Research Findings (500 Words)

The research of my production consisted of a questionnaire on Survey Monkey and the textual analysis of some music videos. This has helped me with what I should be aiming for when making my music video. Following the release of my survey I collected thirty-five responses, most of these being female. This means I will have to be targeting my video slightly towards females. I found that my music video should be aimed at the 14-24 year old demographic and between three and five minutes this is because the majority of the people who answered my survey fell into this age category and would only watch a music video of a maximum of five minutes.

The majority of people who took my survey listened to rock the mot, so I will be incorporating this into my music video. The other responses included alternative, indie, metal and grunge, again all sub-divisions of rock. Therefore the track I shall be choosing for my music video will be a rock due to popular demand. The majority of people would like a storyline alongside the music as part of the music video which is understandable as a just music would be boring, I will have to try to create a short story that works with the music and the rest of the shots in my video. A narrative based music video shouldn’t be too hard to achieve and it would be a lot more enjoyable than one without any narrative in the slightest.

The music videos I analysed were very different from one another. The first being Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood, this was a very intricate music video, it didn’t really contain much narrative but more focused on the use of camera work to make the everyday things such as driving and sitting around more interesting. The best thing about the music video and what probably makes it a popular one was the editing used perfectly in time with the music. This will be something I will be trying to replicate, as I really liked the way it was executed in this video.

The second music video, What I’ve Done by Linkin Park, had elements of a plot, but it was more of a general plot stretched across the video, the whole video is about pollution and man’s relationship with nature. It is a very symbolic music video, containing very little exposition; this is designed for much more of an active audience. This could be because Linkin Park both wanted to get across their view on pollution but have done it in a subtle way because they know that only true fans will actually pay attention and interpret it correctly. These subtle signs, in my opinion, are an interesting concept used in music videos and one that again I will be trying to replicate.

Summarising my research I have decided my music video should be aimed at 14-24 year olds, the genre of music should be rock; my video should be between three and five minutes long and contain a little narrative. I also wish to use some editing in time with the music and possible include some subtle messages too.