Chloe Ripley

Understanding my Audience
During this piece of work I have completed research into both the target
audiences of genres of music and film. I intend to use the research in
order to create a music video which not only suits my target audience, but
is suitable for older people too. The research has given me an idea as to
what kind of person listens to the genre indie, and how to represent it to
the fullest in my video.

The most popular genre of music video on YouTube shown is videos from
the genre pop. This is due to the top 5 most viewed videos on YouTube
are pop songs such as Gangnam Style by PSY with 2.7 billion views (1).
PSY is the most popular video on YouTube due to it being a liked song by a
lot of people which has a comical music video and people like to dance to.
Pop is the most popular genre as the songs are played everywhere, from
radio stations to being played in shops. Therefore, as people are hearing
the song everywhere, they may go ahead and listen to it online on social
media such as YouTube. However, those who prefer genres such as rock,
are usually 20-50 and are male. Dance music is loved by both genders,
although it is mainly males around the age of 18-25. Those interested in
the rap/hip-hop genre are typically male due to the lyrics and over the age
of 16. The views could be due to the video or the feeling the song causes
due to it giving out positive vibes. Pop is considered the most popular
genre due to it constantly being updated to ensure it follows the trends at
the time of the release. Pop is also the most popular as its the most
relatable to the target audience for music videos. However, those who
prefer genres such as rock, are usually 20-50 and are male. Dance music
is loved by both genders around the age of 18-25.

The main target audience for music videos in general is children ages 12-
18, and both genders. This is due to them being more knowledgeable
about current trends such as fashion or music, which are shown in the
videos. However, some genres can be preferred by specific genders. For
example although both genders can listen to the genre pop, it is
suggested that it is listened to more by females. This is due to artists such
as Little Mix. Their songs make it relatable for teenage girls, through the
lyrics. However, boy bands such as One Direction are also targeted at
teenage girls due to their looks and the lyrics they write, which suggests
there is other factors which influence the target audience of a genre. The
videos are released on many mediums such as social media and TV. The
videos also use a lot of technology such as phones and IPads, which are
used as props, which is something the younger generation are interested
in. Also as social media is something teenagers love, posting the videos

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on social media such as YouTube allows the teenagers to have unlimited

access for free.

My target audience will be teenagers from the age of 16-19. This is due to
the lyrics being more mature and suitable for that age range. The target
audience will be mostly males, due to the main character and band being
male. To ensure the video and song is relatable for my target audience, by
using a male cast. As my target audience is limited to those who like the
genre indie, the target audience is much lower to one from a popular
genre such as pop, which target audience has no limitations.

The psychographics of my target audience are, age, gender, education,

hobbies and clothing/style. The general age of those who listen to indie
music is 16-25, due to the maturity of the lyrics. Both genders listen to
indie, however in a questionnaire, the researcher found 66% (2) of males
listened to indie and only 34% of females did. The target audience is
usually completing education, whether it be sixth form, college or
university. Mostly the target audiences professions / occupations base
around artistic / media subjects, such as photography and graphic design.
This could be due to the target audience being unique and different, and
enjoy expressing themselves through art. The general clothing of the
target audience is clothing such as skinny jeans, flannel shirts and band t-
shirts and like to express themselves through bright hair and piercings.
The target audiences general hobbies include going to gigs and hanging
out with friends. The race of the target audience is usually white. These
people usually have part time jobs, allowing them to pay for the things
they need such as phones and bus passes.

In the UK, there are over 40 music channels available. These range from
different genres such as pop MTV Hits, to grime Channel AKA. The
channels which usually play music from Indie and its subgenres are
channels such as MTV Rocks, The Amp and Kerrang (although it mainly
plays Indie-Rock music) (3). There are other ways which people access
music videos, for example on social media websites such as YouTube. This
is a popular way of accessing music videos as people are able to access
the music videos when they would like to, however on TV, they have to
wait for the specific songs to come on for a specific amount of money
which varies between suppliers.

The majority of music videos aim for people around the age of 16. This is
due to them relating more to current trends, such as fashion or issues
which are portrayed in the music video. A lot of music videos are suitable
for children under the age of 16 also, however some are not, which are
usually shown after 9pm to ensure children do not see them. Also, by

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aiming for children around 16, the video will get more views as teenagers
around this age are usually the ones who listen to more music and are
always on social media, therefore they will see the videos not only on the
TV channels but online too.

Questionnaire Analysis
In this section, I will analyse the results from a recent questionnaire sent
out for information about peoples preferences for music videos, digi-
packs and advertisements.

Screenshot of Results Analysis

What is your gender? The result of this question suggests the
same amount of males and females
answered my questionnaire. Therefore there
were mixed opinions throughout the
questionnaire.
I plan to have both a male and female target
audience. The males will be able to relate to
the lead role, and the female will be able to
relate to the female role. This will be due to
actions and clothing.
How old are you? The result of this question shows more
people aged 17-25 answered my
questionnaire, which is my target audience
which means the opinions expressed in the
questionnaire will be relatable to my
product. The second top is 10-16, which is
normal as they are more likely to watch
music videos in comparison to someone over
the age of 46, which I only received one
result back for that specific category. I
received 5 results back for those who are 26-
35, suggesting they too sometimes watch
music videos and are interested.
What is your preferred genre of music? The results from this question suggest more
people who have taken this questionnaire
listen to rock/indie. This suggests more
people who fit my target audience will have
taken my questionnaire.
This is successful as my song is an indie
song, however could be considered as indie
rock. This will mean the opinions are
relatable.

3

What is your preferred type of music video?
Do you prefer the narrative to be
disjuncture, illustrative or amplified?
Do you
prefer
your conceptual music video to be symbolic
or thematic?
Do you prefer the narrative to be
Do you prefer a male or female lead?
What style of music video do you prefer?
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Chloe Ripley
This result suggests the most preferred type
of music video is performance (11 votes),
however narrative is also liked as it received
9 votes. Although my music video will be
mixture based, this is successful as my video
will be a mixture of performance and
narrative which is the most popular two
which the audience find interesting.
The top result suggests that those who
selected Narrative on my previous question
prefer music videos which are amplified,
meaning one theme/main subject is used
throughout the music video. This will be used
in my music video, as it is the most
successful and my idea is based around one
subject.
The second result for those who chose
concept on the previous question suggests
that those who took my questionnaire prefer
for conceptual music videos to use symbols
in order to build a theme throughout
(symbolic). This will be used in my music
video as there will be symbols such as the
alcohol which build the theme of heartbreak.
This result suggests more people like a
narrative in a music video to be thought
provoking, therefore, I will ensure my
narrative in my music video makes the
viewer have to think about different factors
in order for my music video to make sense
and become more engaging.
From this result we can see that the same
amount of people would like to see a female
lead as a male lead. This suggest they are
not fussed about the gender of the lead.
I will use both male and female leads in my
work in order to suit all types of people.
This suggests more people are interested in
seeing a black and white video rather than
colour; therefore, I will have my video in
black and white in order to keep the
audience interested.
 Chloe Ripley

What costumes do you like? This suggests more people like plain
costumes rather than outgoing or sexual.
Therefore to please my audience I will have
plain clothing but keep it trendy to relate to
the audience. This will also link to the codes
and conventions of the genre.
More people like to relate to the characters
Do rather than not, therefore, I will ensure that
you my target audience can relate to my
like to relate to the characters within a characters through things like costume and
narrative? style, but also through the events which
happen.
Do you like to see the emotions of the This suggests emotion likes to be seen in
characters? music videos; therefore, I will ensure I show
the emotions of my characters in specific
shots which are more emotional. Therefore I
will use close ups in my work in order to
show the emotions of the characters.
When This result more people like to see colour on
a bands album cover, therefore I will draw
looking at a CD, what attracts you to the my audiences attention by ensuring the
album cover? cover is bright and colourful making it easy
to notice. For this question, it may have been
more beneficial to have the answers as
multiple choice, due to more than one thing
attracting the audience to the digipack.
what attracts you to a magazine cover? This suggests more people are drawn to an
advert if they like / know who the band is.
Therefore to fit my audiences needs I will
have big writing saying who the band are
and an image to show a visual
representation. For this question, it may
have been more beneficial to have the
answers as multiple choice, due to more
than one thing attracting the audience to the
magazine advert.

My Target Audience
My target audience is males aged 16-19. I have chosen this audience as
my main character is male; this allows males to relate to him through
clothing, attitude, what they do/feel and because the actor playing the
character is also between the ages of 16-19. Therefore the music video

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may feel more personal to the viewer, as they have more reasons to relate
to the video in comparison to having a male cast and a female target
audience.

This will be represented in my video as my main character will be dressed

trendy, but the clothing will be plain. Also, the attitude of my main
character will be positive, which links to my target audience as they are at
the age where they have fun and do things they regret as they feel as
though they have no responsibilities, which will be shown in my video.

The age rating of my music video will be 15. This is due to it having some
mature content, such as drinking alcohol which will be seen in the video,
which is not suitable for those aged younger. Also, as the lyrics have
some strong language in; this also makes the video only suitable for those
over the age of 15.

As males around aged 16-25 prefer the genre indie, the song will appeal
to the audience. As indie videos are stereotypically filmed in black and
white, the narrative of my video will consist of black and white. However,
colour is also popular. The narrative in my music video will be mostly
black, but with orange lights to link to the bands name California
Orange. The video will be easy to relate to as there will be several things
such as costume which my target audience can relate to, due to it being
considered trendy. Finally, the narrative is complex and requires the
viewer to think about the theme. This will appeal to my audience as they
believe it is better and more impressive if the video is thought provoking.
Finally, as the target audience is males aged 16-19, they will be seen in
my music video as all the characters are aged 17/18. Therefore, they can
automatically relate to the events in the video.

Conclusion
The genre my song belongs to is indie. The codes and conventions I will
follow are; low budget locations, imaginative narrative, effects (editing)
and trendy costumes. As my sixth form have a performing arts hall, this
will be a good place for me to film the performance as it is free, but also
will look effective, due to coloured lighting, during the video. Also, the
narrative locations, which are located in my house, such as the bedroom,
kitchen and living room, and the streets around it, are also free and
always accessible. The narrative will also be imaginative, as it involves
thinking about the themes which run through it to piece it together. There
will be effects such as black and white which will be created using editing.
This will be done in order to make my video look more dramatic, whilst
sticking to the codes and conventions of the genre. I will also use trendy

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costumes such as jeans and plain coloured tops, in order for the target
audience to relate to it.

The codes and conventions I will challenge are; live performance and
special effects (sound). My video will not include live performance from
the band. This is due to the band not having any gigs coming up;
therefore I will not be able to film the atmosphere they create. Also, as the
area would be cramped due to a crowd, it is easier to film them in a
studio. I will also not have any special effects on the sound such as
reverb, allowing the music to sound natural.

The main representation in my music video is a typical relationship

between young couples. This is due to them breaking up then getting
back together. It is a representation as many people consider this to be
the stereotypical relationship for a teenager. The band members in my
video will be represented as strong and talented. This will be due to them
looking like the performance is easy.

I will represent my artist by having clips of a performance in the music

video. There will be clips of performance throughout my video, which are a
variety of whole band shots and close ups to the members. This will be
throughout my video. I will also represent my artist through the lighting in
the performance shots. As the band is called California Orange, I will use
orange lights.

The video I am aiming to produce is a mixture of performance and

narrative. The narrative will be amplified as everything in the narrative will
link back to relationships and love; therefore it is following a theme. The
narrative in the video will be in black and white, making it seem more
emotional due to it being a love song.

My music video would appear on channels such as MTV Rocks, Kerrang

and The Amp. My music video would appear on these specific channels as
it fits the genre which the channels are based around. My music video will
be indie, and as all three of these channels play indie music, they are
therefore suitable to play my video. My music video will also be placed on
YouTube. This would make it more accessible for those who fit my target
audience due to it being the main social media for videos. Having my
video on social media would benefit its popularity due to it being
something which my target audience is involved in.

Bibliography
1) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL15B1E77BB5708555

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2)http://www.slideshare.net/marinasoph/target-audience-for-indie-
rock-music
3)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Music_video_networks_in_the_
United_Kingdom