Focus Group Analysis

I used Gemma and Kirsten as my focus group because they listen to indie and pop music and therefore would be able to answer my questions. I asked them about music videos and their opinions on them. They both agreed that they watch two or three music videos per week. This is a good amount for them to be able to answer my questions and give a rounded response to the video I showed them. When I asked them why they watched music videos, Gemma said that she wanted to see whether they match the song. This is something I can take and use when I plan my own music video. I will need to look at the lyrics and the tone of the song to create a video that matches. I went on to ask why it was important for the video to match the song and they replied that the video won’t make sense otherwise. This would make it less enjoyable and therefore wouldn't be very popular so wouldn't fit its purpose of promoting the song and the artist. This is why it is really important that my own music video matches the song. I decided I wanted my music video to be narrative based because I think that will make it more interesting so I needed to find out whether people preferred to see the artist/band members or actors in the video. Both Gemma and Kirsten preferred seeing the artist or band members in the video because they thought that it made more sense to have them featuring rather than random other people. For my own video, I now have to decide whether I want the artist to feature in the video as part of the narrative or just separately singing.

As part of my questioning I showed them the music video for Overjoyed by Bastille. They liked it because “it was mysterious and interesting.” This implies that there were a lot of enigma codes throughout the video. This is something that I can include in my own video because it will make the video more engaging and therefore increase the interest in the song. Although they said they liked the video at the start they said that the narrative wasn't very clear which meant they didn't quite understand the video and therefore didn't enjoy it as much as they could have. They said this was due to the narrative only really focusing on one character which made it a bit boring. For my own video I will need to think about making the narrative well structured and clear and maybe include more characters so that it keeps the audience interested. Gemma gave the example of Katy Perry’s music video for Last Friday Night saying it was really good because there were lots of people involved. I don’t think we will be able to replicate that in our own video but it is an interesting point that can help when thinking about how many actors and actresses we will need.

I wanted to know if there were any specific things that they liked to see in music videos and they concluded that they liked it when aesthetically pleasing boys are featured in the video. They said this made it more enjoyable for them. I don’t think this is a necessity for our own video because I think it is possible to make an attention grabbing video through other factors like enigma codes, the setting and the narrative.

It is essential that the music video promoted the band so it was interesting that Kirsten and Gemma thought that this music video didn’t help to promote Bastille at all. They said that because their name didn’t appear and because we didn’t see any of the band members in it, it wasn’t promoting them very well. The only sign that this was one of their music videos was their trademark triangle logo which briefly appeared at the start. For my own video I need to make it clear who the artist is and preferable have them appear in the video so it is clear to the audience who the artist is so they can relate the song to them. 

Focus Group Video

Questions for focus group

Questionnaire Results

From the results I received in my questionnaire I found that no matter what the genre, the answers people gave for the different questions were quite similar. People gave a huge range of examples of music videos that they liked by artists like The 1975, Clean Bandit, Vampire Weekend and Beyonce.

When asked why they watch music videos there were a couple of popular answers. The main answer was for entertainment. Watching the music video for a song makes them enjoy it more. People also replied that they watched them when a new song was released because they wanted to see what the musicians/artist look like. The outfits in music videos tend to be the latest fashions (depending on the genre) but this was also a point of interest for some people. A really important point that one person made was that by watching the music video, you can understand the meaning of the song from the band’s point of view. This is something I want to put emphasis on in my own music video.

The majority of people said they used YouTube to watch music videos but there are some other sites that can be used to access them. The music channel on TV was the other common answer that people gave to this question.

                                                                                                      

From the results I discovered that the place to watch music videos tends to be at home alone, or when people are with their friends. Technology allows us to watch music videos almost anywhere we want and that is thanks to smart phones, tablets, laptops and televisions. These were the devices that were listed by almost every person who completed my questionnaire.

For the people who like seeing narrative in a music video, I wanted to find out what sort of characters they like to see. The general consensus was that they want to see characters that they can relate to. One interesting comment was, “the characters can be of all ages/types as long as it relates to the song.” This is something I also agree with and want to include in my own music video as I think it will improve the understanding of the song. One person said they liked it when the characters were of a similar age to themselves as it helped them to relate to it. This is something I will need to think about when choosing actors for my own video. Although narrative characters are included, some people also wanted the band members to appear as part of the narrative. A few answers also mentioned that they enjoyed the videos more if there were visually appealing characters involved. I don’t think this is a necessity for my own video but it is interesting to see how the appearance of the characters affects whether people like a music video or not.

On my questionnaire I also asked whether people had any other ideas about what they liked to see in music videos. This gave a huge range of answers. People wanted to see artistic visuals, originality, contemporary ideas and various interesting locations. I also think it is important to using different locations because it makes the video interesting and keeps the audience captivated. Someone also said that the visuals need to, “relate to the lyrics.” This is very important and is definitely something I will be thinking about when planning my music video. 

Since people tend to watch music videos for enjoyment, it isn’t surprising that people disliked seeing violence, swearing, abuse or people getting hurt. These all create a negative tone and were the only things mentioned when I asked what people didn’t like to see in music videos.

 

From the pie chart you can see that 60% of people that I asked preferred to watch music videos that include both narrative and footage of the band/artist. This figure has helped me decide that this is what I will conclude in my own music video.

Questionnaire for music video

My Target Audience

 

Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love analysis

The video begins with the typical convention of an extended narrative where we hear a police siren and see a policeman walking into a building. This is followed by a shot of a girl lying on a bed with angel wings and an arrow in her neck. Her death and the way she is pictured with wings creates an enigmatic start to the music video and makes you want to continue watching. It also allows the flashback to begin so we can understand how this character got to this state. We see a long shot of the same girl but without wings and alive sitting on the bed in her room on her own. This is very similar to Bastille’s music video of Overjoyed because that began with a flashback of a girl lying alone on her bed. Both Bastille and Ed Sheeran are in the same genre, indie/pop. The only difference is that in this video the girl is sitting rather than lying and the mise en scene. The room is reasonably empty and very monotone, making the scene dull and depressing. We immediately sense that this girl is unhappy but we aren't yet aware why. We are shown this through shots of couples in love and shots of photographs of couples. They are crossed with shot of the girl sitting on her bed which emphasises her loneliness and possibly her desire for love.

 

We see a close up of tools which indicates they will become significant to the narrative. This is similar to the close ups of the objects in the childish bedroom in Overjoyed, but it is different because this close up is pointing out their significance whereas in Overjoyed the focus was on them to set the scene and give information about the main character. Next we see a shot of two wooden human body figures which appear to be holding one another. This shot replicates the lyrics at that moment, “No, I just wanna hold ya.” This connection makes the song seem more personal and connects the song to the story. The girl soon begins to scratch at her back and we see shots with fast edits of her from different angles scratching at her back. The fast editing illustrates her frustration and she eventually pulls out a feather covered in blood. The contrast of the white feather and the red blood is effective because not only is it enigmatic but the colour contrast makes it dramatic and intense. From Barthes narrative code we could infer that the white represents goodness and the red foreshadows an oncoming danger.

 

Next we see blurred shots of the girl now with angel wings. The shots are not in focus which is similar to Overjoyed where a dreamlike effect is created. It makes us think of fantasy which is true since there is an intertextual reference to Cupid in this video. The close ups of the tools had been included because this is what the girl used to make her bow and arrow for her role as Cupid. Shortly after this, we see shots of the girl looking into a cafe where Ed Sheeran himself is sitting. He does this in a lot of his other music videos, appearing but not as a central character. This convention of a bit part player is important because it reminds the viewer that this video is about promoting him and his song. However, because he doesn’t have a significant role in the piece and we don’t see him singing at any point, the video is still narrative based.

 

The girl appears to have these supernatural powers as we see small explosions of light when she shoots the arrows at people, binding them together with love. This theme of the supernatural is supported by a low angle shot of the clock tower at night time which has the clouds moving very fast in the background. The moon is out and it connotes all sorts of mythical stories like those about werewolves and creatures that emerge when there is a full moon. This all adds to the fantasy of this narrative.

There is a long shot of the girl/Cupid standing in an alleyway in front of a bright light. This means we can only see her silhouette and it emphasises her confidence and power. This change in body language, from hunched over at the start to standing strong also shows the strength that these powers have given her. However, her face remains solemn throughout the entire video and this indicates that she still feels unhappy and alone.

Once the song has finished, the video returns to the extended narrative and we see the policeman moving towards the girl. Now that we understand the narrative we can understand that she has an arrow in her neck because she shot herself in hope that she will find a partner for herself. We see the same explosion of light and Cupid then opens her eyes when the policeman is near. She has found her love and we see a blurred close up of the man, as if we are in the eyes of Cupid and this is her vision. This is effective because although the music has finished, the extended narrative puts an emphasis on the story and concludes it with that final message of love which is exactly what the song is about.

Bastille - Overjoyed analysis

This music video consists of a narrative driven story focused around one character, a young girl. We see her in the first shot, an extreme long shot using a hand held camera, as if someone is watching her. This focus on a character makes it clear that the video is narrative based rather than performance. The trademark Bastille triangle appears layered across the next medium shot of the girl. Just like in all other Bastille music videos, the sign appears at the beginning and the end of the song. It flashes, appearing very fast which alerts the audience and makes it obvious that this is a Bastille music video, not a film. The triangle symbol with no text implies that the band expect the audience to recognise them. It also allows the flashback in the music video to begin.

For this flashback we see a high angle shot of the girl in a child’s bedroom lying in the bed. She is surrounded by toys, making her seem innocent and childlike. This shot is followed by a close up of a book which is covered in wax and looks old and scratched. It doesn't match the room it is in making it stand out. The focus on this particular item implies that it is a key prop in the storyline. It also makes the music video enigmatic because the audience want to know what is in the book and why the girl has it. This shot is contrasted again with a close up of a necklace with a religious cross representing purity, faith and once again making the girl seem innocent. The mis en scene and acting is what creates the narrative and atmosphere in this music video. There is another close up of a doll in the bedroom. This focus on that particular prop makes it seem significant, creating an enigma code. The only reason we see a close up of it at the start is because we see a close up of it at the end with its eye missing. By the end of the video we understand that the girl is leaving part of her life behind which could be represented by this doll with a missing eye, which makes the initial close up significant.

 

Shortly after we see another close up of white petals laying on another book in her room. Just like the girl is wearing a pale pink nightdress, these light colours could be interpreted through Barthés narrative code to replicate her innocence and purity. All of these symbols of virtue and goodness at the start of the music video imply that something is going to change in the narrative. The main character is walking around outside barefoot with her eyes closed. It makes the audience question whether she is sleepwalking or perhaps in a trance. This dreamlike narrative matches the lyrics of “calling in the dead of the night.” This implies that the girl is being lead by someone, perhaps her old self. The lyrics also mention “words” which commonly are linked to books and her book in particular which the audience are still questioning. Andrew Goodwin emphasises the importance of relating the lyrics of a song to the visuals. He claims the images should illustrate the meaning of the lyrics and the genre and that is exactly what this music video does.

 

Some of the shots in the music video are not in focus which supports the idea that this video is dreamlike and illusionary. The main character is shown to be walking with the book all through the night and into the following day which is very unnatural and therefore gives the impression she is in a trance.

 One minute into the music video we see a close up of a lit cigarette followed shortly by a shot of a girl smoking. It contrasts with all the other previous shots and it is implied that this is the same girl but it isn’t clear. It makes the audience question who this girl is and why she is being shown, making them want to continue watching the music video. This interesting narrative draws the viewer in and making them connect with the song and gain an interest in the band. The shot of the girl smoking is reversed so the smoke seems to be re-entering her mouth. This suggests that the character wants the action reversed and perhaps regrets her past. We see a long shot of the girl walking down the street in her dream like state in her night dress but we see a fast edit of the same girl dressed in black walking in the same place. This is how we know that the girl smoking earlier is the same girl as the innocently pictured one and that she had been walking down that same street on a different occasion. This is the past she is referring to and we link it to the book because the book matches the mis en scene and costume of the girl. The book is black which matches the darkness of the night in which we see in the shots of the girl. We also see extreme close ups of her eye, showing that she is wearing dark eye makeup which also matches the colour of the book.

 

There isn’t much fast action in this music video as the girl only ever walks or is standing still. This matches the atmosphere created by the song. The shots also tend to be longer which always goes with the slower song as it enables the viewer to dwell on what is being shown and to create enigma codes. We see a long shot of the girl walking into darkness of the woods. This is a key convention because the darkness implies danger and negativity. Nearly halfway through the music video the music stops and we see a medium shot of the back of the girl in the daytime. It creates a dramatic pause and allows a jump of scene to daytime. She enters the wood and buries the book, as if she wants to hide it away. It creates the idea that she has had a negative past that she wants to leave behind which makes the audience intrigued to find out what that past was. Because the audience don’t know all the details about the book it makes the video very enigmatic and therefore interesting.

This music video is supposedly inspired by the American television series Twin Peaks. The main character is meant to represent Laura Palmer, a character in the American series which is actually the name of another Bastille song. This intertextuality is effective because it adds an interesting twist to the narrative which will engage a larger audience and therefore increase the video and the song’s popularity.

Overall this is an effective music video because although there is a clear narrative, the audience have to interpret the visuals and conventions themselves in order to understand the meaning. This could be subjective and vary from person to person which makes the video interesting and possible to watch numerous times without getting boring. 

R.E.M - Everybody Hurts analysis

 

One of the first shots we see establishes the scene. We see the road filled with cars stuck in traffic. This is the first sign of people being stuck in the same position which links to the lyrics which describe everyone going through pain at some point in their lives. It also implies that the song relates to lots of people, not just one particular group. This is developed later on in the video when we see shots of people of all different ages and

At the start of the song we see shots of the band members in a car. This is key to the music video because its prime purpose is to publicise the band as well as their song. We are only shown shots of the sides of their faces, shots of their backs and the side of their bodies. This makes them seem undistinguishable and therefore more relatable for people watching the video. It makes them seem like ordinary people and allows the audience to empathise with them and the situation they are in. It also makes the video enigmatic since we don't see a clear shot of their faces since they are always looking away. This makes the audience question why the band are in the car and what message they are trying to deliver since it seems as if they are keeping something hidden.

Throughout the video we are shown various shots of lots of different people, accompanied by a subtitle which gives an insight into how they are feeling at that moment. All of these individual narratives are very different and vary in sincerity. The mixture of serious and humorous messages such as 'They're going to miss me' and 'Stop singing. Stop singing. Stop singing,' keeps the audience captivated since it creates an interest in the rest of the stories to follow. This interest in the narrative is effective because it makes the song more likeable and popular, therefore increasing sales and popularising the artist. The music video depicts a very diverse group of people – old, young, male, female, religious, different ethnicity – this makes is relatable to almost anyone who watches it. The more people can relate to it, the more interest they will pay to the video and therefore also to the song itself and the band.

When the lead singer begins to sing in the video, his performance becomes part of the narrative and everyone leaves their cars and decides to walk together. This represents their unity and links to the repetition of the word “everybody” in the lyrics. At this point the shots become much shorter and change more frequently to fit with the increase in tempo and to emphasise the climax of the narrative.

 

Religious iconography is key to this music video. The symbols subtly appear all the way through the video like a figure of Jesus in the back of the car, the man ripping pages out of a bible up on the bridge, and the shot of the lead singer lying on the car in a crucifix position. All of these symbols, along with the lyrics of “hold on” indicate that the overall message is that people should struggle through the pain but God is with them and will reward them. Because these symbols are so subtle it could mean that R.E.M are trying to make the point that God’s presence isn’t always obvious but he is always there regardless. Alternatively, it could be suggesting that people should seek support from others around them since everyone is suffering in their own way. 

 The narrative subtitles alongside shots of people helps to create the individual stories which feature in the narrative of this music video. Each person that we see a shot of has only one line to tell their story. This means that there was time to include lots of different characters and show the varying causes of grief and pain. This is effective because it means the video doesn't get boring and the audience are kept interested for the entire song.

The final part of the music video is a news report. The music has stopped and the report is showing the queue of cars that have been left on the road. It adds a sense of reality to the music video, making the situation seem like something that could actually happen. It also suggests that if people join together and unite then they can have a huge effect and make an impact on the world around them.