NEA PLANNING PART 2: MOOD BOARD
The brief i decided to choose is the 'Music Video and Online' option which requires me to produce a 3 minute music video for a fictional pop band or artist signed to sony, and the working website for the band/artist. The minimum requirements for my chosen production is: a statement of intent, music video, distribution channel, number of web pages and have a cross-media production target audience. The target audience, as suggested by the brief, should be a fun-loving 16-25 year old mass market demographic. Specifically, through my own production, i intend to appeal to more-so girls aged 14-21 who find enjoyment in listening to/watching pop songs/music videos.
In this task i will producing a mood board, exploring the types of settings, props and types of cast i intend to use in my video. Also, i will be looking into the connotations of these conventions and how these will have an impact on the way my audience interpret the video. Through the creation of my mood board, i will be testing out different creative techniques which contribute to the presentation of my mood board.
1. Cast - outfit style, make-up, etc.
2. Location and setting
The creation of this specific mood-board is important in helping me define the style of music video i want to create. Specifically, it will give me inspiration for the type of outfits my cast will wear, as well as hair and make-up ideas. I intend to follow a pink colour scheme which i hope to reflect in the outfit and make-up my cast will be displayed with. in addition, i would like to use a range of different shots in my production. For example, close ups to capture and focus on facial emotion/expression, long-shots to establish the setting or over the shoulder shot to enhance movement of the cast. The general mis-en-scene i hope to feature are settings which reflect the general attraction of teenage girls such as bowling alleys, arcades and scenic, photoshoot attractions. Within these settings, i hope to film a few different cast members, presented with different types of outfits and props. A theory i hope to incorporate into my video is Neale's genre theory by ensuring that generic codes and conventions of pop music videos are evident in my own. Additionally, the message behind my video will hopefully be reflected through gauntletts identity theory. I want to show this through the presentation of my cast (how they dress themselves/what they do) in order to show that individuals have the opportunity to shape their identity and lifestyle.
3. Website Inspiration
This mood board is useful in providing me with inspiration for the type of images I hope to include on my website, specifically focusing on the type of make-up looks and hairstyles they've been presented with. Also, I have researched and included a range of different fonts which I could potentially use - they are all quite different which is useful as it means I can pick one which best fits my theme.
NEA PLANNING PART 1: AUDIENCE PROFILE
This question is useful in informing me of the most common age category, helping me to establish the most appropriate target audience for my own music video. What i found was that 100% of those who participated in my survey were aged 14-18, which take up a proportion of the brief-set target audience, suggesting it is important for me to construct my product in a way which appeals to teenagers and caters to their expectations. For example, they are likely to expect modern locations, music which is current to this generation and perhaps editing and camera work which is to a high, advanced standard.
Additionally, this question considers a significant aspect of a target audience and has told me that almost 70% of respondents of my survey were female. This shows me that girls take a greater interest in music videos as more of them had the urge to fill out the survey titled "Music Video Survey" than boys. Therefore, i intend to produce a music video which will more likely appeal to the interest of females. For example, the inclusion of female cast members and locations which you are more likely to find girls in could be the strategy i use to mainly attract female watchers.
In my opinion, this is one of the most important questions in terms of informing me which direction of music video to take in order to cater to my target audiences interests/wants. The most popular genre respondents voted for was 'Pop' (50%) with 'Rap' coming in as a close second (25%). Due to this outcome, I intend to create a product which establishes the typical conventions of a pop music video. For example, high-key lighting, lots of make-up and accessories and scenic locations.
This question is valuable in helping me decide the artist/song I could want to use, along with the cast I choose. As shown above, the majority of people (almost 80%) stated that they preferred male artists. However, looking further into each individuals responses I found that those who voted they enjoyed 'Pop' music the most also voted that they prefer female artists. Because the music video I intend to create is going to Pop genred, I think it is more important to consider the artists who my actual target audience enjoy most; females.
As seen above, the percentage difference between Narrative and Performance-based videos is very little, meaning that I will not be ruling one out, instead considering both as an option for my own music video. After choosing the song/artist, genre and locations I will be using, etc, I will then decide which style seems best appropriate out of these 2. For example, I may decide to reflect a story through my video or focus on the performance aspect - both will similarly cater for the audience I am attempting to appeal to.
I asked this question as I wanted to take the time to watch some videos which my respondents would regard as their favourites. By doing this, I will be able to recognise features which make the video of such a high standard to the point that people will remember it and class as one of the best they've seen. Some patterns I found in the responses was that people liked the video they put because they viewed it as unique, appreciate the idea behind it and due to the visuals (such as setting and cast). Because these conventions appear to appeal to my audience, I will be sure to consider these elements and focus on them when producing my own music video.
In my opinion, this question is significant in giving me an explicit insight into the aspects which my audience would consider to contribute most to the success of a music video. Therefore, because the most voted option was 'The Artist and People Featured' this is the attribute I will focus on. For example, ensuring that my cast are up to a high standard in terms of how they are presented and the actions they take. Additionally, as the second most voted option was 'The lighting, Camera Work and Editing' I will also be attempting to ensure this is of the best standard possible, e.g. considering: which type of lighting best fits the shot, camera work which seems well thought-through and appropriate editing which contribute to a professional outlook of my video.
I asked this question as I needed help in deciding whether to focus the video on one main cast member or include several. Although there is not a significant percentage difference, we can see that the majority of my audience would prefer to see more than one cast member and so I will be taking this into consideration. What I can learn from this is that my audience are attracted to a more entertaining video which seems to have a lot going on.
This question has helped me to further establish the interests of my target audience as it informs me of what they like to see in terms of location and setting, which is a significant element of music videos. The most voted option and so the one I will be taking into consideration in the construction of my own music video process is 2-3 locations.
Finally, I felt this was an important question to ask in order to get a general idea on the way my audience feel about music videos as a whole. I found a significant percentage difference here which suggested that the majority of respondents prefer music videos which are more unique. Therefore, in order to appeal to my audience I will attempt to construct a music video which lightly includes typical conventions in order to establish the pop genre, but I will also divert from this and alter aspects to make my video seem different and unique in comparison to other pop genre videos.
To conclude, the defined target audience I intend to appeal to is girls, aged 14-21, who find enjoyment in listening to and watching pop music/videos and following female artists on media platforms.
