Moodboards 024

I used this moodboard to create an overview of what my target audience will like, and what they like to see in a video. I was the one who gathered the pictures and stuck them to the page. This shows evidence of our group researching our target audience and considering what they want to see.

Moodboards 024
Originally uploaded by Naomi Ellis

Images of our moodboard

These images are part of our two moodboards we created as a group. The decisions i made in order to create these boards was to gather a lot of audience research and present it in many ways, for example using statistics, a short paragraph about the the psychological reasons way people watch music videos and an interview with someone who is typical of my target audience. Furthermore i also helped collect images of certain things for example of alcohol to make the point that in the video the artist likes to drink(see images to make further comparisions). It also gives the client some visuals of where we will be shooting making it easier for them to picture what the video will look like. We also think pur video will appeal to our target audience because it is heavily storylined and the audience research shows that is what people like, that way they can relate their own problems with the artists. Furthermore our video has an artist whos lifestlye would be envious to the audience, which is something the audience likes to see so they can get fashion tips.

Fan Profile of my target audience (making sure they get the message, and how appealing the video is.

In order to find out this information i produced a lot of audience research. for example i started by Asking 20 people who i believe are our target audience specific questions to find out what they like such as 'What type of videos do you tend to consume?' i have also created 3 different types of moodboards, one focus sing on the statistical side of my target audience, another looking and the distribution of my product, and the last one shows questionnaires about what my audience would like to see.(For further information see my moodboard which is published further down in my blog.

Our product will appeal to the target audience because my audience's lifestyle is very outgoing, and they love to have a laugh. They are very sociable and tend to copy the latest trends from celebrities. They are mostly middle class and come from a comfortable background. They consume music a lot mostly through T.V listening to channels such as chartshow, starz etc. Most of them party a lot, but only where their type of music is played. Artists my audience tend to listern to would be Jay-z, Alicia Keys, Rhianna, Beyonce, Mariah Carey etc. Mostly because these people have an envious lifestyle and have heavily narrative based videos. Interests they might have would be things where group work is prominent such as dance classes which is music influenced, this is because our audience is very sociable. My audience tends to dress in all the latest fashions such as heels, dark jeans, massive mid drift belts preferably brown etc a dress sense like Beyonce. Some of our audience would be borderline chavy for example white track suits with burberry hats etc. our audience will also be very interested in our video because we have tried to incorporate different genres into our video for example even though the main audience would be people who like pop and R'n'B, anybody can like this song because everyone goes through bad relationships and this is what the song is all about. Furthermore the message portrayed throughout the video is attraction we want the audience to think that our artists are attractive so they carry on watching the video. Furthermore the editing used in the video relates to the song, slow and up beat depending on the rhythm of the song. Also the settings we use are familiar and easy to relate too i.e. council house, luxury apartments, streets etc. The video also features black and whits so there is a range of different styles the audience can relate too.

The way the target audience tends to consume videos is through T.V looking at all the latest shows such as MTV. They love realism and story lined videos with a meaning, also located in remote romantic destinations such as the beach etc. They like to relate their own lives with whats happening to the artist in the video. Their use of media technology would be centered around MP3 players and ipods, so that they can get all the free downloads. Furthermore our audience would be very up to date with the latest gadits knowing all the tricks to get the latest music.

I will distribute the music video via the Internet, TV, magazines. This is because most of our target audience spend a lot of their time on the Internet looking for the latest tune, and looking at social networking sites such as facebook etc. Shops will also have an artists billboard at there doors so the audiences eyes are quickly drawn to the product. Hopefully it will also be advertised on the side of buses to really show that this is a good album. The audience will defiantly get every message that we are trying to portray within the video and about it, for example messages within the video are things such as the locket and the artist throwing it away symbolising her throwing her relationship away. Furthermore other messages we are showing would be trying to relate the artist life to the audiences that way the audience are going to be more inclined to like the video. Others messages that we want the audience to get would be the product and when it's for sale, and where on line they could find the CD.

Overall i feel that our target audience is easily impressed as long as you have the right amount of story within the video contrasted with meanings and envious lifestyles.

Filming and editing techniques that other directors use in music videos that would appeal to my audience.

After researching videos that included 'what ya say' by Jason Derulo and 'Doesn't mean anything' by Alicia Keys, i found that a technique used often in videos my audience liked is the use of extreme close-ups of their faces to empahsise the emotion they are trying to get across. i have also found that successful videos tend to be heavily storylined, mostly displaying a bad relationship. Both videos also give the audience flash backs of the life they once lead with their loved one. There is also a lot of long shots to show the overall picture of whats going on in the video. Jason uses a lot of point of view shots letting the audience see what exactly he is going through. Another technique which is always used is the link between the video to the lyrics for example Alicia at one point in her video is standing in the house ahe used to share with her boyfriend, it is really big and looks like it cost a lot, However as she is standing there she sings the lyric "But it doesn't mean anything now that your gone". Which tells the audience that she doesn't care about anything apart from him. Having the visuals there as well really helps the audience relate and get into the song more. Other conventional techniques is the use of fades showing flash backs of the artists life to now. It's an easy distinctive way of showiung the audience that this part of the video is in the past.

From this research i have decided to focus on incorporating the following techniques in my video:
Exteme close ups of the artists faces to show emotion,
Have a storylined video to keep the audience interested, and to give them visuals,
Long shots to show the audience the establishing shots of where the artist is?, how they are feeling?, what is in the overall shot,
Furthermore i am going to show different lighting effects night and day, to give the audience the feeling that this is how the artist feels night and day.
I will include many other techniques and some that are not conventional to make the video unique, i.e. Some special effects maybe of the artist standing on a mountain to show how vulnerable and alone she is. Furthermore i might incorporate what her life is like now she has got out of her bad relationship and show how far she has come physically and mentally.

Overall there are many conventional techniques that directors use to ensure profits, however i want to take a few risks and explore different avenues to maybe widen my audience, and prove to people that R'n'B isn't just about showing off what you've got it's meaningful too.

Four videos reflecting our target audience

All these videos show a great understanding of what my target audience would like to see in a video. For example they all have a very good looking artist, and their lifestyle is envious. Furthermore my audience likes to relate the lyrics or the storyline of the video to something thats gone on in their lives, i.e. a bad relationship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZVlVgpghA4 Akon-Lonely

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfPqwoIBuXI Rhianna-Rehab

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZKdgFVqAkA Mariah Carey-I stay in love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jCDnwldrt8 Leona Lewis-Happy




In all my videos there are many close ups and extreme close ups. For example when Akon is singing to his girlfriend. A shot is used to emphasise his facial expressions and to show the emotion he is feeling. In the video with Leona Lewis she does a lot of walking across the screen, this was shot using tracking to get a steady realistic scene. Long shots of Mariah Carey in her videos are are used a lot. I feel this is done to show an outsiders point of view, and to give the audience the overall visualisation of the situation.

The pace of the videos vary for certain scenes for example Leona has a lot of shots cutting to and from her relationship with a man to the present day of her watching her man marry someone else. At this point the editing is reasonably quick to keep the audience interested and to keep the different time frames fresh in their minds. However in the Mariah Carey video editing is constantly slow with a few fades to and from shots. This done to entice the audience into the video and to make them think about their previous relationships. Rhianna uses a lot of slow editing for the same reasons. However they are mostly of herself, i feel this is done to show the audience her emotions towards her past relationship. No great effects are used throughout all the videos because they aren't about looking flashy they are trying to relate their past wsith the audiences, and try and make the video look like real footage of their lives.

The mise-en-scene used in all 4 videos are very different. For example Akon features him on a stage singing, but with no audience to watch him. This could be a link to the lyrics to show how lonely he is. It cuts back to moments in his life with his girlfriend and where it all went wrong which again emphasises his lonelness. The outfit he is wearing i feel doesn't reflect what he is feeling. For example he is dressed very smart and has a lot of jewellery on which is prominently featured. This tells me that although he is talking about a sad and depressing song he still wants to come across to the audience as a wealthy man who has an envious lifestyle. There are no props that are used that mean anything i feel this was to create the illusion that what he was doing was happening right there. i.e. there is no camera watching him, it's almost like it's real footage. Rhianna and Mariah Careys videos are located in similar places out in the dessert, this shows that they both feel on the outside looking in and mostly feel alone. Both women portray themselves as strong, like they are coming out of the slump thet felt they were in and fighting back. The outfits are very revealing showing that they still have confidence and that they are trying to appeal to the male audience. However one main difference is that Mariah Careys video is shot in black and white, this could show that is what she thinks about her life in terms of simplicity. The lighting used in both videos is bright because they are in the dessert, emphasising their faces.

Leona Lewis's video is more about the meaning of the lyrics. It features her in a foreign county with a man who the audience believe throughout the video is her boyfriend. However later on at the end of the video we discover that she is the bridesmaide at the wedding of the man she loves. All she sings about is how happy she wants to be. The location is very unusual because it doesn't look expensive if anything it looks like a place anyone could go to for a small amount of money. The outfit she is wearing is very virginal, i.e. a white flowy dress. This says to me that

she is the type of person who would rather say nothing then cause trouble, it also says that she is a good girl and respects the rules. The only props used is the conventional wedding things i.e. chairs, aisle etc.

The narrative and performance element to all 4 videos is amazing. They are almost acting throughout. They are all heavily storylined which is done to give the audience visuals and something to follow. Akon and Mariah both have small performnace elements in their videos, but both for different reasons. For example i feel Akon is using that stage to express his feelings that he has bottled up for so long wheras Mariah uses her performance element as her job in the video, something she does every night for different crowds. For me Akons stage presence is a lot more believable and emotional to watch because i can relate what he is saying to my own past relationships. Rhianna's lyrics to rehab is amazing and sums up love in one. However unlike some songs you don't need the video to listern to it because the lyrics alone are so powerful. I feel that the video could have been a lot better then it was. Maybe featuring her relationship in the video. Leona's narrative can be used on a very wide spectrum for example many people can relate whats happening with her to their own lives. It doesn't just have to be someone whos married your guy, it could just be someone whos stolen your guy and your showing your emotions. Throughout the video something else is happening it's like your seeing the build up to the big day first hand, like your invading their privacy. You constantly want to know whats going to happen next. Furthermore the still images of her face when they marry almost bring you to tears, because it makes you slow down and really think about whats going on.

Overall all 4 videos show elements of what my target audience want to see, and i will make sure that most of the shots and stoylines etc are featured prominently throughout our video, this way we can ensure the highest profits.

All about me

Hiya,
My name is Naomi and i am 17, i chose to do this course because media is one of my strengths along with English. Last year at college i did my first year of A levels and got a 'B' in my media so i decided to take a more direct approach towards it and pick a course that features this primarily. i am hoping to go on to university to study journalism and hopefully choose this as a career. My hobbies and interests is going out with my friends and dancing. i am a very organised and particluar about having things presented in a certain way.