Task 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I have collected a wide variety of feedback for my product from members from our target audience as well as other audience demographics though our blog and via YouTube. I also have collected feedback from focus groups and selective screenings, which enables us to gather instant feedback. I believe that some of this feedback relates to our own view of our strengths and weaknesses as well as showing us what could be improved. This feedback can also be used to demonstrate Hall’s concepts of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings.

From our feedback I can identify what the audience enjoyed watching and what made the video successful. Many people liked the song and believed the bikes worked well with the song, band and the concept of the quirky video. The audience feedback tells me that they enjoyed the different settings of the video, which ranged from a studio performance to cycling down a countryside lane to the performance under the tree outside. This made the video more entertaining and less tedious to watch unlike stereotypical studio performances. The different settings in the video enable the product to be watched over a few times as there’s always something different to see each time and is an enjoyable and pleasurable experience and often brings a very positive vibe to the audience. In combination with this it helps to increase the bands awareness. The audience also enjoys the uniqueness of the video and the risks taken to make it a video that stands out is a bit ‘different’ from the others. As I can see the risk we did take definitely paid off and made it a unique selling point. It helps differentiate it from other videos and due to the realism of it, makes you think it’s a very realistic band and scenario. The target audience are of this kind; individual, quirky, alternative that will enjoy this video, which demonstrates a sense of rareness and uniqueness compared to the usual stereotypical pop video. The focus groups particularly enjoyed the lanterns and the lighting of the video. They believed the bicycle wheel in the dark with the LED lights look very effective and there was a lot watch, which kept them occupied. They thought the band was very idealistic and appeal to the audience well and suit the genre well. They thought the whole set was very imaginative and different to other videos which again gave our video a unique selling point. They also were able to understand the narrative of the video, which we thought they wouldn’t, this meant the video would be more meaningful and effective. People believed there wasn’t a very strong storyline however; they liked the concept of the bikes as it added to that young fun feel of the band. They also enjoyed the end of the video where they were cycling back, however they had difficulty establishing if they were cycling back from the festival or it was a flash back. The image of the band where also represented well as the focus group were able to distinguish their style and what they symbolised. They believed they symbolised positivity and it was a ‘feel good’ video. The audience had a mixed view of the end composition however; most believed it was a nice way to connect back to the beginning of the video and nice way to finish it. The video was said also to move along smoothly and easy to watch

However we did find some weaknesses in our video, which was received by some constructive criticism when our audience watched the video. The point at which we film at night where the performance is around the tree, it is apparent that it’s hard to make out and see what is going on. As the lighting from the performance and outside was very bright at the beginning of the video it’s a big contrast. This is disappointing, as we couldn’t make out when were shooting the amount we could see, and if we had prepared well we could have brought more red heads, however this would lesion the visual element of the lanterns. Some of the audience believe that there is too much going on in the video and its hard to make our what’s going on till the end, however some people believe this gives the video a sense of suspense and desire to carry on watching. The focus group pointed out that the instrument playing was artificial and lacked realism which was especially seen in Jim who was playing the drums. This is unfortunate as affected the effect of them playing their own instruments. They really enjoyed the cycling shots outside however they believe we should have had more of it, as it added charisma and flare to the video. They thought we should have balanced the shots more and had less of the studio and more of the cycling and performance under the tree.

The encoding-decoding model derives from the work of Stuart Hall at the BCCCS in Birmingham in the 1970’s. It’s more of a theoretical model, which is based upon the notion that the audience do not act as a ‘mass,’ but rather as a collection of smaller groups defined by social and ideological elements. The model believes the media texts are ‘encoded’ with the values of their producers. This is done both consciously and unconsciously. The producers are men and are of a middle class background, which is a very stereotypical view. However, the audience is not made up exclusively of those groups so are likely to ‘read’ the text indifferent ways. This means they have no guarantee that this audience will decode it in the way the producers intended them to. The decoding process had 3 possible outcomes, a preferred reading, a negotiated reading and an oppositional reading.

A preferred reading is when the audience decodes the video in the same way in which the producers encode the video. The usually share the same values and morals and decode what they are intended too. By our selective screenings and focus groups we got several preferred readings. We received positive readings and the audience understood the narrative. They saw it was the journey to a festival, which could also be seen as the journey of maturity. They grasped the fact that the girls and boys are linked and that that girls were linked to powering the band which can also be seen as the audience powering the band and keeping them going. They were able to distinguish the manner of the band through their style, performance and originality and were able to see that they were quickly individuals who are displaying themselves just how they are normally. They also were able to see the link between the bicycles and the environmentally friendly aspect of the video, however they had to be promoted to see this.

A negotiated reading is when the audience shares some elements with the producer but other elements they interrupt are not intended too from the producer. From feedback we saw that instead of the girls in the studio powering the band and performance they were seen as ‘prop’s and ‘decoration,’ instead of the inner meaning of them. A few people were curious to where to they were cycling in the middle of the video, however they realised sooner enough that it was too the festival. They believed the studio performance was very cramped and claustrophobic which contrasted with the idea of the outside and festival element. This is not what we intended, however works very well. This can be seen from the medium shot to the wide shot establishing the scale as well as connecting the natural world into the video. Some audiences believed that at the beginning the band is practicing and rehearsing for the festival at the end, and it’s a build up to the big performance. When we show shots of the setting up of the outside performance, it can be interpreted differently to what they’re setting up, as some people believe that it looks like they’re fixing the bikes. The audience believes there are a few hidden messages and meanings behind the video. Some said the cycling represented the love between the boys and girls, the circle of life, happiness, love, to enjoy life and enjoy your adolescence.

An oppositional reading is when the audience reads the video in the opposite way that the producer intends them too. Some saw the girls in a different way that we did not intended them too. They can be seen as slaves to the boys and just there to look attractive. They can also be seen as decorations and not represented as an active part of the video, which they are. To add to this, the imagery always shows the boys in front of the girls and the girls facing into the boys, which can be seen as sexist and that, the boys are ‘higher’ in the hierarchy than girls. The build up of the performance outside also can be seen as a ‘suicide,’ which was pointed out by one of the participants in our focus group through the hanging of the ropes for the lanterns and the ladder. People can also see the band as ‘wannabe’ with their outfits and costumes that try to be something they’re not and following what is known now as ‘cool’ and ‘trendy.’ This can be seen in their style, outsides and performance, however this is not the case.

In conclusion to this we can see from our positive feedback we were successful with out product. There are some weaknesses and oppositional readings, however this was bound to happen. All in all I’m very happy with our audience feedback and believe that our videos concept was a good choice and that the narrative, image and band was represented well and if you were to look deeper into the narrative, you could find more inner meaning to it. Whatever way you look at the video, it is seen that you can pick up several different ideas and images, which wasn’t intended for, however it tends to work well with the video and all in all represents a clear and fine product.

Task 1: In what ways do your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

This image introduces the band and is placed at the beginning of the video to notify the audience of the band and their image. The marketing of the band inherits the organic nature of it throughout the video and I marketed in an organic ideology. The band establishes its organic product by playing their own instruments displaying a show of talent and love for music. This can attract their target market who loves music and instruments. It illustrates our choice of using the existing forms and conventions of music marketing. As well as launching the bands image, the visual element of the video demonstrates youthfulness and energy through the colourful lanterns and the girls on the bikes.

The girls on the bikes in the studio link into the concept of the video and song as well as attracting an audience, specifically boys in this case. The attractiveness of the girls attracts the boys and their target audience. However, this can also be seen with the band as they are all boys targeting girls attracting them with their looks, music ability, talent and songs. The combination of both genders attracting each other expands the market and awareness of the band. The outfits of the band link into the concept of the song with the festival goer’s as well as the target audience, with brightly unique clothing symbolising the energy of them and their youthfulness. The positioning of the band also establishes how many members there are and who plays each instrument, which can target those who play the same instruments as them and may act as ‘role models.’

This image is a unique shot filmed through the moving wheel of a bicycle with the band displayed in the background. Its typical in the way that its creative and an innovative way of filming which many bands in this genre try to create, but isn’t a typical shot in the average music video. The image of wheel represents the bike theme and pedal power as well as the concept of the video with journey to the festival which can be seen as the journey of maturity. This can attract the audience of late teens moving onto adulthood. This shot is creative and artistic which resembles the bands songs and ideas. The video is very creative which the outdoor and nature aspect of it. The lanterns can also be seen which is an on going visual element of the video and is leading up to the outdoor performance. The original band The Rumble Strips videos also portray these artistic features in their videos of ‘Girls and Boys in Love and Motorbikes which had a huge influence on our video.

By the 2nd verse they begin to show the ‘nature’ of their video and ideology with the boys and girls cycling to the festival. Its beginning to show the goodness of environmentally friendly society we live in and the atmosphere is exciting and enjoyable. They want this atmosphere to occur when you listen to their track and create a sense of simplicity and youthfulness. This leads us into the festival performance with the pedal power. The cycling again shows them cycling to the festival as well as cycling out of teenage hood and into the open world and adulthood. This attracts the target audience bringing them a sense of adulthood with youthfulness still appearing. The costumes of the band and girls are fun and fashionable which can establish them as fashion icons and role models. This links into the narrative which can be interpreted easily from the video and is light-hearted, which is typical of this genre.

Throughout the video, we have a few shots of the setting up of the festival throughout to leave the audience in suspense to what they are setting up for. This makes the video more exciting and has that aspect to it that you want to watch it again to see if you can make out what the brief installations of the festival are. It also shows the pedal power which is an environmentally friendly way to generate power. This aspect of it attracts a wide audience as it’s a key issue in today’s society ranging form elderly viewers to young viewers. This video gives a positive feel as they’re doing something good for the world and bringing love and enjoyment through the video and song. This connects to the star image. It shows it is not a big production but a realistic and down to earth production where they want to establish and show their talent and sing not show off their wealth by making it a huge production showing wealth and status. This way they market to their target audience, who are down to earth and are not into the glamorous star image which represents wealth and higher status than the consumers. It makes the audience feel they are on the same level as the band and they can ‘connect’ through the music.

This wide shot is showing the band under the lighted tree which is being lit by pedal power. This combines with the nature side of the video and environmentally friendly impact. It shows that the band is concerned about the environmental issues concerned in our society and world today which reflects well on the band showing them trying to do something to decrease the level of carbon dioxide released into the air which could be a cause for global warming. The girls are cycling around the tree which in turn powers the lights and instruments for the band which represents that the girls e.g. the audience are needed to power them and keep them going. It also creates a festival vibe which attracts the target audience of festival goers and old teenagers. This can also benefit festivals showing it’s a fun and exiting even to attend in turn benefiting the bands concerts showing their entertaining and enjoyable events to go too. This cleverly interlinks the narrative with the performance without being too complicated for the audience to see. It shows that they’re a fun, creative band that love to perform and are their too please and entertain their audience and do what they love, which is sing and play their instruments. This is a typical view of this genre which can be seen In many videos including, Vampire Weekend with their video ‘Oxford Comma.’ Which interlinks its performance with the narrative and also focuses on their talent of which is making music.

(Here is the Mystery Jets (the swimming pool) – They also do the same by changing the contrast balance of their pictures. This is from one of their albums. )
This is the left inside cover of our album case. This is not the original photo as you can probably tell, but an edited version. We edited it on Photoshop to enhance certain aspects of the photo and to make it more visually effective. The alternative colours also symbolise how alternative the band is and then energy on the band, which can also be created through the moving wheel. The gives the band a famous and untouchable feel, as well as highlighting the green grass and blue sky emphasising the environmentally friendly vibe about them. It also brings the aspect of the video back to the album and the image of the bikes powering the band, which can also be seen as the fans powering them. You can’t see the entire band, but with the effects, the main singer stands out and the outfit he wore in the music video.

This is the front cover to our CD album cover. It firstly shows the band, off all 4 boys and their talents of playing instruments. It also resembles the video ‘boys and girls in love,’ which could attract more consumers because they may recognise them from that video but did not know their names. The aspect of the bikes and renewable energy is still shown in this picture, with the photo taken through the bike which can also reconnect people with the video. The font of the band also establishes the band as unique and fun and shows they’re not like other ‘boy bands.’

This is our poster for our band. This picture again establishes the band and their instruments and also creates a sense of the video with the girls on the bikes. It’s a very plain canvas unlike other famous artists posters, however this shows their organic ideology and their talent over the ‘glitz and glam’ of being famous, which could be shown through their looks and clothes however this is not what they want to be seen as or promoted as.