Planning: Audiences

Audiences

Why is it important to know about audiences when creating a music video?

It is vital to know about audiences when creating a music video as it lets us know what their interests and expectations are. Prior to creating the music video, it is important to find out what the target audience enjoy, so we can alter and make decisions to suit their expectations. We will make the music video as relatable to the audiences expectations as much as possible. This is so that we will gain a mass audience to watch the video, in comparison to creating a music video with solely our own interests which would be more likely to attract a niche audience rather than the mass audience which is what we need for a successful music video. To find out about our audience we will be collecting primary and secondary data such as research on the internet and questionnaires, which will be put into graphs to be easily analysed.

Age, Gender and Ethnicity

After creating our questionnaire and evaluating data, we learned our music video will be suitable for those of all ages, genders and ethnicity between the ages of 16-28. Our genre is hip-hop and we believe this target audience is suitable as they are more likely to listen to this genre of music . The audience can be very broad as we are not targeting a specific gender, as both males and females can enjoy this type of music, therefore will enjoy my music video. Although in terms of relatability, males will be more likely to relate to the video as our artist will most likely be a young male, also there are stereotypes surrounding young males from disadvantaged backgrounds and as the song will follow these themes, it will relate to a certain demographic more than others. Our music video will not be aimed at a certain ethnic background audience, as those of all ethnic backgrounds and race may be able to relate to the video, the narrative is also not focussed on ethnicity but rather the problems people of lower social classes face on a daily basis. Identifying age, gender and ethnicity is pinnacle to the creation of a successful music video as important decisions are made surrounding them.

Income Bracket/Status

We identified that the income status for our target audiences is working class or unemployed - those who are in the E/D audience category. This is because the performance we will be showing with the music video will relate to those of that belong to that social class. The main character in our music video will present working class values and will show this through their persona and behaviour. This is so our audience can relate to the character. A large majority of the audience will also be young people or students who will be attracted to the music video due to the themes and the narrative. After we select our target audience our main character will be chosen specifically to relate to our audience, therefore they will be of the same social class and wear typically those costumes.

Interests/Hobbies

Our audiences interests and hobbies can be identified as they line up to the genre of the song we have chosen. The genre is hip hop and it is likely that it will be played at gatherings and meet ups with friends, as well as when relaxing or trying to relive stress. Our audience is at an age where they will be busy with exams or even their job and will want time to themselves to listen to music and relive as much stress as possible. The narrative may also appeal to my audience as their hobbies will include what is shown in the video, going out and being with friends ect. Identifying the audience's interests and hobbies is important as the audience should be able to relate to the content in the video.

Audience reaction

- Audience engagement will be present in my music video as the audience should be able to react differently according to their hobbies. If they are able to link what is shown on screen to their own experiences the audience will react in a positive way. Although it is said subcultures are evident in society according to Hebdige, certain subcultures may be able to relate to my music video. They may do this by associating their interests with the video, therefore a larger audience can relate to it.

- Audience expectation will be present as the mass audience will have different expectations according to their age, gender and hobbies. The audience may also have different expectations due to the theme and overall how the music video is portrayed, with a lot of low key lighting and generally  a darker theme. Although the video should be able to meet the expectations of a spectrum of audiences due to the star image motif and possible intertextual references we will include.

- Audience identification will be present with our main character, or artist. According to Dyer our artist should be portrayed as ordinary and we have taken this into consideration, this is so that as much of the audience as possible can relate. The artist will be portrayed as a young working class male who worries about his future due to the position he is in, this part will be relatable but the ending will include his fears becoming true, this will be controversial but will show the realities of growing up struggling in society.

Why have we identified this group as our target audience?

We have identified this group as our audience as our song choice directly reflects our audience and who they are from a social, economic and behavioral position. The video is suitable for people from the age of 16 to over 30 years old, of any gender. As this is a very broad spectrum of audience to enjoy the music video we can ensure it will be successful. The themes are also relatable to these types of people as they focus on youth culture, having fun and socialising. This is something that can easily appeal to mass audiences. Younger audiences under the age of 16 and those over the age of 30 may not be able to relate to the music video due to themes it focuses on, younger audiences not being able to understand them and older audiences simply not being able to relate due to the many responsibilities they may have at this age.