Magazine Advert Feedback

I emailed a questionnaire to a small group of people ranging in different ages, three of my own age and two older adults. 

I asked several yes and no questions...

3)  Are the adverts clear and easy to read? They all said yes

4) Do you like the use of graphic and the effects added? 
They all said yes.

5) Do you think there is enough range in font sizes and styles?
4/5 said yes, one said no suggesting that the quotations could be bigger. 

6) Do you think the layout of the advertisement is appropriate for it to be included in a magazine/newspaper? 
They all said yes - showing the design to be conventional of size, proportion and format. 

7) Do you think there should be more colour included? 
Everybody answered no, proving the contrast is good between the images and the lack of colours does work successfully, too many and it would look tacky. 

8) Do you think the quotes are suitable for the advertisement and a decent size? 

4/5 said it was suitable. One person said, 'yes, but you could get quotes from sources like a local radio DJ or radio station just because this would entice a wider audience' another said ' No, suitable but too small'

9) Do you like the use of social network links and icons in the advert?
All of them agreed that the link to the media was good and necessary. 

The next few questions were their opinions on the magazine advertisement...

10) Where do you think you would most likely find the advertisements?
I received answers which were all in similar locations to what I was aiming for in my coursework. Suggesting, 'In a local magazine or up in the city' , 'In music shops and billboards around the city' , 'In a music magazine of some description' , 'Outline, EDP, internet' and 

'Posters/fliers at the venue, ‘what’s on’ supplement in local paper'. Demonstrating that my target areas for my advertisement to be is being recognised. 

11) What aspects of the advertisements do you like? 

Those who answered complimented the simplicity, but bold artist design and the use of colour. 'I like the way you can see the band and the colours are good' , 'They are simple and not too busy' , 'I like the colours and the happy nature of the band' and 'I like the bold color scheme'

12)  What aspects of the advertisement could be improved or changed to look better? 

To improve the advertisements I got several suggestion, but only minor changes which I agree can be improved. 'You could maybe use a different font for the social media links just for some variety' , 'I think it’s good and doesn't need to be improved' , 'I think increasing the size of the font for the social media links could be helpful' , 'larger text on the quotes' and 'Band name could be a bit bolder'

Teacher Feedback

The magazine adverts were marked using the mark scheme and got me a 'C' grade with 6/10. Comments were then made to raise the grade higher. 

'Are we assuming that this advert will be for a local publication, rather than a national magazine or newspaper? This could have an effect on your chosen quotations. Traditionally these would be from more reputable sources e.g. magazines, music writers, newspapers, radio DJs etc.' - Like with other feedback the quotations needed to be relevant to where the advertisement would be seen and whose comments would be important enough for the target audience to think they band are worth while to check out. Some easy adjustments in sizes and fonts were also suggested like with the small investigation I carried out, 'You need to work on the range of font sizes. quotes need to be a little larger, and FB etc. text at the bottom needs to be smaller.'

When trying to look at the link between the music video was lost. The only link the graphics had was some of the photographs taken on the set of the music video. 'I also still think that the link/continuing theme from your music video is lost a little in the 2 ancillary tasks. Could we have a look at colour, perhaps, and see if there’s something more obviously linked to the video that can be substituted for the red?' 

To fix the problem of the link being lost, I have decided to use more colour, by using the powder paint footage of the video to my advantage. This way I will have got more colour and the link would be stronger between the texts.  

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Band feedback to music video

Once the music video was complete I sent them links to the final construction. I got positive feedback overall. From the final construction there are two verisons of the music video. One in colour (which I am using for G324) and on in black and white (which the band preferred to release as there official video).

Below is the bands reaction to the video:

 The video was officially released on 7th February 2014. They announced it on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter as well as on their official Youtube account, where I received acknowledgement and crediting.



Audience Feeback: Rough Edit Screening

Audience Feedback

Method:
On Tuesday 17th December the media department held two screenings of our Music Videos, one during Second lesson and one during third. T

his allowed for students and teachers to come in and watch our music videos and then fill out a questionnaire to get their overall feedback.  Media students including myself advertised in college, by making posters and putting them around the college. I also posted the poster to my Facebook wall the week prior to the screening.
From the two screenings I received 19 responses, the majority of which are Year 13 students and two of them were teachers. Online through survey monkey I have emailed individuals in my contacts and also promoted it on my Facebook, so I could get a wide variety of results.

Quantitative data:

The general demographic of those who participated in my questionnaire were females. 24 out 28 of them were females with only 4 males participating. This is worth considering in mind about the significant gender imbalance, fortunately it doesn’t affect my results as it is not lead by the audiences gender. It is solely looking at the visual and technical of my music video, which I don’t think is leant towards a specific gender. A music video such as Katy Perry’s ‘California Girls’ is out to appeal to the audiences sexual preferences, with sexualised clothing (cupcake bra) etc.     

The age range of my audience was mostly 17-20 year olds. This is because of the method of my distribution of results. The screenings were held in college, so I would have received the majority of people aged 16, 17 and 18 to fill in my survey. The survey was also published online on my social networking accounts and sent in emails. This caused a bit more variety, but most of them were a similar age to me. It would have been more reliable to get responses from different age groups, which would let me have a wider and more varied collection of data.

Qualitative data:

When asked, ‘In the music video did you think there were enough variations of shot types?’ The majority of people (79%) said there was enough variation in shots, ‘Yeah, there were lots of shots and they were at good angles which showed off the good views of the band. Other people suggested some improvements concerning shot types stating, ‘There could have been more shots involving moving of the camera’. There was a contrast with results with some people saying there should be more at the start of the video and some saying there should be less. 

When asked, ‘Were the transitions between shots suitable for the pace of the song?’ The majority of people (96%) said there was a suitable pace generally, ‘Yes, as they went from each performer, filled well e.g. part between guitar player and drummer’ and ‘Yes they seemed at the correct timing to the song’, with some critics, ‘Pretty much, except for the uber-fast transitions right before the end, and close to the beginning’. I think the overall transitions are suitable, but in certain areas, particularly the non-vocal sections just before the first chorus and at the end of the song in the video. They can be better edited.  

When asked, ‘Did you like the use of powder paint in the music video? Why?’ Everyone asked said they liked the use of powder paint in the video (100%). The reasons for this also followed the similar lines of creativity and contrasting with the rest of the video. ‘It offered versatility to the video and colour, especially affective in slow motion’, ‘I loved it, you don't really see it in many music videos and it adds a wild and playful element to it’, ‘Yes, it adds to the aesthetics and is a change from the building’ and ‘Yes, it adds variety to the video, colour and interesting visuals’. Despite liking the powder paint, some did leave suggestions on what they would like to see, when using the powder paint, ‘… It added contrast and showed the band having fun. I don’t think it should come in until the slower part of the song in the middle’ and ‘Yes, I would have liked to see better use of this, shots of the powder, slow motion etc. It seems a little repetitive so more variety would be good.’ The powder paint can still be refined further in the video to make it more effective, but also to flow better. Previously I had the powder paint come in earlier than originally planned, so for the screening it came in before the bridge where the music is a lot slower. Since the screening I have moved it back into where I it was previously, as it was most effective then.     

All except one individual noticed and liked the B&W filter and fades at the beginning of the video. People commented stating, ‘it was a cool effect’ and it is a ‘good contrast with all the colour’. Further suggestions focused on its visual impact, ‘The fades were good as it helped transition to the next scene, and the multicolours at the ending were also a good way to end’. The use of B&W got a positive reception with the audience, because it didn’t make the video boring and gave it a variation in visuals.

When asked about any aspect of the video that needed improving the main points picked up were regarding the editing of the pace, ‘the skipping from shot to shot of different angle of the band was a tad irritating, but still worked well’, and shot types as well as more experimentation with effects, ‘perhaps try some filters, especially when looking at the shots in the warehouse’ and ‘In terms of the powder paint scene they need a filter to emboss colour and contras this with the band playing scenes in a desaturation look ’. Others picked out issues, which I also am not happy with myself, which has allowed me to confirm that I am not being overly critical of my work, ‘Maybe not have as many rapid shot changes at the beginning and the end’ and ‘The guitar scene was slightly repetitive’. The main issue was the repetitiveness of some of the shots as I have mentioned before, which is down to medico editing on my behalf, however, it is easily resolved.

In the further comments section as an addition gave me positive feedback responses, ‘love the lighting effects’, and ‘loved it – especially the effect at the end ’and ‘brilliant video, really well put together.’  Further advice/suggestions were also present, ‘make sure that the footage fits exactly with music, some parts playing of the guitar or bass is a little off; maybe have a musician go through with you’ and ‘Didn’t need the shot from the back’.

In reflection of my responses the overall reception is positive. The video is currently up to a decent standard; however, certain aspects can be improved. Those aspects mostly in editing, but also to be a bit braver with effect filters which could make the video much more entertaining and interesting.

Final Construction of Music Video post-screening: Click here  

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Audience Profile Investigation: Muse: Results

 

Previous: Band Fact File . Data Collection

 

Audience Profile Investigation: Muse

Similar to the investigation on Black Veil Brides audience profile investigation, I have conducted another one about Muse. The band I am making a music video and digipak for said that one of their musical influences is Muse and the song 'Enigma' has a Muse feel to it, especially at the guitar solo. To determine Enigma's target audience, I am researching Muse's audience and their characteristics. Therefore comparing the very few similarities between the too.

I think that the audience profiles between Muse and Enigma will be similar, expect Enigma will appeal to much more younger people. 

I have made a survey on survey monkey online. I used my Facebook wall to ask my friends to fill in the survey, posted on the Muse fan page, and also on Muse Fan Forum. 

Previous: Band Fact File

Next: Results 

G324: Audience Profile Research Task MUSE

Name: Muse
Genre: Rock

Muse are an English rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy (lead vocals, lead guitar, piano, keyboards, keytar), Christopher Wolstenholme (bass, vocals, keyboards, Misa Kitara, harmonica) and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion, synthesisers). [Go to Wikipedia for more information]

FASHION/STYLE: 

Muse's style tends to be smart casual. They don't have a specfic style related to their music, they dress like normal men their age.


PERFORMANCE:

Since some of their biggest hits Muse have become globally recognised, their song 'survival' was the song of the 2012 London Olympics. The scale of their performances are arena sized, with a huge fan-base. Muse have one of those more matured fan bases in comparison to other younger bands.  

ALBUM COVERS:

There album artwork is consistent in its surreal design. The artwork also reflects Muse's music, they hardly ever put themselves on the front cover as a form of publicity.  

ADVERTISEMENT:

Muse are so well known that most people have heard of them and their music. Muse have had their songs played on television through music stations such as Kerrang! and on adverts. One example is the Virgin air travel when they play "When I'm feeling good". Also many plays on various radio stations.

On their official website there is a pop-up if a trailer, advertising them in Rome. Muse are flaunting their success through unintentionally and intentional platforms.




Next: Pre-Investigation Data Collection . Results . Digipak & Magazine Advert Analysis

Enigma Editing Feedback

After a couple of weeks editing the band asked to see what I had produced so far despite it being far from finished. This is their feedback about the video. 

The feedback is positive with some comments, mostly agreeing with me. They did say about the B&W effect, which I plan to do after finalizing all the shot cuts, because there is still work to be done. 

I had previously sent them my critic along with the draft stating, 

"The build up to the guitar solo and powder paint is too slow. I have to still cut the shots and make them sharper and tighter, as it doesn't go with the tempo/beat. There is one shot out of sync, which is really irrtating, because I didn't notice it until yesterday. I still haven't decided where I am going to put the powder paint shots as that part is far from finished. They will be moved around and I plan to bring it forward. There are a couple of rogue shots which I've decided look rubbish to where I have put them. It's only rough, however, I love the ending effect..."

Enigma: Target Audience

Related Post: Muse Audience Profile Invesitgation

Audience Profile Investigation: Black Veil Brides: Results

Previous Post: Hypothesis

 

Responses back from the Black Veil Brides Audience Profile Survey

 One of my assumptions about fans of Black Veil Brides was the age range of them. I estimated that they were young adults, mostly teens between the ages of 13-20. From my results, I was correct in this estimate with the majority of those who answered my survey were in that age range. Despite this, the way I conducted the survey was through Survey Monkey which is online, and I reached out to people via forum and fan sites. 

Another assumption which I was correct about was fans favourite music genre, which correlated with the BVB's music style. There is a small variation and it was surprising when one person said they liked Pop as their favourite genre. The majority however, 67%
 preferred Rock music.

When asked, 55% they do creative activities as a past time and the second biggest playing a musical instrument and reading with 18% . From these sample we can gather most Black Veil Bride fans are very creative and musically influenced. One person broke this trend by saying sport which isn't a common trait in your stereotypical BVB fan. This highlights a possibility that fans are varied and are not in one typical category.  

Most responses came back at Internet based on how they found Black Veil Brides. This relates to the age range and also the platform I used to conduct this survey. The fact internet is dominant suggests fans spend a lot of time on the internet and on Youtube, instead of more traditional hobbies like camps etc. Friends is the second biggest with 33%, which is significant as friends do have a influence on what you like and what you listen to. 

 26% was Black Veil Brides shirt with Skinny Jeans, which was the second highest response with consists mainly of black in third. The assumption made about BVB fans is their consistency to wear black and emo. This was proven true from my responses, however the majority described their dress sense as smart casual 35%. This puts into perspective that not all Black Veil Bride fans choose to follow the emoish style, but the majority tend to express themselves in that way. [Links in with Young & Rubicams: Aspirer]      

Only 9 out of 23 people who did the survey have actually seen Black Veil Brides. I found this to be quite high considering the sample number, but it is also backed up with Black Veil Brides only doing big main tours in America and then joint tours across countries. For example, Black Veil Brides were last in the UK on the Kerrang Tour, which featured 4 bands, but they were the headline act. Considering this and the traditional rock fans, I predict over time as Black Veil Brides become more well known more people will have seen them live.

"Some fans are only obsessed with Andy Biersack." What is your opinion?

The majority of feedback from this question frowned upon the idea of fans being obsessed with just the lead singer. The feedback received focused mainly on the whole band and how they are as a group not as a person. This fits in with Young and Rubicams mainstream qualities and the idea of security and family. Brands that are welcomed into this scenario carry a large emotional charge of trust and reliance. This trust is a big part of the value in ‘value for money’ and the loyalty in ‘brand loyalty’, in this case "BVB loyalty". This also links in with Young and Rubicams idea of control and people standing up to what they believe in and attempting to take control, ending up being obsessive. 

"I like the band as a whole! Andy isn't the only member in this band.. yes he was the founder of the band. but people need to look at all the members in the band, not just andy."

"Well that's not really a fan is it? I mean a true fan knows that there is always more than one person in a band. Andy is just the singer. He is great that much is true, but Jinxx is a wonderful guitarist and is an expert in strings. Jake is fantastic on the guitar. Ashley is great at singing also and add the fact he plays bass, f****** fantastic. Then we have CC who is an energetic drummer. What's not to love?"

"I believe that some people have Andy as their favorite band member because he's the creator of BVB, or their his lyrics and words that have saved them in a way. That's fine, however, the band as a whole deserves to be recognized."

"Andy is one fifth of BVB, Without the others, there would be NO BVB"

"That it's true, but it's mostly the fanbase, not the BVB army." - (This comment implies that the BVB army is a community and that they don't see the fan-base and BVB army as the same thing. That they are different parts of the Black Veil Bride fandom.)

The responses from the questions are generally against the comment I suggested, but they admitted it is true. It was also pointed out by the that different fans are obsessed with different band members, Andy is just the most well known as he is the front of BVB.

"They are not always obsessed with him. The band has great music and are all talented and good looking. Ashley is also a topic of obsession as well as CC. There is no "only obsessed with Andy" because I, myself, am obsessed with the whole band and everything they believe in."

And of course I received simple, blunt comments...

"Weeelll....we all have our favorites"

"I'm obsessed with Christian Coma"

Do you think sometimes people look at BVB fans in a negative light? If so, why? 

Most comments highlight the negativity is caused by out of control fans and their different, dark sense of dress. Which ultimately leads to prejudice and stereotyping of the whole group. People made it clear that their fashion sense was a factor causing this,

 "Due to their appearance","Mostly because of their clothing style" and "They have a dark atmosphere."

Prejudice is a big part of fans of Black Veil Brides. The band are associated with the Emo culture and many react badly because of its connotations of self harm and suicide. The stereotypical emo basis is the idea of insecurity and emotional stress and depression which causes bad acts. This then reflects badly on fans, because of the stereotype.

"Emo is publicised a lot, so BVB are associated with that culture and acts like self harm. Also some who take things too far in defending which give others a negative view."

The second major point brought up was some of the fans. The minority who are wild and vicious are best known and most people then believe all fans are like this. Some comments received back made it very clear that these fans aren't everyone and once again it comes back to being mainstream as they want to be treated like any other fan for a band.

"Fangirls. If you haven't met any, or don't understand them, run. Run and never look back"

"There are wild teenage girls that would attempt to tear people apart for talking about BVB negatively."

"Because a quarter of them obsess over Andy, another quarter obsess over Ashley, another quarter are sh** stirrers for tweets and the last quarter stay quiet because they don't feel the need to prove sh** to nobody. They just wanna go to a BVB concert and rock out."

"Some fans can be full blown out of control when people hate on BVB, and say unnecessary things. Also, they hate on the band members' girlfriends for various reasons. (You don't have to like them, just tolerate them if anything.)"

"I believe that all people see are the younger fans being 12-14 years old. They judge the entire fan base on a specific part of the group. Many of us aren't saying we're having band member's babies. The majority of us aren't all that bad." <- Particularly this comment points out a defensive civilised attitude, but also the need for attention by younger fans which is being successful in getting publicity.

I took the Young & Rubicams questionnaire and highlighted parts which link to Black Veil Bride fans characteristics. The first box states, "You care a lot about other's opinions...others judge you", this is present when fans are defensive over criticisms and the idea of people being prejudice towards them by their appearance. "Your creativity is expressed" is proven when asked about hobbies most fans said about taking a creative past time and fashion is once again linked at the bottom. As found, the majority tend to follow the trend of Black Veil Brides and emphasise they are a fan of them through their clothing. 

Audience Profile Investigation: Black Veil Brides

Assumptions of Black Veil Bride Fans:

- Girls are obsessed with Andy
- The need to follow an emo style 
- Very defensive about BVB 
- Age range 13-20
- Music interests: Rock, Metal, Emo, Screamo 
- Negative reputation 

To find out whether these are true I have created a survey which will determine and hopefully challenge these assumptions

 

Previous: Band Factfile Next: Results

Audience Profile: Stereotypes - Rock Music

"Rock music fans"
When you type that into Google images you get pictures like this...

What is stereotypical of Rock Music?

The stereotypical features of rock music tend to be sex, drugs, violence and rebellion. This isn't necessarily true for all fans, but of course stereotyped tend to be untrustworthy.  

Fashion

[A little bit of history: Taken from Wiki]

Rock music and fashion have been inextricably linked. In the mid-1960s of the UK, rivalry arose between "Mods" (who favoured 'modern' Italian-led fashion) and "Rockers" (who wore motorcycle leathers), each style had their own favoured musical acts. (The controversy would form the backdrop for The Who's rock opera Quadrophenia). In the 1960s, The Beatles brought mop-top haircuts, collarless blazers, and Beatle Boots into fashion... 

Rock music is a very broad genre and over the years different styles have been created such as Mod and Rockers. When the sex pistols were around Punk was created and now our style is once again influenced by current bands. The current rock look consists mainly of black and dark colours. One very obvious trend which branched from rock is the emo style. Emo's have been recognised for their love of black, skulls and death. Bands like My Chemical Romance, Black Veil Brides and Fearless Vampire Killers have been branded as emo.

A generalisation of the common rock music lover still follows the trend of black clothing, leather jackets, their favourite band on their shirt and dark makeup.

Activities
If we follow the stereotype given about rebellion, then we can assume the target audience of this genre like to cause trouble and be different from society. Stereotypical leisure activities (some more true than others) such as going to a lot of gigs, staying up all night, smoking, drugs and devoting their life to music. That irrating saying "Music is my life" crops up a lot with any hardcore music fan.

Background
Rock and roll has influenced daily life, fashion, attitudes and language in a way few other social developments have equalled. As the original generations of rock and roll fans matured, the music became an accepted and deeply interwoven thread in popular culture. Throughtout it's industry drugs have always been there.

G324: Audience Profile Research Task EVANESCENE

3)

Name: Evanescence  
Genre: Rock

Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody.


FASHION/STYLE: 
Evanescence has been described as a gothic band, by the way they dress. Their style of music varies on  from rock and different sub-genres of metal. Within some songs there are classical aspects performed by Amy Lee, which allows her to embrace her piano talent. Their clothes are dark and have been consistent throughout the years. When considering rock music the fashion sense of the band clearly reflects their songs.

PERFORMANCE:
Concerts held by Evanescence tend to be on a big scale since they are globally known. There stage presence is phenormal and use affective lighting. Amy Lee would also have a piano on stage so she can play a classical introduction.

ALBUM COVERS:

[Earliest to Latest]

The first two show the lead singer as she is very beautiful, but the rest of the band aren't visible. The font is the same and the colouring is bronze which makes it look rustic. However in on the new album there is more evidence of colour, which could also represent their small change in music as they hadn't released a new album in several years.


ADVERTISEMENT:
Once again, it is a conventional poster advertising the band. There is still the essence of darkness and use a select number of colours. It also has the details in a similar colour scheme.

G324: Audience Profile Research Task PARAMORE

Then 

2) 
Name: Paramore
Genre: Rock - (Sub-genres: Emo, pop punk)


Now

Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York. Past members of the band are Zac and Josh Farro who left due to disagreements and wanting a different route to take. In a interview they stated that they are Christians and believe in God. 


FASHION/STYLE:
From the bands formation in 2005, their style has changed along with their change in music. In 2005, they follow the traditional style of emo with skinny jeans and checkered shirts. In contrast, their style currently has turned hipster and this is also reflected with their music taking a more 'poppy' outlook.

FANS: 
Some fans are disappointed with their change in music, but sometimes bands just have to. Paramore became huge in 2007 with "Misery Business" and got a bigger boost with their song "Decode", being associated with Twilight when it was released. Some older fans who were there from the beginning, no longer like Paramore, because of transition, but a they have created a 'new breed' of fans who follow them.   

Music Videos 

[Note: Change in fashion and music style]

Albums [Earliest to Lastest]

The style of the albums are all unique and all follow different ideas, from the simplistic "Riot" cover to the identity influenced self titled album "Paramore". Unlike Black Veil Brides, they don't follow a certain colour theme or look, it varies.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Advertisements of Paramore reil heavily on the band being in the poster, so the audience can identify them. The earlier poster as my example directly addresses the reader, "Your favorite band is back... " Unlike the later one, the first poster puts a lot of infortmation with details and repeats the albums logo of the butterfly.

The Monster poster only has two words "Paramore - Monster", referring to the single they have released. It is darker, setting the tone for the single and unlike the previous one you can only see their shadows which gives a sense of mystery.