Audience Theory

This slide share which I made is based on the Hypodermic Needle Theory, which is often used when it comes to the media. This will also help when it comes to the basis and content of my music video, and also understanding what the audience will need/want when it comes to viewing the final product.

Costume ideas

This image is a quick mind map of the outfits which will feature within my music video for 'All I Want' by A Day To Remember. I have chosen these individual items of clothing as they all express the stereotype, which fits the fans which listen to this band and song. I have also created a mix in the image between goth, indie and also the 'emo' stereotype. By doing this, I have posted different items of clothing which fit into the different stereotypes, for example; the large black new rock boots fit into the goth genre. The pair of blue and grey vans shoes fit into the indie genre, and the drop dead t-shirts fit into the 'emo' genre. The band members/individuals I am using within the music video all fit into these stereotypes which makes it easier when it comes to choosing outfits, as I won't physically have to go out and buy specific items, as the cast will most probably own a majority of the clothing needed.

Costume do's and dont's
When it comes to the costumes within the video, what I will make sure the cast don't do is wear outfits such as Adidas jumpers, or tracksuit bottoms (or anything else matching in with that fashion label). This being due to the fact they're on the opposite side of the scale compared to the stereotype which I am aiming to achieve when it comes to the music video. As well as this, the cast are not going to be wearing anything that fits into mainstream fashion, for an example brands like; Lee Cooper, Levi's, Hollister, or Jack Wills. Although those brands are fashionable, and are often merged into different stereotypes to make interesting outfits, I won't be using them for this video. I am sticking to the general clothing brands which fit into the three stereotypes I have chosen to mimic. This meaning I will be sticking to clothing brands such as; Drop Dead, Criminal Damage, New Rock, Vans and also Heartless Clothing. This will help make the video more realistic, making the audience believe more in the music video. Whereas if the cast were wearing tracksuit bottoms, or Hollister, the audience wouldn't believe that the cast belonged in the video, and therefor the video wouldn't have the same effect. Using the 'Uses and Gratification' theory, this can help when it comes to the music video casting of the outfits. This meaning the audience gain a connection with the media, in this case they gain a connection with the music video. A lot of teenagers, and young adults often going onto Youtube, or Vevo, or Muzu.tv to watch music videos. Most of the time they watch the music videos to escape from their own lives, and imagine they're the characters within the narratives of the videos.

An example of this being the artist Taylor Swift. A lot of her songs are about breakups with boyfriends, and how she got over them and became a better and stronger person afterwards. Teenage girls who have been heartbroken from a breakup will often go onto the sites on the internet to access her music videos, and they image themselves as a character within the video. They imagine that they're the strong independent woman within the narrative, and once the video is over, they feel a lot better than they did before. This is why making the outfits match important, because without the outfits fitting into the correct stereotypes of the song, the illusion of the audience being a character within the video won't seem realistic and won't have an effect.

Another idea..

The band 'Misconception' have let me down when it came to organizing filming as they have now officially broken up due to different reasons. Which means my idea for the music video is now having to change to another tactical idea. Instead of using the band as a whole, I'm going to use the singer/guitarist in my music video, who will be singing the lyrics, as well as a few other friends who dress in a similar way which fits the bands stereotypical genre. The message behind this being that by filming these people separately, it will bring them together, just like the singer of A Day To Remember is intending when it comes to his lyrics in the original song. The music video is now going to consist of a montage of shots of all these people singing the song individually, which will have a nice effect when it comes to the final image.

Album Artwork/CD Art

The above image is a collage of recent pieces of album artwork, from bands which feature in a similar genre to A Day To Remember, the band I have chosen for the music video. The styles vary with each sub genre, for example; the System of a Down album cover in the top right of the image features an odd looking woman, staring right at the audience, which almost makes it slightly mesmerizing. This relates to the genre as the band are known for having almost hypnotic styles within their instrumental moments within their songs. The album art from a band's CD often representing their style, and also some of their songs. The album name also reinforcing the points previously made.

When it comes to the album covers, the images or graphics on the front of the cover have to match the genre of the album/artist in some form of way. Not only for the fact it will make the album look better, but also for the fact of audience appeal. Audiences are often attracted to visuals that they recognise and also feel comfortable looking at. As an example; if someone who was looking for a Linkin Park album within a shop such as HMV, would look for items such as spray paint, grunge scenery, or indie kind of artwork upon the cover. This is due to how comfortable they feel with the album art, they're used to the music giving across an indie vibe, and that's what they expect on the album cover. If the album cover was bright pink, with yellow flowers featuring around the sides, they would most likely feel uncomfortable, and go in search of another album belonging to another artist. 

Lyric Analysis

The two images above are pieces of paper which feature the lyrics to 'All I Want' by A Day To Remember. The song I have chosen to use for my music video. The analysis of the lyrics can help with visual ideas when it comes to the storyboard, and also ideas which can feature in the music video itself. It also gives a more clear meaning to the song, which can also help with designs on the digipak, and for the advertisement. This making the song speak to the audience better as they may be able to relate to the meaning. Another reason as to why the meanings of the lyrics are important are for the audience to believe the video may actually be real, so they can imagine themselves as a character within the video. This relating back to the 'Uses and Gratifications' theory.

Focus Group

The three girls above (from left to right) are Kayleigh, Lauren and Kiera. All three of them listen to different genres of music, which are helpful when it comes to focus groups - to find out who actually knows of the song I have chosen, from within the same genre, and outside of the music genre. This can help with feedback, when it comes to ideas for my music video, and also the ideas for the digipak and magazine advert.

Music Video Progression

New Found Glory's music video for the song 'My Friend's Over You' is a perfect example of how music videos have progressed since the first made by Queen for 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. This music video features different effects such as making one of the band members head extremely large, and also clever shots. Another example of a clever use of cinematography and performance being when the singer leans down with the microphone into the crowd, where himself is also in the audience singing into the microphone and acting all excited. The music is of a different genre of that to Queen's, also punk, and pop punk did derive originally from rock and pop music. This music video featuring odd scenes like the ones mentioned, which fit in with the genre of the music, yet they don't match the actual lyrics themselves, making this an abstract music video. The colour schemes used within the music video match the genre of punk, and pop punk, as there are bright reds, yellows and other vibrant colours used. Punks always being known for standing out with vibrant colours on their clothes, and also their hair.


Placebo are a more slow paced band, which are still punk, yet they can also be classed as goth, due to the trans guitar sounds in the background of most songs, making them dark yet mystical. The music video for Placebo's song 'The Never Ending Why' is an animation, which is another stand of music video that can still be effective to portray lyrics and meaning within the song. The visuals shown on the animation consist of blacks, dark/light purples, and also blue shades. This representing their genre of music as Gothic yet also slightly punk, as the colours are different. The animation consists of a male and a female, consistently being dragged through the world they live in which matches in with the lyrics, meaning this video is structured around a narrative.

Videos in the modern age have changed drastically from simple music videos where they just showed the band performing in a room, or on a stage for a live performance. Back then the music videos didn't have meaning, and also didn't match the lyrics, making all the videos abstract. Now that technology has incredibly improved, so have the videos, giving directors and the artists the chance to make either a video structured on narrative, or a completely abstract video. As well as this, a lot of videos now feature odd scenes, such as nude women/half nude women, and other attractions to gain the audience's attention and also publicity.