Vox Pop Questions & Replies with Magazine

Vox Pop Questions

10 Questions to ask the audience: Template

1) How old are you?

I am 18 years of age.

2) Which social group would you say you associate with the most?

I’d associate myself with as a quiet, isolate nerd; interest varies from games, to education.

3) How often do you listen to music per week?

Cannot give a certain time frame, but differs between 2 to 3 hours a day, so between 14 to 21 hours a week.

4) Would you rather just listen to audio or do you prefer to watch the music video as well?

That depends upon my interest in the song, if there’s obvious context in the lyrics, I watch the video. However, House Music, just the audio as we listen for only the tempo, beat and bass.  I typically watch the videos for relation in context and meaning – both denotations and connotations.

5) What genres do you listen to the most?

My taste in music differs, I tend to listen to: Pop, Indie, Alternative and some classic Rock.

6) What music videos do you like and why?

Personally, my all-time favourite is “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen as it was the first official successful music video. However, I enjoy most Coldplay music videos due to the sheer obscurity and original each idea they come up with – a recent video being “Adventure of a Lifetime”.

7) Are you a fan of/do you like Country music and can you name an artist of that genre?

I’m not a particular fan of Country music, but I have listened to many songs in the past by artists such as Billy Ray Cyrus, Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton.

8) When you watch a music video, which aspect is the most appealing to you: Narrative, Performance, Star Image & Editing or any others you can think of?

Once again, it depends on the song, if there’s an obvious meaning behind the lyrics, I prefer Narrative.

10) *Plays song* When you hear this song what does it bring to mind?

Personally, I think of a tragic relationship – going from good too bad.

11) Which aspect(s) do you think I should focus on the most: Narrative, Performance, Star Image & Editing?

After listening to the song, I’d definitely say to concentrate on the Narrative; the lyrics hold a perfect story that can influence the video. I’d still use some aspects of the other 3, but mainly focus around Narrative as it is key and essential for this type of song.

Finally, do you have any suggestions I could incorporate into my music video?

The suggestions I have would be to lay off on the stereotypes, make the video original. Be sure to show that the video is of a Country genre, but obsessing over stereotypes will downgrade the overall quality.

 

With the research I did to collect these findings, I established that some people have a similar view in todays society (similar taste in music), however there is those that differ too. For instance, those that are more into Modern Pop/Chart music to those that appreciate Rock. With these findings, it meant that a broader view can be recognised for what they thought about Folk/Country-Pop. Despite differences in taste in music, the people I questioned had similar opinions over artists involved & associated with Country music, however the majority opposed each other in what aspect I should focus around; i.e. different views on what I should focus on: Narrative, Performance, Star Image & Editing.

After not being able to achieve a definitive answer, I concluded that aspects of each should be implemented, however they would be involved in a percentage type manner - 30% + 30% +30% + 10%, as some are relatively more important than others, yet the lower percentage needs to have some effect in the final release, i.e. Editing. 



 

Above I created a magazine that concluded the questions I required answers for, receiving opinions based around an online questionnaire I had students and adults to complete as additional research. For this magazine, I received details relating to age, demographics, opinions on mise-en-scene & characteristics within Country music.

From these results, I established once again that society has a similar opinion for what they believed when relating to Country Folk. Interestingly, I found out that most people follow standard conventions and stereotypes although, I believe that some ridiculous answers were submitted.



Focus Groups (Target Audience)

Focus Group Ideas

Whilst listening to my chosen song choice, myself and my class members have came to an agreement that my song is mainly directed towards American/British females between the ages of 20 & 30.

The reason for this is because, with my genres being Country, Pop & Folk; the element of Country is typically related to Americans whilst Pop is popular in both the US & UK.

My song is performed by a female artist to which it would appeal more to a female audience than male.
Using YouGov Profiler, and researching target audience based around Carrie Underwood, my initial thoughts were correct, according to YouGov, the preferred audience for 'Underwood' are females between the ages of 18-24 living in the UK. Typically the occupation being based around Law and other socialising jobs. In terms of other forms of media, my target audience would be fans of similar musicians too; such as Lady Antebellum and LeAnn Rimes. Typically my audience are interested in Disney films like Beauty and the Beast & Cinderella as the more modern versions have been recreated in their era.
Next, I researched regarding Dolly Parton. Dolly is an older-style Country artist thus establishing social demographics is regarded easy as it would be stereotypical. In contrast to Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton attracts more of an older generation rather than young; roughly mid 40s to late 50s. Dolly is particularly popular in the Southern regions of the US, to which regarding to political stand points, they are Right Wingers (Republican), supporters of Donald Trump - target towards racism of ethnics or religious minorities. Right Wingers in South US are typically Christian/Catholic and would be considered oppositional and passive readers & audience. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that my song/genre has to appeal to this particular Demographic suggested via YouGov, but I could take elements from either side and elaborate upon it to create my own target audience.
In relation to another Country Artist of an older generation, Billy Ray Cyrus, the Demographics are relatively similar to those for Dolly Parton; heavily Right Wing, simple and narrow minded.

 Recently we learned about Stewart Hall his Reception Theory; types of readers, aka oppositional, negotiated and preferred (dominant) readers, not only that but whether they're an active or passive audience. As my audience are focused around the internet, I'd have to say they are definitely an active audience but whether they're oppositional, negotiated or preferred readers would rely upon those as an individual person.


The sense and feel of Country music, one would associated as researched in my genre post, with nature and wildlife. Therefore, the audience would use the music as a way to escape from reality and delve into an imaginary world of relaxation. The fact of escapism is under the category for the Audience Theory, specifically Uses and Gratifications created and conjoined by suggestions made by both Bulmer & Katz in 1974.

Soon, I'm having to give a presentation to which I show my chosen audience ideas for my song. To show my ideas, I'll be using mood boards/collages to get views from my potential audience. Hopefully, my suggestions will appeal to them and they can also generate some ideas to improve my video to what they believe would suit my target audience.

Already, I have created a digipak using images from the internet and a few ideas given by some of my class that I want my digipak to look like. As my song involves both literal and metaphorical fire, I want both the beginning of the song and the front of my digipak to have a match lit in a pitch black room. With characteristics from my survey, the surveyors had similarities to conventions that they would associate with Country Pop Folk - farmland. I've already taken the idea for farmland to use on the inside covers of my digipak.

 

 

Digipak Analysis'

What is a Digipak?

What is a Digipak?

A digipak is basically a CD case with the contents being the music disk, perhaps a booklet with a list of songs, lyrics, companies involved etc, and even sometimes an autograph. Digipaks are typically made from card or plastic in which on the front the artist will most likely appear there and the back also a possible list of songs.
They are a form of promotion, they promote the disc inside and the artist to the audiences. Usually found in stores such as HMV and Blockbuster. One when thinking of a digipak is like a crowd browsing through records in an old-rent store. They are sorted in a variety of ways - differ from genre of music to alphabetical order of album name or artist name.

Here is an example of a digipak. The example below when referring to conventions of genres, would be associated with Indie/Alternative. The reasoning behind this, the imagery is obscure and uncommon and after stereotyping across all platforms and genres, Indie/Alternative is the closest and most relevant to the style. 

Information of Digipaks for my song

 

Genres for my song: Indie-Folk, Country & Pop.

As part of research for my music video, I’ve analysed a few digipaks for links between the genres and to gather ideas for when I create my own.

Throughout the three digipaks I’ve analysed, I’ve noticed that either the title of the album or the artists name are written in a fancy, hand-written and friendly sort of typography.

There’s also involvements of soft, pleasant colouring – gold's, yellows, whites etc.

Typically, the list of songs are written on the back of the case which allows the audience to easily find them. Not only is the list of songs on the back, the publisher and record producer is usually there too with additional information located nearby.

 

 



Fourth Music Video Analysis - (Pop) Shawn Mendes - Stitches

• Stitches is purely performance based when looking at visuals, however you can tell there's a narrative within the lyrics. When listening to the song alone, we'd refer the style to be similar to that of Ed Sheeran, and to say that this is a pop song, there isn't a certain style or conventions for pop songs to follow. Pop music is a broad category to which every song can be different from another. For instance, Ed Sheeran's "Lego House" is on the other side of the Pop 'scale' in comparison to Girls Aloud's "Sound of the Underground". Each genre has a sub-genre so, "Lego House" can be associated as Pop-Folk whilst "Sound of the Underground" would be Pop-Classic with a modern up-beat.
• A focus point for this song is low key lighting - could be either natural, implemented studio lighting or through a little addition in editing; not to a great extent however.
• It's apparent there is no use of animation or special effects as they would be an unnecessary link to the song. However, the pace of editing isn't continuous throughout, even though the beat is consistent, the pace of the editing changes; at certain times it's slow and others fast, despite the tempo being nigh consistent. As I've previously stated, there is no standard convention for pop music and so I can't compare this song to another of the same genre, although there may be the odd similarities between them.
• Relating to clothing & mise-en-scene, Shawn has gone for a modern appealing look that consists of a brown leather jacket, grey shirt, slim/skinny jeans & what appear to be similar to VANS footwear. The reason for saying 'modern' is that Shawn is Canadian but has significant relevance to the US, for which I'm not familiar with their styles and stereotypes. However, I could deduce that their sense of clothing is relatively similar to ours in the UK, but as the US is a larger country than England, the stereotypes and sense of style differs throughout each state. Par example, Texans and Californians both dress differently, act differently and possess a different lifestyle.
• Mid-way through, Shawn smashes his head onto the glass of his car. The broken glass that ends up surrounding him on the floor can connote the feeling in both his mind and his heart. Not only does the glass connote a broken heart/mind, he is being negated by an entity; whether this entity being a girl from a past relationship or a past event that's caused him pain.
• The literal sense of "Stitches" signifies that he's cut both physically and metaphorically whilst he's battling this potential entity - a ghost, a figure from his previous life or life in general with the aspect of how difficult it is. The amount of objects that can prevent you from moving on in life or make it nigh impossible to find a solution.
• Throughout, to add dramatic effect, each punch and hit are slowed down. The only way this video could be cheesier and more overly dramatic, is if the video consisted of montages - similar to those of the Rocky Franchise. Although, the quick successive shots is similar to that of the definition of a Montage.
• Towards the end, there's the use of make-up which can associate to the lyrics "I'll be needing stitches", where the make-up is used to represent blood, scars, dirt and a black eye.
• Another focus point is the constant use of tracking shots where the camera focuses and literally follows Shawn during the video. Despite the use of tracking shots, there is a variety of angles where the camera focuses on Shawn; from low-angle to high-angle. It's not always tracking shots being used, at certain times, the camera remains still where the shots considered here are: close-ups, mid-shots and distant shots. Even though the camera tracks the artist the majority of the time, the torso is the main focus (Mid tracking shot). The camera never moves away from the artist, this is considered the use of star image.
• Throughout, the artist is moving towards the light - the area where the lighting is bright, considered to be the white in this case. Whilst the performance used keeps throwing the artist back, into the darkness, considered to be black. There is a contrast between white & black where white represents freedom and black constitutes the idea of being stuck and gloom.
• The finals shots denote him walking away, the connotation elaboration of this is him walking away from the memory and leaving it behind - it has scarred him in both manners thus, why follow and run back to something, when it has hurt you?
• The literal final shot is of him washing away the blood, the signified view on this is him as well as walking away, but him washing away the pain and moving on to return back to his relatively normal life.

Third Music Video Analysis - (Country/Pop/Folk) Gabrielle Aplin, Home

• As soon as the video starts, the scenery seems to look deserted and comparing that to typical a Country setting, they're rather similar. Meaning, instantly, I can state that there is going to be standard Country/Pop Folk conventions within.
• A minute into the video, the title "Home" appears on screen, which is the title of the song. This suggests that in some Music Videos, there are on-screen credits. However in this case, the artists name doesn't appear. This could be, the artist is that well known to her target audience, she doesn't require her own name implemented into the credit sequence.
• Within the video, there's a lot of narrative that refers to the lyrics.
• Despite the narrative put in place, there is aspects of performance - i.e. Gabrielle lip syncing, nothing else physical, dancing per say.
• Mid way through the video, I established a constant use of Star Image. With relation to other analysed Music Videos within the same genre, the artist seems to be in the dead centre of the screen - use of thirds in camera technique.
• The song itself can relate to a previous event within her life, where she has a sense of a struggle - being away from home and needing to get back to be safe.
• Even though the setting where the video is set is deserted, the clothing that she wears isn't of a standard convention of Country Folk but considered to be a link with Pop.
• The mise en scene is similar to the conventions I've used previously, for instance the use of an acoustic guiter; also used in Phillip Phillips song, Raging Fire.
• The pace of the editing is in sync with the thought beats (rhythm of the song).
• There is a significant variation in shots and camera angles used from close ups, mid shots, long shots, tracking, panning etc.
• There's a constant use of natural lighting which suggests there has been little editing.
• Throughout the course of the video, what appears on-screen begins to sync up with the beat of the song. The mood reflects the beat. For instance, the initial minute or two, Gabrielle has the sense of a struggle to make her way "Home", thus the song has a slow tempo. In addition to the final minute, her mood has started to return to some form of excitement, however not seen previously, therefore the tempo of the song increases. The term for this is 'Synchronous' sound, to which what's on-screen syncs up with the song. A perfect example is the Bar scene, on-screen, the audience and I can clearly establish that Gabrielle is starting to have fun with others in the Bar.

Second Music Video Analysis - (Country Pop/Folk) Phillip Phillips, Raging Fire

• Rapid quick successive cuts at the being of the video in sync with the beat of the drums, thus being Thought Beats; Andrew Goodwin analysis. Thought beats are excessively used throughout the whole of the video, the denotation would be as stated previously, quick successive cuts. However the connotation is with the pace of the shot conversion and tempo of the song, they both can reflect upon how quickly a fire can spread literally and metaphorically.  
• After analysing characteristics of particular genres, something that stands out and appeals to me is the use of an acoustic guitar. Typically, Country Pop artists tend to use instruments such as acoustic guitars et cetera as it represents both their genre of music and the skills the artist possesses.
• Once again, the artist here has the scenery focused outside. This is also another characteristic of Country Pop music, well, Country in general; it's rare to see a video focused indoors rather than out.
• Repetitive use of the same shots, shows to us that there is a lack of variety within a Country Music Video, thus providing me with an incentive that not every shot must be different, but instead, it's normal, in fact encouraged to repeat certain shots & scenes.
•  In terms of additional mise en scene, Phillip Phillips looks un-neat through a green/brown coat, an unshaved beard and finally gloves that don't cover the fingers. When referring to Country Western states such as Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and other central United States, States, most people look rough, especially men. Phillip represents these type of people well.
• As seen in this music video and in my previous analysis, the use of Camera Flare is common when filming outdoors and in Country Pop videos. Through how common the use of Camera Flare is, I've established that this must be a characteristic of the Country Pop genre.
• Although this is irrelevant to the analysis of the genre; in this music video, Phillip has similarities with James Blunt. The green/brown coat, acoustic guitar and his body language. Even though the genres between them are different, there can be similarities between different genres.
• Throughout the whole music video, the use of camera shots are quite repetitive, i.e. mid-shots, high angle shots and close ups. There is little variation in terms of camera shots & angles and yet similarities between this music video and Dolly Parton's meaning these sort of shots/angles could be a representation of this particular genre - Country Pop.
• Lighting is key here, with the video being set outdoors, the lighting is natural and not implemented through additional lighting. The same occurs in 'Together You and I' by Dolly Parton.
• The finale for the video implies one man in a struggle with a metaphorical sense of a raging fire within him - whether that be his heart or his mind, both imply a struggle in life.

First Music Video Analysis - (Country) Dolly Parton, Together You and I

• Firstly, I notice a shot where the camera pans across the sky with the focus point being the sun; the sky is also a luscious bright blue which can represent warmth, happiness  - relates to the title of the song.
• Then cuts to a mid-shot of Dolly where she is wearing full white clothing; this is a classic connotation of country pop and purity/love. With this being a connotation of country pop and purity/love, I can relate that Dolly is a Country-Pop artist and with the song name being "Together You and I", Love has a reference to people being together whether they be a couple, family or the best of friends.
• The mise en scene throughout the music video in the two scenes is constant and consistent. The make up Dolly wears is rather glamorous, over the top - diva esc and is another connotation of Country-Pop.

• As part of the context for the song, there are a variety of shots for which a line of people hold hands which can refer to the lyrics "Together You and I". Despite the background between everyone within the video, each other can relate to one another as they've all faced some form of difficulty; whether it be relationship, illness or career, everyone can come together fight and live.
• When just Dolly appears on screen, there's also a lot of camera flare - done through studio lighting and possibly some edition via the editing process. Most Country-Pop/Folk songs use camera flare when the artist or what's happening on screen is outside rather than indoors; this can suggest that camera flare can be used in both sceneries. Camera flare can also suggest in relation to religion, heaven; where an obvious stereotype being bright white light or the fact that no matter what situation you're going through or have been through, there's always light at the end of the tunnel.
• The pace of editing between shots during the video usually is at a fast constant speed with each shot lasting around 0.5-2.5 seconds.
• As part of context for the song, Dolly's facial expressions make a link too - she usually smiles to suggest happiness.

Codes & Conventions of Country Music

Codes & Conventions

Typically, we'd relate the aspect of country in general with cowboys, hats, suede jackets, boots, horses etc. We see these stereotypical conventions in films mainly such as True Grit and Rio Bravo, however, these conventions are also included in music too; a classic artist to relate to for the music industry is Dolly Parton.

Conventions to concentrate on are: Camerawork, Mise en Scene, Sound & Editing.

There is no standard convention for shot angles for the genre of country music, as the angles used are usually varied. They vary from low to high, 360", canted, eye level and even birds eye view. Although, there tends to be establishing shots in most Music Videos to give the audience a sense of location; for instance, if one was to situate themselves in a farm in the southern regions of the United States, they would feel a sense of freedom and almost experience the feeling from the chair that they're sat in.

However, as I've stated in the previous paragraph, there is in fact a convention for mise en scene, particularly clothing and the use of props. Country music is usually set in southern/central regions of the US, in states such as Texas, Mississippi and Tennessee, to which we associate with cowboy wear.

In terms of the use of other camerawork, shot types are used to represent contexts in different ways. Extreme wide shots are used outdoors to set the scene and present the audience with an open view of fields for instance. Extreme close ups focus on the artist and more often the artist playing the guitar - focusing on the plectrum, strings and neck. With a focus point being the artist, we reflect upon their star image; depending on the popularity of said artist, examples being Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift, us, the audience can easily identify the artist. On the other hand, for more local artists, their popularity is rather low to which the audience has more than likely never heard their music, despite it reflecting upon the audiences tastes.

As country music is set usually in Texas, artists from these similar places use natural lighting rather than studio lighting as it's the sense of nature and purity. Studio lighting can add an effect to what the artist wants but most country artists prefer natural lighting. Both natural and studio lighting can add moods and atmosphere to the song. Brightness representing open, free and happiness and on the other hand, darkness, implemented through studio lighting and editing representing sadness, depressive thoughts and other negative moods.

There is no set tempo used for country music, just like camera shots & angles, the sound for each song is different to another. Although, despite the tempo of the music, thought beats can still be implemented. Thought beats are used to sync music (change of bass note perhaps) with a cut or change of shot.

Track 5 Genres

Genres and Similar Artists

Track 5 has a few genres implemented from what I've assumed and what others assume.

The main genres suggested are Folk, Country and Pop. I believe this song to also be quite acoustically driven.

Artists that have released tracks similar to the genres above: