How my Focus Group helped to inform changes to my Video

After conducting my initial audience research, I created a Focus Group of 6 people to which I would consult in more detail regarding changes I could make to my ideas to make my video as effective as possible for the genre whilst still including the technical aspects that needed to be observed, such as intertextuality and "Britishness".

During the initial discussion, they echoed my thoughts to change from the initial idea from the first Treatment drastically, and eliminate the character who would be playing the guitar, as it mis-portrayed the star image and didn't add to a narrative, which was what my questionnaire found to be most engaging.

Examples of Physical Questionnaires. 

The initial responses shaped my first draft, and after completing my first draft, I created a Questionnaire that I distributed to my Focus Group via E-Mail.

Focus Group Questionnaire

This was sent out to each member of the group who then replied to the E-Mail with a completed questionnaire, seen below, with Elisha's E-Mail.

From these responses, the focus group effectively helped shape the changes from my First Draft to my Final Cut. The most striking concern was in Elisha's response, she described the plot as something completely different to what I had intended (Hall, Preferred/Oppositional Readings) and had misunderstood the video due to the gaps that were in there.

Elisha's Response to the Plot Question.

 However in general Elisha's response was one of the most helpful, as she picked out how I made use of Britishness and Intertextuality and links to Goodwin's theories such as the links to lyrics, seen below in a more complete example of her response.

 This showed I was along the right lines with my First Draft. However, in Jack's response, he picked out that the editing and some scenes seemed "repetitive or slightly too long"- as a result, I made the intro section with Elliott shorter, including clips with Ria in this section, and then also eliminated shots that were similar in the Bridge, and replaced them with clips of Ria's side of the story, to enhance the narrative.

As a result, the finished video differes hugely from the initial shot list, but the greatest change was that right at the start, where the initial shot list changed drastically, and then small adjustments were made to shots to make it more appropriate- for example, the intro remains very similar, and in the shot list, shots such as "group in the city", changed to "group in the streets". 

This all contributes greatly for when it comes to answering Question 3 of the Evaluation, what did you learn from your audience feedback.

Ideas for my Digipak and Magazine Advertisement

For my digipak and magazine advertisement, I will be making alternative artwork for my artist's recently released album, "Struggle", as the artwork for his upcoming EP and LP have been made already.

The current artwork for Struggle is a drawn image of a boat in a bottle at sea (see right), with the "message in a bottle" connotation symbolising hope, which, contrasted with the title of the word "Struggle", to me suggests finding things that give hope to get through a tough time. From the digipaks I have analysed (Deaf Havana's "Old Souls" and Real Friends' "Maybe This Place is the Same and We're Just Changing"), I thought it would be good to create a sense of freedom, and thought the way in which Deaf Havana used the child to create a sense of vulnerability and freedom simultaneously as well as a blank canvas was very effective as it was subtle. From my audience research I have also found that my artist is similar to this band and hence I can draw from it for inspiration in my ancillary pieces. I also wanted to create a link to my music video for "Real Talk" in the artwork as this is common amongst digipaks from my research. 

So, I decided I would take some photos of things I thought were not only striking, but perhaps warming. So, when out walking my Dog, Macie, one sunny morning, I took some photos of her on the field where my video opens and where the man from the video, Elliott, is seen at the end. My favourite photo(s) were of when she ran towards me when I was taking a low angle of the field, shown below.

I think these photos would be good for the front cover of the digipak, as they are eye catching and also capture many different ideas- using a dog, not a human, in the digipak, is engaging, as it is subtle. The bright colours will connote happiness and the image is meant to be uplifting and bright, ie it looks like the dog is smiling too, and then in the centre will be the album title, Struggle, creating a juxtaposition that will hopefully connote using the good things to get through the bad- which could be seen semantically in the dog running. I will edit the image in Photoshop to create a front cover design.

For the Magazine advertisement, I had it set that I would have a near symmetrical image taken on Marriott's Way in the Autumn, as the band and album has a very autumnal feel to me- although these images were taken in December/January, the path is covered by brown leaves and the trees still looks quite brown with some colour in the foreground. I think this would benefit the advertisement as it will help a bright album cover to stand out against a slightly darkened background and text would be easy to read. Below are my two shot variations for the magazine advertisement. Alternatively, I could use the other shot from the field to continue the bright themes and give a sense of continuity in the design.

 For the inside of the digipak, I had in mind creating a similar effect to in Deaf Havana's "Old Souls" rather than the Real Friends album, which was creating a continuous image which the Uses and Gratifications model could be applied to where my audience will make of it what they will, whilst it will humbly represent my artist. The image below is similar to that of a shot I use in the video for when I introduce the song name, looking up through the trees on a clear bright day, but this time the leaves are mostly gone- semantically, bare trees are synonymous with winter, which in turn is synonymous with darkness, even in health with seasonal or winter depression, linking to the title of the album and the challenging theme of countering that with good things, in this sense brightness, a clear representation through the light vs dark theme. Although I am unsure about this image and making it work for the interior of a digipak, I definitely want to create a similar shot, possibly using a wide angle lens or panoramic image. I am also unsure as to whether I will have a 4 or 6 panel digipak and hence where the CD will be stored in relation to the image, and how the CD and image will interact, if it all. From the images I have at present, it makes sense to do a 4 panel digipak, but I will see what works through trialing in CS6 Photoshop.

Lastly I am quite set on the back cover- an image taken from the day of the shoot for this section of the video, although I only used the shot where I begin to tilt down from the trees above to an image like this. I may include a similar image in the start or end of the video where I have several seemingly unrelated images after one another. The symmetry of the image is created by the straight path and a vanishing effect at the end, giving a sense of a long road ahead but also direction, themes that can all link to the word "Struggle". Forest and woodland walks like this are also therapeutic to many and so people may find environments like this comforting, and the brightness of the image from the blue sky also helps to create a positive feel. The text for the tracklisting will be centre aligned and will go down the middle of the pathway so that there are trees either side. The text on all of the artwork will be the same font that I use in the video to create a house style, as in Abandoning Sunday's artwork for Struggle it is a new font that was also seen in In Your Dreams. It will not be overly large and will instead be small but easy enough to read, so that it remains subtle and in keeping with a "less-is-more" theme that I am trying to achieve with my designs, to create more meaning rather than taking any photo. At the bottom of this image will be some small print, typical of rear covers, a barcode and other details. The inside cover will contain details about the songs and artist. I am unsure about whether or not producing a lyric booklet is necessary or not, but it is still a thought to consider.

Focus Group - Questionnaire

Now that my First Draft Cut is completed, I can show my video to my focus group. My focus group was established from people who completed physical questionnaires and those who I got in touch with after they filled in the online form.

I have a focus group of 6 people, 3 males and 3 females, of varying ages from 14 upwards.
I will also include two responses from two adults, as although my primary target audience is young people who can identify with the representation in my product and the issues it deals with, the artist still appeals to older audiences.

These are the questions I will ask my focus group in a questionnaire:

1) Name/age/gender
2) What are you first impressions of the music video? Does it suit the song?
3) Did you follow the story? If so, state a brief outline of what happens.
4) Was there any area where you did not follow the story? State if applicable.
5) Do you feel that the visuals create a direct link to the lyrics and represent any issues?

Now, more in-depth questions:
6) Is the split between the two narratives noticeable and clear? If not, how can I improve this?
7) Does the pace of the editing match the song? Is there any section you found too slow or too fast?
8) Did a particular shot stand out to you? If so, why?
9) Please list any shots you feel are unnecessary.
10) Did you notice the intertextual features (links to other media) in the man's room? Please state
11) How does the video portray Britishness or typical British values in a shot or idea?
12) Any other thoughts? Please state

I will be sending emails or messages to my focus group with a link to the unlisted video of the First Cut Draft on YouTube as well as the Questionnaire on a Word Document attached.
My focus group is:
- Elisha Jacobs (18)
- Ria Hopwood (16)
- Rebecca Lawler (16)
- Jack Osborne (17)
- Daniel Hampton (18)
- Max Hopwood (14)
plus Gerry Attoe and Dean Ward (adults), TBC indicating I am yet to hear back from them saying they will complete a questionnaire.
I will be sending out the links in the coming days, so if necessary I can obtain any extra shots whilst filming the final shots left to complete the few gaps left to finish the video.

Below is a screenshot of my questionnaire as it will appear to my focus group. Most of the focus group I will be able to give this to in person as they will be able to watch the video collectively, but others will not, as they live outside the immediate area, and so they will email a completed version back to me.

Audience Research - Online Survey Analysis

Online Survey Analysis

For my Audience Research, I produced an online survey using the website "SurveyMonkey", with 9 questions that would help me get a better idea of what my audience expects from a music video and hence what they would want to see in my video.

My audience profile informed me as to how to go about my audience research. I found that my artist appealed to both younger generations and adults, but more so younger, teenage audiences. Knowing that I would be doing an online survey and a physical questionnaire, I sent out the link to the survey on my Personal Twitter and Facebook pages several times, where it would reach an audience roughly the same age as me, and hence fitting my audience profile. To account for the older audiences, my Dad's business "Wet Dog", a clothes shop in the coastal town of Cromer, also tweeted out the link to the survey. The business account has more followers and a greater reach than my account and helped to get more people to see the survey. The survey itself focuses on peoples music habits, what they listen to, how they listen to it, etc. and then moves on to expectations of a video and expectations of the Artist.

Question 1 and 2

 The first two questions help to form the basis of my questionnaire, age and gender. From my audience profile I found that my artist appealed to both males and females almost equally, probably more in favor of males due to lyrical content of him singing about relationship issues and love that would be about females. Also, as discussed above, the ages do differ, but predominantly my artist appeals to young adults/teenagers and then some adults also. By distributing the link on the two accounts I managed to gain some representation of different demographics. 78% of those who completed the survey were 17 or 18, around my age, and I myself fit the audience profile well as I like the artist. There was a 52:48 (nearest %) split between males and females so I managed to get an equal voice from both genders, which is makes responses more beneficial to me as I can make my video more appealing to both genders if opinions are shared.

Question 3

For the third question, I asked what my audiences favorite genres were. I included a wide range of genres, but was also careful to not include so many genres, or specific genres that were not relevant to my artist/audience profile. From my profile, I established Rock, Acoustic, Pop Punk and Post-Hardcore as the four genres that my audience were most engaged with, from their Twitter pages and bios. 3 genres tied as the most favoured, on 58%- Indie, Rock and Acoustic, closely followed by Singer/Songwriter. My artist, Abandoning Sunday, fits three of these four genres, showing the link between the demographics of the audience and their musical tastes, i.e. what the more favored genres are of today. For example, "Pop" ranks quite low, with about 25% saying they listen to modern pop music- what is more popular are sub-genres such as Pop Punk, which has recently regained popularity, and is one the other genres that my audience profile includes. Metal and Post Hardcore, arguably more niche genres, proved least popular, although I know from my audience profile that some people who listen to my artist do like this genre. However my audience is far from a metal act and this graph shows that the new album, which features more rock and acoustic based tracks, will appeal to my audience, as will the track I have been assigned for my music video.

Question 4

Next I asked how my audience consumed music. A sign of the times of the music industry at present is that Digital Downloads are most popular. This is actually quite interesting as all of my artists EPs and Albums have been exclusively digital downloads, and downloads are exceeding CD sales. Next is YouTube, where 68% of those surveyed say they use YouTube for music- this is where my video will be released, and Music Channels only achieved 32%, showing that my audience are used to viewing music videos on YouTube and that this is the more common platform, as everyone can access it or post things to it.

Question 5

This question was aimed to split my audience. Those who attended lots of live concerts could possibly be better for a focus group as they will probably be more passionate about music, whereas those who don't attend many account for the other side of this argument and what those who don't go to concerts think, and their interests. I found from my audience profile that my audience lead a variety of lifestyles and this question helps to account for this.

Question 6

For this question I inserted an image of my artist, Abandoning Sunday, and asked the respondents what they would expect this artist to be like, style-wise, and the impression they get of the artist.

Although this question did have some slightly jokey answers (see top and bottom answer above), but on the whole the respondents did acknowledge that this artist fit into the genre of rock, singer songwriter and acoustic, from his appearance in the image. Hence, I would use similar costumes and locations to convey the same things the respondents picked out, such as the "deep lyrics" and stylish clothing. Below is another selection of answers, all of whom said that they expected the artist to be acoustic or singer/songwriter, one drawing singer/songwriter Ben Howard as a likeness.

Question 7

For the next question I wanted my audience to actually listen to Abandoning Sunday, so I linked his newest single, "In Your Dreams". Falling under rock, the track is a guitar driven love song and has a homemade music video of Michael and the band playing. Including this question makes use of the fact that on my online survey the respondents are using the internet and can easily access YouTube, whereas the likelihood of me playing a song to people in public is very unlikely. 

From the question I found another split - 2 respondents straight up said they didn't like the track! The more popular answer was "Okay" (26%), although I must consider the fact that some respondents may have been too lazy to actually go and watch the video and click this answer as default. However 53% of respondents said they either liked it, really liked it or loved it, meaning that my audience profile matches up with the people that I have targeted through distributing my survey.

Question 8

For the penultimate question I asked which type of video my audience preferred, and hoped that by this stage the previous questions would've helped to establish this as a concrete answer I can develop my video from. However, I was hoping that performance wouldn't be the most popular, as the logistics of getting my artist in the video would be impossible, and upon hearing the song I would be using, titled "Real Talk", I was glad that Narrative came out as the top response, at 47%, shortly followed by a concept. Hence, I will make my video a narrative, and could perhaps include some conceptual motif, such as the effect that music has on people. 

Question 9

For the last question I wanted the respondents to help give me an insight into what I should include in my video, so I asked what people's favourite music video was and why, and what makes a good video. On the whole I received good feed back from this question.

Although it's more than likely the person saying their favorite video is to Basshunter is joking, the other responses here are still good. I know the video to Mallory Knox "Beggars" and the intertextual reference to Clockwork Orange and this is something this respondent highlighted so intertextual references, when they work well, are wanted. Ultimately it was said that the video should capture the mood of the song, both above for Dan Croll "Home" and below for Madness "House of Fun" (the demographic difference showing there), or a video that tells a story behind the lyrics that is perhaps not as prominent from just listening to the song - something I can incorporate in my video.

Key Theories

Here are some key media theories that I could apply to my analyses:

• Todorov: Narrative Theory. This is where a music video will follow a distinct form when it is a narrative video. This will be the transition from an equilibrium, to a disruption, which is then resolved to restore equilibrium.
• Uses and Gratifications Model: this is the theory that audiences seek out the media that wish to consume, and focuses on what the audience does with the media text, rather than what the media does to audiences (which is another theory, the Hypodermic Syringe or Effects Theory).
• Reception Theory: The opposite of the Effects Theory, that sees media consumption as active rather than passive, and focuses on what audiences do to the media

I can apply each of these theories to my media analyses. Firstly, I can apply Todorov's Narrative Theory to the video of "Backroads" by Lonely the Brave, which I have analysed. The video adheres to the theory as first there is an equlibirum, and then a disruption in the form of the Kiev Riots, and then the restoration of equilibrium when the skaters return to being free.

Regarding the Uses and Gratifications model, I could apply this to my analysis of Deaf Havana's digipak for "Old Souls". The inside of the digipak is a completely clear blue sky and beach with nothing noticeable to the audience- this leaves the audience open to decide what it shows about the band, their music etc.

Reception Theory could be applied to my other digipak, Real Friends' LP "Maybe This Place is the Same and We're Just Changing" includes the Fearless Record label logo, and so some members of the audience, who may not know the band, will see this and listen to the music, hence why the designers chose to include it, to create label identity, and many of the choices Real Friends would have made regarding artwork would be as a response to the themes present in the Pop Punk genre that the audience has grown to expect from such a product.

Magazine Advertisement // Deaf Havana

Norfolk based Rock Band Deaf Havana are the band that I most liken to the Artist I will be working with, Abandoning Sunday, and so I have chosen to compliment my analysis of one of their videos and their digipak with an analysis of their Tour Poster for their October tour last year in support of their new album, "Old Souls". I feel analysing this artist's work will help inform me with regard to what I will be producing, as their lyrical style, appearance and music genre is similar to that of my artist.

This poster was created to advertise the tour that the band were undergoing around the release of their new album. When doing a tour around an album, it would be expected that the artwork would be similar to that of the album artwork, however besides the font type and colour, a different colour scheme is used. This may be due to the fact that, for the digipak, the band doesn't feature at all, whereas in this poster the band are all pictured. This has been done to show the newer audiences what the band actually look like as they will be seeing them live. The blue themes from the digipak were continued in the later UK tour in April 2014, which was subsequently dubbed the "Old Souls" tour.

The inclusion of the band at the top of the poster immediately captures the audience, with front man James being pictured centrally. At first, the audience is under the impression that they are all dressed formally, i.e. James is shown in a grey suit jacket, and other members are wearing waistcoats or shirts, whereas some members are just wearing plain coats. This could mirror the different audiences the band may have due to their styles- they still appear to some as a strong rock band, but the new singles that were released prior to this tour were influenced by some folk rock, and this formal appearance perhaps reflects the sophisticated nature of the band. Combined with the continued humble appearance, this will help to sell more tickets to the concerts, as more people will view the band and feel as if they will like them just from their appearance.

This impression of sophistication continues in the house style- the lattice style border that separates the image from the tour dates has connotations of wealth (which the band don't have, they cancelled a tour due to a lack of funds) and perhaps upper class. This could perhaps indicate the band maturing and becoming established. The background appears to have a wallpaper style, with the text having the same font and colour as that used in the digipak for Old Souls. The album has been included at the bottom due to the tour being done around the album, ultimately to increase sales of both the album and tour tickets.

Another way that the poster may help to promote the band and increase sales of the tour tickets is the inclusion of the support acts. "Very Special Guest" makes the support act seem very important, and former Busted front-man Charlie Simpson has had a very successful solo career exploring similar genres to Deaf Havana. If people who like Charlie Simpson's music, or recognise the name from Busted and the style that they had many years ago, more people will come to the gig, perhaps not to see Deaf Havana as a priority, but they will still see the band perform live and could grow to like them and purchase the album.

Although the poster helps to create slightly different connotations of the band and attract different audiences, I will probably try to avoid making something completely different and create continuity through my pieces, for instance if I was producing a tour poster for this band surrounding the album I would continue the blue colour scheme and coastal themes from the digipak, or maybe include a still from an associated music video. However, the advertisement does create strong links to what the band is like, genre-wise and personality wise, and gives a distinct message to the bands fans, which is something I will try to utilise - and I will just be producing the magazine advertisement for the digipak, not a set of tour dates, so I will try to continue similar themes across my products.

Audience Research - Music Video Survey & Questionnaire

As part of my audience research, I have constructed two surveys for my target audience to complete, regarding their personal music habits. The first, an online survey on website SurveyMonkey, will be able to reach a broad audience and as people can view it at home, it focuses more on the artist and aspects of music videos rather than lifestyle.

The survey can be completed here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N5BRYPS

In the survey, I ask the following questions:
1) How old are you?
2) What is your gender?
3) What are your favourite musical genres?
4) How do you consume music?
5) How often do you attend musical performances?
6)

Here is an image of the artist I will be working with, Abandoning Sunday. What would you expect this artist to be like, style-wise? What impression do you get of the artist?

7) Have a listen to this track by Abandoning Sunday. How would you rate this song?

8) What type of music video do you prefer?

9) In your opinion, what makes a good music video? What is your favourite video and why?

Questions 1 and 2 help me to identify who it is completing my survey. From my audience profile I found my artist appeals to teenagers, young adults and adults alike, and both genders.

Questions 3, 4 and 5 are quantitative, closed questions, where I can see my audiences habits regarding music. If they attend lots of concerts, they are passionate about music, and their opinion may be more valued, and could form a good part of a focus group, especially if they select any of the four genres I identified in my Audience Profile (Rock, Acoustic, Pop Punk, Hardcore) as genres that are common interests for my artists fan base.

I decided to use an image question as it could be important when constructing magazine advertisements and getting a good image, as well as for digipaks, and it also helps the audience get an understanding for my artist. Question 7 is unique to the online survey as I can't show people the music video on the street.

Questions 8 and 9 will help me understand what my audience expects of my music video, or what they will enjoy in it, helping me on a commercial level.

The physical questionnaire will contain additional questions (and not Question 7).

These are:

- List three of your hobbies - this will help me understand the lifestyle of my audience, and perhaps what intertextual references will be beneficial to include.

- Who is your favourite artist at the moment? - Hopefully due to my placement when conducting the questionnaire, I will get relevant people answering my survey with the right music taste to help me, and this question will help me identify who will be more relevant, like the genre question.

- If you are willing to be a part of future research and form part of a focus group, what is your preferred contact detail? - Self-explanatory, to see who is willing to form my focus group.

Audience Research

To start my audience research into who I will be aiming my productions towards, I investigated the typical audience profiles of people who enjoy or will enjoy the music of my artist, Abandoning Sunday.

On his website, Thomas (Abandoning Sunday) lists his musical influences to include bands such as Jimmy Eat World, Yellowcard, The Goo Goo Dolls, The Killers and The Icarus Account. As these bands are listed as influences, Thomas' musical style will bare some resemblance, and hence I could list some fans of these bands as part of my target audience and get them to participate in some questionnaires so I can determine how to make my productions more appealing to them.

Abandoning Sunday is very active on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I looked through some of the bands followers on Twitter and determined the types of people who listen to my artist - I learned that in fact the band appeal to a wide audience, mainly of ages 13 upwards to young adult, and some older listeners who may be more familiar with the bands influences (Jimmy Eat World & Yellowcard have been about for over a decade).

From the younger fans "bios" on Twitter, I can gain an understanding of the other bands that fans listen to. Interestingly, when Abandoning Sunday is mentioned, he is amongst bands of different genres entirely- namely bands such as Bring Me The Horizon, Pierce The Veil and Sleeping With Sirens, who are typical of the more hardcore, bordering "emo" genre- perhaps due to the somewhat sad nature of the lyrics. Furthermore, fans of post-hardcore bands such as Architects, While She Sleeps and Counterparts  are following my artist, and the musical styles of these bands and Abandoning Sunday could not be more different. In other cases, fans have listed other favourite acts in their bios as pop punk bands such as The Story So Far, Blink-182 and A Day To Remember as well as rock bands like You Me At Six and Green Day. I list Abandoning Sunday as similar to Deaf Havana, Lonely the Brave, The Script and You Me At Six - showing that the band are accessible to fans of various genres, and it will be interesting to see how hardcore, pop punk and rock fans views combine/differ in questionnaires.

Other interests from my audience include singer/songwriters, perhaps more in favour of the acoustic side of the band, and a lot of his followers are gamers or small YouTubers who upload content to the website, and a few skaters. The band hence also appeals to a variety of lifestyles, for instance skating is seen as synonymous with the pop punk genre, among others, but that doesn't mean that all skaters have to listen to a certain music taste.

The older audiences don't give much away in their biographies on the Social Networking site Twitter but from Facebook, mainly older audiences appear to have seen him play live in small house gigs or in pubs, as that is where he plays the majority of his concerts in America, and most of the comments "You were great today in []" come from people in their twenties or upwards. Hence, when I am getting my study group for questionnaires, it will include:

- Fans of different music genres: Acoustic, Pop Punk, Hardcore, Rock
- A mixture of teenagers, young adults and over 18s
- People of different lifestyles: Working, Studying, different interests.

In these questionnaires, I will look to see which aspects of music videos my audience prefers in this genre, and which styles of digipak appeal to them more at first glance, as well as other aspects that will be vital to the production of my pieces.

Digipak Analysis: Deaf Havana // "Old Souls"

"Old Souls" is the third album by British alternative rock band Deaf Havana, an album which marked yet another direction change from the band to more classic rock, with hints of folk rock and chorus-driven songs. The previous record, "Fools & Worthless Liars", established the band from Hunstanton as one of the most popular current British Bands, but the change from debut album, "Meet Me Halfway, At Least" which featured the single "Friends Like These", seems like an entirely different band to what the Norfolk band's music is like today. That being said, the success of "Old Souls" is unparalleled - singles "Boston Square" and "Mildred" were Zane Lowe's Hottest Record of the World, and the album reached #9, the first Top ten album for the band. This is the original version of the Digipak, and it is one of the most simplistic designs of a digipak I own- however, it works in the bands favour and matches their ideals.

The front cover of the album features a small child running across the beach, with a small group of people in the background. The open blue skies and background create connotations of freedom. The text takes up a relatively small portion of the cover. Also the use of the child instead of an adult creates a sense of vulnerability but I see it as a humble representation of the band- themes are parallel to those utilised in lead single "Mildred" (see end), and could show that although the band face many difficulties (they recently cancelled a tour as they didn't have the funds), they still try to live a carefree life.

The inside of the digipak leaves a lot open to interpretation. It continues the themes created in the front cover by using the same background but it also contains no other images other than the open coastal scene depicted. The band hold close ties to their coastal hometown of Hunstanton (see analysis of Hunstanton Pier) and this could be why for "Old Souls" the band chose to use this coastal image. Other than this image it is blank, perhaps indicating that this is who the band are, there is nothing else to know about them, no secrets, it is all open to their audience - this matches the tracks as track "Caro Padre" is the first time that lead singer James opens up about his relationship with his Father, as well as other relations like in "Mildred", regarding an old friend. The lack of images of the artist also suggests that three albums in, the band do not need to portray themselves, despite their apparent change in style- perhaps the band could've included them wearing different apparel to connote the change from the post-hardcore genre to alternative rock, as they did in the video to "Smiles All Round" (2010) where the band are depicted wearing hoodies and appearing very "punk", but this was perhaps previously illustrated in the previous album artworks (see bottom.) An alternative consideration lends itself more towards the Uses and Gratifications model, which states that audiences seek out the media that they wish to consume, and focuses on what the audience does with the media text, rather than what the media does to audiences. Where other bands would perhaps overtly brand themselves over their covers where audiences are given a prescribed view, the blank canvas of the inside cover creates an open interpretation of the band for the audience to make their own "use" of, and decide what it symbolises in terms of the bands ideologies. This is a much more descriptive approach in which there is no set idea of the band given in the digipak, making them more accessible to wider audiences, who may feel that they can get in to the bands music for this reason.

The rear cover also continues the coastal theme and keeps the same background creating a sense of continuity to the digipak, making it aesthetically pleasing with a nice layout. The tracklist is in the same colour as the album details at the front of the digipak, and takes up very little space on the back cover, which is strange as it depicts no other scenes, so the tracks could take up more space, but the band clearly felt this was not necessary, probably as it continues the humble theme and ideals that the band creates - the audience know what songs are going to be on the album as the band have a very strong fanbase. For those who do not know the artist, again continuing the idea of the uses and gratifications model, this will not create a negative effect as it is still organised and clear, and open/revealing so the audience does not feel put off.The rear cover also has the record label at the bottom and a few copyright details, which again fit the house style of the digipak and are a common feature of any CD artwork. The audience may also recognise this record label and associate this with other acts, particularly those that do not know the artist, but knows of other acts on the same record label.

Here are the two previous album covers from the two prior LPs the band have released. Left, "Fools & Worthless Liars" (2011) contained singles "I'm A Bore, Mostly" and "Hunstanton Pier" . However, "Meet Me Halfway, At Least" (right) flaunted a much different Deaf Havana, that tended more towards heavier bands such as Enter Shikari both vocally and instrumentally. The single "Friends Like These" was the track that got the band well-known, but subsequently the bands style changed significantly, which is reflected in the artwork changes- the first album seems edgy, whereas Fools & Worthless Liars' artwork is more sophisticated, with a classic tone and much more humble appearance. The colour scheme is the more notable change from F&WL to Old Souls, with the dark colours being traded for sky blue, perhaps reflecting the change in mood of the songs, despite how some of them are still quite sad ("Everybody's Dancing and I Want To Die", "Caro Padre") - the lyrics remain quite depressing and sad yet the instrumentals are infinitely more uplifting and not as aggressive as in the earlier records. This could be a reason for the change in themes in the artwork over time.

It should be noted that the theme of children continues from the digipaks into the music videos. The video for the lead single from "Old Souls", "Mildred (Lost A Friend)", follows two children throughout the video, one of whom bears a striking resemblance to the same child used on the front cover of "Fools & Worthless Liars", It does depict the children as doing some adult tasks, such as working in an office, and does also feature several shots by a beach, continuing the coastal theme of this digipak. The video, like the digipak, also does not feature the band at all, (although "22" and most of their other videos have featured them, for instance Hunstanton Pier which I analysed) enhancing the humble representations suggested by the designs. Furthermore, it could show how the band, although tied down with day to day life, still live like children, in their own world (particularly shown by the very last shot in the video, where Earth is shown in the sky above the two "friends" that the song talks about). The song itself is about an old friend of the guitarist who they no longer see, as said in an interview on Radio 1, (contrary to belief that it was about Ryan Mellor, the screamer vocalist who left the band), and corresponds to what I was saying for the middle section of the digipak and Caro Padre, where the band are being open and have nothing to hide about themselves and their relations with others.

- Althusser - child - audience represent self in text.
- misrepresentation

Digipak Analysis: Real Friends // "Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing"

Released on 22/7/2014, "Maybe This Place is the Same and We're Just Changing" is the debut record from Illinois Pop Punk Band Real Friends. Signed to Fearless Records, Real Friends have released several EPs and built up a devoted following amongst the pop punk scene, and played the Warped Tour in 2014 on the Journeys Stage. The band recently toured the UK with Modern Baseball and You Blew It! and are now touring America with the UK's most renowned pop punk band and hyped band overall Neck Deep. From these tours, it is apparent that the band are already well known in this industry and this could explain some of the choices made in their artwork. Only a digipak and vinyl version of this record is available at the moment, and this is a common feature of pop punk bands who only release the digipak version over a jewel case (i.e. Neck Deep "Wishful Thinking", Citizen "Youth", The Wonder Years "The Greatest Generation"), proving that the digipak is in fact more popular and preferred over the jewel case in this genre. This could be because the pop punk genre is in a "rejuvenation" phase, with tours such as Pop Punks Not Dead! revitalising the popularity of the subgenre that Blink-182 and similar bands made so popular. The preference of the digipak over the jewel case hence could be because it allows for much more images and meaning to be connoted through the design of the digipak and allow for more promotion of the artist. Common lyrical themes amongst Real Friends songs include sadness and trouble moving on, perhaps the reason behind the album title, as I will explore in this analysis. 

This is the front cover of the Digipak for Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing. As you can see, the band rely solely on imagery and the digipak does not feature the band at all. This could be because the image of the band has already been created through the previous EPs and from doing several tours to become recognised in this genre. A house style utilising the colours blue, yellow and white is also created which the rest of the the digipak will adhere to, appealing to the audience aesthetically - Real Friends' previous EPs have not been so artistically constructed and feature rough images or ambiguous ones. The front of the digipak may seem ambiguous at first, but a meaning can soon be established. From the lyrical content of the bands songs, the locked chest could hold semantic meanings of having thoughts trapped and how the album contains these thoughts.

The inside of the digipak continues the themes established by the front cover - still no images of the band are present, and other images of a town and stills of a room are featured, with a vase of flowers on the left which the band also used on posters. The town most directly links with the name of the album, "Maybe This Place is the Same and We're Just Changing", saying that "this place" is the town, Illinois, where the band hail from (the album also features a track called "Spread Me All Over Illinois" further supporting this idea". The borders between the images give it a professional apperance but one that is also very aesthetic and nice to look at. The lack of images of the band is strange because in order to create a motif of the band and appeal to new audiences by including an image of the 5-piece, the band have chosen to simply use images. This could be due to their largely metaphorical lyrics "I miss you like the summer" etc. and how it leaves their audience to decide the meaning of the images and the lyrics for themselves. The digipak lends itself to Hall's Reception Theory, in that the text is encoded with a meaning or representation of the band, and different audiences respond or decode the text in different ways, meaning the images seen throughout the digipak can be interpreted in different manners by different audiences; i.e. they nay see the images to represent something else due to their ambiguous nature. The interplay of the images suggests that they are all interlinked in some way, and their simple nature suggests that they all mean something to the band, but may represent something else entirely to the audience.

On the back cover of the digipak is the tracklist, record label and details and again a continuation of the imagery that we observe on the front cover. The tracklist, of 12 songs, takes up relatively little space, and the main focus of the design is the bookshelf. This again relates back to the album title, "Maybe this Place is the Same...", as it is suggesting that these images depicted, such as the rooms, have not changed at all (similarly to La Dispute's latest release, Rooms of the House) and that they are much the same and ordinary. The font is clear to read and not in an overt font, which is typical of the pop punk genre in digipaks, and also could the order and neatness of the images could contrast the angst in the songs and perhaps chaos that the band articulates into the 12 tracks, ranging from slow sad songs such as "Sixteen", songs about failed relationships and the associated thoughts ("I Don't Love You Anymore") and self-depreciation and angst, particularly from lead single "Loose Ends". The inclusion of the production details on the back cover perhaps shows the humble nature of the band (the thankyous are on the lyric sheet inside the album), and how they are grateful for how the record label have supported them. Fearless Records also hold host to a wide variety of alternative bands, from metalcore acts such as Blessthefall, Motionless in White, The Word Alive and August Burns Red,  as well as more mainstream, "radio-friendly" bands such as Go Radio, The Downtown Fiction, Plain White T's the hugely popular American EDM/Punk band Breathe Carolina, pop rockers The Summer Set and famous pop punk band Mayday Parade. The vastness of the amount of bands on the label and the variety of genres means that by including the record label logo, people can identify the logo and match that with what the label includes and hence if they will like it, which will ultimately increase sales. The simplicity of the digipak makes it easily accesible to new audiences and current audiences alike which will increase the popularity of the band and widen their fan base.

Real Friends have continued themes from their previous EPs. Above are three releases, "Put Yourself Back Together" (2013), "Three Songs About the Past Year of my Life" (2012) and "Everyone That Dragged You Here" (2012). From these we can observe many themes that Real Friends have carried onto the debut LP. These albums were all released on BandCamp, with CD versions of the more recent EPs becoming available to UK audiences on Amazon. White text for the band and text is used in all three designs, and once again the band is not featured in any of them, only images, perhaps again of home town Illinois as referencing home-towns is a common stereotype of pop punk bands. The band have gained recognition from these three EPs without utilising images of themselves, so there is no need to "sell out" in a sense and start self-promotion since signing to Fearless as they already have a strong fan base and can stick to the bands morals and ideals.

Music Video Analysis: Lonely The Brave // "Backroads"

Lonely the Brave // Backroads

"I'll be the sky and you be the bird"

In this analysis I will be exploring Cambridge five-piece Lonely the Brave's music video to "Backroads". The video was directed by Greg Davenport, and Backroads is the lead single from the debut album "The Day's War" (2014), which also features "Trick of the Light", which I will reference later in this essay, and "Victory Line". The band have recently been exposed to a lot of publicity, from playing renowned slots at festivals such as Glastonbury, T in the Park and Reading and Leeds over Summer 2014 as well as a support slot for Mallory Knox, the band are set to tour the UK along with Marmozets in Autumn. NME said that "The Day's War" was one of the best albums of the year and soon this band will be receiving widespread recognition, whether they want to or not. Lonely the Brave flaunt a unique style of emotive rock, with instantly recognisable guitar riffs and a powerful vocalist (who sounds identical live to in recorded songs, as I have seen them perform twice), and their largely metaphorical lyrics have made them an instant hit amongst listeners and reviewers alike. I list Lonely the Brave as one of the most important comparisons to the artist I will be working with (Abandoning Sunday), and so the styles that are portrayed in the music video could also inspire my own video. I will be discussing the significance of the narrative concept used in the video and how it effects the audience through corresponding to the emotive nature of the song.

The video commences with a tracking shot of the main characters that the video follows as soon as the guitar riff kicks in. The 5 main characters (interestingly corresponding to the number of members in the band), are all depicted on skateboards, in a slow-motion shot, as they ride together through city streets. Immediately, the audience can get a feel for the song through the use of intertextuality here- skateboarding, like surfing, is sometimes coined "Free-Ride", in that the skateboard gives the rider the freedom to travel wherever - and the tracking shot reveals that the 5 young adults are in a slightly desolated, perhaps war-torn city. The pace of the riders increases after the audience sees the tires in the background, and then slows again at the barricade of tires as 4 soldiers walk across the shot. This already gives the impression of taking freedom and subverting authority in the video- being free. This is why the director has chosen to have the actors on skateboards for the duration of the video.

"Just want to fall here, silently"

As the first lyric commences, the actors walk into a large, derelict area filled with tires and debris. "I saw things that the rat saw, and my eyes couldn't take them in" describes the feeling of shock that the free-riders have upon seeing such destruction. Lonely the Brave said that the actors who the video concentrates on are "friends from Kiev, who are living through the unrest". This usage of intertextuality and using a real experience that people have to live through to support the theme of freedom in the video is very powerful. The actors are shown to walk through a memorial sight, evidently moved by the numbers of people lost and particularly who has been lost in the conflict, hence the emotive lyric, "just want to fall here, silently, into the arms of people I love", suggesting that the actors here feel a sense of hopelessness and being lost, but amongst their friends they can be comforted.

As the chorus kicks in, an infinitely different feel is portrayed. "Look at the way the faces turn" is given a whole new meaning by the director who shows how the innocent riders turn into the rioters during the Kiev unrest, as they combat the riot controllers during the powerful chorus. Slow-motion shots are used in the chorus and throughout the video, perhaps to show how the riders can get lost in the moments of being free riding their boards when threatened with such violence on a day to day basis. The perhaps flagship lyric of the band, "You be the sky and I'll be the bird" has many connotations of freedom, with the bird having the infinite power to be free, flying in the sky, and the use of pronouns suggest that when the individuals are with their friends, they can all have a sense of freedom. The use of imagery throughout the video implies this with several impressive location shots that imply themes of exploration, adventure, and more importantly to the video, hope and beauty, as stated by the band themselves. The actors constantly look around and take in the sights around them, adhering to Goodwin's theory of looking, and are appreciating the beauty of the world they live in, when faced with such adversity, for instance the bridge shot and during the second verse.

Davenport uses Imagery and impressive shots to enhance the meaning of the video and the theme of Freedom

In the second verse, the theme of freedom is enhanced further, mainly through the use of imagery. It is interesting how the band do not appear at all during the video, as they are still relatively small, and Goodwin says that star-image motifs are often created. However, Lonely the Brave are an exception to this as they admit they are so focused on the meaning of their music than being famous rockstars, they would rather produce something like this video to Backroads that will give hope to those faced with difficulties. This is something I can implement as I will not be able to get my artist in my video and he too is still small, and Lonely the Brave have a very similar style to his full band tracks.

The band sing in the second verse how "all was lost" and how they had their "fingers crossed", giving a sense of hopelessness to the song. The scenes depicted in Kiev in the video correspond to this, but show how even all was lost and they may be worried and afraid, that there is still hope and that you can push on against any obstacle, say the band on their website. The characters in this section are all shown together, particularly when they are holding hands, connoting unity and strength. Semantically, the 5 are depicted spraying graffiti on what is later revealed to be an army controlled area, as the band sing, "you're raping on my dreaming" - showing how the conflict is crushing their dreams, but the graffiti is a stereotypical subversion of oppression and resistance. Again, when "the rat" is mentioned, the soldiers are shown, negatively portraying them, and metaphorically taking away their freedom by taking their skateboards (a reference to the intertextuality I mentioned at the start), but they take them back- furthermore, this brief section is in conjunction with some shots of the soldiers in riot gear during the unrest. As the guitar reaches it's emotive climax, the two contrasting scenes are shown in the most apparent light- the turmoil of the conflict, the flares and the riot gear, the violence- contrasted with the infinite uplifting sense of freedom of the young riders, laughing, drinking, and exploring. "Let's meet the mountains and see what they heard" perfectly encaptures this sense of adventure that the video creates, matching Goodwin's ideas of imagery complimenting lyrics.

"You're raping on my dreaming, and you're ruining my best made plans"

The guitar then calms as the bridge lyrics are sung again, "I'll be the sky and you be the bird", reversing the lyric and the use of the pronoun you, saying that they are giving the freedom back. The emotive scenes of companionship give such a strong feel of escapism- the Director said in "The Story of Backroads"  that he had been following the Euromaidan movement in Ukraine and how the scenes of hope on New Years Eve contrasted that of the brutality of the unrest. The scenes of freedom were not specific to the conflict, they are trying to capture a more universal feel of seeking freedom and happiness when faced with obstacles and adversity, something that corresponds to the lyrics of the song very well. The actors in the video did actually participate in some of the riots in Kiev, to further enhance the message. As the vocals again reach an emotive climax for the finale of the video, one of the 5 is shown in a long shot jumping into the water. This shot fully encaptures the mood of escapism, and then they are all shown together, smiling, having fun, skateboarding away at the end of the video (one of them almost miming a bird, incidentally).

The use of not only a powerful narrative to compliment the emotive lyrics and feel of the song but also the usage of intertextuality and imagery creates a stamp of free will and free being in the video; that there is always a brighter future. The video, although not featuring the band at all, is a symbol of this hope and carries a message just as powerful as the song itself. The video adheres to Todorov's Narrative Theory, where there is first an equilibrium, and then a disruption, in the form of the riots, and then the restoration of equilibrium when the youths are shown skating free at the end. This concludes my analysis on the music video to Backroads.

I feel this video is a great video to analyse as it will also benefit me when it comes to planning my music videos. The similarities the artist bares with my act allow me to draw many comparisons, especially as the artist isn't featured in the video. In Lonely the Brave's other music video to "Trick of the Light", the band isn't featured at all either, and instead the strange conceptual video follows a girl, who's face isn't shown until the end of the song, as she travels through forests and vast landscapes to the sea. As simple a concept it is, it compliments the track very well, and makes use of Goodwin's ideas of looking too. I can use these videos as great examples and influences for my video when it comes to planning.