Further Research: Audiences

Further Research: Audiences

How do the Media Language and Representation choices made by text producers target Audience?

So as to focus on the best statistic and make familiarity with the media product , text producers frequently classify crowds either into the Demographic group of spectators profile - where a group of people is categorised An E as per their class, salary, occupation; categories A–B are the wealthiest and conceivably have the most highest dispensable income.Or the Psychographic profiling alludes to the investigation into character, mentalities, qualities, ways of life and premiums. By exploring into a person's psychographic we can make a speculation of what the individual will like and then group them with similar individuals with the same interests.

Media producers use audience research and analysis to find out as much as possible about their target audience and use that research to ensure their production will appeal to them.One way in which media language and representation choices target audiences is through the selection of signfers encoded into the media text and the choice of : gesture codes , iconography ,images.

AUDIENCE: Plan primary research - questionnaire (Survey Monkey free online tool)? Focus group? Individual interview?  Establish what you want to find out, and how you can do it.

Primary Research

Secondary Research

Qualitative research is a more upfront and personal method for media producers to find their target audience. This method requires the media producer or someone working for them to ask members of the public questions that will help them define their target audience.This can be done through different techniques such as focus groups, questionnaires or face to face interviews. It is also a safer method for defining the target audience because it gives you fresh information from the public rather than figures and answers from the internet or books that could easily be outdated.

Print advertising is more effective with 30-40 year olds than with any demographic younger than them. This is a result of their being raised without the internet and social media and a thousand-and-one television channels. More of this demographic reads magazines and newspapers, and they are more competent when it comes to language. Companies are able to utilize more complex literary devices in their print ads, like metaphor and hyperbole.

The statistic provides data on favorite music genres among consumers in the United States as of July 2018, sorted by age group. According to the source, 52 percent of respondents aged 16 to 19 years old stated that pop music was their favorite music genre, compared to 19 percent of respondents aged 65 or above.

This highlights what streaming service different age groups. It is interesting the range of differences between the programs as many if the percentages stay similar. This is very considering that the common view is that older people wouldn't use or would not find it convenient to use streaming services


How will you use Media Language to target your audience and construct meaning?

With the use of both female and male performers I will be able to create diversity in gender. Furthermore using different ethnicities will enable to me to construct different representations and represent different social groups in my music video. With the research I have gathered through my primary and secondary research I have found that my audience prefers a narrative and performance based music video. By including this into my music video , this will help me to target them and tailor my music video to fit their preferences.

Pie chart showing preferred elements in music videos

Magazine Analysis

Main Image

The main image shows Tyler, with his comfortable hoodie slightly covering his face. This could depict how he was heavily criticised for vulgar and graphic videos, with graphic and violent lyrics. However the colour heavily contrasts with recent release Wolf. His clothing represents his maturity and how comfortable he is in this setting. The bright turquoise hoodie represents his rebellious nature but they way he holds it tight could represent that it is a part of him and how he will always be.


Masthead

The mast head is in a bold white font with the fader logo which would be easily recognised by any consumers of Fader. It is cleverly placed above Tyler not blocking his main image, this shows how the front cover greatly focuses on Tyler himself. This appeals to fans of tyler the creator more as they would see tyler and be more inclined to purchase the magazine. Furthermore it contrasts very well due to it overlapping the top of the main image and the orange pastel background. The simple font and colour of the text works well and allows the magazine to stand out and make it easily readable/noticeable on a shelf




House Style

The house style is dull pastel orange combined with white text and due to its simplicity the pastel orange background allow the main image to really stand out making it the main focus rather than the background.


Tags

The tag’s are very minimal on the front cover, revealing only the masthead, the magazines slogan, and a month and then in the bottom part of the celebrity name. This is done to make the main image the focus of the magazine as it is enough to bring people to purchase the magazine.


Anchorage Text

The text is related to the image as in the covers’ star “Tyler, the creator” the name serves as a confirmation of who the cover star is and also another opportunity to grab people’s attention when it is on shelves.

Columbia Records & Parlophone Music Video Analysis

Semiotic Analysis of Music Videos

Columbia Record Label

Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded in 1887, evolving from the American Graphophone Company, the successor to the Volta Graphophone Company.

The typical target audience for columbia records is an american audience as most of the artists that they have signed are american. The record label tends to market their artists well worldwide making them well known.

Tyler, The Creator - Who Dat Boy

The opening shot of the music video makes use of a slow zoom down a dark corridor, leading to a bedroom. Inside the bedroom a typical setting of a teenager is established with a poster of a young Leonardo Dicaprio on the wall, shoes and clothes on the floor with someone sitting in the chair crooked, tampering with something as we see sparks flying out. This relates to the audience as they may recognise this setting when they were teenagers and the Romeo + Juliet poster further reinforces the representation of white, middle class lovestruck teenagers.The light is focused on the person sitting on the chair making the audience realise that they are the main focus in the shot. This is further emphasised with the bright vibrant blue that the character is shown to wear. The slow zoom combined with an eerie synth ,lasting 33 seconds, bringing tension and a sense of enigma of what will happen with the sparks building to a climax puting the audience in an uncomfortable mode of address. Furthermore The video makes explicit intertextual reference to the 1960 horror film Eyes Without A Face, directed by Georges Franju. Hip Hop videos often make intertextual references to films, but they tend to be more popular and well known. By referencing a cult classic, the video to Who Dat Boy reinforces it's outsider status.

As the climax reaches after the sparks cause and explosion leaving the character staggering across the flower-strewn street, with its symbolic connotations to a white middle class lifestyle, atypical to the usual urban, deprived settings or luxurious settings typical of the hip hop genre. Using a combination of tilt and pan the character is followed through the street. The drained colour palette brings attention to the audience as it links to the thriller and horror genre, however this is highly contrasted with the increased vibrancy of bright colours. 

This juxtaposition links the chaos that is happening through the narrative of the music video, the use of mixed vibrant colours are usually a sense of happiness and hope but in this music video constructs an unusual element hinting the rappers creative sense of uniqueness. 

The audience would be more intrigued and convinced with unique music video and drawn to the unusual imagery and artistic creativity. In terms of the narrative the editing is one long continuous take as Tyler moves to the front door contrasting to that of typical hip hop videos, generally featuring fast paced editing. In addition there is a bird's eye extreme long shot tracking shot of Tyler’s escape vehicle with a hard cut to a completely different location and scene.

The representation of ethnicity is shown by having a white male face grafted onto his own, there is a definite intertextual reference to the concept of blackface. Demonstrates the inequality between black people and white people in America. An oppositional reading could be that this is needlessly offensive. However, it could be that the dominant ideology is to offend the audience. Moreover The video is deliberately offensive in many ways, from the use of grotesque imagery to the confusing narrative structure. This deliberately challenges audiences, and provides the target audience with the gratification of social interaction through the opportunity to discuss negotiated responses. The controversial nature of the video, in particular the exploration of racist stereotypes could function as clickbait for audiences. Designed to entice the audience through it's gruesome subject matter.

Tyler, The Creator - See You Again

The opening shot is a features the main rapper Tyler lying down in a metal bunk bed with another person doing push ups below him. It captures Tyler lying down staring at the bunk above him with the light on. This makes the audience believe that he is possibly day dreaming. The colours green red and blue are present, with red and blue standing out more prominently giving us an insight as to what these colours may mean in the future of the music video. The colour green stands out as it is a typical army/military colour and the army/military genre is emphasised through the bunkmate doing pushups and the lockers. The overall setting of the music video takes place on a naval ship which can be seen through the established shot when Tyler looks outside of the window far out into the sea, connoting a sad mode of address. Zooming out to a lover in the middle of the sea in a bright yellow raincoat

The costumes in the music video consists of a pair of red trousers and white shirt with a red beret. Whereas the main character Tyler wears a flower pattern overall with a yellow beret. The colour scheme of red connotes love and warmth, as the rapper talks about his loved one and all the things he loves and hates about his lover.

Applying Goodwin’s theory the lyrics match what is shown in the music video quite literally as whenever the rapper mentions ‘eye’ he points toward his eye. The instrumental with the combination of the bass math the gestures and facial expressions of the protagonist in the music video with the marching matching the rhythm of the bass. However the conventions of the music video are quite atypical to that of a Hip-Hop genre song with long takes and bright gentle imagery constructed with the carefully selected soft but vibrant colours.

The general narrative represents a love story with the frustrations and limitations of a relationship with a navy soldier and his lover. It captures the frustrations of not being able to see them as the lyrics reminisce in what they remember what they look like. With a sense of voyeurism with the lover on the lone boat being the only female seen in the entire music video. Tyler also promotes his clothing line, Golf le fleur as all the clothing and costume seen in the video is his own line of clothing possibly leading audience to interest them capitalising of more revenue he could earn from promoting the brand name. Furthermore using cameos such Taco, and A$AP Rocky, could bring in more potential viewers as they may be long known fans of these artists. Hip-hop also appeals to the youth who look up to idols which means companies love to use rappers and artists to sell merchandise or albums such as the clothing brand selling clothing with rappers on the front who are endorsed by them.

Parlophone Label

Parlophone Records Limited was a German-British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as The Parlophone Company Limited, which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a jazz record label.

Its industry targets the target audience of 30-49 year old as bands such as the Beatles, Queen were in the same record to which they can relate to more and have a specific type of music tastes which targets a specific niche audience.

Coldplay - Viva La Vida

The music video opens up with a rose blooming and then faded into the next scene. A violin and vocals are then brought in from the lead singer. As well as the violin, there are a variety of other instruments that are used, cymbals, chimes keyboards, synthesizers, bass drums. The lead singer himself does not does not dance but his gestures and facial expressions help the him to narrate his song.

The music video depicts the band performing against a blurry, warped version of Eugène Delacroix's painting La Liberté guidant le peuple. This is the emphasise the cultural significance of the song’s title as Chris Martin is explaining the story behind a French painting. Furthermore the clever use of editing applying a cracked filter over the video makes it seem as it the painting has come to life. This is cleverly used to make it as if the video is the painting itself and makes the audience interested and fascinated over good use of the editing. Moreover this is a conventional music video as it is a performance based, this brings to the audience of what they may also be like on the stage at a concert promoting themselves. The singers are left with the task of simply moving their mouths to the lyrics of the song, ensuring that they are on time. As a result, this simplifies the editor’s job as editing is used to match up the lyrics to the song.

The costume of the main singer in the music video has a uniform similar to that of the french revolution soldiers. The colours red, white and blue match that of the french flag and conveys a

patriotic sense.

Applying Goodwin’s theory the lyrics we are illustrating the meaning behind the French painting Viva La Vida by Frida Kahlo this highlights the use of intertextuality. Furthermore the singers gestures and facial expressions match those of the lyrics. This is a story about death. A person believes he has everything going good in his life, and when he died he was shaken, and everything bad he has done flashed to him and he realized all the bad things he has done. This is reflected when at the end of the music video the whole band begins to fade away.

Coldplay - Paradise

The first few seconds of the video are quite fast paced even though the song is slow however, it cuts in time to the music and the narrative is able to quickly begin so it still goes with the song. It also makes it look dramatic and creates enigma as the audience wonders where the elephant is going and what it will do when it gets there. There is iconography to London in the video. Coldplay is well known for being a British band and the video shows well known icons that are related to London such as the telephone box and the underground. This both sets the scene and associates the band with London. Its media industry attracts the target audience of 30-49 year old as once again it includes famous bands such as The Beatles and Gorillaz which are old and well known bands to which has a similar music genre to Coldplay attracting more audience and other fans in. It attracts a variety of ages due to its consistent style of music and lyrics usually consisting of catchy rhythms and lyrics or songs with deep meaning expressed through their music videos and lyrics. Its media industry targets the target audience of 30-49 year old as this song was well marketed and distributed across the world as it is well known despite it being an old song.

Some of the shots in the video are quite cinematic. For example, the cinematic shots of the aeroplane and the island are shown during an instrumental of the song. The shot combined with the music creates a calming atmosphere and makes the audience feel relaxed after watching the elephant escape from the zoo. The audience also feel relief that the elephant got away and has made it to the island. The mood that the atmosphere gives changes to a more positive feeling. When the elephant is in the tube station with the flash cards asking for money, he’s just standing with the lyrics in his hand however when he’s in the new location, he’s asking for money by dancing and putting on a show for the people showing how much happier he is. The music builds up when the elephant is reunited with the rest of the elephants which the audience can assume are the rest of the Coldplay band.

There are intertextual references to film in the music video. The beginning of the music video is set out like the opening credits of a movie. It states who the film was made by, who’s in the video and the name of the song. There are also cinematic shots in the video that aren't usually used in music videos but in movies. There is a relationship between the text and the image in the opening credits when the song title appears. The word “Paradise” is written in big, bold writing so it stands out and the audience can clearly see that that’s the name of the song.

The music video for Paradise is a narrative and conceptual video.It uses visual elements to get across the meaning of the song. The video tells the narrative of an elephant escaping captivity to go back to the wild, however the song is about a girl realising her life isn't what she expected and wishing her life was perfect, which would be paradise. The narrative is a metaphor for what the song is really about. The video starts with a mid shot of the elephant in a cage. The mid shot allows the audience to see the elephant as well as the setting that it’s in. Because the elephant is centre of the frame, the audience sees it and develops a connection with it. the elephant mask has no expression on it, but the audience gives it an emotion, even though they can’t tell what it is. This is because of mise-en-scene.

BRIEF: MUSIC MARKETING