Half Term and Research Tasks

Production Diary #8

This week I have been concentrating on trying to finish the research tasks in order for me to properly start the planning tasks over the October half term. Today at school, we did a lot of research into one of the Ancillary Tasks that I have to complete as part of the coursework: the magazine advert. The magazine advert will be an advertisement for the album that the song is featured on. We looked at what was successful and what was not so successful over the past few years. Some features that our teacher said would be successful are: the font, design, technique used, and hierarchy.

Two tasks that I have completed this week are the research into the software and equipment that I am and will be using in the process of producing my music video and the tasks that go along with it, and also the research into my audience. Both of these tasks have been beneficial to the process of carrying out research as by looking into the equipment and software I will be using will help me keep a clear and structured plan of what I need to do and what I need to use to be able to carry the task out. Also, by looking into the demographic that fits with the music video will help me get an idea of what style I need to use such as colours, props and costumes. It would not be suitable for me to use bright colours such as yellow, oranges and pinks as it would not fit in with the Pop.Rock genre. When researching other videos by Maroon 5, the lighting is quite dark and the actors and actresses featured darker coloured clothing.

Over the October half term, I am hoping to start filming my music video. Today I signed out a camera for this purpose and also a steadicam in order to start the process of filming.

Audience Research

Who is the  targeted demographic for my Music Video?

The main demographic that fits with my music video will be that of fans of the artist of my chosen song - Maroon 5. I believe that this is a good idea as the song comes from the Top 10 Album - V - which is their latest release. However, the number one song 'Maps' has had a lot of radio play so will be familiar with many people, therefore this will also boost the reception of the video. Overall I believe that it will be targeted primarily at Maroon 5 fans, but secondarily targeted at Pop Rock fans aged from approximately 16-25 years old.

There is a possibility of it being targeted at an older demographic also because Maroon 5 formed in 1994, so people who were born in the 70's and 80's will also be familiar with their music and will possibly enjoy it if this is the genre of music that they enjoy. Even though the style of music that they produced has evolved over the years they have been present in the music industry, the familiarity of the artist will always be a great help. 

What are the listeners like?

I believe that the listeners of the music are likely to be students in either sixth form/college/university or currently in their first jobs. They might not have a lot of disposable income but will enjoy music gigs and concerts and shop in various places, from markets to higher end shops like Urban Outfitters and American Apparel. However, there is a pop element to Maroon 5's music so there could be fans of the Pop genre such as young teenage girls who will shop in places like Topshop and New Look. They might listen to other Pop Rock artists such as P!nk, Lifehouse and Avril Lavigne. 

Maroon 5 was formed in Los Angeles, California, USA, so it is likely that they have a very strong fan base on both sides of the Atlantic. Cracking both the USA and United Kingdom is a big move in an artist's career, and also with them being signed to such a big record label as well; Interscope, who have other artists signed to them such as ;

• The 1975
• The All American Rejects
• Black Eyed Peas
• Carly Rae Jepsen
• Gwen Stefani
• Far East Movement
• Lady Gaga
• LMFAO
• Madonna
• Lana Del Rey
• U2
• Zedd

How does researching my audience benefit my video?

Researching the demographic for my music video is a very important part of the pre-production process. The audience research above can be heavily applied to the target audience of Maroon 5 as well so the benefits of this is that as this is a song by them I can adapt certain aspects of their work to fit my style of work to be more successful. Overall, looking at the audience is key because if I do not outline who it is targeted at it could be completely wrong as, for example, someone who was a big fan of alternative rock music is not going to find a music video similar to that of Justin Bieber very appealing.

Software and Equipment

The main piece of software that I will be using when completing the editing of my music video is premiere pro CS6. This is a new piece of software that I will be using this year, as even though I have used it a couple of times in previous years, I have mainly used InDesign and Photoshop as the previous coursework that I have had to produce was print based. However, I have been using the software when preparing work for the exam, such as the analysis of Katy Perry's This Is How We Do in terms of narrative theory and seem to have the basics in terms of altering sound and adding text.

When filming the music video, I will be using the Canon 550d camera. I am familiar with these cameras as I  have been using them since Year 10. Since I began using these cameras I have developed a better knowledge in terms of how to use them and the different settings there are such as how to change the field of depth. When using these cameras in a studio, I use studio lights to better the quality of the shots.

 

 

 

In terms of lighting there are freestanding lights that my school have that I can adjust and move around when filming my video. Being able to position where I want them to be is beneficial to me as there is a possibility of bad lighting in certain locations and I will be aided with this issue by using the freestanding studio lighting. For example, in the drama studio at school it is likely that studio lighting would need to be used due to how dark the room is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When completing the ancillary tasks that go alongside the main video, I will most likely use either Photoshop or InDesign due to both tasks being print based. I am extremely familiar with both pieces of software as these were the main tools that I used when producing my coursework in previous years. There are various settings that I can use with my production such as editing the saturation and light levels in a picture, or importing new fonts to use on the promotional poster for a CD or music tour. I believe that these tasks will be fairly simple to make once I have an idea of what I wish to produce due to my familiarity with the software.

Lyric Analysis

Analysing the lyrics of my chosen song will help me not only with the planning of my video, but also when it comes to filming the video too. One point that is really important to achieve when filming the video is 'Visual Imaging.' Even though some songs choose to have a disjunctive narrative in which the lyrics have no relation to what the audience is seeing, the repetition of the lyrics in this song suggests that an amplified narrative will be best used because of repetition of words such as 'following' and phrases such as 'I was there for you.'