Evaluation

Artists regularly sing to conform to their target audience, it all depends on the style and genre of music. This has been a gradual progress for all artists, but they all have a specific audience to which their music caters for.  An example of having a target audience would be Justin Beiber. His audience can range for a spread of ages, however, his music is mainly prepared for his largest chunk of listeners, consisting of girls between the ages 6 to 16. 
                It is important for artists to have a specific target audience. They can specify their music to go alongside the music they enjoy, this saves money for the artist, rather than having to waste money recording music their audience will not purchase. 

Eden and I considered who would be the target audience for 'Florence + The Machine'. Florence's style is natural, wild and has an idle 'hippy' feel. This image is idolised by the younger audiences, specifically around the ages 14-24. She is renowned for her unique fashion taste and style of music. However, because her music is so different, it is hard to pinpoint a sepcific audience, as there are a range of age groups that appreciate her unique style.

We surveyed 40 strangers for our questionnaires, with some broad and some narrowed questions that applied specifically to Florence + The Machine. (To see the questionnaire please follow this link- http://whhssimmonsmmusicvideo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/questionnaire.html )
These questionnaires have been helpful in gaining information that is 'straight to the point'- this was ensured by the simple closed questions, or the specific wording we put for the questions. I feel we had covered many questions that are easy for the audience to give simple answers, yet we learn a lot from what the have answered. Some of our questions were based on Florence (e.g- "Do you listen to Florence + The Machine?"), and other questions were based on a broader audience (e.g- "What is your favourite genre?").

Using the cameras, we also did "vox pop" interviews (http://whhssimmonsmmusicvideo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/interviews.html)
These videos were helpful in gaining visual information, however, due to little time, we could not ask a variety of questions. Upon reflection, we also could have diverted questions, as if the interviewee said they were not familiar with Florence's music, we would ask if they could list three of their songs. We had not prepared ourselves with back-up questions, and therefore I feel we shoud re-do some of the voxpop videos.

Copyright

Copyright is the permission given to a person(s) for the use and re-creation of artistic materials. The permission holder are then able to edit this material by printing, publishing or performing. Likewise it is the recording of literary, musical and artistic material. It is the right to copy something- hence 'copyright'.

Copyright in the music industry is effective in the protection of ones lyrics and melody within a song.

The gross misconduct against this material will result in a hefty fine or imprisonment 

To create our video on Florence + The Machines, we had to get permission from the bands record label, in order to save and make use of their song 'Spectrum: Say my name'. This also meant tracking down the several contact details. Some were easier than others, as their contact details were on their website and easily accessible. Others however were more difficult to track, but we managed to find them eventually. 
To gain permission we had to first locate the bands different record labels, including 'LuvLuvLuv Records' and 'Island Records'. We have emailed them several several times and as of yet have not yet received a response. Below is evidence of the emails sent to the different recording labels in order to gain permission. 

Here is one of the emails I have sent to the record label attempting to gain permission. 

Research Into Chosen Genre

'(Spectrum) Say My Name' falls into the electro house genre. Commonly, the electro-house genre consists of  high pitched riffs and prominent baselines . Examples of famous artists that regularly conform to this genre consists of:-

- Calvin Harris
- Dead Mau5
- David Guetta
- Daft Punk

It is the fusion of electronic and house music. Therefore it is 'heavy on the bass' and energetic.

Deadmau5 feat. Chris James - The Veldt (Music Video)

This is an animated music video. This shows the the viewer that it is highly creative and gives the viewer an idea for a promising, unseen music video. The storyline is extremely simple, an animated boy and girl go through a door and find themselves in what we presume to be Africa.

The simple contrast of the orange sky and black silhouettes adds a mystical effect. The graphics are not amazing, but the audience are able to identify certain expressions through the characters eyes. The calm music matches the visual, therefore conforms to Goodwins theory of parallel music and imagery. Orange connotes fascination, creativity, attraction and encouragement and therefore matches well with the video where they introduce the characters into Africa. Although the whole idea is peace, we are introduced to the dangerous animals (such as the lion) that stands out due to the white eyes and bright red blood that drips from its mouth. 

The bright red connotes danger, which therefore makes the protagonists run. This introduces a quicker pace to the song. The idea of the music video goes against the typical electro-house genre, because usually there are various up-beat, club scenes with strobe lights.

This animation challenges the stereotypical , as does the song, which is not a typical electro-house 'sound', however it still falls into the same category.

Fall Out Boy- My Song Knows What You Did In The Dark (Light 'em Up)

This music video strongly conforms to Goodwins theory in that the lyrics and visuals match on the words 'Light 'em Up' and 'I'm on fire'. This is because throughout the video, famous rap artist '2 Chainz' burns a collection of albums of Fall Out Boys old work. Alongside '2 Chainz' there are two women in provocative clothing whilst also acting in a way that the audience view them as sexually attractive. This conforms to the theory of vouyersim- where women are seen in a sexual light within a video- and therefore conforms to Goodwins' music video theory.

This video is dimly exposed, this illuminates the fire for visual effect. The dark colours add mystery to the music video and emphasise the inner -rock sound that the music contains. '2 Chainz' and the two women go back and forth from a van to add albums and other band franchise the bonfire.
The fire suggests that the band are powerful, energetic and dangerous- something they try to promote within the rythtym of the song.

The main effect within this video consists of slow motion. This is done to emphasise the fires imagery to look creative within the video. Surprisingly, the footage cooperates with the fast pace by using quick cuts to match the beat of the song.

At the end of the song, the two women open the boot of the van to reveal four kidnapped characters tied up with sacks over their heads. this is humorous to the viewer as they understand that the kidnapped personelle are the band members. The idea of them being victimised by the characters is comical, but the audience are left with a cliff hanger as to what the characters will do with the victims.

This music video challenges the typical conventions of the electro-house genre. The song itself is not what you would expect to be categorised into electro house, nor the band that perform the music. However it is considered to be electro house through the technological use within the song. There are no typical conventions to the electro-house genre excluding the artist '2 Chainz' that is a feature character within the video.


Analysing these music videos have been helpful in giving me ideas and concepts for my own music video. I feel my knowledge has explanded in the genre and that I know how to challenge and conform to the electro-house genre. From the Fall Out Boy video I feel that using realistic locations is much more effective in order to allow the audience to connect with the artists. Also using normal clothing to challenge the genre would be effective in both adding to the unique story line and again, making the video more realistic and relatable. I feel that using naturalistic lighting will increase the audience satisfaction in the realism of the production, as well as challenging the electro house genre through not using club-scene lighting. My use of iconography will also be important, as the rose will represent the artist. This depth and strong emotional portrayal within the production will challenge the typical conventions.

Research Into Chosen Artist

Florence + The Machine are an indie rock/ alternative band. This is my preferred music genre, so I enjoy all of the music they produce. Florence has a fresh take to music, her songs are diverse, unique and portray a different sound to what has previously been created in the music industry. This makes it hard to compare Florence to other artists, within a mixture of songs there are some similar traits, but nothing exactly matches their style. A few artists with similar characteristics within their music consists of;

• Kate Nash
• La Roux
• Regina Spektor 
• Ellie Goulding
• The Temper Trap
• Sigur Ros
• Stereophonics
• The XX
• Vampire Weekend

Her music covers a range of instrumental and technological styles that keeps their music up-beat and easy to listen to. I enjoy the fact that they do not fit into a certain "category", and therefore their target audience is vastly increased.  I also find that with Florence + The Machines music, you can use spontaneous and picturesque shots to create your music video without necessarily giving it a narrative. 

The band members consist of lead singer Florence Welch, keyboard player Isabella "The Machine" Summers, guitarist Robert Ackroyd, Drummer Chris Hayden, Harpist Tom Monger and bassist Mark Saunders. Excluding Tom Monger, they are all backing vocals. The name 'Florence + The Machine' came from Florence and Isabella's teenage collaboration that had started off as a joke, which got out of hand. Florence signed on with 'Ashok' and recorded the early version of "kiss with a fist" formally known to be "Happy Slap"- however feeling she had made the wrong choice, she resigned and cancelled her contract. Mairead Nash, the bands manager, took on her position when a drunken Florence followed her into the toilets at a club. 
Florence's debut album 'Lungs' was released in July 2006, with the introduction of 'Dog Days are Over', 'Kiss with a Fist', 'You've got the Love' and 'Rabbit Heart (raise it up)'. These multi-successful tracks got Florence's well deserved recognition for her talent- the album peaked to number two for 5 weeks in the UK album charts.

The bands record labels include IAMSOUND Records, Moshi Moshi Records and Island records. Mairead Nash also works for LuvLuvLuv records, and therefore the band have a total of 4 record labels. Florence has done many different collaborations with artists, such as Dizzee Rascal. Her most recent collaboration was with Calvin Harris, this is for the song I have chosen to base my project on- "Spectrum (Say my Name)". Her band has previously won 15 awards, including a Brit, as well as being nominated for 38 others. They also performed as a sub-headliner on the main stage at reading festival 2012. 
Her second album, Ceremonials became more popular than her first. Below is a diagram showing her chart sales.  (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_and_the_Machine_discography)  

Music video analysis- 1 - Cosmic Love

'Cosmic Love' is a song from Florence + The Machines second album 'ceremonials'. Florence herself described the video by saying:

This video is symbolic in suggesting Florences 'spiritual awakening', as her characters are receiving what seems to be a masonic ritual- or an initiation ritual. This could suggest Florence is giving herself to a new, more spiritualist orientated lifestyle. This cooperates with her different attire shown throughout the video. The vast majority within the video consists of being set in a masquerade ball, to which different personalities of Florence attends, presumably the 'before' and 'after' her spiritual enlightenment. Her different personalities reflect different meanings. For instance, the costume in mise en scene is crucial throughout the video. We first see Florence in a champagne coloured dress, this could suggest her shy and timid disposition. The image below cooperates with this point, where the innocent Florence cautiously walks into the room filled with several masked characters- suggesting she is hesitant in crossing into the 'unknown'. Another generic convention to consider is the lighting used throughout the video. It is clear to see that the lighting is very 'warm'- all of the colours have a soft golden tint. This is presumably used to add a mysterious tint throughout the video, representing the idea that the artist is stumbling into an unknown location that could represent safety, likewise it could represent the false impressions of safety. 

Another one of Florence's 'characters' is supposedly possessed by a demon, she shows this through her frantic movements and her 'lusty' red dress. The audience understand that she is being possessed regularly throughout the video as she shows unnatural movements and expressions throughout the red dress scenes. This contrasts the timid champagne wearing Florence that the audience see in the beginning of the clip.

The final character within the video is the 'angelic' Florence- presumably the outcome of the attended ritual. Florence runs out of the house and is then found climbing a tree- this suggests that she has become closer to heaven through the ritual. The mage below is a good example of this, where it is so picturesque the image looks like a traditional religious painting, with Florence is a glowing angel that is admired by the other heavenly figures. 

This sequence of shots portray Florence as a spiritualistic and naturalistic character, through her long, loose fitting dresses and angelic movements. This is important in maintaining her image and uniqueness through the audience interpretation of her characteristics as a person and an artist. This cooperates with Dyers star theory in that to maintain her persona, Florence must hold her traits to remain an icon to the general public that listen to her music. 

Recurring screen shots that appear often within this video are long shots and mid shots, this is to show Florence's outfits alongside her background. For instance, a variety of shots within this video consists of showing florence in glamourous dresses in luxurious events and backgrounds to highlight her glamorous and unique lifestyle. The mid shots and long shots are also intended to present the artists emotions to the audience- highlighting her vulnerable state. This enables the audience to sympathise for the artists insecure state. 

Florence's unique dress sense and spiritualistic disposition builds a relationship with her audience. Her target audience would be those who prefer indie rock/ electronic/ pop, this is because Florence's music, and Cosmic Love, caters for different genres. This also adds to her music video in creating in-depth and diverse music videos, to connect with the viewers as they are intrigued by her nature and attitudes. 

Music video analysis 2- Kiss with a Fist


This video is one of Florence's earlier videos. The setting is all white with a few props- this draws full attention to the artist and how she makes use of the props displayed. Florence portrays a cheeky attitude throughout the video. Her clothing is colourful and presents her 'quirky' attitude. The music conforms to the lyrics- for instance- when she says 'Set fire to our bed'- a plastic substitute for fire begins to emerge from the bed. This goes alongside Goodwins' theory of parallel lyrics and sequences. 

The white background presents a neutral tone throughout the video, and as previously mentioned, enables the viewer to focus on the artist. The props are simple items, such as a bed, a garland, pinyata's and Chinese lanterns. These are random items but are well suited to the theme and style of the music video.

The pace of the editing is well suited to the rhythm of the music. It is swift and a simple cut, which reflects the up beat song and the minimalist theme within the video. 

The different shots are used to show the artists quirky disposition. The long shots are used to show her outfits, that are peculiar to the average person but shows this artists unique style.

The mid shots are intended to show Florences' facial expressions. The heart shaped garland is humorous to the viewer as the prop creates a comical irony- as the heart shape goes against the theme of abuse that she is singing about. This shows that she has an up beat and humorous outlook to the relationship she is singing about- perhaps implying that her partner is a 'joke' to her- and that the whole relationship is an arms race.

Analysing Florence + The machine has given me a good understanding of her typical conventions within her music videos. I feel that I am able to create a music video that will suit the style of Florence's music videos. Her use of clothing to influence the narrative (such as in  Cosmic Love) has inspired me to remain cautious about the choice of clothing. For example, I feel that when the artist shows herself as being isolated, she will wear dark clothing to show how she is confided in herself. The lighting at the beginning of the project will be quite dark to reflect her sadness, this will inform the viewer that she is upset within her life, and when her life feels as though it is 'turning around'- the brightness and saturation of the footage will be increased in order to leave the viewer feeling more optimistic about the characters lifestyle. Through analysing these music videos, I feel that placing the footage in public locations will add a greater sense of the artist being more in-touch and relatable to the viewers, this links to Dyers star theory- my artist is more realistic and evades moulding herself to be idolised by the public, instead she reenforces the idea that she is just the same as every body else. The use of the rose in my own footage may be linked to the display of flowers seen within 'Kiss with a fist'. As previously stated, the garland is seen as ironic to the viewer, whereas in my piece the iconography will have a more insightful meaning to symbolise her life being 'torn apart' then reversed into being put back together.
I feel that the mise-en-scene of my production will be heavily influenced by the analysis of my chosen artist- 'Florence + The Machine'.

Pie Charts

These pie charts were created by examining the results from the Questionnaire (See http://whhssimmonsmmusicvideo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/questionnaire.html) 

Voxpop Interviews

These interviews were filmed by Eden and myself, after struggling to find people willing to be interviewed without disturbing their lesson, we have gathered a sum of results that are helpful to our research. These are a few small examples of a mixture of people who are familiar and who are not familiar with 'Florence + The Machine'. 

As you can see, Eden and I have gathered information from a variety of age groups. This collection of information has been helpful in planning our music video in the idea that we have reached to some of our target audience and understood what the population of Florence fans are familiar with in the vast collection of music.

Questionnaire

Questionnaires are important within our project for us to ensure complete viewer satisfaction in our music video. Handing this questionnaire out has helped us in understanding what the public look for in a video- we are also more familiar with the popularity of 'Florence + The Machine'. 

Eden and I shared the tasks of the creation, distribution and collection of the questionnaires, in doing so, we have been able to collect a sufficient amount of data that we will consider within making the videos.

We sent 40 copies of this questionnaire around to discover percentage of people who are familiar with Florence + The Machines music, as well as various questions to identify popular music genres and the general publics preferred taste in music videos. These have proved helpful in getting used to considering the target audience for our music video.