Target Demographic - Intended Audience

Target Demographic - Intended Audience

Class Demographic
In order to work out who my music video's intended audience should be, it could be relevant to refer to the traditional social grades. The table below features the characteristics of different social grades and their letter code. 

Although it is arguable that the pop genre - being the most prevalent music genre in today's world - appeals to all social groups, I think that the social grades which would make up the majority of my intended audience are social grades B and C1, since the pop genre as a whole has a demographic that fits mainly into these categories also. To add to this, it is notable that the song of my choice is featured in a modern film whose demographic also happens to appeal to the same social grades B and C1. This information further solidifies the reasoning behind the selected social demographic for my proposed video.

Psychographics
Another important part of understanding an audience is by carrying out a psychographic analysis. Again, these psychographic groups can be categorised and named; Mainstreamers, Aspirers, Succeeders, Resigned, Explorers, Strugglers and Reformers. This type of audience analysis is slightly more complex in the way that the groups are labelled, since it is completely possible that a person or a group of people have attributes that fall under more than one category. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse carefully to ensure that the most accurate group is chosen. The table below presents the group names and their characteristics...

With the title of my chosen song being 'Try Everything', and the main message of the song being to try new things and not give up on your goals and aspirations, it could be suggested that the psychographic group which best suits my audience would be the Explorers, since are typically younger people who enjoy discovering and adventuring. The song is particularly upbeat and full on energy, just like the Explorers are described to be. Some people agree that the film from which the song is taken, Zootropolis, has children as its main demographic (meaning the song may have this same demographic too). This is further evidence to suggest that my music video's main psychographic group is the Explorers. 

Inspirations and Influences

Inspirations and Influences

Most people can agree that they are influenced and inspired from somewhere before they do anything remotely artistic and creative. In the case of producing a music video, I have come up with a selection of music videos that I feel have inspired and influenced me to make my own; from costumes, colours, cinematography, editing and themes...

Intended Audience - Focus Group and Results

Intended Audience - Focus Group and Results

Question 1: What is your favourite music video?

It appears by the answers to this question that the most favourable music videos are those which stand out as a result of a unique and possibly peculiar element to them; in other words, the music videos that do not follow the norms of the genre. This can be seen the most from a technical viewpoint in 'Thumbs' by Sabrina Carpenter, in which the music video appears to have been filmed in only one shot. The lack of cuts is completely noticeable and this creates a feeling of wonder and curiosity in the viewer, who is likely to find the style of the video intriguing and clever. Bruno Mars's 'The Lazy Song' is unique from a costume design perspective; monkey suits are used throughout the music video, generating a comical effect to make the video memorable. The vivid colours with the creative use of space and digital effects in Imagine Dragons's 'Believer' is what makes this music video stand out as well. All of the mentioned 'unique' aspects are unique because they are rarely seen in the traditional music video and are therefore favourable.

Question 2: How do you watch music videos?

It is clear by these responses that Youtube is the main streaming site on which music videos are viewed. The only other answer, vevo, is a service/provider predominantly accessed through Youtube as well, although it has its own separate website too. For my music video, I am now certain that Youtube is the best option in order for it to be easily accessible. 

Question 3: Is a music video essential for a modern song?

Although some people believe that videos are not essential because there are other marketing methods for songs, the answers overall have confirmed that music videos are contemporary expectations alongside songs more than valuable marketing techniques, as well as forms of art which accompany a song. Music videos are not essential, but they are important in modern pop culture.

Question 4: What is your favourite music video genre?

The answers to this question were not overly helpful due to the variety of answers which were received: Pop, Rock, Indie and House. The lack of connection between these genres means that within this group an average cannot be selected. A wider investigation of the popularity of music video genres ought to be conducted in order to make a valid decision for my own. 

Question 5: What type of music video do you prefer?

The results show that the most preferred type of music video is a mixture of narrative and performance, however the concept idea was popular too. I think that the concept music video is popular because they are often quirky and therefore unique, making them unusual and interesting to watch. Overall, it is clear by the responses that the preferred music videos are those which have a lot to look at - the artiste, the narrative and the concept art-like elements - all to keep it interesting. 

Question 6: How long do you like your music videos to be?

The majority of answers were 3-4 minutes, so I think that I should conform to this length of time too. The person who gave the response '10 minutes' could be suggesting that they prefer more narrative music videos such as Michael Jackson's iconic 'Thriller'. 

Question 7: Is it important to see the artiste in a music video?
Overall it was agreed that although it is not essential to have the artiste feature in the video, the viewers do like to see who is behind the music that they listen to and enjoy. This question reinforces the importance of the performance element of the video. 

Intended Audience Survey

Intended Audience Survey

For a music video to be successful, the producer must understand their intended audience; by understanding who their audience is, aspects of the music video such as genre, mise-en-scene and narrative style can be tailored to the typical audience's expectations. To find out if my initial music video concept and song choice would be successful, I conducted a survey using the site surveymonkey.com. Posted below are the results.

Conclusion

From the results of the survey, I understand that the majority of my intended audience are younger females. I now know that I should think about the how this group of people, as the key demographic of my music video, may receive the different elements which I choose to include in my music video. The survey also confirmed that the majority of people had seen Zootropolis, therefore my song choice is likely to be familiar (which would help in terms of the promotion of my music video). 

The preferred music genre had a mixed response, but the most popular genres were 1980s pop and 2000-present pop. This indicates that pop music could be the best choice of song genre for my own music video (and 'Try Everything' complies to this genre, so it is ideal). Tailoring my music video to my intended audience should result in making the whole product more successful. 

Furthermore, the survey taught me that people generally believe that a good narrative and a moral message are both equally essential in the production of a music video. I will ensure in the planning of my music video that these two aspects are met to a high standard. Although the performance element of the music video is required to showcase editing ability, I am lead to believe as a result of the survey that the intended audience do not find this aspect as important or interesting when consuming a music video. 

My final question asked the preferred mood of my audience when they watch a music video. The results were clear: happy and optimistic moods make the best music videos. This indicates that I should aim to achieve a happy mood for my own music video in order for it to be enjoyed by as many people as possible. 

Lyric Analysis

Lyric Analysis

It is important that the narrative and the cinematography of the chosen song coincide with its music video in order for it to look authentic and comfortable to experience for the viewers. I annotated a lyric sheet of my chosen song, "Try Everything" in order to gain a greater knowledge of the moods and messages of the song so that I could reflect on them within the music video. By doing this my music video should appear more realistic and authentic and look like it naturally belongs with the song.

History of the Song

History of the Song

The song that I have chosen to use for my music video is called "Try Everything" by Shakira. The song was written by Sia Furler, Tor Hermansen and Mikkel Eriksen for the 2016 Disney film, Zootropolis (known domestically as Zootopia). The song's happy mood with its lively beat and uplifting message inspired me to select it as the song for my own music video. 

The song was released as a single in February 2016, prior to the film's premiere (4th March 2016), as a way of marketing the film. The song is featured on the film's soundtrack, which was released at the same time as the film. The song is sung by Shakira, who voices the character 'Gazelle'; an international pop star and activist in the film's narrative. 

The single peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and reached number 26 on the Digital Songs chart with 33,000 digital downloads and 3 million US streams online. 

The song's music video consists mainly of cuts from different scenes in the film, combined with a few shots of Shakira singing in a recording studio. The music video reflects the message of the song and compliments the film; the idea that you should not give up trying to reach your goal (just like the film's protagonist, Judy Hopps, who refuses to give up her dreams despite the challenges thrown in her way). 

The song's structure is as follows:  
Intro / Verse / Chorus / Verse / Chorus / Bridge / End 

The simple structure of this song makes it particularly adaptable for the screen; different parts of the song are easy to extract, re-order and apply to necessary sections in the film's narrative. The simple structure also makes it a lot more catchy and easy to remember for the audience or listeners; an innovative marketing technique for the motion picture. 

The song is incredibly upbeat and bass heavy, providing a happy and uplifting mood. Positivity is central to the song's narrative (and the film's theme), and this comes across with the loud and strong bass. The use of the acoustic guitar towards the beginning of the track also adds to the optimistic feel of the song. The main line repeated throughout is "Try Everything", particularly in the Intro and Chorus. This is to emphasise the message of the film, since Shakira's song is the official song, and also highlights the ethos of the main character who carries the message throughout the film as well.

The song's optimism is partly why I decided to choose the song, and I hope to translate the same hopeful message, "Try Everything", in my own video's narrative through visuals. 

Seeking Permission

Seeking Permission

To cover myself for copyright issues, I have contacted the Walt Disney Company and asked for permission to use their song for my music video. Within the letter, I have also requested that permission be granted for me to post my final video publicly on Youtube, simply for the easy access of my assessors. My initial reply advised me to seek permission more directly with Disney Music in Burbank, CA. I approached them with a similar letter...