Evaluation Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Why audience research is important •  When creating my music video I was creating a promotion for the Mojokings

themselves which therefore meant that to appeal to them and their followers I needed to know about the fans of the band as well as the Psychobilly genre. It is important for the product to be accepted by the intended audience otherwise it would not be successful as what is effectively a advertisement for the band. After all the purpose of a music video is to sell albums, merchandise and tickets to live gigs. As a result my audience feedback and research was very important in making my production.

Types of audience research I conducted

§  Audience Profile §  Working Examples §  Online survey/ questionnaire §  Focus Groups

How I researched my audience – Audience Profile •  The first thing I done in terms of researching my audience

was to get a profile for the fans of the band. This was done by online research and past knowledge of the band members/ the music genre. In my audience profile I looked at things such as the bands origins, what influenced them in terms of music as well as looking at places they had performed and with what other bands. •  My knowledge of the audience came from attending the

Mojokings gigs and other bands who class themselves as Psychobilly. From being interested in the band and the music genre long before having them as my unsigned artist I spent a lot of my time going to music gigs meeting the people and bands on the Rockabilly/ Psychobilly scene; as a result I had the familiarity with the genre on a first hand basis. •  For additional information I also looked at the Mojokings

social media account like their Facebook page which gave me information about the bands influences and origins.

How I researched my audience – Audience Profile continued… •  Audience Profile (continued...) – I discovered that there was quite a large basis

to cover in terms of the Mojokings’ audience as they draw in a variety of audiences with wide age bracket from younger teenagers all the way up to adults aged 50+. The most common age is those aged 40-50 who are the primary fans. They are likely to have known the band since their beginning and have an interest in the Rockabilly genre, most likely would have seen them through live gigs and demo CD's. These people are likely to bring in the younger age bracket as that age category are likely to have younger or teenage children which then also get in to the music and therefore the band as well. •  People who are in to the Rockabilly/ Psychobilly scene have a very distinctive

look, this look is reflected in mainly their hairstyles and the clothes which they wear. Since the genre has a very unique & distinct style the audience of the genre are very clear on the themes of what it typical for Rockabilly/ Psychobilly bands in terms of their products such as music videos and albums. •  From research in my audience profile and first hand experience of the genre I

was then able to see examples of real media texts which are popular with my target audience and fit the forms and conventions of Psychobilly music.

How I researched my audience –Theory & Audience Needs •  In terms of theory I can apply Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to my

audience as I have learned that there is a strong feeling of confidence and respect when watching my video and other texts as they feel a sense of togetherness identifying with fans from the genre.

•  I also found out that while conforming to genre conventions my audience wanted to be entertained and see the latest trends in the Psychobilly genre.

Working Example •  My working example allowed me to further analyse real media

texts for forms and conventions of the genre as well as seeing what new trends in the genre were for Psychobilly artists. By looking at other videos it allowed me to see what sort of things correspond across all texts such as the constant feature of the double bass which is the icon of the genre. Most bands chose this instrument and tend to have different coloured/ styled basses which is distinct for each band, additionally this is one of the most powerful instruments (in terms of sound) which the band play. To determine a good song most fans listen for the double bass playing to see if it is any good. •  From having knowledge of working examples I could then

identify conventions to keep to in order to make an authentic Psychobilly music video but also I looked in to things I could mix or change to make my video groundbreaking and different yet sill appeal to my audience. This helped influence all areas of my music video and ancillary texts from iconography to location as well as use colour and shot types.

Questionnaire Analysis •  My questionnaire was one of the most important forms of getting information/ feedback about what my media

products should include. To create it I used an online service called ‘FreeOnlineSurveys.com’ which was a useful tool in getting to a wider audience than paper form surveys. By having it online I used less recourses (i.e. paper, ink etc), it allowed me to be more interactive in getting responses.

•  To make sure that my responses were valid (ones from my target audience) I got in contact with the Mojokings and they offered to post a link to the questionnaire through their social media accounts. This would cover fans of the band as well as members from more well known Psychobilly artist to leave a response. It also meant that I could reach fans of the Mojokings who were in other countries.

•  To gather all this information I produced a mixture of questions in different forms e.g. multiple choice, open descriptive text, rating featured (rating the digipak out of 5 stars).

Key bits of information I got from my survey include: •  Music video type – which was overall a Live Performance video.

•  People’s viewing habits for music videos and the platforms they use to watch them on.

•  Demographics about my target audience in terms of age, gender, occupation.

•  Key themes which my audience believed were vital for a good music video.

•  Examples of music videos favoured by my audience.

•  Ideas for digipaks which would be popular with the audience i.e. ones featuring the band or scenery phots.

Questionnaire Analysis - Examples •  My questionnaire was split into three main sections. First of all was generic data

which allowed me to gain basic demographic data about the audience. To gain this statistical information I used closed questions and multiple choice. The second part was to give me information about the audiences opinion on what makes a good music video and what styles would suit the Mojokings and what kind of videos and bands they currently listen to. The third part was to get ideas about my Digipak production by seeing covers which were popular I could then take ideas/ inspiration from their design and replicate that style for my own texts. To get the more creative answers I used a mixture of rating based questions and open text questions where people were free to answer however they liked.

•  My audience feedback has also impacted some of my decisions in going against genre convention for example the use of colour in my music video and ancillary texts with the colder colours of blue black and white. This was deliberately subverted so impact on the audience and create a unique text which would stand out among the Psychobilly genre. It also gave me the idea of using the female character for my Digipak and poster as it would appeal to both genders, men for the pleasure of viewing (Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory) and female fans would be able to relate and see themselves as the person on the cover, they can relate in the sense of the Psychobilly look (style) and also being a fan of the band (in terms of liking the music genre).

Questionnaire Analysis – Examples & use of genre conventions/ themes •  For themes of the genre it goes deeper than just being entertained and distracted from

reality. Unlike in other genres where it is simply for enjoyment the Psychobilly genre has deeper roots and the fans understand this and clearly known the themes and references for the genre such as the typical female “50’s pinup” look which is shown in my ancillary texts but also the themes of going against conventions in terms of the music sound and the style, rebelling against the norms of society also seen in the style of the character but also though the hidden identity and the clothes worn by the band which are typical of the style. I have attempted to convey in my music video with the rough-styled editing and the unusual blue static broken retro TV style special effects.

•  In particular one question of my survey asked about which device (format) my audience watch music videos on. By doing this this was valuable to know for promoting the video as to the best places to advertise it, whether they are an active audience (going out looking for the artists material i.e. Vimeo or YouTube) or passive audience (just viewing what is shown and advertised on social media. It would also help me find places where it would be best to show the video for example, Psychobilly fans tend to watch most of their content online through YouTube and social media directly from the bands, they do not watch mainstream music channels. Knowing this it allowed me to make my advert and product more suitable for online viewing/ being promoted by the band (easy access form anyone – YouTube).

Questionnaire Analysis – Examples & use of genre conventions/ themes (continued…) •  Question 13 of my survey asked “Based purely on the covers (not the bands) please rank these CD covers from 1 - 5,

with 5 stars being your favourite?”. I based this question on a theory by Young and Rubicam to see about the personality of my audience. I deliberately chose different style CD covers to see which is the most popular among Psychobilly fans/ fans of the Mojokings.  Each CD cover displayed a different type of cover, these were, abstract/ artistic covers, ones showing the singer mainly on the font cover, ones showing the bands as a whole/ a character representing the band, simplistic covers showing the bands logo and finally a landscape or place photo with the album titles.  An alternative however would be an old style or an original old CD which would suggest an older audience and their preference for nostalgia, it could also possibly link to the Resigned in Young and Rubicam's theory.

•  Something like an arty or abstract CD cover being popular would suggest someone who is more of Mainstream audience member. I found out that the most popular style was an album by The Brains (Monster Within) the artistic style was rated the highest. From this feedback I took the idea of the star motif of the monster and the female ‘damsel in distress’ character laying on the beach. This gave me inspiration for my use of a female character for my own production to show the mixed age and gender fan base of the Mojokings/Psychobilly genre. Using an actual photo makes the album more realistic (like many Psychobilly albums such as The Black Tibetans album ‘Go Like This’ and Kitty In A Casket ‘Kiss & Hell’). It was also easier and more effective than having to attempt to draw or animate the digipak completely. In addition from having knowledge of the band and genre I believe the look I went for best reflected the Mojokings style.

Focus Group •  As part of my research into how I could

improve my rough cut for my music video I got a focus group together to view my video and give me feedback on what worked well and most importantly giving me feedback on how I could improve and refine my video. •  My focus group comprised of a mixture of

people including members of the Mojokings, fans and people from other Psychobilly bands. •  One key person in my focus group was the

double bass player from the Mojokings (Rich). this proves a valuable insight as he can give the opinion of the band as well as what looks good/ can be improved from the bands image point of view i.e. what picture it paints of the band as well as whether it is an effective video for advertising them.

Focus Group •  Other feedback was given verbally from friends and family who were also fans

of the band however the more in-depth feedback was from contacting members from band members and media orientated people.

•  Another key person in my focus group was Philippe Pinard the drummer from a well known Psychobilly band called The Brains (see video analysis). I had kept in contact with him from when deciding my camera for filming the Mojokings.

•  This has proved a valuable piece of feedback since he knows about animation and also produces all the visual effects for The Brains music videos as well as coordinating and producing their music videos, most recently Out In The Dark. It is very good to be able to get feedback from someone who has experience in professionally making music videos for this genre.

Focus Group – What I changed after my rough cut (first draft) •  The theme of synergy between the different texts – using the

blue theme across in all of my products, by adding the tinted background to my music video this crated a constant style.

•  Fast cuts – making the shots shorter and adding in clips where appropriate to speed up the pace of the video and also more technically complex. This then makes the speed fit the song and the franticness of the genre.

•  Ending the video - adding animation to the end of my music video in order to round it off so there is a defined ending to the video. To do this I added the same TV animation with the title and then finally fading out like an old 1950’s style television.

•  Special effects – by adding special effects and filters it allowed me to present an accurate vintage effect to the shots appropriately referencing the genres roots. Also with the static transitions throughout and the overlay on blue shots it refers back to the themes referenced in my digipak and poster of the ideas of going against conformity and teenage rebellion

•  Sound – The use of real static noises overlaying the music at key point again referencing the old TV style.

Conclusion •  Overall I gained a lot of knowledge from my audience feedback as it gave me ideas and opinions which

helped my shape my media products. As an artist it is important to reflect the interests of an audience as they rely on fans for support and success in the music genre. I also learned what was new and cutting edge for modern Psychobilly products and these texts then inspired my own creation. The understanding of themes and conventions allowed me to experiment and change typical genre forms, deliberately subverting from certain aspects of Psychobilly music videos and digipak’s etc. to then make my own creations more unique and effective. Media theories such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory influenced my music video and ancillary texts. I wanted something which goes with the stereotype of female characters but also something which presents females in a different way to simply being objectified, they become the icon of bands which hold power over the audience. I wanted the video to entertain and be innovative for the viewer but also speak to them on a deeper level in terms of referencing themes of subverting social norms. The most detailed information came from my focus group and proved extremely useful as they were able to give me in depth feedback on what worked and what could be improved to further the look of the video. I agreed with the changed that my focus group suggested and used it to better the products so that they would both be accepted by Psychobilly fans and followers of the Mojokings, but at the same time create something which was new and would stand out.