My Survey And Results - Target Audience

This survey gives me ideas about who watches music videos and also what they like to see in them, for example i have found out that 16 - 20 year old are more likely to watch music videos. However as this was posted on my facebook wall only people with access to my wall can take part and so this needs to be taken into account. What is also interesting is the fact that most people want to see both a story line and shots of the artist. 

This last question i asked so that i could watch watch other videos that i may not have thought about and so getting a broader view of what other people want to see in music videos, by watching their favourite video. I found this very useful and has made me start thinking more about what other people want to see in music videos because it may differ to my opinions. 

Here you can see the link that i posted to my Facebook wall to get people to take my survey.


I Also Interviewed Russel Lewis, who is aged 18 which is what my project will be aimed at.

I used all this research to work out that my target audience is males aged between 18 - 25 who enjoy the clubbing atmosphere and into hard style dance music. They would probably listen to artists such as Nero, Example, DJ Tiesto. Or somebody who likes the idea of the shuffle dance in music videos.

Digipak Research - Deadmau5 - For Lack Of A Better Name

Digipak - For Lack Of A Better Name

Front Cover = I like this album artwork because it is very simple. I like the background effect that they have used. I also think what they have done with the Deadmau5 logo is very efective as it is made to look like blod splats. The logo is well known and so is very effective because people will imidatly reconise it.
Back Cover = The back is also very effective and very simmilar to the front however it includes the track list which is what we would expect to find on any album, we can also see teh barcode and recording studio logo which is generic of any album.  

Digipak Research - Nero - Welcome Reality

Nero - Welcome Reality

Front Cover = I like the design on the front cover as it is made to look like a planet and in the back ground is a city with two people looking out to it, this suggests the name of the album "Welcome Reality". I also like the fact that the "Nero" font has been used as this is the recognised font and so a consumer will be able to easily pick this out of a shelf due to the publicity of the font. This album is made to look very "out of this world" and so has a space like look to it.

Back Cover = Again it has been made to look very space like. It shows the general generics we would expect to find on the back cover of a album such as teh track list and also the recording studio logo. I like the simplicity of this back cover.

Disk = This is a very simplistic design for the disk as it is just black withe the Nero font and then the name of the album "Welcome Reality". It also has the wriging that is written round the outside of the disk that warns of copping the CD.

Digipak Research - Elements Of Life

Tiesto - Elements Of Life

Front Cover

Back Cover

Front Cover = I like this album cover because it is very simplistic as it is simply just a picture of Tiesto that has been colour corrected, the design in the background is also made to look very stylish. It also features Tiesto's logo in the background (the bird figure) which is well known over the world. I also like the fonts that were used for the title of the album because it makes it look very stylish. 

Back Cover = All the names of the song's that are on the album are listed on the back of this digipak, this is generic of all CD cases no matter what genre. Also the same font of text is used to that that's on the front cover. The background is again Tiesto's logo which is all used to make this album stand out so more people recognise that symbol and think of tiesto. Finaly we can see the logo for the studio that produced the album, this is commonly seen on the back of album's, in this case the studio is 'Ultra'.

Music Poster Research - Armin Van Buuren

Music Poster - Armin Van Buuren

I like this poster because it is very simple and puts across a lot of information that is required about Armin's set. I also like the picture of Armin that they have used as it makes him look almost god-like and goes with the quote in red which states "The world NO.1 DJ for three consecutive years". Again we see that the album artwork is shown in the bottom right hand corner. What is also interesting about this music poster is that it advertises some cubs such as Armanda, it would seem that in posters for DJ's we see a lot of advertisement for clubs that the DJ may play in. Also they tent to make the artist look powerful and stylish as seen on this poster and also on tiesto's poster. 

Music Poster Reasearch - Kerron Ennis

Music Poster - Kerron Ennis

Again another example of how the album artwork tends to be on the poster and usually in the corner. I like this poster as it has been done to look very. It also gives all the information someone would need who wanted to buy the album and also a logo of the studio that produced the album. I like how simple this design is compared to the more complex designs of the dance posters such as tiesto, this may because the music is more layed back compared to the fast paced beats of dance music and so this may be mirrored in the posters. 

Music Poster Reasearch - Jay-z

Music Poster Reasearch - Jay-z

Here again we see another example that shows the album artwork in the corner of this music poster. Also similar to the other posters rule of thirds has been used as the picture of the artist is only on 1 3rd of the page. What is also interesting is how the artists picture is in black and white and very dark this may be because the genre is rap. The red stripes in the middle referee to the album this poster is promoting as it is one of the images that appears on the album art work. Promotional websites are also seen on the bottom of the poster. 





Music Poster Reasearch - Tiesto

Music Poster - Tiesto

I like this poster mainly because of all the different fonts used. They help catch the viewers eye and highlight the important parts of this poster such as the dates of Tiesto's tour. This poster is also very clever as although it is advertising tiesto's tour the imagery in the back ground is the album artworks for his 'Elements Of Life' album and so lots of people will recognise the poster and so should make it memorable. I also like the idea of having an artist logo in the background. However i don't like how much writing there is on this poster as it makes it look like to much is going on in the poster.

Music Poster Reasearch - Gravity

Music Poster - Gravity

I Like this music poster as it is very simple and effective as it is simply a cloes up of the artists face and some simple photography effects have been used to make the face very white and the rest of the poster darker. We also can see the HMV logo in the known font and the dog picture that symbolies HMV. What i also like about this poster is it gives the names of the songs that are on the Album that this poster is premotting. We also see the album artwork apear on the poster which is typical of a HMV music poster.





Digipak Research - The Sound Of Dubstep 3

The Sound Of Dubstep 3

Front Cover = I like this cover because it is very eye catching as there is just a white background and the lettering is very bold. What is also interesting about this cover is i has the ministry of sound (MOS) logo which is typical of all MOS albums. As this album is a compilation album there can be no one artist picture and so instead there is this spike effect which is the main artwork. What is also different about this album compared to many others is the fact that on the bottom we can see the artist's of some of the featured. 
Back Cover = Again the green writing on a white background makes this eye catching. It has the songs divided into two lists as two CD's come with this album. The font is simmilar to that used on the font cover. There is also the barcode which is always on the back of CD's. 

Music Video Research - Devlin - Let it Go (Ft Labrinth)

Devlin - Let It Go (Ft Labrinth)

I think this is a very good effect at the start of the music video. The  camera is made to look through the mirror and travel into the world behind it, this givesthe impression that the character in the narative is looking at himself and thinking about how his relationship is nd having flash backs of everything thats happend. This is a good way of bringing the viewer into the narative.

I like the way they have combined the song with the narative in this music video, by having the artist (Devlin) rap while the action is going on in the background, almost as if he was saying this song to his partner in the music video. This could be a good idea if i chose to run a narative in my music video.

Here we see the shots we would expect to see in a music video of the artist and the camera pans around, we go to these clips during the chorus which is good to mix up the narrative a little.

I like the use of shaky camera footage in this music video as it gives the impression of being mad and that there is arguments and possibly violence. It adds more emotion to the video as it also heps with the themes of the song. Also the quick edits give the impression of action and fighting and works very well with a song like this.













Music Video Research - Lil Wayne - How To Love

Lil Wayne - How To Love

At the start of the music video there is an interlude which sets the scene for the narrative of the song. This is a good idea for this music video as it very much focuses around the story and so this is needed to help the viewer understand what is going on.

I love the use of focus pull in this shot to highlight the male in the background looking at the female caracter, which is part of the narrative of the song and also goes along with the lyrics of the song.

Here we see the typical shot of the artist (Lil Wayne), we expect to see shots of the artist sinnging in music video and the location choice used in this shot is what is expected from the type of music that thos artist produces as it has a grimy feel bein shot in this underground location. However this is one of his more emotional songs and so the acoustic guitar gives a nice contrast to what we would usally expect to see in one of his music videos.

I like the use of colour correction in this shot which helps make this clip more like the inside of a strip club as the colours try to give the impression of lighting in the club. Colour correction is used very well in this music video as it helps to set the mood for the clip throught the video. It also makes the musi video look very proffecinal.

I love this camera angle and i think it gives a very powerfull ending to the music video as Lil Wayne walks of down the underpast through steam.

Music Video Research - Deadmau5 - Sophie Needs A Ladder

Deadmau5 - Sophie Needs A Ladder



I love the opening shot to this music video because i like the camera movement in it, as the camera pans up from the audience in the club to the DJ (Deadmau5) in the DJ booth. The whole of this music video is clips taken from a set deadmau5 did in Brixton. This is very typical of dance music video's as many don't have what is thought to be a music video, instead they show shots from live performances like this to create a video to go with the song. Not all dance music tracks do this, but a few do such as Deadmau5 and Tiesto.



I like the effect created here of having a clip of the lights playing over a clip of the DJ. This gives this shot a very club like feel, almost as if you were actually there as you are seeing the DJ but also lights are flashing at you just like they would be in a club. This helps set the scene to the viewer even if they are sat at home simply watching this in the comfort of their own living rooms.





This is an amazing shot because of the camera angle, it lets the viewer see the DJ at work mixing on the decks, it is typical of dance music videos to see clips of the DJ mixing. Rule of thirds has also been used in this shot which helps keep the viewers attention, but also in the background the lights are in time with the music and so all this adds to this shot.



I like the out of focus effect of this shot and think it works well for the dance music video, this could be symbolic of what people would be actually seeing if they saw Deadmau5 live, because of all the lights that may be dazzling their eyes but also many people drink at these events and so this shot could be giving the impression of being drunk. If i were to do a similar effect like this i would also do a focus pull to bring the DJ into focus, which i think could look quiet good.



This is another very typical shot we would expect to see in a dance music video, the shot off all the people dancing in the club and messing around. The fact that this was filmed at a real performance adds that touch of realism to this music video as none of the shots have been acted.

Music Video Research - Chase & Status Ft. Plan B - End Credits

Chase & Status Ft. Plan B - End Credits

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I love this shot that opens the music video as it is the main artist (Plan B) and we see him falling to the ground but in slow motion, i just think this is a very different way of opening the music video and so is very dramatic to the viewer and so also adds to the feel of the song.



Here we can see again how another song has chosen to use fast paced editing techniques that are in time with the beat of a song. Also the chosen of clips it cuts too is important for the music video as we see one clip of a fight and then another of a interview in a police station, this all adds to the feel of the song and the themes about hooded gangs that this song tackles.



This is another interesting shot.As this song was written for a film called harry brown, they have taken clips from the film (such as the one above) and incorporated them into the music video. This shot is a scene taken from the film and then they put Plan B in the background singing. I think this is very clever as it shows the clip from the film, but also the norm we would expect to see in music video of the main artist singing to the camera.



I like the locations used in this music video, such as this underpass. It adds to the feel of the music video a very grimy and urban location. Location is key in this music video and through the music video the locations are all in the suburbs which mirrors the setting of the film this song was written for, and also the typical locations we would expect a gang to hang out. Rule of thirds has also been used well in this shot.

Again we can see the sub urban location in this shot. But I also like how in the back ground we see Plan B floating up, symbolising death. The lighting is also very clever in this shot as it has been done to look like the street light is lighting up Plan B's body.

Music Video Research - The Streets - Blinded By The Lights

The Streets - Blinded By The Lights

0:15 - This is an amazing shot and i love the idea of the camera filming the reflection of the artist in the mirror. Also there is the first 25 seconds of the video which is setting the narrative, this is a good idea if i plan to use a narrative in my music video as it helps set the scene for the song.

0:26 - This music video is set in a wedding and so the location of this looks to be in a hotel, during the video we see shots of different dooms such as the bar and the toilet etc. This is to fit both the narrative and mood of the song and so location choice is key to creating a successful music video.

1:04 - I love the use of depth of field in this shot, because it allows the viewer to see The Streets sing but also we have the wine bottle in the foreground out of focus which gives the impression that he is drinking and so adds to the narrative, while also showing shots we would expect of the artist singing the song.

2:31 - I like the use of tracking in this shot because it gives the impression of being drunk as the camera seems to be stumbling around like you would be if you were drunk, which helps to move the narrative along and also links in very nicely with the lyrics to the song.

3:03 - This is a good shot showing the story line as the camera is positioned above the toilets you are able to see the action that is happening in both cubicles. This is a better way of simply editing between the two shots inside the cubicles and so the viewer is able to relies quickly exactly what the importance is of what is happening on screen.

Music Video Research - Basshunter - Now You're Gone

Basshunter - Now You're Gone

This opening shot shows the naritive that runs through this music video, about a relationship break-up. This is a very common in music videos to have a story that fits to the song. It is also a very clever shot because it manages to tell the story in a very short space of time so that it can help the viewer to understand the music video a lot faster.

I like this shot because it just shows a cloes up of the female characters shoes and high heals is symbolic of woman going out and cubbing and listning to the genere of music that this song is. I also think that the focus pull works very well here and is used alot in the dance genere.

This is a very clever shot because it cuts from the naritive to shots that we would expect to see in a dance genere music video of a girl dancing with club lights in the background. The lighting is very good in this shot as the girl is just being lit by a back light and so we can only see a syloet of her. The light is triangular and shinning through smoke which creates this very club like effect which is the mood that this  video is trying to create.

I like this shot as the DJ in the background is in focus and the dancing people are out of focus, there is good depth of feild used in this shot. I also like the effect of the lights and the smoke again in the background. Here we also see the narrative and the traditional conventions of a dance track as the story comes into this club, which i think is a very clever way of having a narrative while also keeping to generic dance track music video conventions.

I like the way this video is edited because in the club there are shots of the DJ and then edit to a crowd shot and then edited to a shot of the narrative characters. I think this is a very good way of bringing all the aspects of this music video together. Also the edits are in time with the music, which we have seen in previous music videos. 



I love the use of lighting in this shot to create a silhouette of the hands in this shot. It would have been done using a backlight. 

Music Video Research - 3OH!3 - Still Around

3OH!3 - Still Around

The First thing we notice about this music video is that it was filmed on a flip camera, even though this is a professional artist with a professional recording studio. They have made this music video look amateur on purpose which is very different to usual music videos that tend to look very stylish and professional.

I like the way the shots are edited in time with the music. This is typical to all genre's of music video as we have seen earlier in my research. It is a good start to the music video and can set the scene for the rest of the video.

This is unusual to music videos as the singer is in very normal clothes not like we would expect to see. This again is to try to add to the feel of the song and how it is filmed to look very amateur. It also follows along with 3OH!3 comedy feel to there songs and music videos, another example of one of there more comic videos is 'Dont Trust Me'.

I like the location chosen for the song in a farm as the song is very slow and layed back and has a country feel to it.

Although the music video has no relation to what the song is describing, the horse can be symbolic for the love her has over it to the love of the woman that is in the song lyrics and the thought of the loss of something that is a part of ones live, as seen in this video thats made to look like a home video of him and his horse.

Music Video Research - Bad Meets Evil - Fast Lane

Bad Meets Evil - Fast Lane

In the first few shots we see the use of focus pull and depth of field which i think works very well with the song. It is also edited very quickly to keep in time with the song which is to come. This is very generic of a rap song as usually it is very fast paced and so the edits reflect this in the music videos. Also the objects that the camera focus on are very industrial, which again is typical of a rap video as  most go for a grimy industrial look, which usually reflects on the issues raised in the raps.

Here we see another video that has reference to the artist during the video as right at the start of this music video we can see Bad Meets Evil fly onto the screen with animated words. Although this is not general of rap videos, it is seen a lot in many music videos across all genera's (as seen in Examples - Stay Awake). 

This music video is very different to a lot i have seen as some of the lines from the song are animated to come on the video in a comical fashion, which although seems strange for a rap song adds to the effect of the song as they can animate some of the lines which wouldn't be able to otherwise. I have never seen this done in a music video before but i think its worked well.

Here we see a low camera angle showing. This shows the artist being powerful and is used a lot in raping music videos. This angle is used a lot thought this music video and the camera never uses a high angle shot so the artist is always looking down at the viewer.

Here we can see that the location of this music video is set in a abandonment looking warehouse. However it looks like the artists are acting in front of a green screen and its only pictures in the background, this is use full as it would have made it easier for them to add all the animations over the top and so works well in this music video. 

This shot is all animated apart from Bad Meets Evil, which i think is a cool effect and is also very original especially in the rap music videos. Also the O in the word gallon i made to look like a speedometer of a car which i think is very clever idea, all the way through this video the wording and animation relates to the rap itself. The car is very important in this shot because generically in rap music videos there are nice cars in them or low rollers and so although its animated the theme is still kept.

All the righting in the video is all done in a hip-hop font, which adds to the genre of this music video as there are lots of word written in a sort-of graffiti style writing which goes with the style and theme of the song.

This shot is again showing how the artists use their logos in music videos as that is a E inside of a B, standing for Bad Meets Evil. Also the clothes the artists wear during the music video is typical of that of a rap genera as they wear hoodies and baseball caps and also wear jewelry (lots of bling).


Behind the scene of Fast Lane:-

I watched this video and found it very help-full because they describe how and why they made this music video, it has got me thinking about how i want to produce my music video and how i need to plan it very carefully and chose my location with care. I have also found it interesting because this is rely the first time iv spent some time watching how a music video is made and how much detail there needs to be to come out with a good looking music video.