Introduction
For my media project I decided to produce a music video as I felt this was the most creative option. I also decided to work on my own as I worked in a group last year and learnt from the power plays and group dynamics that go on, deciding I would rather work alone this time to add contrast to my experience, wanting to concentrate more on post production anyway which is more of a one person job. I also created a digiPAK album case and a magazine advertisement to support the main video and serve as ancillary tasks. The target audience for the product will be 13-25 year old class C2-E males. This is the segment of the population the product will appeal most to thus optimising potential buyer and potential profit margin; as well as overall success
Question 1: Genre
Fans of metal take their genre very seriously so it was important to make the product very easily recognisable as belonging to the metal genre without trying to be too clever or break too many conventions.
Genre is created through repetition and recognition leading to anticipation and expectation." (G.Burton 2000)
First of all I will talk about the editing. This has to match the pace of the song especially in the fast parts to convey the energy the bass drum kicks out which metal audiences thrive on. I spent a lot of time pain stakingly matching the cuts to the beats and spikes in the track, some cuts being so rapid they literally create a strobe effect which mimics the flicker of the kick pedal strikers hitting the bass drum at high speed. There are also many instances where the camera shakes again to convey the energy of the track. This is a common convention and I was inspired by the Children of Bodom video - in your face. The effect works very well in moderation so I simply chose to apply it to the close ups of the singer to embody the power of his vocals. By using the green/brown filter on the sickness shots I was able to claw back some realism and also appeal to fans of the horror genre as this is exactly the type of grading we would expect to see on a zombie/apocalyptic movie such as 28 weeks later. Horror and the metal genre usually go hand in hand, such as using the track down with the sickness by disturbed in the film dawn of the dead. So genre fans will gain a deeper appreciation. This also adds something a little different. Another element which definitely adds something innovative to a stale genre was to add the nuclear theme to the video. I did this because it fit the lyrics - being to do with the horrors of war but also because many popular video games use this theme. Games such as:
Fallout 3
Call of Duty 4 ( You play as a character who dying in a nuclear blast zone)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Nuclear Dawn (not yet released)
Baring in mind the age range of my target audience is 13-25. This also happens to be the target audience for the videogame sector. This will increase the appeal of the video from people who like metal to people who like the post apocalypse game genre as well, increasing potential audience as if these people then go on to like the music they will purchase the album. The CGI stealth bomber which I modelled and implemented into the video was put in there to embody the presence of threat. However it helps to further emphasise the synergy between the video game link; but also with cinema goers- again falling into the age bracket of 16-25. This innovation of appealing to outside audiences such as horror and video game fans will increase potential audience by a noteworthy figure. It has also resulted in a fresh an exiting new take on the traditional music video, whilst retaining enough of the core conventions to keep the genre appealing and recognisable to hardcore genre fans. In my audience feedback people who stated they did not like the genre of music also commented on how they liked the implementation of the jets, and that they would watch it again due to it’s visually interesting nature, proving my theory correct.
Question 2: Branding
The main brand image is a rebellious group of youngsters who are angry at the government and are tied of them wasting lives in needless wars. This brand image is very contemporary and a lot of people would agree with the messages in the songs. Although the message is against the governments preferred ideologies I think it is actually supported by common ideology - as people are sick of the war in Iraq.
The fans of metal enjoy rebellion and fighting again organisations and the government through their combined celebration of the lyrics, I therefore feel that this will prove popular with the fans of the metal genre as a whole
Record companies, especially such as Roadrunner and nuclear blast who specialise in metal bands would be eager to sign this band and have them in their portfolio of bands. The edgeyness of the lyrics and the fact the song perfectly matches the zeitgeist makes it highly sellable. The branding in the video hugely supports this. Via
- Showing a town destroyed by the horrors of war
- Displaying war memorials
- Showing an individual suffering and ultimately dying from the results of war
- The brief strobe images from the “Duck and Cover” remind the audience of the power the government has to influence it’s country via scaremongering (e.g. saying there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq so the country would support the government in their invasion)
These factors make the band highly controversial. Controversy in the metal world simply means more attention from the press and more potential fans - as fans of metal see themselves as rebellious they will want to be seen to support a product that reflects this.
The ancillary tasks back up this rebellion and lack of order by having very grungy designs. The digiPAK cover having the harsh cracked rock look - reflecting a land destroyed by the war machine. The magazine advert has a barbed wire and subtle blood splatter design giving it a very fierce appearance, but also serving to remind audiences the perils of previous wars such as WWI and the great amount of lives which were lost to pursue a cause people didn’t fully understand.
Podcast on Digipak brand image:
Logo
The bands logo immediately defines them as heavy metal using:
- Font
- Colour
- Texture
The products also retain a very strong brand image across the range. This was achieved by a number of methods:
- Using the same overall colour scheme
- Using the same stlye of lettering
- Using tie-ins from each product such as snow and barbed wire
I think in a real industry situation roadrunner records would distribute my media product. The style of music is typical of artists signed to their label and the brand image is perfect - a little bit edgy. Their videos lately have also been leaning more towards the use of green screen, as budgets for music videos drop; so the style of my video would appeal to them and wouldn’t look out of place.
Question 3: Audience
The target audience for this partcular productcan be generalised as:
- Male
- 13-25
- Class C2-E
This group of people are the most likely to listen to metal due to the fact they have teen angst and use music to vent their emotions. They are also discovering themselves as people and are open to influence from strong opinionated sources, as well as from within the music they find solace in.
Malsows hierachy of needs can be a useful reference when deciphering the ways audiences think about products, especially "must have" products.
So after viewing Maslows theory it is clear to see why this type of marketing is effective and as my audience is within the teen range it will definatelly be worth remembering.
Phycotrophic profiling is another method of identifying potential audiences
Outlining the general target audience it can be broken down even more specifically by looking at teen tribes
Teen can be catagoriesed into a variety of different “tribes” depending what their fashion sense is like and what music they are into.
From this study it is clear my product would appeal more to the Nu-Metal tribe
For a product to be truely sucessful, bearing in mind Malsows hierachy, it must make the potential audience follow a chain of events summed up by the acronym AIDAS
A - Attention (Awareness): attract the attention of the customer.
I - Interest: raise customer interest by focusing on and demonstrating advantages and benefits (instead of focusing on features, as in traditional advertising)[1].
D - Desire: convince customers that they want and desire the product or service and that it will satisfy their needs.
A - Action: lead customers towards taking action and/or purchasing.
S - Satisfaction - satisfy the customer so they become a repeat customer and give referrals to a product.
I beleive my music video acheives these goals by:
A - firstly enticing the audience with it's specail effects
I - inspiring repeat watches with it's unique visual style and interesting editing
D - The audience starts to see the deeper meaning and fully apreaciate the product
A - Potential buyer sees the magazine advert, coupled with the digipak; confirming this is a product they would enjoy
S - Buyer enjoys the album with interesting digipak, finds other songs on the album they like ready for the support of the next music video
I gave out 20 questionares to 20 ordinary students as part of my audience feedback after leeting them watch the music video to see what they thought. Here are two expamples:
- Click to enlarge -
As you can see from their responses they enjoyed the product and thought it fulfilled it's purpose, despite not being to their musical taste. This shows that my planning and resaerch was successful in helping me create a stronger all round product. Even the criticism is nothing major and is simply personal preference.
Question 4: Use of Creative Technologies
In order to complete this project I had to utilise many powerful pieces of hardware and software, many I had never used before. Here is the list of everything I used:
List of software used:
- Photoshop CS
- Adobe After Effects CS4
- Autodesk Maya
- Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9.0
- Blogger
- Youtube
- Slideshare
Hardware used:
- Sony handycam
- Sony cyber shot 10.1
- Green screen equipment
The programs I spent the most time with were After Effects CS4 and Photoshop CS
I had to learn After Effects from scratch for this project in order to help bring my vision to life. This involved many late nights sat watching video tutorials in order to learn enough of the basics to navigate the program and create basic special effects, improving as I went. I think had I had more time to learn the overall quality of the video would be even greater, though given the timespan I am very pleased with what I acheived.
Photoshop was used to create both ancilliaries and help with graphics for the video, and also the texture for the jet model. It proved an invaluable asset, it's power and ease of use making it a joy to work with. The use of multiple layers means very complex images can be created. I have nothing but good things to say about this program.
For the greenscreen I simply bought a huge green sheet off the market and hung it from my backroom wall. Using some cheap halogen security lights which I purchased from B&Q to light it. Although it wan't perfect I had little budget and I think overall it worked well despite not being the exact hue of green used for chromakey, as well as having some hotspots produced by the cheap lighting. The instruments, especially the drums, reflected the green from the sheet meaning many shots were unusable, limiting my range of performance shots. I gained prectical experience from dealing with this and learnt stratergies to help me be more efficient the next time I deal with equipment in this manner.
Conclusion
My planning and research overall proved a valuable asset to reference back to when producing my media texts. Keeping in mind constantly the real industry influences and the target audience helped to keep focus and create a product that was current and which would appeal to a wide enough group of people to make it a profitable venture.
On the whole I think I have managed to create a strong product with a wide appeal and good re-watch value. It promotes the brand image in the right way and which people will buy. I think it is as good as some genuine media articles out there. The digipak looks like a highly professional piece and certainly would not look out of place in the racks of the metal section in HMV. The Magazine advert would also look professional in a magazine such as Metalhammer.
The only negative thing I can comment on about the video would be that I wish I had a budget to spend on the "sickness" scenes, as I think the low production budget lets those scenes down.
I think I have worked well alone, though have found it difficult doing 4 peoples worth of research and planning. Without team members there is no one to share your stress and ask if they think your idea is any good. I simply had to trust my faith as a metal fan and my planning and resaerch and go with my intuition. Working alone however has not hampered the overall quality of my products and didn't stop me meeting deadlines, therefore I am confident in my competence as an individual and have learned allot about my working style from completing this project.
