We collected a variety of feedback and productive criticism for our Pop-Video. Our group sample was very broad because we used a focus group in order to gain not quantitive data as well as qualitative data and the video base “YouTube” where people are free and a can share their opinion. Our Pop-Video is targeted at females between 16-25. They would have strong beliefs in the female sex and feel independent. I argue that the reason for this is the topic of the song, which is: a girl being cheated on but is still able to lead a normal and happy life because she is happy with herself. This is a theme that is especially relevant in females from 16 to 25 therefore they are much more likely to be interested in it. Another criteria is that our target audience would include the groups A, B, C from the Jictar Model. Our Pop-Video portraits that message in a very intellectual and artistic way. We let her perform in a surreal world where we have no feeling of time and space but however the main twist in the end is that she is only watching herself in this world which leaves the audience with the question what is real and what is fake or in terms of the message of the song what is right and what is wrong. This open ending leaves space for possible interpretation which can only be made if one is willing to watch the Pop-Video as a Media Text which tries to convey a message/meaning and not only to represent a “star image” (Richard Dyer) We uploaded our video onto YouTube where we wanted to share it in order to get feedback from a variety of different people. However it was blocked by EMI after 8 days and did not get any criticism. We had 241 views in these 8 days which would be about 30 views a day.
Therefore we had to gain feedback through a focus group. A focus is a form of qualitative research. The participants are asked specific questions about their opinions and impression the media text gave them. A focus group can lead to a group discussion which is very valuable for gaining qualitative data. This would not be possible by just using a questionnaire. We first started off with a questionnaire after we showed them the video. Our key point were, whether they enjoyed it, If the understood the message and if yes if the agree, how it might be improved, etc. We were looking for opened questions mainly so we could get more out of them. By using a discussion after that we can ensure that they were being serious and concentrated which is also another advantage of using a focus group. The possibility that they are lying is also less likely because it can be directly questioned through the discussion leader in this case us as a group. Questionnaire 1. What did you think of it? 2. What Message did you get? 3. How is the artist portrayed? 4. Can you connect with the artist? 5. If you can connect with the artist, why? 6. What sort of journey does the character shown in the video go through? 7. What do you think of the performance? 8. Does the video have serious message? 9. Does the video entertain you, if it does why? 10. If the message would be that the artist tries to make herself happy in order to get over the break up with her boyfriend how strongly would you agree? (1 being not at all 10 being very strongly) 11. What would you improve? *questions which are underlined are open questions. This is the questionnaire we gave our focus group but
before analysing some of the answers I shall explain the make up of the group. We had a group of 14 people aged between 16 and 17 consisting out of 9 girls and 5 boys. One of the girls answered on question 2: “I really liked that you made it clear for me what the main message of the song was even if I don’t speak French. For me the message is that she tries to keep herself entertained however still confused at the same time”. This was a perfect model answer for our Pop-Video. However there were some answers that came from a different point of view. (Same question) “I didn’t get it, but it was good to watch.” We found that 7 out of the 9 girls got our preferred meaning and 1 out of the 5 boys did not. This reinforces our idea of our target audience which can identify with the meaning more then people that are not included (Males). I mentioned the concept of preferred meaning above. This belongs to Stuart Halls Theory which argues that groups should be used not individuals as social context was considered important. The model offers 3 positions for an audience. Dominant reading is where the audience accepts the viewpoint of the producers (in this case us) it is also known as preferred meaning). Our preferred meaning was
that girls are independent and have the ability to make themselves happy even if the environmental factors put them down. In our focus group 8 people out of 14 accepted this preferred meaning, 4 negotiated (partly agreed) e.g. She makes herself happy however does not know what to do because of the randomness of her actions, and 2 disagreed (oppositional meaning) by saying she is objectified through close-ups and the focus is on her dancing performance rather then her journey. Another Theorist is Blumler and Katz. They argue that 4 needs have to be fulfilled by a media text. We tried to use the theory of Blumler & Katz on "uses and gratifications" to asses our audience response. B & K say that audience respond in for ways. The question was did ours respond to our pop video in this way. 1) Diversion which is a form of escape or emotional release from everyday pressures. All our focus group members agreed that the pop video was highly entertaining. Blumler & Katz say that a media text has to occupy the viewer for 70% of the time to be diverting. The
9 girls agreed that they lacked powers of concentration to last for 70% but that it was still diverting. The males were occupied for 100%. Sally, a highly intelligent 17 year old from Crawley commented "I could watch that over and over" 2) Personal Identity is the ability to compare one's life with the characters and situations within programs, and hence explore personal problems and perspectives. We were trying in our Pop-Video to get the viewer to identify with the young, independent, rebellious, edgy female artist. It worked in the main. 9 of the 9 girls were able to identify with our artist however none of the 5 males was which was what we expected. Laura a critical and outgoing 17 year old girl said "I can identify with her and the journey she is going through and that the pop-video puts over a valuable message for women that have trouble with being independent." We also got
a lot of comments from public showings 10 out of 15 were favorable one of them was Harry from Wales "Great characters, great shots, great video." 3) Personal Relationships is a companionship via TV personalities and characters, and sociability through discussion about TV with other people. WE tried to establish a relationship by using close-ups. Vivacious and volatile, 17 year old, Cassandra epitomized the views of all the focus group when she said "You can identify and from a relationship with both characters on screen". All of the 14 of our focus group agreed but males 5 males identified as expected generally with the male character. We received comments such as "The relationship brings the song alive!" The Feedback was very helpful for our personal interest. It showed us that we were successful in satisfying the needs of an audience and it revealed our
mistakes and gave us possibilities in order to improve. The main goal of argumentative writing is to persuade your the audience that our ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else's. Which we hopefully did. The greek philosopher Aristotle dived the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories - Ethos, Pathos and Logos. Our Pop-Video operates on two of these three bases. Ethos (Credibility), or ethical appeal, means convincing by the character of the author. In our Pop-Video we establish the character by using a variety of shot types especially close-ups in order to create a intimate relationship with the audience. The other stage is Pathos (Emotional) which means persuading by appealing to the reader's or watcher's emotions. Aristotle's theory applies here perfectly well especially for our target audience (mentioned above). They can identify with the emotional journey of our artist which is reinforced by the surreal world she is in. Logos (Logical) (Greek word for "word") means persuading by the use of reasoning or speaking / writing. It partly applies to our Pop-Video. The lyrics of the song describe the artist feeling very well however they are french so therefore the main audience of the pop-video was not able to understand the lyrical meanings fully. If our main audience would have been french Logos would be another reinforcing part which would have made the message of the Pop-Video even clearer. We tried to work in a clear message in to the Pop-Video which could be enjoyed and decoded by everybody. This does not necessarily mean that everyone has to agree with it which leaves space for further discussions.
Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. (Winston Churchill)
at comes to my mind would be a different song and maybe a more narrative based video. But I am very glad that I explored this part of pop-videos which is not mainstream and more for a niche audience.
