Peer Review .1- Leah Brine
Peer Review .2- Katie Lapworth
Teacher Review- Lawrie Winn
Questionnaire
1. What gender are you? (circle one)
Male/ Female
2.What age bracket do you fall in? (select one)
[] 13-15 [] 16-18 [] 19-21 [] 22-24
3.What do you feel the strongest part of the video is?
_________________________________________
4.What do you feel the weakest part of the video is?
_________________________________________
5.Please rate the following... (1-5:poor-excelent)(please circle)
narrative 1 2 3 4 5
live footage 1 2 3 4 5
storyline footage 1 2 3 4 5
lighting 1 2 3 4 5
sound quality 1 2 3 4 5
mise-en-scene 1 2 3 4 5
cuts/ transitions 1 2 3 4 5
added effects 1 2 3 4 5
variance of shots 1 2 3 4 5
interest 1 2 3 4 5
6. Which do you feel is the strongest part of the poster? (please circle)
images/ colour scheme/ layout/ text
7.Which do you feel is the weakest part of the poster? (please circle)
images/ colour scheme/ layout/ text
8. Which do you feel is the strongest part of the digi pack? (please circle)
images/ colour scheme/ layout/ text
9.Which do you feel is the weakest part of the digi pack? (please circle)
images/ colour scheme/ layout/ text
My Response To The Feedback Gathered
Who are your target audience?
My target audience are predominantly fans of the indie or singer/songwriter genre as these are the two genres Taygan’s music (and this song) fall into. However considering the Taygan’s age and the stereotypical age of indie fans, I would say that this video is targeted more at the 13-24 age bracket. Because they are of a similar age to Taygan as a result they have more in common with her and can relate to her more. Additionally it is increasingly important to younger generations that they follow trends and as “indie” style is in fashion at the moment, this inadvertently makes the video more appealing. Furthermore this age bracket is wide enough to include teens as well as young adults, all of which make up the majority of social networkers on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram therefore increasing their potential exposure to the video more than any other age bracket. Finally I also believe that the song is unisex but appeals more to the female sex as the lyrics are from a female point of view and the video itself reflects that through romanticised lighting and an emotive storyline form the female perspective.
1. What gender are you? I asked 6:14, men:women in my sample of 20; as the video is perhaps more suited to a female market I didn't see this as an issue as it probably reflects the videos target audience more honestly.
2. What age bracket do you fall in? 95% of my sample are age between 16 and 21 as this is the age bracket the majority of both my and Taygan's friends fall into. This is relevant as they initially they will be the first to judge the video and only if they like the video will it start to trend and spread via social networks thus becoming more popular. Additionally this is the age segment of most of Taygan's fan base.
3.What do you feel the strongest part of the video is? The feedback concluded that the strongest component of the video is the editing– specifically the added effects including some of the more interesting transitions between takes. The overall consensus -including the peer review from Leah- is that the shot where two pieces of footage, of Taygan singing are overlaid is the best part of the video as it gives a double perspective and whilst being aesthetically pleasing. Another strong point highlighted by the sample is the section of footage when a shot of the candles is overlaid, at a lower opacity, over the top of other footage during a transition. The sample believed that the variation of transitions was one of the elements that stopped the video from becoming boring, for example they also liked the final transitions between the three shots at the end than pans and fades in a 360 degree motion. I also personally like this final shot as it slows the pace of the video down well and is visually appealing. Two peer reviewers who expressly liked the shot when the floating light disks are added, mirror these views. To conclude the quirky touches added to the video not only make it more compelling but also make the viewers perceive it to be more professional.
4.What do you feel the weakest part of the video is? To summarise the response to this question the weakest part of the video is the variance in shots in the performance footage. Members of the sample felt that the angles and type of shot could have changed more to show more of the performance. I agree, I would have liked to filmed more alternative shots, for example a 360 degree pan around Taygan or some extreme close ups of her eyes during the live performance (as indicated in my storyboard) but due to time constraints and other factors I was unable to film these shots. Instead I used the “Ken Burns” function on Final Cut Pro X –usually found in iMovie- to add movement and change the framing of the footage I had, to try and making it more exciting. On the other hand they felt that the shopping centre footage was very pleasing as it showcased multiple angles, settings and types of shot. Katie, one of my peer reviewers, expressed that she liked the close-ups of the guitar as she believe that they helped make the video resemble conventional music videos.
5. The added effects proved to be the strongest element of the video according to my sample, which reflects the comments made in question 3.
9.Which do you feel is the weakest part of the digi pack? 55% of the sample felt that the text was the weakest section of the digi pack, regardless of the positive praise towards the font style, but because it is sometimes hard to read when made really small (referring to the copyright text). I don’t think this is an overriding issue as many of the digi packs I analysed had text that was difficult to read because of its size on the backs with regards to the copyright section as it is not normally a feature that the typical fan reads and is just there for legal reasons.
My target audience are predominantly fans of the indie or singer/songwriter genre as these are the two genres Taygan’s music (and this song) fall into. However considering the Taygan’s age and the stereotypical age of indie fans, I would say that this video is targeted more at the 13-24 age bracket. Because they are of a similar age to Taygan as a result they have more in common with her and can relate to her more. Additionally it is increasingly important to younger generations that they follow trends and as “indie” style is in fashion at the moment, this inadvertently makes the video more appealing. Furthermore this age bracket is wide enough to include teens as well as young adults, all of which make up the majority of social networkers on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram therefore increasing their potential exposure to the video more than any other age bracket. Finally I also believe that the song is unisex but appeals more to the female sex as the lyrics are from a female point of view and the video itself reflects that through romanticised lighting and an emotive storyline form the female perspective.
For the reasons above I have chosen to only ask people within this age bracket for their response to this video, with regards to my questionnaire, as I feel it will give me more accurate results.
The moody stares and expressions coupled with the emotional clips combine to create a video that is stereotypically too sensitive to be considered truly suited to both men and women. This is cemented by the fact the protagonist is a girl: therefore aligning with the female viewers perspective and unfortunately portraying the male character (not physically shown) in a negative light disengaging and disfavoring male viewers. However when considering the meaning and crux of the song (bad relationships), both genders are equally able to relate to it and it all the more relevant due to their personal experiences, making the video more engaging.
3.What do you feel the strongest part of the video is? The feedback concluded that the strongest component of the video is the editing– specifically the added effects including some of the more interesting transitions between takes. The overall consensus -including the peer review from Leah- is that the shot where two pieces of footage, of Taygan singing are overlaid is the best part of the video as it gives a double perspective and whilst being aesthetically pleasing. Another strong point highlighted by the sample is the section of footage when a shot of the candles is overlaid, at a lower opacity, over the top of other footage during a transition. The sample believed that the variation of transitions was one of the elements that stopped the video from becoming boring, for example they also liked the final transitions between the three shots at the end than pans and fades in a 360 degree motion. I also personally like this final shot as it slows the pace of the video down well and is visually appealing. Two peer reviewers who expressly liked the shot when the floating light disks are added, mirror these views. To conclude the quirky touches added to the video not only make it more compelling but also make the viewers perceive it to be more professional.
4.What do you feel the weakest part of the video is? To summarise the response to this question the weakest part of the video is the variance in shots in the performance footage. Members of the sample felt that the angles and type of shot could have changed more to show more of the performance. I agree, I would have liked to filmed more alternative shots, for example a 360 degree pan around Taygan or some extreme close ups of her eyes during the live performance (as indicated in my storyboard) but due to time constraints and other factors I was unable to film these shots. Instead I used the “Ken Burns” function on Final Cut Pro X –usually found in iMovie- to add movement and change the framing of the footage I had, to try and making it more exciting. On the other hand they felt that the shopping centre footage was very pleasing as it showcased multiple angles, settings and types of shot. Katie, one of my peer reviewers, expressed that she liked the close-ups of the guitar as she believe that they helped make the video resemble conventional music videos.
5. The added effects proved to be the strongest element of the video according to my sample, which reflects the comments made in question 3.
The live performance footage, lighting and sound quality all came in joint second. My peer reviewers remarked on how they liked that the sound track sounded like an acustic version of the track.
Although mise-en-scene in general was one of the poorest features of the video, the sample had high praise for the lighting throughout and particularly liked the atmospheric lighting created by the candles and the artistic lighting shots e.g. pull focus and glare. Katie, one of my peer reviewers, felt that the lighting looked "soft", "gentle" and "warm" which creates an intimate feel and makes the video seem inviting. She also commented on the juxtaposed contrast created between the two types of footage by the difference in lighting and how that adds entertainment.
The live performance footage was preferred to the storyline footage as the viewers felt that it looked more professional and better quality. I agree. I feel that the storyline footage is sometimes pixelated due to a frame sizing issue when recording the footage. I also think that the TV studio is better suited for filming in and is a conventional set for a music video therefore making it initially more professional looking anyway. Finally on this matter I also feel that we were still getting used to the camera on the first shoot at the shopping centre and if I had the opportunity to re-do the project I would re-shoot this element of the video.
The storyline footage hinged on the narrative, which got ok marks from the sample. Including the male character visually in the video would definitely have added to the storyline and would also boost the interest marks received for the video as viewers felt that it would increase the significance of the storyline. Unfortunately within the time span and with the difficulties we had getting hold of Taygan, filming more footage wasn’t possible. They did nevertheless like the mixture of performance and storyline as it gave them more diversity and kept them absorbed. Moreover they thought the storyline fitted well with the song and visually represented the lyrics with clarity.
Even though the marks for transitions and cuts were average, when questioned about the element the response was very positive. Viewers appreciated that the shots cut on beat exaggerating and highlighting the song’s changes in pace. And liked that the takes themselves weren’t too long and changed quickly, keeping up the momentum of the song and engrossing them further.
Variance of shot is shown to be the weakest feature of the video- as reflected in question 4.
6.Which do you feel is the strongest part of the poster?Most of the sample recognised the intentional resemblance between the poster design and Banksy’s “Girl with a red balloon”. They all liked the idea and believed that it made the piece more thought provoking which is good, as it means that it is more affective as an advertisement as it generates a response in the viewer that makes them think about the piece for longer and therefore pay more attention to the content. Those who didn’t pick up on the similarities still liked the design as they felt that the composition is a good metaphor for the song. For these reasons the sample felt that the imagery was the strongest part of the design. They also decided that the combination of the three images (Taygan, the balloon and the wall) worked well together and appreciated the saturated/ gradient effects applied to the photo. The colour scheme came in second due to the fact viewers felt that the effects helped the poster fit with industry stereotypes and they liked the simplicity. They felt that using bright, over-the top colours would put off any possible male fans and also suit a much younger teenage market deterring the older section of the age bracket from considering the video as anything they could potentially be a follower of as it would seem un-cool and childish.
7.Which do you feel is the weakest part of the poster? It was agreed that the weakest part of the design was the layout. I agree with the sample that the positioning of the quoted text is wrong and should be right aligned to create a more structured and aesthetically pleasing layout. Those who felt the image was the weakest part of the design said that the shot of Taygan was too far away. I also think this and if I was to re-do the project I would encourage Taygan to smile/ be more emotive during the photo session as she seems a little lifeless. This would allow me to use a slightly closer shot of her on the digi pack cover and a mid shot of her, holding the same style pose, on the poster design.
8.Which do you feel is the strongest part of the digi pack? The reaction shows that the photography in the digi pack is the strongest element. The sample thought that the photos in the lyric book helped create continuity between the performance and the digi pack and moreover had an artistic and “beautiful” outcome. Likewise the image on the back cover of just Taygan’s feet as she ‘floats away’ was not lost on the sample and they enjoyed the humour and fun aspect of this feature. I consider the digi pack to be a good reflection of Taygan as it shows the more emotional side of her expressed through her lyrics in the lyric book photos and the cheeky side of her personality through the eccentric element on the back cover of the digi pack.
As the reviewers and sample I asked are all appropriately aged in relation to tis video the aspects that appealed to them should in theory also appeal to the larger target audience.
How have you attempted to target your target audience?Throughout creating this project I have tried to tailor it to the needs and desires of my target audience to maximise the videos appeal.For example, the shopping centre location was chosen in part because it is a common place for young people to hang out. If I were creating a video targeted at an older audience I would have chosen an environment more typical to them as this helps the viewer link with the video.Where would people imagine your productions would be viewed / read / bought?As well as the for-mentioned, (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram) the video can be shared via links and hype on similar internet based networking/sharing sites. If the video/ Taygan were to become more popular at a later stage the video could also be seen on music chart shows and channels e.g. MTV etc. This would expose the video to a much wider audience that doesn't characteristically fit the profile of Taygan's typical fans. As for the poster, conventional album advertisements are seen in music magazines (such as NME) and in places with large amounts of footfall (such as undergrounds, billboards and bus stops). Consequently I think it would be appropriate for my poster to be shown in similar places as these are areas where the target audience are likely to see the advertisement. The digi pack would be seen in store as the tangible digi pack itself and the cover would also be shown on iTunes with the downloadable version of the track.
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