Data collection and analysis of results

Uses and gratifications theory

If I create a music video, digipak and magazine advert in the ways that my
target audience would expect to see them, then they will view the products with
a preferred reading. This is where the audience sees and interprets the media in
the way in which I intend them to be read. This will occur if my target audience
feel as though they can relate to the products and if they feel connected to
them. Therefore, I will make sure that my products all adhere to the conventions
of the indie pop genre, and that they also include the audience feedback which I
have received.

Reception theory
If my audience read the products in the way that I intend them to, then they will
also decode the media in the way which I want them to. For this to occur, I need
to apply the responses of this research to my product so that my products are all
as effective in the genre as possible.

Survey about indie pop music videos

Before I created my music video and ancillary products, I wanted to conduct
primary research to find out people from my target audience would expect to
see from them. In order to do this, I made a survey to ask people about indie
pop music videos. The survey asks 10 questions and 8 people answered these to
give their opinion on indie pop music videos. Therefore, the responses to the
questions will be utilised in my production to make sure that my own video
adheres to the genre, whilst still appealing to my target audience. The answers
that I receive will show me what common conventions people associate with the
genre. I can apply the uses and gratifications audience theory to these
responses as they demonstrate how the mass audience react to the indie pop
genre and music videos as a whole. This will allow me to make my own video so
that it takes into account what my target audience want to see in the music
video and includes conventional elements which makes it recognisable. The
results of the survey will mean that I can ensure my audience can identify with
my video.

These are all the results from the questions I asked and I have then analysed
the responses to the questions.
The first question which I asked was
‘what age range are you in?’ this
allowed me to analyse the results
depending on the age of the person
who answered the questions. There
were five 17-20 year olds who
completed the questionnaire. This
showed me how many of the
responses were from people who are
in my target audience. Therefore, I
could use these particular results to
help me with my production because
they are the most relevant to what I
am creating.

This question showed me which

genre of music is peoples favourite.
This is an important question
because it suggests that they either
know more about the indie pop
genre or they do not. From the
responses, 3 people said their
favourite genre is indie and 5 said it
was pop. This may show that most
of my target audience like the pop
genre rather than indie pop.
Therefore, some of their later
responses may be more tailored
towards pop.
This question gives an insight into how
often my respondents watch music videos.
The majority of the answers state that they
watch five or less music videos in a week.
Again, this is a reflection of my target
audience and suggests that they enjoy
watching music videos frequently.
Therefore, I have to ensure that my video
is engaging enough to attract my intended
audience.

This question will allow me to

see which elements of a
music video people like the
most. Therefore, even if they
prefer another genre to indie
pop, I can still incorporate
what they like into my music
video. These responses show
that people like videos which
have a clear narrative and
performance element and
which are more engaging.
People who said they liked
indie videos the best said this
because they are usually
different to other videos. As a
result of this, I am going to
attempt to make my own
video more unique.
I included this question in the survey to find
out which type of indie pop artist people are
the most attracted to. All of these artists are
fairly modern day. This implies that people
like indie pop artists who are more relevant
to the present day. Also, all but one of these
are men, which suggests that they are
dominant in the genre. Therefore, as my song
is sung by a woman I want to ensure that the
video is still clearly representative of the indie
pop genre.

All of the responses to this

question explain why people enjoy
watching each of these videos. As
each of these artists has a
different style within the genre, I
will not be applying all of these
elements to my own video.
However, in order to attract my
target audience, I am going to
make sure that my music video
has a good balance of
performance and narrative and
that each of these will be
engaging for the audience as they
are watching the video. An
interesting storyline is one of the
main things that attracts people to
a music video and allows them to
connect with it.
The answers that I received from
this question shows that most
people would expect an indie pop
music video to mainly focus on a
narrative. However, 3 people still
said that they would expect to a
performance. Therefore, my music
video is going to mainly follow a
narrative, however the story will be
broken up by small clips featuring a
performance by the actress.

The answers from this

question are al quite similar
and show that people would
expect an indie pop music
video to take place outdoors
and somewhere where the
band is performing to a
crowd. To reflect these
responses my music video
will all be taking place
outside and it will be a
combination of both an
urban area and a naturalistic
area which are both
conventional locations found
in the indie pop genre.
The overall conclusion from this
question is that I should include
props that are relevant to the story
and improve the audiences
understanding. Therefore, I am
going to use props which assist the
storyline and mean that what is
happening is clear. I am also going
to try and include instruments in
some parts of my video as this is a
common convention of the genre.

The respondent’s
answers to this question
show that people
typically expect to see
the artist as the main
focus of the video in an
indie pop music video.
For this reason, my
music video will only
contain one actress and
the narrative will
therefore revolve around
her.
Survey about indie pop digipaks and magazine adverts
I then created a survey that included questions about magazine adverts and
digipaks. There are 10 questions and, again, I received 8 responses. The
questions revolved around digipaks and adverts as a whole but also some of the
questions focus on my chosen genre, indie pop. The answers will allow me to
make sure that the digipak and poster that I create are conventional and will
appeal to my target audience.

Below are the results from all the questions and I have also analysed each
question.

I asked this question to find

out how many people within
the group who answered the
survey were in my target
audience. There were only 3
people within the age range of
my target audience (17-20).
These are the responses which
I will value the most as I want
to ensure that my digipak and
magazine advert attract my
target audience.

Asking this question gives an

insight into who the respondents
like the most in the indie pop
genre. This may reflect the types
of digipaks and magazine posters
that they find the most appealing
in the indie pop genre.
From analysing these
responses, my own digipak
will include the following:

- Artist name
- Album name
- Picture of the artist
- Industrial information

The responses show that

the majority of people
would expect to see an
image of the artist on the
front of the digipak. For
this reason, I am going to
carry out a photoshoot
with my actress so that I
have an effective image
on the digipak.
Most of these
responses say that
they like the particular
digipak due to the
colours and artwork
that is used. Therefore,
I am going to ensure
that the colours I use
on my digipak clearly
represent the genre
whilst also being linked
to my music video.

These results imply that

most people would
typically expect an indie
pop digipak to use
darker colours. Due to
this, I am going to try
and use this colour
scheme within my own
digipak.
 From analysing these
results, my own
magazine advert is going
to include the following:

- Artist name
- Album name
- Picture of the artist
- Industrial information
- Release date
- Reviews and a quote

These response show

that the majority of
people don’t think that
a magazine advert
should include the
price. Therefore, I am
not going to put a
price on the advert.

As 6 of these responses
would expect to see
industry information on
a magazine advert, I
am going to include
some on mine.
Six of these responses
suggest that a
conventional magazine
advert should an image
of the artist. This is so it
is clear who’s album it is
and also to give an
insight into what the
music will be. I am
going to include a
picture of my actress on
the magazine advert so
my target audience will
be aware of the genre of
music.