Album Cover & Magazine Ad Analysis

Album Cover Analysis by Genre:

Hip Hop

This 2pac album cover is very mysterious and holy. I like how the main cover image is focused mainly on 2Pac's face with his big eyes looking straight into the lens- targeting and looking directly to the audience. I also like how the lighting has been edited to emphasize his face shape making it look religious along with his hands pressed against his lips in a praying position giving the audience the code of being religious and spiritual, as if god is shining down on him making him a special person. The colour schemes of black and white really suit this cover and i love the darkness of it, i also love how the "2PAC" font had been edited with an outer glow effect making it stand off the page drawing people attention to the name of the artist. If i had to make one change to the cover it would be to just add a little more editing instead of it just being a plain boring black background.

This is one of my favourite covers of all that i have researched, i absolutely love the girlyness along with the tough, gangster edge. I think it is very edgy and empowering towards women as well,  I love the pink patterned background- i think if it was over complicated then the cover would look too much to bare with the over-powering main cover image of Lil Kim. This image of Kim looks amazing, i think the mise-en-scene, the hair the make-up the jewellery looks perfect for the hip-hop genre with her hair really big blowing in the wind and the expression on her face looks feisty. Having no top on can also be extremely controversial with her jeans being unbuttoned can come across as quite sexual and inappropriate, but how this image has been constructed i don't think it actually looks bad as you can't see anything- i think this cover really makes a statement about women in the rap industry. I love love love it.

Hip-Hop Album Cover Evaluation:

Overall i think the genre of Hip-Hop has its own style of covers, most of them are very controversial and very gangster-looking, normally with the artist as the main cover image. I've also noticed that album covers within the Hip-Hop genre are very empowering and have the "Oh my g#d, wow!" reaction which in my opinion i think the designers of the albums did it intentionally.

RnB

This album cover is very unusual as they have edited a charm bracelet and cut out images of members of the group and placed them inside the love-heart shaped frames. I really like this idea as it gives it a very charming and captivating feel, however i do think it has been put together not as well as it could've been. It looks like a GCSE school project in my eyes, i really love the idea though and might take inspiration from this cover and convert it to my digipak on my own way and style. I really like the faded writing of different fonts on the white background as well, it gives it a really classic feel to it matching up to the legendary artists.

This album cover is very powerful yet simple at the same time, with my digipak- i don't want to over complicate it and spend too much time on it as it is only worth 10 marks, i would like to do something similar to this cover, the album name, the artist name and the main cover image. I think this beyonce album "4" looks very edgy and interesting, this background is very suttle along with the font and style of font- yet the image is very contrasting making the artist almost pop-out of the page. I love her styling (hair,make-up and fashion), this look is quite similar to the Lil Kim' album with the top on but obviously you can't see anything inappropriate. I do also think that this cover is slightly different to the look and feel of previous albums, the other albums before are very innocent and child-friendly. However this album is very power full that makes a statement that could also appeal to males.

RnB Album Cover Evaluation:

I have noticed similarities within genre and the look of the album covers, both boysIImen and the Beyonce covers are very endearing and power full at the same time. They are not too overpowering like the Hip-Hop albums; they are more understated with an edge which is what i like. The colour schemes are mostly blacks a whites also.

Pop

The artwork on this album is absolutely out of this world- whoever designed and drew out this album cover is very talented. I think it is very very unique and something not many album covers look like. There is so many different details to this album- animals posing as kings and queens- alsorts of random things, objects and people. My interpretation of this album cover is supposed to be a representation of MJ's imaginary fantasy world, i also like how his eyes are staring through a mask looking straight out to the audience. The rest of his face is hidden by the fantasy world of images, memories and MJs ideas. It is very unusual and i would also like to hand draw and scan something to put on my own digipak. It obviously will not be up to this high standard but just as inspiration.

This album is also very sexual, something to be associated with Madonna due to her controversial music videos and dancing, this again also links to the 2 previous female artists who's albums i have analysed: "Lim Kim" & "Beyonce", who have both been showing off body parts with no tops on revealing parts. This is a "trend" i have began to notice when it comes to females, this trend could be refereed to the saying "sex sells", which i definitely think is true in some ways. However i do think an album cover can have a powerful female on it without having to show body parts in revealing outfits, or as Madonna's album is focused on her crotch area which isn't the most pleasant of sights. In my opinion i would much rather see the person's face on an album cover rather than their crotch area.

Pop Album Cover Evaluation:

I have noticed and gathered that both MJ and Madonna's album covers is only focusing mainly on one section of their bodies, with MJ its his eyes and on Madonna's album it is her crotch. I think in particular madonna's image is the most controversial but in a way i can somehow understand why they have done it- mainly to be a statement by empowering female pop artists. This album was also released in the 80's, a time when women were begining to take charge through the "Hippie" era.

Grime 

I think this album cover looks very glam and modern with the edited city background with the bright lights from the tall buildings- however I've also noticed that there are green palm trees mixed in with the city urban setting which is a contrast, they might want it to look like they are in Miami?. I think the background looks abit un-realistic but i do like what it denotes; money, fame and success. On the other hand i am not very keen on the images of the group members, it looks like they've been individually cut out on photo shop for an example, placed and overlapped to make them look like they're standing together which i am not feeling. It looks very un-natural and i don't really like how they don't look like a group- just three individuals doing their own thing. However i do like the individual pictures- Dappy with his stomach showing along with Tulissa's pretty hair, make-up and dress and Fazer just looks hot as usual. :).

This album cover is O.K in my opinion, i really like the feel to it but i just think there is something missing from it, the editing of the picture looks slightly weird and un-affective. To improve this i would definitely remove the effect on the artist and change it to a medium shot of 'Tinchy' in the centre of the cover with the text glowing off the page so it really stands out. I am also not a fan of the awful outfit with the red t-shirt, disgusting jeans and horrible trainers. I really don't like it at all. However i do think it has the quirky futuristic feel which also seems to be the same for the 'N-Dubz' cover.

Grime Music Album Cover Evaluation:

Overall i think the Grime-Music industry want to go for a modern, futuristic city-life feel to their covers aesthetically, with the unusual editing effects and cool fonts. I also think they like the city life background with an 'underground' feel to it which i where grime music originally came from, the under-ground music scene.

Indie

I think this cover really represents the Indie genre with a grungy quirky edge, i like the black and white colour scheme and how the name of the single 'Naive' really stands out. I like this small technique which i might take on to my own Digipak, making the name of the album really stand out compared to the rest. Like editing it with an 'bevel and emboss' effect for an example. I also like how you can see a male and females feet on the end of an old retro settee which is quite interesting, insinuating a 'crazy night' which hints to the story of the song 'Naive'. Overall i really like this cover and i think it represents the feel, meaning and narrative of the song. 

This album cover is again quite interesting and unusual compared to the Pop genre of album's for example. This cover again is quite similar to the Kooks' album cover, it has a black and white colour scheme for the urban houses- the look of the houses give out the impression that they are council houses as they have that appearance and feel to them; Quite small and squashed together with worn down wooden doors and window frames. However i do like the fact that inside the middle House's windows have a brightly coloured retro pattern almost jumping out of them. I really like this effect as it is a huge contrast compared to the "deprived" - looking houses on the outside. It really sends across a message to the audience, possibly about where the Arctic Monkeys come from, and how talented they are compared to the surroundings they were brought up in for example. Or possibly a "don't judge a book by it's cover" moral.

Indie Music Album Cover Evaluation:

I have definitely noticed that the indie genre use mostly a black and white colour scheme, highlighting and clashing with bright colours emphasizing certain words creating a meaning or a narrative for example. I really like the colour schemes however i personally prefer really bright colours.

Rock/Punk Rock 

This album cover is very different compared to the other album covers i have previously analysed on this post, this one purely consists of hand-drawn animation compared to edited photos and special effects. I think the artist who drew this is very very talented and it gives it a very vintage feel to it- however the picture is so accurate, i don't see why the designers just took a photo of the band to save time and it possibly could've looked better. I do like the background, it shows the band on top of the world, it is really effective denoting power and pride. On the other hand i i think the name of the rock band "KISS" should be bigger to make it stand out more. 

This cover again highly relies on hand-drawn animation, no editing or effects just simply a drawn image. I think the person who designed this album artwork is very talented but i don't really like the feel it gives off, i think it looks like there is too much going off and i don't really understand it. it looks very random and all over the place which makes it quite confusing and stressful to look at. However i do like the explosion in the middle of the page, possibly if the artist just drew the explosion with minimal little characters around it it would've looked more effective. I would've also like to have seen more of a clue to the "Rock music" genre.

Rock/ Punk Music Album Cover Evaluation:

Overall i think Rock music relies heavily on album artwork rather than photos and editing. I do like the idea of having both on my digipak, for example having a photo of my artist in the middle with hand drawn patterns coming off them. i am definitely going to consider this idea.

Country 

I really like this album cover, i think it is very simplistic however this is what makes it so effective. I have certainly gathered after analysing so many covers that "Less is MORE"! I really like the font, it is very girly and swirly and i also like how Leann is in the middle of her name stood up. Her body language says that she is a proud country and western female artist who is confident and a strong character. However i don't really like Leann's styling and outfit, i think it looks quite tacky and amateur to say she is a very successful artist in this particular genre. I also think the album cover has a sincere- innocent feel to it which is very endearing and appealing to all sorts of audiences, from young children to older men and women. I think this album cover appeals to everyone. It's not too raunchy like something "Rihanna" would put together for instance. 

This is one of my favourite cover's ever, i really like the composition of it and how everything matches and is layered perfectly. I love the colour scheme which co-ordinates with Dolly's dress, i love how her signature has been scanned into a computer and placed on the album, this is something i want to do on my own cover. I also for some reason like the border and the yellow little butterfly under the "A", i think it looks really pretty and innocent.

Country Music Album Cover Evaluation:

Overall i have gathered that country music artists' tend to go for the innocent girly look- in female stars. i really like this look and feel and i really want to incorporate this feel into my CD cover with a possible urban twist.

After Analysing covers from all types of genres i am particularly drawn to the RnB and the country look because i feel these two style are very powerfull and quite girly and innocent in some lights. which i really like. I am now going to research and look into influential covers; i really want something unique with a quirky edge:
Conventions i am looking for:

• Main image of a girl.
• Edgy.
• Quirky and fun.
• Unusual.
• Girly.
• Photographic merged with hand drawn animation.

Influential Covers
Front covers

Back Covers

I am now going to start planning the narrative and filming sequence of my music video, half way through filming i am going to start planning out ideas for my digipak because i want inspiration from my music video. My Digipak and Magazine advertisement have to link with my video, therefore i am going to start planning them after i have a certain image and idea of what my music vid is going to be all about. My main inspiration at the moment is "BRITISH TEEN CULTURE".

Analysis of Music Videos

I am now going to be analysing several music videos according to genre, i am going to be highlighting and evaluating what i like and what i dislike.

Hip-Hop Music Video
Nicki Minaj- Super Bass


As soon as the video started i instantly took an interest to Nicki Minaj's outfit, hair and make-up- i think it is very important to have the artist looking great at all times and looking into the camera as it draws the audience in and gets them interested straight away. In my opinion if the video isn't interesting and eye-catching for the first 20 seconds then the person is going to turn it straight over and not watch it. I also like how the lyrics matched up to the insert images on the video, when it said "stacks on deck like he savin' up" it cut to piles of dollars tied up. And also when she says "Kiss him on the lip lip" it cut to an extreme close-up of the males lip which i thought was an effective touch.

Nicki Minaj Disco Lights scene with dancing. 

I also liked the insert images of the hot pink super car and a jet, it gave the video a pink "barbie" theme.I also noticed that when Nicki and the rest of the girls with the pink wigs were dancing, there was disco lights in the background- it added more of a party scene adding alot more energy and fun to the music video. I thought the overall look and feel of the video was very a fantasy inspired- over the top feel. Like a different world which i thought was very different and unconventional for a Hip-Hop genre. Also when it cuts to scene 2 when Nicki's dressed as a mermaid next to a swimming pool filled with pink water inside, i thought it was very effective how they slowed it down when she started throwing the pink water at the man at the beginning of the video, i thought the pink water looked great slowed down, very very effective. I also liked how when the song slowed down and changed to accapella the lights turned off and all of the outfits changed to glow in the dark along with the hair and lips. Overall i think this music video is very girly, quirky and fun. I think it is a very un-conventional HIP-HOP music video however, as usually hip-hop videos consist of angry people rapping about violence and guns wearing their blinged up jewelry and rapping about sleeping with girls and smoking drugs.

RnB Music Video
Rihanna- What My Name (Ft Drake)


At the beginning of the video i really like the establishing shots of New York (at a guess), i really like the urban feel of American city life as soon as the video begins- letting the audience know where its set straight away.  I also like how its cuts to the equilibrium; introducing the characters (Rihanna & Drake) in the video and i really love Rihanna's outfit and hair- it really makes her stand out in the video which draws the audience to her- its a big contrast compared to the urban feel of the corner shop and streets which is a great method of defining the artist. I also like how the 2 artists bump into each other whilst Rihanna is picking milk out of the fridge in the shop- its really original yet very effective, and also when they both hold hands and she drops the milk-, its so simple but looks really great. It could symbolise the start of a romance her and Drake in the video?

I also love how it cuts to the city shots, of people minding there business crossing roads, taxis driving down the road- it just gives a really nice urban feel to the RnB music video. I also think when Rihanna is strutting down the streets by herself singing to the words and occasionally stopping to do a little bit of Ragga dancing- i think this is a great simple video, very simplistic.
When the video cuts to the white guy with dreadlocks, i think it adds a great little touch- when he moves his drumsticks in his hand the music synchronizes with it with drums playing. I think i might incorporate something similar to this in my video as i think it is a very clever addition.

Blazing fire with dancing and drums scene.

My all time favourite scene in this video is when it cuts to the dancing section in front of the blazing fire and surrounded by people dancing and playing instruments. I absolutely LOVE this scene because i just think the overall look of it is amazing with a really happy chilled out feel. If i had the budget i would really incorporate this kind of scene in my own music video but i just think it would be impossible to get the permission and people to take part. Overall i think this video is a very laid back, chilled video with some really good ideas and scenes in. I do think it's a little un-interesting at times but the song is a slow RnB one so i think if it was really crazy it wouldn't match the feel of the song.

Pop Music Video
Ke$ha - Tik Tok



theres quiet a contrast between Ke$ha and her family which looks really good on camera. i also like the appearance of Ke$ha, she definitely looks like she had a mad night the night before with all her hair mattered and crazy with her ripped up clothes, i think this look is very modern and quirky- compared to other artists looks perfect without a hair out of place. This is what makes her an unconventional artist which makes her unique and different. I want this to be the case with my video; i want it to be unique and something different.

Convertible car shot with Random guy.

I also think the scene in the old school convertible car where Ke$ha is singing out the top of it is very ruthless and wild- its asif she doesn't care and her personality comes through in the video as well as the song. i also think the driver is very random and quirky which makes this video in particular very random and a breath of fresh air almost. However, I'm not very keen on the shots in front of the painted bright yellow wall, i just think it doesn't look as well on camera as the thought it would- i would have probably used a brick wall; its more original and would give more of a quirky-random feel in my opinion. I don't really understand the push-bike thing either, its all a bit too much in some aspects. I think the scene where Ke$ha is on the floor with glitter falling from the ceiling looks amazing on camera yet not that realistic, it does on the other hand represent the slow section of the song with the flowing glittery paper which i like. I am definitely going to bring that method when producing my own music video.
At the end of the song it cuts to a wild party which i think looks great with all the people, the shots of turntables and people's ripped up clothes and dancing. I like how they've manipulated the speed too, to slow it down a bit, love this editing effect and i am going to definitely do hat in my video.

Indie Music Video
Arctic Monkeys- Fluorescent Adolescent


This video is very different compared to any other videos i'm personally interested in- at the begining it starts off with a hand-held camera footage of inside a car looking through the windscreen which makes the audience feel asif they are in the cr themselves which is a good little method. Then all of a sudden when the song kicks in the handheld camera is taken out filming people dressed up as variations of clowns begin to run riot on what looks like abandonned waste land. This immiediately lets the audience know that this music video is quite grungey yet funny and random at the same time which i quite like. The running around then develops into aggressive fighting and hitting the guys dressed in black with pillows which also looks quite humorous. In my opinion its very confusing because the words of the song don't really go with this scene at all. The clowns then go on to attack more and more people who seem to look like older farmer people which aesthetically looks very contrasted compared to colourful crazy face-painted clowns.

Clowns attacking men with sticks and chairs.

One shot i really do like is when the old man who is being attacked by a clown gets a wooden chair at 0:54 and smashes it against the wall and the whole shot is slowed down drastically which also synchronizes with the smashing of a drum echoing at a guess. Overall this video definately relies on handheld filming with lots of sharp cuts of different angles and types of shots which looks O.K but it can come accross a bit amature in this video in my opinion. I don't really like it at all because it doesn't resemble the feel and the words to the song at all and it also doesn't look aesthetically pleasing on footage. Overall i like the parts where the song matches the slowness in filming but thats about it.

Grime Music Video
N-Dubz - Ouch

Editing effect at the start.

This Grime video by "N-Dubz" instantly jumps out at me, just a few seconds before the song kicks in there is a great editing effect on the screen where the shot is split up in three sections long-ways. Almost immediately showing a story line, one section is of 'Dappy' with a black girl, 'Tulissa' laid in bed alone thinking and 'Fazer is the bottom with another female. I think this is a very clever and effective way of delivering three different scenarios in one video rather than confusing the audience. I really like this video, it really shows a clear straight the the point narrative about being cheated on and deceived. I really like the scene in particular when all three of them are stood together with just a plain black background, i think it really makes them stand out and look like a group. You can definitely tell that they are a close group of friends as well as successful artists just by how they act around each other and feed off one another's energy and attitude. It also shows that the more simply the shot is the more effective it is on the audience which is certainly something i a going to take with me when producing my own music video.

Overall i think this music video is extremely well set out and constructed and i also think this is the one song and video that really made 'N Dubz' noticed which lead to the start of their highly successful careers as a Grime music group.

Rock Music Video
Green Day - American Idiot


At the start of this video, i love the shot of the camera filming with the small old fashioned TV showing up the same image we can all see it is filming, it looks like the band Greenday are filming themselves which is a good ideology. I also like the cut editing showing shots of the leader playing his guitar, the whole band stood together and then the drummer on a spinning podium which looks great. I also like the background of the grungy looking American Flag which relates to the meaning of the song.

One thing on this video that i haven't noticed on any other video i've analysed is that it displays the name of the band "Greenday", the song "American Idiot" and the Record Company "Reprise Records" which is unusual displayed to the left <--. I don't know why they decided to display that- i might do it with my music video.
The video also has been edited at times when the shot cuts there is a bright flash which looks very good, i like this feel and it looks as if its a camera flash at the same time; like someones taking a photo. I also like the scene where the band is playing, jumping around and singing and the camera pans slowly accross, it looks really effective, the setting looks like a abandoned warehouse which gives a grimey feel to it aswell. I also like the close up shot of the lead singers face but for the first second the camera looks out of focus then it goes into focus which looks really effective.

American Flag stripes running off the board in Green paint. 

The other clip that i think is great is when the painted american flag on the background board starts to run off, this symbolizes the message of the song which is basically "fxck America" to put it bluntly. Then all of a sudden the huge speakers behind the band explode with green water by the looks of it and covers the band who still carry on playing which looks really cool and also matches up with the band name "Greenday" with the green water which is an amazing effect.
Overall i think this video is absolutely amazing yet it is not the feel i want for my video, it is very commercial rock and the message behind the song is very powerful and unconventional considering the band is actually from America. I really love all the effects of the editing, camera work and mise-en-scene.

Country Music Video
Shania Twain - Any Man Of Mine


At the beginning of this music video i really like the shots of Shania in her Country & Western outfit riding the horse,  also love the shots of the cows on the field, the dust in the air and the AMAZING lighting- the sunset looks so beautiful. I also like the cross-fade transition, it looks really soft and flowing giving it a chilled out feel and i just think the overall lighting makes the shot. This video is a very stereotypical conventional country music video,with the setting in the mountains, the barn animals, the fashion, and the whole situation is very country western. The medium shots of Shania singing with the bright green grass in the background really compliments the colours; making the composition and appearance of the scene very colourful and fresh looking.

Amazing sun set lighting.

The shot of Shania watering down her horse is also very country - the lighting again is making the shots. This video also uses a lot of fade transitions between shots which i think suits the feel and genre of the video.  The scene of Shania getting ready to go on a night out looking very formal in a long black dress shows two sides of her personality- a fun loving country girl and an elegant women which lets the audience know that she isn't just a stereotype. I also like how she's singing to herself in the mirror.


Ragga Music Video
Vybz Kartel Feat Russian - Jeans & Fitted


This Ragga music video is highly influenced by Jamaican culture along with the people, I really like the structure of the video even though it is slightly repetitive when it comes to shot types and movements. When it cuts instantly to the scene with the pretty black female dancing next to the main artist 'Vybz Kartel', i think the composition of the shot is very nice having the main artist along with the female to the left of the shot and having male friends over to the right hand side 'messing around' on BMXs. I think it adds a very chilled out and urban edge to it just hangin' about in the streets of Jamaica. I also like the 'Hip-Hop' influenced fashion style with the big heavy chains, brightly coloured bandannas along with matching hats, also grills and sun-glasses. I think it is heavily influenced by artists like "Lil Wayne" & '50 Cent' but they have literally attempted to copy this with a low-budget by added a Jamaican twist with the settings. I also like the costume changes, one minute its a colour scheme of black and yellow (which looks amazing on camera) and then it cuts to a black and red theme which again looks great.

'Posh' estate on motorbikes.

I think this video is very different compared to the "usual" music videos with the ridiculously expensive scenes, great editing effects and mise-en-scene. This video in particular highly relies on the Artists "Vybz Kartel" & "Russian" and the other extras on set to add the attitude that this song produces rather than editing and props. Most of the scenes are set in what looks like abandoned waste land which looks very deprived and urban which in my opinion is perfect for the song. However i do also like when the next scene (Scene 2) appears, the setting looks to be on a very high end estate in Jamaica where all the rich people live. The group of friends are riding motorbikes & quads through the streets which instantly gives the impression to the consumer that they are very ruthless, as normally you would expect to see very expensive sports cars riding through them roads rather than rough & tumble styles quads. one is also seen to be doing a 'wheely' which also adds to the group's attitudes, basically they don't give a damn.


Overall i think class and status are highly emphasised in this Ragga video because some scenes are set in very deprived areas in contrast to other scenes shot of expensive cars, mansions and also very high end upper class estates in Jamaica. I think the overall message from this video is showing how close poverty and wealth are together in this country, very expensive houses can be just up the road from the slums.

Influencial Music Video


I really really like this music video, i am going to be using this video for inspiration to my own music video. I have already been thinking to base my video on Teen Culture (house parties/drinking etc). And i really think this video has the feel I'm looking to achieve. At the beginning of the video i love how the ghetto blaster is put down and the play button is pressed down to start the music- acting like the music is being played from the ghetto blaster.

Passed out guy with bear head in toilet.

I love how the limo pulls up with Lady GaGa's feet and fab heels hanging out- what a crazy entrance, absolutely love it! The guy passed out in the toilet with the Bear head on is also a funny-quirky shot which i really like the look of. The mise-en-scene in the video is incredible i really like the look of the house where the house party is taking place, it looks very vintage and quirky full of intoxicated crazy people.

When the song kicks in to the chorus i love the partying scene with the hand held camera it really creates a crazy partying scene which in my opinion looks great. I like the shots of the random people in random places. I also like the part at 2:01 where the girl in the mirror writes "dance" in her red lipstick the kisses it which synchronises with the music. I also like the golden dangly curtains effect where she dances with them, its a really simple idea but it looks really good.
Overall this music video is one of my favourite videos of all time- its not boring and its not too much and i really like the narrative to go with it. I am going to take into consideration the styling, narrative and feel of this music video to incorporate it when making my music video, i definitely want the feel that this one has because i love it.

Conclusion:
Analysing all of these music videos has definitely informed me how to make a successful, effective and simplistic video that is unique and different compared to other conventional music videos. I am decided that the music video 'Just Dance' by 'Lady Gaga' is going to be my inspiration for my music video, i have also decided my own music video is going to evolve around 'British Teen Culture' that has a message. I really want people who watch my video to learn something rather than it just be pointless.

Targeting and Defining an Audience

Defining The Audience:

As Mass

For many reasons, Media producers and Institutions like to consider audiences in groups. This is particularly true of advertisers, who have led the way in targeting groups of consumers. Producers and Institutions quickly identified that there was not just one audience or one market, the audience can be segmented and marketed into different ways depending on the way they have been defined.  Some obvious ways to classify audiences are age, gender, race and location. However, you can also classify audiences by their class: A:  Upper Middle Class 
Top Management, Bankers, Lawyers, Doctors and other professionals.
B: Middle Class 
Middle Management, Teachers, many "creatives" like Graphic Designers.
C1: Lower Middle Class
Office supervisors, Junior managers, Nurses, Specialist Clerical Staff etc.
D: Skilled Working Class
Skilled workers, tradespersons (White collar)
E: People at lowest level of incomeUnemployed, Students, Pensioners, Casual Workers.
(Information Source: Audience Research Booklett)


Primary Research: Questionnaire
To the right is the exact questionnaire i handed out, i asked for the person's "Occupation" so i could match it up with their class because most people aren't aware of their class.I'm going to print out 50 simple, straight to the point questionnaires and hand them out to a variety of different people of all ages, races, genders with different occupations.
  

Questionnaire Conclusion: I found no correlation between class and what style of music Video was preferred. However, i did find that students (class E) aged between 12-25 circled more than one music video style on the questionnaire except Folk, Jazz and Country whereas several people (mostly class B) aged 50+ only circled one particular style of music Video which was generally Rock, Country and Jazz. This shows me that the older generation prefer mostly one specific type of music compared to the younger generation who likes a mixture and variations of music videos.According to this theory, we all have different uses for the media and we also make choices over what we want to watch. This means when we encounter a media text, its not just some kind of mindless entertainment- we are indeed expected to get something from it; some kind of gratification. In this model the person has the power to select a media text that best suits them and what their need is. 

The four kinds of Gratification that have been identified are:

• Information: When we want to find out about society and the world- satisfying our own curiosity about what is happening around the world. This would fit into when watching the News or watching Documentaries, they give us a sense that we are learning.
• Personal Identity: This is when we are wanting to look for models in the Media for our behaviour. For example, we may identify with characters we see on a soap like in "Coronation Street". These characters help us to decide if we agree with other characters actions and even the own character's actions. Also if the particular character succeeds in something then we feel better about ourselves. For example that warm, happy feeling at the end of a programme when a character triumphs.
• Integration and Social Interaction: This is when we use the media in order to to find out more about the circumstances of other people, watching a show helps us to empathise and sympathise with the lives of others and maybe even of the characters in a programme as friends even though we might feel a little embarrassed admitting it! Also television programmes help us to get on with our own lives and maybe even talking about it with friends. 
• Entertainment: When sometimes we may just use the media simply for enjoyment, relaxation or to fill time.

(Information Source: Audience Research Booklett)The Uses and Gratifications Theory is extremely important when creating a Media text. When it comes to Information, I need to put something on the Digipak/Magazine that makes the consumer want to watch my Music Video. For example if the look of the digipak was very funky and interesting, the person might want to have a look at the music video. Personal Identity is also essential, filming someone who is "healthy", attractive and in some cases a real person (not been edited to be made look skinnier/prettier) makes that person want to be like them and look like them. You don't want someone looking un-healthy and un-attractive on the front cover as this could set a bad example to the targeted audiences and people wouldn't want to buy it. Integration and Social Interaction is important in the process of creating a Music Video even just simply having the main image on the Poster/digipak looking into the camera would make the consumer feel drawn to the artist and are instantly interested in watching the Music Video. If the person was looking down, the audience wouldn't be able to connect with what the Poster Advertisement is all about. Entertainment is again very very essential when designing and producing a Music Video, the advertisements needs to be eyecatching and something they've never seen before- possibly unconventional as there are so many bands/artists out in the Industry who are very similar.Consumer Habits

To allow the questionnaire results to be consumed easily, i have constructed it into a bar chart (to the right) displaying which music Videos were most popular within certain age groups. The bar chart shows that people within my age (the dark blue bar) favoured Hip-Hop, RnB and Indie Music Videos the most. Because of this i am considering making my Music Video One of these genres. I am interested in targeting people of my age and upwards because i know what the lifestyles and interests of people my age are all about and i know what they can relate to. This bar chart has helped my view my questionnaire results more clearly which is alot helpful.

Defining The Audience
As People:

Uses And Gratifications Theory

Consumer habits is the study of when, why how and where people do or don't buy a product. 


When would you watch a Music Video?
When it comes to Music Videos people would normally watch them at any time of the day, either in the morning at before school/work , or during the day or at night time when having a meal or a gathering with drinks instead of the radio. Overall it is in the person's power when wanting to watch a music video. You could also watch them in retail shops, i know for a fact in "Footlocker", they play music videos on small TVs around the shop.


Why would you watch a Music Video? 
When studying why people would watch a music video there are several reasons, maybe to watch their favourite music idols performing on screen, they could also watch music videos to try and copy dance moves for example. People also watch music videos as a more interesting way rather than the radio, it could also be to see what the band/ artist is wearing to try and copy their style as they could look up to thast person.

How would you watch a Music Video?
When watching a music video some people like to watch each individual second so they don't miss a thing. However, people who are in a rush might just watch the first 30 seconds for a peak and then have to rush off out. People who also have sky+ could also watch it and keep rewinding it to listen to their favourite part.

Where would you watch a Music Video?

You could watch a music magazine on T.V, on the internet via "Youtube", at shops, at home, on a Phone like the "IPhone" for example.  

In my opinion, people's taste in music is classless. However, to find this out i am going to put together a general Music Video Questionnaire to find out if there is any connection between people's: age, gender, race and class with what their favourite style of music video is. This will help me identify my audience for my Music Video and if there is any connection between the class of the person to what type of music style they enjoy the most.