females. Unfortunately, my target audience
for media texts, is females aged 16 – 18. These results have
taught be that my digipak may not target the audience I have
identified. This could be because I have not used bright
enough colour in my panels, or because the panels may not
represent my genre particularly well.
Question 7) Would the advert encourage you to go to an event by this artist?
The magazine advert is a vital part of the promotion of the band and album. If the advert
encouraged the consumer to go to an event by the artist, then the fan base could
potentially increase.
Sales
Yes
No
Undecided
All respondents stated
that they would go to an
event held by the artist
based on the magazine
advert. Nobody said
no, nor were undecided.
These results have taught me that my magazine advert is effective
in promoting the band, by tempting the participants to go to an
event hosted by the band. This may be because, the magazine
advert tells a lot about the band, corresponding with the music
video. For example, the use of colours conveys the pop genre
well, also information such as the date of the album and websites it
features on, which could all strengthen it‟s effect on the viewer.
Question 8) Were there any aspects that you found offensive? i.e. representation of
ethnicity, gender, age, British culture.
It is important that the print productions do not offend anyone watching, as it‟s
effectiveness would significantly reduce.
None of the respondents found the print productions offensive.
Question 9) What are the 3 strongest features of the ancillary texts?
It‟s important to highlight the strongest features of the print productions, because it
allows the creator to identify aspects which have appealed to the target audience. For
example, pop genre digipak‟s often focus on the artist / band, like Justin Timberlake‟s
The 20/20 Experience‟, „Justified‟ and The Wanted‟s „All Time Low‟.
Question 9) Continued…
I managed to get a wide variety of strongest features ranging from “good focus on artist”
to “corresponds with music video”. In order to analyse these responses accurately, I
decided to create a graph to show each response and how frequent it appeared.
Strongest Features
Links to Music Video
Graphical Finish
Portrays Genre
Interesting Shots
Focus on Artist
As the results show there is a range of
responses. Both the „graphical finish‟ and
„link to music video‟ were the most frequent
responses. Males were particularly
impressed by the digipak and magazine
adverts link to the music video, whereas
females tended to focus on the consistency
of the appearance of the artist, throughout
the print productions.
These results show that the link to the
music video and the focus on the artist, play
a key role in promoting the band and
reaching the desired audience. These
results may not be generalisable to a wider
audience, due to a small sample size, but
they act as a clear outline as to the
strongest features on my print productions.
Question 10) Rate the package overall (1= low 5= High)
It is important that the print productions receives a similar rating to the music video, as it
shows a clear link between the two and gives a sense of consistency. Although
participants filled in the questionnaire anonymously, bias could be a problem as the
majority of them were classmates or school friends.
Sales
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
The average rating given by participants was
3.625, with two respondents rating the print
productions 4, one rating it 3.5 and another
rating it 3. Males on average rated the print
productions 4, compared to females who rated
it 3.25.
These results show that despite the focus on
the artist my target audience (16 – 18 year old
females), they rated my print productions the
lowest. This could be because of other factors
such as the graphical finish – which was most
popular with males – or its ability to convey the
genre correctly.
Print Productions: Survey MonkeyI decided to post a status on Facebook asking for volunteers to fill in a
survey, which I created on the website SurveyMonkey.com.
Respondents answer the questions completely anonymously, reducing
any bias that may be skewing the results.
The survey was filled out by 5 people. Comment boxes were optional, to
try not to force respondents into a answer.
Instead of analysing each question I will summarise responses based on
gender and age.
Upon receiving feedback via survey
monkey, I also received additional
feedback, from family and friends. The
feedback I received from Facebook could be
seen as biased, because family and friends
may not want to offend the person
posting, thus skewing results.
Unfortunately feedback from the comment
section focussed more on the music video
rather than the print productions, therefore
is not relevant in this section.
It was important that gathered the age and gender of respondents, as my band The
Colours appeal to a specific age bracket (16 – 18 years old). As shown below, the
majority of the respondents were under the age of 18, fitting to my target audience. The
same goes for gender. My target audience‟s gender is predominately females and
possibly homosexual males.
Out of 5 respondents 4 were male and 1 was female. Because my target audience is
predominately females, this survey may be lacking generalisability to the female population, as
female respondents our significantly lower compared to male respondents.
Summary of SurveyIn terms of question 1, participants responded positively, saying that
the digipak was “instantly recognizable” and that the digipak “suits the
music video well. This may be due to the use of shots within my music
video, which were used for my digipak. For example, for panel 1 of my
digipak (below), I used a still from my music video (also below). This
allowed me to directly link the digipak with the music video to increase
the digipak‟s effectiveness. These responses show that I was successful
in improving effectiveness.
Summary of Survey
All participants agreed that the digipak corresponded with music video.
This is because I used the stills from my music video for the panels on
my digipak.
Participants were divided in opinion as to whether they would buy the
album based on its cd case. Three participants said yes, two said they
were undecided. One individual went onto to say that he/she would have
to be “familiar with the music first”. The respondent may not have seen
the music video, or accidently scrolled past it when reading my
status, which is why he/she may not have been familiar with the track.
Summary of Survey
In order to establish what I did right and what I did wrong, in terms of my
print productions, I asked respondents to pick out strong points and weak
points of it.
In terms of the digipak‟s strong points, the majority of the respondents drew
upon the digipak‟s aesthetics. The following responses were based on the
aesthetics of my digipak:
- “looked pretty impressive”
- “well blended to match the music video”
- “the way it is edited to boost the colours and make it stand out very well”.
These results have taught that the strongest point of my digipak is the way I
have edited it, using a variation of colours and effects, to achieve an
aesthetical finish.
Summary of SurveyParticipants also drew upon weaknesses of my print productions. The
following responses focused on the shadow on the magazine advert:
- “maybe remove the shadowy head of the guy who took the picture”
- “shadow in advert looks a little unprofessional”
This point was reinforced in question 8 of the survey
where two respondents also drew upon the shadow, as
something that they would change about the magazine
advert.
The shadow is something that I was unfortunately
unable to remove, using the editing software, Adobe
Photoshop. In trying to do so, I was left with a blank
transparent area, which needed to be filled in. Filling this
area in would be incredibly hard, as the panel would
look terribly unnatural, hence why I decided to keep it. In
the future it would be best if I had gone out and taken
the shot again, to remove this issue.
Respondents were able to identify the genre well, with four identifying
that the genre was pop and two stated that it had rock elements, which
comes from the hybrid genre that The Colours identify themselves
as, „Alternative-Pop and Dance‟. The majority of the respondents ticked
multiple genres, for example, one individual found elements of pop, rock
and folk (screenshot below), this may have been influenced by the track.
The rock genre is slightly conveyed by the term „Alternative-Pop‟ which
isn‟t seen as a type of recognised genre. When typing in „alternative pop‟
into Google, it recommends alternative rock as result. This may be due
to elements such as performance in music videos, which are generic
conventions of both the rock and pop genres.
Summary of Survey
Summary of Survey
In terms of style respondents rated my digipak an average of 7.8, with
the lowest rating being 7 and the highest being 9.
These results show that there is definitely a lot of weak points about my
print productions, such as the shadow on my magazine advert. If I was
to improve on these weaknesses, it would allow the digipak and
magazine advert to have more of an impact on the music
video, therefore promoting the band / artist more successfully, thus
achieving its primary focus.
Conclusion
Gaining audience feedback is the platform to improving and sustaining
effectiveness of media texts, which can help to market and promote the
band / artist it focusses on. From gaining this feedback for both my
music video and print productions, I have gained valuable knowledge as
to the strengths and weaknesses of each. This has allowed me to both
assess my media products and identify what needs changing, but it has
also allowed to improve and develop my media products throughout their
construction, thus increasing their effectiveness on promoting the band /
artist.