Audience response to the original mock-up

I showed the original cover mock-up to my classmates, during a presentation in class, telling them of the album's themes,central concept and imagery of the album. Thery verified that the cover was inkeeping with the album's imagery and confirmed that the cover positively portrayed the idea's of 'earthly desires'. I asked them if they had any ideas and they suggested that the red typeface should be maintained and that a hand-drawn font would only look good if it managed to maintain a level of professionalism within the font and in keeping with the ideas of animalism. They agreed that the red type face worked well against black and white photos, in a similar style to Sin City,and that the black and white images should be maintained amongst all the photography I take as it maintains the dark edge of the campaign.

Filming - Changes to original plan

During the filming process, there were a number of complications. When first envisioning the video, I had hoped for the two outdoor scenes to be filmed at night, to keep with the dark themes of the imagery itself, yet when I first attempted this, the footage was barely viewable, as lighting is sparse in the area in which I filmed, and although many of my classmates told me that the footage would be better quality upon reviewing it, on the computer screen, it was far too hard for me to visualise what angling and transitions would be effective without seeing it through the camera perspective. This forced me to have to film the footage during the middle of the day, potentially changing the overall tone and theme of the video, yet it is still to be judged whether editing software can create the night-time effect and keep with the original video idea.

Inspiration for the cover image

The above image, from Lana Del Rey's Born To Die music video is an interpretation of the image I wish to represent the campaign, on the album cover (and, slightly varied for the magazine promo). Not only is the standalone image reflective of the blood and torture which underpins my own album and artist style but the song and entire video , as well as Lana's mysterientire aesthetic, are reflective of an the themes evident in my own artists campaign. Although the man in the image and the background images will not be evident in my album cover the positioning and theme of the above image, as well as what it represents, were highly inspiration for the making of my album cover design.

Choice of imagery and album title

The image for the album cover and album advertisement depicts a half naked woman on a bed. Much like the campaign which I researched I feel that this is highly in keeping with the imagery of the music video and the album title of 'Unearthly desires', and in turn it's single "Flesh". However, I feel that in all aspects of the album and it's counterparts the dark themes and imagery are evident with the lyrics of flesh, regarding the want of human desires being evident in the album title.

The mock-up displays the typical conventions of an album advertisement, includng highlighting singles which are evident within the album and showcasing positive reviews of the album, also. The font colour will be replaced with a darker red than the more conventional colour evident in the mock-up and not only will the picture be very similar yet one that I will have taken myself, but the blocking, in which, the words are written upon will be far more polished.

Mock-Ups

Research in to 'Album Campaigns'

Many critics argue that for an artist to have a successful album campaign, and in turn for my coursework to reflect a professional and formulated example of such a campaign, that consistency is key within all aspects of the era, particularly those which underpin my own coursework; the album title, the album artwork and the music videos.

When choosing an example which I thought best exemplified this idea of consistency, I thought it best to choose a concept album from the last few years, within pop music, as these often have the strongest ties within the imagery of their individual parts. The most successful and relevant example of this was 'Circus', the 2008 comeback album of popstar Britney Spears. Below are three examples of the counterparts, from this campaign, that are needed for my own coursework project.

The album artwork.



The music video for 2nd single, Circus.

The single artwork for 2nd single Circus.

 

As is evident from the three images above the connotations which go with a title like Circus are all evident in the album. The font and stars on both the album and single cover showcase Circus environments and encapsulate the fun and bizarre sensibilities of the circus, whilst the music video is literally set within a Circus environment, showcasing the stereotypical circus acts such as lions and clowns with Britney as the circus ringleader.

Researching into this album campaign has highlighted the importance of consistency in maintaining a strong theme within these different aspects of the album, and hope the emulate the success of this campaign in creating such strong imagery, with my own "album" and its components.

Light filtering in music videos

An essential feature of my music video and the tone of the video is the red filter in the bedroom scenes. To ensure that this was utilised in a professional manner, I researched how full filtering has been used in other pop videos. The example I looked into was Ash's Girl From Mars.

The video above showcases abstract colourisation to create a sense of otherworldliness and a "trippy" atmosphere, in keeping with the title of the song and the theme of 'Mars'. Although this achieved through a highly different means than in my music video and the effect is vastly different in it's intention, this video successfully showcases the way in which colour filtering can be used, within pop promos, to create an intense atmosphere within a music video and hopefully the effect will maintain it's impact when applied, through sharp red lighting, in my own music video.

Set Photos: Bedroom & Table scene

The following photos were taken from the remaining two locations. The photos within the bedroom have been stripped of the red filter, which defines the scene, yet the look and props are still wholly evident.

The above photo showcases the location, devoid of it's props, however.

In-depth audience research

Before beginning the actual filming process we were advised by our teacher to partake in one more session of audience feedback. This would be similar to the questionnaire earlier although this time we would recieve far more rounded answers from the participant whom the questions were asked to. It was essential, in this process, to ensure that the person interviewed was a member of the intended target audience and that their feedback was used constructively to make my video as 'on-point' as possible.

The person used for my interview was a seventeeen year old girl, who was also from my media class (which I felt was needed as they would better comprehend the conventions of such a form of media) and so the participant was definately within the target demographic of a pop video.

The questions and answers were as follows:

1) What connotations come to mind with a song title like 'Flesh'?
"Hahaha, it sounds like the title to a slasher movie. It makes me think of blood and guts and dead animals. You should set it in one of those back rooms in the butchers!"

2) So you feel that this title would lend itself entirely to a music video with dark imagery?
"Yeah totally. I don't see how you can deal with flesh - even if it's not literal - in a light way. It sounds proper dark and edgy, like the sort of thing you'd see in a Marilyn Manson video"

3) You talk abour Marilyn Manson, but who do you think would be the template to follow, direction-wise, when it comes to pop?
"Lady GaGa is the only person, in pop, I can even think of that would make a song with a title like Flesh, haha. She does "push the boundaries" though and if you're going for an edgy, gritty style of video then looking at the way she has pushed the boundaries in her videos might be good"

4) Do you think that for an edgy video to be successful it needs to contain controversial images?
"It doesn't necessarily need to but it would need to possess some moments of complete shock factor; stuff that doesn't even make sense within the context of the video -like when Lady GaGa bull***** about a lot her stuff having meaning when it's just done for dramatic effect - it just sometimes provokes a strong reaction from the audience that makes them interested, which is probably more important than actually trying to get a psychological message across".

5) What reaction would the following idea, within the context of my video, provoke from you?:
- Eating raw meat and drinking the blood.
"Hahaha, that actually makes sense within the context of the song title so I guess it's at least relevant. It's not the sort of thing I'd choose to watch but if it's not shoved down my face for an entire four minute music video then I would at least not be throwing up. Do you actually see, like, teeth going in to the meat and stuff?"
- No not really but the implied sentiment is there and blood is the most prevelant image throughout.
"Blood is one of those things that would either gauge complete interest in the video, as it implies a sense of excitement and action or people just think it's too awful and turn it off straight away. Who's it aimed at exactly?"
- The target demographic of pop music is mainly the teenage buying public, with around 55-58% predicted to be girls and the rest boys, all aged from about fourteen to twenty.
"Girls would hate it, haha. But if Lady GaGa can make stuff like that work then clearly people must have some sort of investment in that sort of depraved imagery".

Thank You, Hannah.
You're welcome.

Pre filming preperation: 30th November

The filming for my music video will take place on Sunday 1st December and Tuesday 3rd December. The first day of shooting shall concern filming the scenes within the bedroom setting and the scenes filmed at the gate. The second day of filming requires more preperation, in terms of setting and filming methods, and so shall be shot on a seperate day. The props for my second day of filming also require far more work and preservation,with the setting itself taking far more care to construct, in terms of lighting and props.

The costumes for these two scenes have also been prepared,and the setting of the room has been deteriorated in a manner that is inkeeping with the tension and edginess of the video, complete with the disarray curtains, red mood lighting and bare landscape, aside from the plates and the matress.

How do album covers translate to magazine advertisments?

To make the album advertisements as authentic as possible it is important to subscribe to the conventions of magazine advertisements. The picture and typeface of the magazine advertisement must be in harmony with that of the album cover; possibly going as far as to use the same picture, but from different framing, as was a common convention found during my research. Another common convention which must be applied is the inclusion of a positive review from a respected publication, which highlights the positive features of the album and entices the readers to purchase it. Another essential feature is highlighting the singles released which featured on the album, with particular emphasis placed on the more successful songs on the album. Release dates or "Out Now" are always featured, also, and artist web addresses are essential also.

A transition from the album cover to the magazine advertisement is seen below.

 

As you can see, the same image is used troughout both, but at different levels of zoom and with different filtering of the bakground colours so that the consistent imagery is maintained throughout the different aspects of the campaign. What is most evident is that none of the normal conventions are applied to the advertisement, not even using Madonna's name on the advertisement, implying that the audience should be already too familiar with who she is and that the album should be able to sell on name alone, with no need for the highlighting of hits or positive reviews.

Theme and Style of my music video

It is important,within the scheme of the entire video, that each scene maintains a style, both in set design and filming techniques, that make them both individual and yet inkeeping with the ruling themes of the video. The main theme within the video itself will be asexuality and the agression which ensues from such isolation. This is evident through the symbolism surrounding the set's themselves; the gate representing a physical barrier preventing the subject from progressing any further, the room representing the idea of entrapment within four walls and the table scene representing a sort of confined, spiteful nature in that the object of the subject's desire (within the platter) is merely a few feet away yet unattainable due to constraints.

The objects in question, and the constraints surrounding them, are also relatable to the idea of the seven deadly sins, with gluttony (showcased dramatically through the final chorus scene), wrath (the aggression showcased through the acting within the bedroom setting) and lust taking centrestage, although the inclusion of sloth and acedia are somewhat present in the degenerate attitude of the subject itself. Interspered within the video,at the points inwhich editing shall be fast and erattic, will be these words, imprinted amongst relative environments.

The lighting in the bedroom scene, shall be the most dramatic of the three scenes, with the red light bulb dramatically increasing the tension in the room, and connoting to the deadly sins showcased in the room. The two other scenes are t

Storyboard sequence for my music video

The above three pictures depict the storyboards for the three scenes within the music video.

Influences for my music video

There are three main influences for my music video, whether they be style or content based. These influences are the following:

Lady GaGa - The Exorcist (Monsterball Tour Interlude)
Queens of the Stone Age - Sick, Sick, Sick
Rihanna - We Found Love

1. Rihanna - We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)

The video for Rihanna's We Found Love is a contemporary music video, premiered within the last month. The video itself has captured the attention of Rihanna's fans worldwide for it's utilisation of Belfast's landscape. Contrary to the normal polarised conventions of music videos - Music videos shot in a world which is completely seperate from reality (e.g. Katy Perry's California Gurls) or Music videos which are shot in overly stylised locations, devoid of reality (e.g. Rihanna's S&M), Rihanna broke new ground for a mainstream international artist by making the focus of her music video the literal, raw location of Belfast's streets. There are no green screens or white rooms, but merely rundown apartments, fish and chip shops and muddy fields, reflected in the 'trippy' drug-fueled nature which runs through the entire video (interspering the images of drug-use and instant shots of it's bodily effects). The surreal elements in the video, such as Rihanna vomitting ribbons and the multicoloured spliff, also heighten the intensity of the video without compromising it's raw appeal and add to the "trippy" atmosphere. The elements of this video which I wish to be reflected in my own video are that of it's raw appeal. On a non-existent budget, the video itself has made it possible to showcase realistic locations and for this to not appear cheap and amateur, and so I wish for my utlisation of the degraded room setting and the establishing shot of the flats to add to the grittiness of my own video. The frenzies camera work and editing of tempo,within the bedroom scene are used to effectively heighten the frenzied characteristics and tension within the room, highlighting the drama,of which is an utter importance with keeping the tone and style of the song reflected in the video mood.

2. Lady GaGa - The Exorcist (Monsterball Tour Interlude)



The elements taken from this interlude are concerned with the graphic images of the blood and gore. The video itself revolves around a small shock-horror segment, with no particular narrative set, and simply based on the image of Lady GaGa, in a sitting position, against a plane white background eating a bloody heart. The eating of the heart produces unholy amounts of blood, highlighted by close-ups of GaGa's bloody hands and mouth and blood streaming down GaGa's eyes as the camera switches between shots in which GaGa is seen to be upset by what is going on and shots inwhich she seems to revel in the eating. What I wish to take from this is the shock values of what is going on. Although the use of meat and blood,within the final scene of my music video, is intended to be a reflection of the song's lyrics and reflect the asexual nature of the main character, the use of meat,within this video for shock value shows the effect of such imagery and how it can be used to gauge such effect from the video. I also appreciate the edgy, dramatic cutting between shots and how this creates a sense of unease from the audience.



3. Queens of the Stone Age - Sick Sick Sick

The elements taken from this music video are the use of canted angles to display a particulalrly sinister and peverse portrayal of the meat and the link between the table scene and indulgence. Even though I had already concieved the idea of the table scene prior to having seen this music video, the way in which it is used as a prop to link to the idea of desire and greed, with the table presenting everything the protagonist wants within her reach, and with the climbing on to the table presented a moment of utter glutttony and indulgence, similar to it's use within my own music video. The peverse portrayal of meat within the video is also highly inflluential in that, similar to the use of meat within my music video, the meat is far more than just food, within the context, of the video, and the angles used help to highlight this in a powerful and effective way.

Narrative sequence for my music video (First Draft)

NOTE: All references to ‘Jessie’ within this passage, will refer to the actress used, within the video. All scenes depicted here should correlated directly to the shots on the storyboards, should there be any confusion.

The video opens to no music, with just a forward perspective of trees and shrubbery. Footsteps are gradually heard as the protagonist runs past the camera hurriedly in a frenzied state, and the camera pans leftwards as she runs further away. It cuts to shaky camera at her side which tracks along with her for a few seconds. The camera is now seen further on, through the gate, which she reaches and comes to a standstill, clutching the gate and letting out a wild deafening scream. There will be a slow introduction of sound, in this sequence, with the first eight seconds of the song, a gradual heartbeat-style, drum loop, playing from when the subject reaches the gate, with the diegetic sound of the scream overlapping this.

The video then cuts to an establishing shot of a block of flats, which is pictured along the first of the distortion sounds within the songs intro (0.05). The second distortion sound (0.09) is accompanied by a high angle shot, looking upwards at the stairs, within the building. The third distortion sound shows a hallway, depicting several doors. The fourth distortion sound focuses on a door, specifically.

The video now cuts to a room, (within the flats although this is not made explicit) which has a red light bulb, filtering the entire shot red. The camera pans down from the window to the corner where the same girl, from the outdoors, is in the corner, with her head faced down. Jessie will remain in this position, until 0.28 of the song. During this time however, shots of the plates of meat and bones within the room will be apparent. During the next couplet of the song’s lyrics Jessie shall lift her head to reveal strewn make up – i.e water-run mascara and lipstick all across her face. Her arms will stretch out to either wall, and her head movements shall be erratic. The bridge of the song, will see the protagonist crawl out from the corner and sing towards the camera, before lying flat on her back, just as the chorus kicks in.

The song then cuts to a new location, with the broken beats which lead into the chorus (1,2,3,4) each rapidly depicting a different aspect of the table scene. A long shot reveals, a long table, within the middle of a lit wooded area. The table itself is empty, with six chairs (3 each side) and a main chair at the end, with Jessie upon it, on a much larger chair. Along the table are waiter platters, with the tops and contents covered by platter lids. Jessie is revealed to be tied to each arm of the chair she is on, by handcuffs. Erratic head movements, aggressive shaking and general thrusting, with Jessie singing at the camera for the duration of the chorus.

 Throughout the chorus, however, three shots against a black backdrop; the word “Flesh” written on Jessie on three of the following body parts – shoulder, thigh, stomach, back, chest, neck, will appear.

The second verse will begin with Jessie against the gate, swinging on it, and taking the anger, in relation to her entrapment and inability to progress, on the gate. Shots through the gate of Jessie singing, in a belligerent fashion, will continue for this couplet. At 1.27, the video will cut back to shots within the bedroom, of Jessie kneeling down , filmed from a low angle, and looking up at the camera. To accompany the line “Here’s a sneak little peak...” the show will cut to a close –up, of Jessie drinking liquid from a dog’s bowl. The next couplet about “being a freak and liking it rough” will see Jessie take an off screen whip and bang it erratically three times to the beat of the same beat which introduced the first chorus.

As the second chorus kicks in, shots of the other two settings (the table and the gate), are interspersed, with no real change to the narrative, although both should show growing frustration and anger from Jessie. Interspersed within this, still, shall be the remaining three shots of flesh inscribed in blood upon Jessie’s body, upon a black backdrop.

As the song’s middle eight kicks in, the song will cut to an overhead shot of Jessie on a bed, within the red room. Movement, now shall be far more concentrated, and whilst not overly aggressive, shall focus on small jerks which reveal the peak of frustration and angst, such as the clutching of bed sheets and the twitching of legs. This shall be shown by various mid shots and close-ups, both of her face and body. At the middle point of this section,  she will roll over, on the bed, and face directly into the camera and sing the remaining three lines, as the red light within the room flashes more and more dramatically, and increasingly rapidly and her hand reaches towards the camera.

As the final chorus kicks in, Jessie rips her arms into the air and rids herself of the handcuffs. She steps onto the table and kicks the platter lid off angrily, the camera then cuts to a close-up of the meat, which was inside the platter, being grabbed by Jessie. She drops to her knees, upon the table, and throws herself about, within the food, which is revealed to be, cuts of various raw meet. The final three choruses shall then cut between the indulgence of Jessie upon the table and within the setting, including close-up shots which seems to indicate the biting and tearing of this meat, coupled with more enjoyed, pleasurable faces from Jessie. This shall be interspersed with Jessie, still in the room, now in a complete frenzy, with the light still flashing rapidly. The movements seem to indicate complete wildness, throwing herself from wall to wall, with delighted, yet sinister grins, at the camera.

The end video will see rain pour down over the table scene (possibly) and day break in the bedroom scene, with the red filter gone and the naturalistic day-light accompanying the shot of Jessie sitting up from the bed, and waking up.

Costume and Prop List

Scene One - Outdoor / Gate scene

Clothing in this scene shall be an excessively large leather Jacket over a small black vest top. Short skirt and fishnet tights, coupled with torn black boots. The only prop used within this scene is the stationary prop of the gate itself, which will be the main centre piece of the environment itself, through it's symbolic gestures towards the growing sexual frustration and sense of isolation.

[Insert Picture]

Scene Two - Bedroom Scene

The bedroom scene shall see the subject dressed simply in a large white vest top, stained on the chest with large blood marks. The bedroom itself, shall also be dressed fairly simply with just the walls, plates of decaying meat and the mattress within the room itself. The curtains in the room are torn in a degenerate manner and the mattress is in a degredated state.

[Insert Picture]

Scene Three - The table scene

The most ambitious scene, in terms, of props and staging, this scene will require a table, plates, more meat, 7 chairs (with one chair being larger or simply more pronounced than the others) platters with platter lids and handcuffs.

[Insert Picture]

Set Photos

The following are images of the first of three set locations I intend to use in my music video. The pictures themselves, are merely preliminary photos, as I did not have a high-quality camera on my person, at the time, yet felt it nescassary to take the pictures at night as they showcase the eerie quality which is crucial to the song.

Music Video Song Choice

After hours spent trawling the internet, music magazines and even local websites etc. for an acceptable song to use for my music video. Finally it was through the pop music blog 'Popjustice' that I discovered the music of unsigned act, Simon Curtis. There were a number of songs which would have been acceptable for showcasing a pop video, yet I felt that 'Flesh' was not only the best of the songs by the artist but that it offerred the greatest creative outlet for a pop video. Whilst the other tracks were very specific, in their narrative, this song offered the oppurtunity for different interpretation, in the imagery of the song's video.

This is not the way into my heart, into my head
Into my brain, into none of the above
This is just my way of unleashing the feelings deep inside of me
This spark of black that I seem to love
We can get a little crazy just for fun, just for fun
Don’t even try to hold it back
Just let go
Tie me up and take me over till you’re done
Till I’m done
You’ve got me fiendin’ and I’m ready to blow
Push up to my body, sink your teeth into my Flesh
Get undressed, taste the flesh
Bite into me harder, sink your teeth into my Flesh
Pass the test, taste the flesh
Hold me up against the wall
Give it till I beg, give me some more
Make me bleed, I like it raw
Like it R∆ R∆ R∆
Push up to my body, sink your teeth into my Flesh
Hold my hands above my head
And push my face into the bed
Cause I’m a screamer baby, make me a mute
You put your hand upon my neck and feel the pulse beat beat beat beat
It’s like a trigger, get me ready to shoot
Wanna wrestle with me baby
Here’s a sneak, little peek
You can dominate the game cause I’m tough
I don’t play around that often
When I do, I’m a freak
So you’d better believe I like it rough
Hold me down and make me scream
Lay me on the floor
Turn me on and take me out
Make me beg for more

The lyrics above exemplify the oppurtunity for multiple interpretations, with the more senxual literal contents of the song at an odds with the brutal, savage imagery conjoured up by it's lyrics.This, in turn, will offer a more interesting video, i feel. The song is below:

Initial planning

My music video will not follow a concept-based narrative yet it shall also not be directly performance based. There will be no specific storyline present in the music video, yet there will be a narrative which follows the protagonist from the start and reaches somewhat of a conclusion, concerning the character, within the three set locations. Whilst the subject will not be performing directly for the viewer, as seen in many music videos, but there will be an element of performance, which shall not be directed towards the camera or viewer, but will involve the character singing and acting in accordance to the lyrics. The music video, I propose, for the song Flesh by Simon Curtis, will take place in three settings: within a bedroom, the woodland setting and a more urbanised high-street area/car park (see set photos).

The protagonist will be a female. Whilst this works from a practical persepctive in that girls are more theatrical and likely to participate in the ideas I have set out for my music video, it also works in challenging the conventions of a typical music video in that the artist and the subject delivering the lyrics, within the music video, will be at odds with one another. Whilst this concept would seem contrived and nonsensical were it attributed to a bubblegum pop video, the twisted nature of the song itself, allows for this extreme video narrative and is on trend with many other non-conformist type music video for electronic songs.

...

Post based on research conclusions

The research conclusions were as follows:

·         More people are influenced to buy music by the track’s video than those who aren’t.

This shows the importance a music video has in a song’s success. Whilst the aim of my promo is not actually to promote a song and try and garner chart success, what must remain a focus is to try and add another dimension to a song, through visual aspects, in a way that makes the song more connective/accessible to the viewer.

·         Pop is the most popular genre of music amongst 17-18 year olds, followed closely by R&B.

This was obvious from the offset really, as the popularity of pop music is even reflected in its title. I was always going to produce a pop music promo, however, as I feel that in line with typical music video promos, pop music often offers the greatest outlet for creative work.

·         17-18 year olds prefer music videos which follow a concept-based narrative to those that are performance based.

This, again, was a predictable result in that 17-18 year olds are more inclined to prefer the eye catching spectacle of a concept based narrative than a more simple, stripped back performance video. This was my intention all along and now my promo will definitely follow a concept-based narrative.

·         Around half of the people who participated watch music videos on a daily basis.

This will not necessarily directly influence my promo, but it, once again, works to show the importance of music videos and how influential they are amongst my target audience of 17-18 year olds.

·         ‘Fun’ was the most popular word used to describe pop music.

Although it is wrong to group all pop music within this light, as a lot of popular music is not reflective of this high-energy, campy persona (e.g. the success of Adele’s music) my promo will most likely be light-hearted and coincide with an up-tempo song.

·         Out of the ten music videos provided, when asked to name their favourite, 2 80s videos were chosen, 5 00s videos were chosen and 3 videos from 2010 onwards.

This goes to show that unlike the often fickle taste of 17-18 year olds in music, the perception of a good music video is something which lasts, highlighted by the inclusion of the iconic Thriller and Like a Prayer videos.

·         When asked to name a video that the participant feels most embodies the ideals of pop music videos , Rihanna was the most popular artists with 3/10 participants choosing her videos (S&M, Unfaithful, Only Girl)

This may highlight the fact that people’s perception of what is a good music video is often reflective of the most popular music. Rihanna is arguably the most popular act, in music, amongst 17-18 year olds, and whilst the videos themselves are very good, it is a testament to the fact that the promos which gain the most attention/praise from this demographic are those which accompany the most successful pop acts.

·         Here was no clear conclusion when asking if people were influences by magazine advertisements as the votes were split evenly.

·         The inclusion of “Hits featured on the album” was voted the most persuasive method on magazine advertisements.

This shows the importance of individual songs in influencing people to buy albums , which in turn are influences by music videos, once again highlighting the importance of a good video in the album sales of an artist. This also shows how essential it is that I stick to all of the conventions of magazines.

·         60% of the participants are persuaded to purchase music based on the album cover.

This, again, highlights the importance of said aspect and the need to make a successful cover which both follows the conventions of pop album covers whilst reflecting the content of the album successfully, also.

·         ‘Face Shots’ and ‘Provocative poses’ were the most popular types of album cover.

Obviously, this indicates that the type of album cover I should produce is a simply face-shot cover, in line with those typically seen with female popstars (which is the video/artist I shall be using, for my promo).

·         Of the 10 given ‘Album covers participants enjoyed’ 2 were 80s covers, 1 was a 00s cover and the remaining seven covers were from 2010 onwards.

This suggests that it is far harder for album covers to make the lasting impression, amongst  17 – 18 year olds, and that there is less importance towards a record’s success with album covers, than there is with music videos and that it is harder for an album cover to gain iconic status. The album covers present, are not in line with the other results in that only one "face shot" is present, in comparison to the numerous eye catching and colourful covers, that were otherwise chosen.

Secondary audience research

"A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos date back much further, they came into prominence in the 1980s, when MTV based their format around the medium."


The history of music videos


Music videos were sparsely used prior to the 1980s, and were known uner various terms such as "promo videos" and "musical film". However, in the 1980s, music videos went mainstream with the beginning of MTV - 24 hour music on demand, celebrating the form of music videos. Michael Jackson's Thriller revolutionised modern music videos, in 1983, becoming the most succcessful and iconic music video of all time, as well as setting new standards in terms of costs and production of music videos. The MTV awards were launched, in the following year; the first of their kind, celebrating the importance of music videos. VH1 launched a few years later, catering to an older audience, and broadening the demographic at which music videos were aimed. During the next 20 years, many music videos would pioneer new techniques of music video production, invloving darker themes, animation, controversial subject matters, celebrity stars and juxtaposition of song and video.


In 2005, the introduction of YouTube and social networking meant that not only was it easier for consumers to access music videos but also made it easier for unknown stars to make their own videos known, with social networking playing a pivotal role in the careers of pop stars such as Lily Allen and Justin Bieber, and YouTube helping to attract worldwide attention towards acts like Ok Go!, as a result of innovative music videos.

Further research

To further my understanding of my target audience and ensure that I recieved results which truly reflected a proper opinion regarding pop music (from people with a fully comprehensive understanding of the subject) I felt it important to use the internet to gather research information from a larger audience. To do this I included the more specifically pop orientated questions of the original survey and used them to make a new survey on http://www.surveymonkey.com/ which allowed me to reach a larger audience. I then posted a link to this survey on the forum of the pop blog (www.popjustice.com/forum) which directed me to the initial song and requested that people (as these people are the type to take the survey more seriously and deliver useful and more thoughtful answers than disinteresting teenagers in a casual setting) take part in the essay. I decided to come back to the survey four days later to see how the response to the question had developed.

The survey itself can be viewed here.

After leaving the survey for four days, I came back to analyse the sixteen responses it had recieved and the following were the useful results, which have bettered my understanding.

1. 9 of the sixteen candidates were aged between 18-23, with a further 4 participants aged under thirty and only 1 aged 32.

This implies that even at a more intermediate level of pop appreciation, the genre is quite age specific and closely associated with younger people. This is an important piece of information in that it allows me to cater for two different demographics (teenagers and hardcore pop fans) in the knowledge that the two do not encroach upon one another.

2. When asked to provide an album cover they enjoyed, 7 of the sixteen candidates stated the cover of Beyonce's '4'.

This was the most pleasing of the results for me in that it shows pop fans having a great level of appreciation for what is essentially an image of a female looking strong and forceful, which is directly the image the protagonist in my video will convey. The results showed previously that 9 of the 16 candidates were men, and so it is telling that the high angle shot of Beyonce looking fiercely out into the distance, with little in the way of actual clothing would be appreciated. This would help me in the construction of my own ancillary products and video, and the way inwhich females would be presented.

3. 15 of the 16 participants stated that they preferred concept based narratives in pop videos,

This displayed the same results as were evident in my own research and so confirmed that, although elements of performance should be evident in the delivery of the song's lyrics, it would be important to maintain a strong narrative and sense of progression throughout the video.

4. When asked to give an example of a contemporary music video the participant enjoyed 25% of the responses pointed towards Lady GaGa's 'Judas' video.

What was most useful about this response was that it showed how pop fans react strongly to a video with multiple set locations, colourised scenes, dance routines and elements of performance from the protagonist, all of which I intend to include, as seen in my original draft of the video.

Apart from the overwhelming responses of these questions which point towards acts such as Beyonce and Lady GaGa, however, the singular responses were incredibly useful in that they pointed towards acts such as Chapel Club, Robyn, Charlie XCX and Cassie all of whom embody the idea of non-mainstream pop with a more cult following which allows for more intense, dark imagery than artists like Britney Spears and Katy Perry who represent ideals such as the 'All American Sweetheart'. Through researching the more unknown artists which the forum users enjoyed I was made aware of the boundaries such acts push in their sound and imagery and why this is embraced by this sort of fan.

Questionnaire Results - Pt. 3

4. What is your preferred type of music video?

The aim of this question was to distinguish if people prefer a story-driven concept or a performance based music video. As one would expect, the conceptual narrative was the favourited type of video, which refelcts the fact that this type of video is commonly associated with pop music and this was voted the most popular tpe of genre.

5. How often do you watch music videos?

The answer to this question reflects how important people feel music videos are and to what degree they enjoy them. The highest proportion of answers indicated that people watch music videos every day, which in hand with the age range of 17-18 year olds, indicates the high levels of relevance music videos have on this group.

6. What is your favourite music video?

The following are the 10 examples of music videos which the participants named as their ten favourites. It is important to note that, despite the fact that 4 out of 10 participants named their preferred type of video as performance based and 4 out of the following ten videos are performance based, their is little individual correlation between those who like performance based videos and those who chose one as their favourite video (and vise-versa), indicating that the music videos which most grab people's attention are often not those which conform to their usual taste.

Madonna - Like A Prayer

OK GO! - Here It Goes Again

Rihanna - Rude Boy

Christina Aguilera - Dirrty (feat. Redman)

Michael Jackson - Thriller

Lady GaGa - Telephone (feat. Beyoncé)

tATu - All The Things She Said

Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me

Katy Perry - California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)

Akon - Lonely

7. What 3 words come to mind when you think of pop music?

FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN

COLOURFUL, COLOURFUL

HIP, BOLD, BANGING, RAUNCHY

PERFORMANCE, CATCHY, STARDOM

DRAMATIC, DANCE, GLAMOUR, LIVELY

COOL, POPULAR, SHOCKING, WOW,

CORNY, POWERFUL, CLUB, SWAG

BUBBLY, FAME, GIRLS, HAPPY

 X FACTOR

8. Give an example of a contemporary music video which you feel embodies the ideals of pop music.

The following examples were given, in response to this question.

Rihanna - Only Girl (In The World)

Taylor Swift - Mean

Rihanna - Unfaithful

Lady GaGa -Poker Face

Rihanna - S&M

Bruno Mars - Grenade

LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem

Jessie J - Do It Like A Dude

Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)

Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)

Questionnaire Results - Pt. 2

The following are the ten album covers, which were selected by the participants when asked to "Name an album cover you [they] enjoy".