Script
(Director's Commentary)
My products engage with the audience by creating a connection between the band and fans. They do this by identifying and being one with the audience in the sense that their persona, emotions and demeanor is not far of from how the target audience acts in a day to day life. When targeting a young demographic, I feel that it has become more important in relating with them and establishing this connection as this is what they usually strive to have at this stage in their lives. Teens are commonly represented as groups of people, each group has their own traits and style that is definitive of that specific group, some are seen as more sporty, confident and outgoing and others are shown as more reserved, intellectual and introverted. Despite having differences, when taken apart, each individual shares a common feeling of isolation and wanting to belong. My products also engage with audiences by creating an interest through creative means and appeal. My target audience is also typically under the B/C1 social demographic but specifically of an explorer psychographic who seek discovery and innovation in their purchases. Apart from trying to represent a social group, my products engage audiences as a form of entertainment. Knowing this, attracting an audience through visuals and music is equally as important.
My music video engages and retains their interest through cinematography, editing and sound. Arc shots are prominent across this piece of production to mesmerise viewers. A combination of hand held camera and gimbal shots are used to express the juxtaposition between aggression and melancholy in the music. This adds a dynamic to the music and visuals as it varies in pacing, this further entices audiences as it isn't linear and predictable. The editing, particular towards the end, serves as a visual peak in combination with the lighting. It reflects the hectic and effects driven soundscape of the music and in turn produces captivating visuals. However, cinematography-wise it contradicts the mood; being a continuous take with slow pacing on the gimbal, it keeps the viewers grounded and prevents them from getting lost in the action. The performance and music itself can immediately connect with audiences as it connotes feelings of melancholy, isolation and angst. The reserved nature of their performance and the change of pace in the music from moody to aggressive portrays emotions that teens and young adults experience more prominently than other age groups. There is also a subtle sense of comic relief and liveliness that breaks up the mood and atmosphere of the video. Breaking out of character like this further engages audiences as it adds a playful dynamic and breaks the fourth wall that forces audiences to respond as it can be seen as out of place. This encourages some sense of audience interaction whilst still not overtly taking away from the mood of the video. The music itself is a criticism of the structure of life; getting a job, having a career and then ultimately getting married. The lyrics reflect on how steadiness in life comes from getting married and that we should follow the societal pressure there is to get married but in the end the song ultimately tells people to take life as it is and "settle for a world, neither up or down." These themes and issues are quite relevant to the youth as they are at an age where they are carefully thinking about their future. By following Stuart Hall's "Audience Positioning Theory" the target audience is expected to have an active response with the media text. But because of how the lyrics are delivered to the audience and how the music is represented, the media text can be polysemous. This means that it can be interpreted in many different ways other than what the writer intends to share with listeners, this engages fans for discussion as they share their different interpretations. Considering all this, there must be an appropriate platform in which to showcase this product. YouTube is by far the most popular video platform for music video releases. A huge majority of the most viewed videos on YouTube have all been music videos as observed in my BTEC Film research. YouTube is also a form of free marketing and promotion as fans are able to share, comment and rate the product to their liking - this is a platform where fans can discuss their different takes on the media text. YouTube is also extremely accessible to anyone with little need for licensing and distribution rights in order to upload videos. The platform also garners a form of income via ad revenue and is determined by the amount of views on the video. It is also a platform that is dominated by youth culture and tastes which is the target audience I am appealing to. There is also very little competition with YouTube as other video streaming platforms are simply not as popular and is the most appropriate platform for showcasing my music video product.
I feel that my digipak design is again indicative of a young target audience and appeals to the demographic well from a visual and musical perspective. It's artsy, creative and colourful but still retains this sense of mystery, melancholy and attitude. This is pretty much how the youth is commonly represented with both positive and negative connotations freely expressed into one digipak through the music and images. This again creates a connection and a sense of familiarity with consumers. It looks childish but is also structured and professional that connotes this idea that teens are in between two worlds of childhood and adulthood. It engages audiences due to it's eye-catching and abstract design that sets it apart from other digipak designs. The extensive use of colour and the hues depict a flavourful but dark and aggressive mood at the same time - depicting of the alternative/indie rock genre. It's unconventionality will attract young consumers as they are adventurous and classified as explorers. This immediately engages them as they seek discovery and uniquity. As the name suggests, this would physically be distributed as a digipak compact disc. Consumers will have to purchase this through the band webpage as it will distributed through amazon and not in music stores as such - they can also digitally download the music through iTunes. This forces them to access the webpage which features information that they may want to see such as tour dates and social media links. This encourages a growing fanbase and in turn creates more promotion for the brand by engaging consumers in this way.
As consumers access the webpage they are immediately exposed to more information about the band. A trend with many band webpages is that they almost exclusively feature the band's tour dates on the landing page. This encourages fans and consumers to watch them live as the audience will be more likely to engage in this experience if they see the band performing in a specific area near them. The short review by Pitchfork - who is a reputable online music magazine website - will further sell the band to listeners. Being a debut act it is usually hard for them to get noticed by the wider demographic so the remedy for this is presenting a positive review for the band in attempts to make a name for themselves in the music industry. Merchandising is also a great way for fans to engage with the band and promote a loyal fanbase. By presenting a product that is stylish, affordable and geared towards young consumers it reaches out to the target audience as they are products that are used everyday by students and young adults alike. These products would be purchased exclusively via the website similar to the digipak.
All my products attempt to engage with the audience by establishing the target audience and picking out what is conventional of that age group, whether it is specific clothing, traits or specific emotions - they aim to target and represent the youth and give them a voice in the media. I've also distributed these products in platforms that my target audience regularly use such as YouTube. I've also made products such as the digipak and merchandise exclusively accessible in the band webpage in order to encourage a fanbase and portray a unique style that is appealing to my target audience.
My music video engages and retains their interest through cinematography, editing and sound. Arc shots are prominent across this piece of production to mesmerise viewers. A combination of hand held camera and gimbal shots are used to express the juxtaposition between aggression and melancholy in the music. This adds a dynamic to the music and visuals as it varies in pacing, this further entices audiences as it isn't linear and predictable. The editing, particular towards the end, serves as a visual peak in combination with the lighting. It reflects the hectic and effects driven soundscape of the music and in turn produces captivating visuals. However, cinematography-wise it contradicts the mood; being a continuous take with slow pacing on the gimbal, it keeps the viewers grounded and prevents them from getting lost in the action. The performance and music itself can immediately connect with audiences as it connotes feelings of melancholy, isolation and angst. The reserved nature of their performance and the change of pace in the music from moody to aggressive portrays emotions that teens and young adults experience more prominently than other age groups. There is also a subtle sense of comic relief and liveliness that breaks up the mood and atmosphere of the video. Breaking out of character like this further engages audiences as it adds a playful dynamic and breaks the fourth wall that forces audiences to respond as it can be seen as out of place. This encourages some sense of audience interaction whilst still not overtly taking away from the mood of the video. The music itself is a criticism of the structure of life; getting a job, having a career and then ultimately getting married. The lyrics reflect on how steadiness in life comes from getting married and that we should follow the societal pressure there is to get married but in the end the song ultimately tells people to take life as it is and "settle for a world, neither up or down." These themes and issues are quite relevant to the youth as they are at an age where they are carefully thinking about their future. By following Stuart Hall's "Audience Positioning Theory" the target audience is expected to have an active response with the media text. But because of how the lyrics are delivered to the audience and how the music is represented, the media text can be polysemous. This means that it can be interpreted in many different ways other than what the writer intends to share with listeners, this engages fans for discussion as they share their different interpretations. Considering all this, there must be an appropriate platform in which to showcase this product. YouTube is by far the most popular video platform for music video releases. A huge majority of the most viewed videos on YouTube have all been music videos as observed in my BTEC Film research. YouTube is also a form of free marketing and promotion as fans are able to share, comment and rate the product to their liking - this is a platform where fans can discuss their different takes on the media text. YouTube is also extremely accessible to anyone with little need for licensing and distribution rights in order to upload videos. The platform also garners a form of income via ad revenue and is determined by the amount of views on the video. It is also a platform that is dominated by youth culture and tastes which is the target audience I am appealing to. There is also very little competition with YouTube as other video streaming platforms are simply not as popular and is the most appropriate platform for showcasing my music video product.
I feel that my digipak design is again indicative of a young target audience and appeals to the demographic well from a visual and musical perspective. It's artsy, creative and colourful but still retains this sense of mystery, melancholy and attitude. This is pretty much how the youth is commonly represented with both positive and negative connotations freely expressed into one digipak through the music and images. This again creates a connection and a sense of familiarity with consumers. It looks childish but is also structured and professional that connotes this idea that teens are in between two worlds of childhood and adulthood. It engages audiences due to it's eye-catching and abstract design that sets it apart from other digipak designs. The extensive use of colour and the hues depict a flavourful but dark and aggressive mood at the same time - depicting of the alternative/indie rock genre. It's unconventionality will attract young consumers as they are adventurous and classified as explorers. This immediately engages them as they seek discovery and uniquity. As the name suggests, this would physically be distributed as a digipak compact disc. Consumers will have to purchase this through the band webpage as it will distributed through amazon and not in music stores as such - they can also digitally download the music through iTunes. This forces them to access the webpage which features information that they may want to see such as tour dates and social media links. This encourages a growing fanbase and in turn creates more promotion for the brand by engaging consumers in this way.
As consumers access the webpage they are immediately exposed to more information about the band. A trend with many band webpages is that they almost exclusively feature the band's tour dates on the landing page. This encourages fans and consumers to watch them live as the audience will be more likely to engage in this experience if they see the band performing in a specific area near them. The short review by Pitchfork - who is a reputable online music magazine website - will further sell the band to listeners. Being a debut act it is usually hard for them to get noticed by the wider demographic so the remedy for this is presenting a positive review for the band in attempts to make a name for themselves in the music industry. Merchandising is also a great way for fans to engage with the band and promote a loyal fanbase. By presenting a product that is stylish, affordable and geared towards young consumers it reaches out to the target audience as they are products that are used everyday by students and young adults alike. These products would be purchased exclusively via the website similar to the digipak.
All my products attempt to engage with the audience by establishing the target audience and picking out what is conventional of that age group, whether it is specific clothing, traits or specific emotions - they aim to target and represent the youth and give them a voice in the media. I've also distributed these products in platforms that my target audience regularly use such as YouTube. I've also made products such as the digipak and merchandise exclusively accessible in the band webpage in order to encourage a fanbase and portray a unique style that is appealing to my target audience.