Focus group summary

After playing the song I intend to use to some volunteers, I concluded that:

• They believed it was a good song to use
• The intro is long, but if the video is made correctly this is not an issue
• The song is emotional, and this emotion increases as the song goes on

Some ideas were also given with the ideas of clouds, the sky, pain and desperation.

The results from the focus group are similar to that of the survey I conducted, which means the results from both are reliable as they are shared by many.

The focus group also gave me another chance to edit, and so I have more experience with using the new features on final cut express.

After listening to the song for the focus group one of the girls, Natasha, volunteers to be in the video as she liked the song. So, not only was the focus group successful in that I learned more about whet people like, I also have a willing actress.

Survey wordle

Here is a wordle I created of the answers I got to the question of my survey 'When you listened to the song, what did it make you think of?' to clearly show what type of things those who heard the song associated it with.

From the wordle, we can see that the most popular things the song made people think of is a relationship, love and night. Knowing this, I can use these ideas and include them into my video, or I could try and steer clear of these things. By not including what people said the most, the video could be unexpected, and this may cause the audience to want to watch it more, as they want to know what is happening.

Survey results

Here are the results of my survey:



Most of those who took my survey seem to be unsure about the song, but this may be due to the fact it is different from the type of music they usually listen to. If this is the case however, some of those seem to me more accepting about it.




These results show that in fact, the reason those taking my survey may not of liked the song is due to it being different to what they usually listen, and so as it is out of their comfort zone of music they are likely to be unsure of the song.



This shows the type of music that people actually listen to, once again showing how they may of been unsure of the song due to it not being what they usually like.



The opinions of the song itself are very varied, however this is good. Those who liked the song are therefore more likely to enjoy the music video, while those who don't like it as much it will take more convincing in the video to get them to like the song. So, this is a perfect chance to see if, like can be seen with so many other music videos, if the music video adds value to the song. I will be, after completing the video, get the same people to watch the video and answer another survey, and so then we will be able to see if this is true.



People are also unsure as to if the song is good to use for a video, this once again may be due to it not being their usual taste in music. However, a few more people seem to be more for it being good to use for a video.



As mentioned in a later question, after making the survey I was aware that question 5,'Do you think it is a good song to use to make a music video?' and question 6 'Do you think this song would make a good music video?' sound similar. Question 5 is meant to be asking if they thought it was a good song to chose to make a video or not. Question 6 was meant to ask people if they think this song could ever make a good video, or is it too bad to make a decent video for. Answers once again varied, with most people saying yes or maybe.



As I would like the video and song to be linked in some way, I thought it would be good to see what the song made people think of, so I can see how I may be able to link the song and video together, and not just through the lyrics but with the feelings and emotions, as the song itself is very emotional and so needs a link there. From these, I liked the idea of clouds and sky as it is linked to the lyrics, and the idea of depression as a grey sky covered in clouds is often shown to represent depression. I also like the idea of a glimpse of light, as despite the song being emotional, it also, I think, has an idea of things getting better. I also liked the idea of longing for a person who isn't there. I will try and use these idea in my video.

From my results as a whole, I have found out that the song is not that well liked, mainly because is is not the type of song they liked. This also shows that people aren't all that open minded when it comes to music. Also, people as a whole are unsure as to if the song is a good song to choose, or if it will make a good video. I also have many idea of what my video can be about.

Focus group

In order to get some ideas for my video, I conducted a focus group. I let some people listen to the song I wish to use for my music video, got their initial reactions to it, if they liked it or didn't, and what it reminded them of.

About the artist

The artist of the song I am using, 'Under the Sky', is Sarah Bird.

Sarah comes from Leicester.

Sarah, on her unsigned.com site says about herself:

'The product of 2 gigging musicians, I was always around music from a very young age. My Mum is a professional singer and my Dad a professional guitarist ...I took music as an option at school... I decided to learn how to play the guitar and taught myself with a little help from Dad...At 16, my parents had had their own 3 piece band for about 10 years, and found themselves without a 3rd member. As they already had a guitarist (my Dad). I decided I should learn the bass guitar, and played my first gig with them after 11 days of practise. I've been gigging with them ever since, and it's provided me with lots of experience...2007 at age 20, I've been writing and producing my own songs at home in my room. Programming the drums, and recording all of the other instrumentation myself'

http://www.unsigned.com/000sarahbird

Sarah then joined the band 'Sugabeat'

'Her accomplishments within band Sugabeat include two appearances at Glastonbudget, a weekly stint at Entropy and weekly slots hosting open mic nights at The Exchange Bar and Bruxelles Cafe; not including the countless gigs booked at O Bar, The Looking Glass and The Shed.'

Now, 'Sarah is embarking on a new direction, focusing on her ability as a talented songwriter.'

From her website:

http://www.sarahbird.org.uk/

How the directing process works

A commissioner from a record label sends the track they want a music video for to 5-10 directors. The directors will then send back a treatment, an idea for the video.

The best treatment sent is then picked from all of those submitted. Once a director and idea have been chosen, the music video can be made. The director does not get paid until filming of the music video starts.

This process however can make it difficult for some Directors to keep the job as they will often get turned down, and as most of the process they have to do for free, they can't afford to keep the job going. 

Music video audience research- Survey

In order to get an idea of what people like in both the song I chose, I asked some people what they think. To do this, I sent a copy of the song I wish to use to some people, and then a survey on survey monkey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VXSYGSB

I will check my survey results next week.