Pitch and Feedback

My pitch:

After doing my pitch, my teacher informed me that this was a good idea and that the song was appropriate with good intertextual references, but to be careful that my homage doesn’t turn into copying. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, I will make sure to include lots of original shots that don’t copy any of the references I’m trying to make in my shot list, mixed in with the shot that mimic the films I’m paying homage to. I was also advised to have a boy lip-synch the song as the actual song is sung by a man, which I have as I have one of my talents Charlie singing.

Audience Research - Mass market audience

A primarily 16 to 25-year-old middle-market audience that likes to be entertained.

16-25:

16 to 25-year-olds are categorised as ‘Gen Z’, who are also known as ‘digital natives’. Most of this age range commonly use social media as a part of their daily lives, and so I will make sure to utilise this as a part of my website. Recently, there has also been a resurgence of older ‘retro’ decades (like Y2K) popularised by this generation, and so this demographic would appreciate an 80s dedicated music video despite not being born in this decade, especially with the popularity of shows like Stranger Things.

Middle-market:

A middle-market/class audience are those who are well educated, meaning they have well-paying jobs and therefore a good income (but not high enough to be considered upper-class). This would be best described as a BC1 audience. Due to their higher income, this demographic can afford to have a higher media literacy and so would be more aware of pop culture references, which matches well with my music video as I plan to utilise pop culture intertextual references throughout. Also due to their higher income, a middle-class audience would be more likely to spend money on merchandising and tour tickets, which will be something I will bear in mind when it comes to creating the website for my NEA.

“Likes to be entertained”:

For an audience who “like to be entertained”, I plan to have a music video that splits between performance shots of the band and an entertaining narrative that references 80s film and pop culture, especially the popular film ‘The Breakfast Club’. This audience would appreciate these pop culture references as they would provide satisfaction when recognised. I also plan for my music video to have a generally high-energy atmosphere which will connect with an audience who like to be entertained.

Research into Music Videos

 

Things to consider for a music video:

• Curate and follow a shot list so filming is organised and so that theres less problems with a lack of footage when editing.
• Make sure that shots are steady and focused, often through the use of a tripod.
• Ensure that the opening lyrics of the song are sung.
• Utilise natural frames when filming, making sure that shots are carefully composed.
• Utilise cutaways when editing.
• Enforce a motif to maintain throughout the video.
• Use intertextuality through the music video and the website, as well as brand identity (often made through motifs).
• Use models with diverse representation (e.g, age, gender, ethnicity), making sure to cover at least 2 different social groups.

Inspiration:

Inspiration from previous music video NEAs:

https://6046ef.blogspot.com/

I really like the animation used in this music video, and I would like to also use animation in my music video too. I especially like how the opening credits are animated, and I would like to replicate this for my music video.

Inspiration from professional music videos:

Alrighty Aphrodite by Peach Pit - Stylistically I love this music video for the way it was filmed in reverse and then reversed in editing to create a very unique look. Although I wont be recreating this style, I will take inspiration from this to have a distinctive look that I can then use to create brand identity by further reinforcing this stylistic choice on my website.

Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode - The contrast between the black and white studio shots of the band and the natural mise-en-scene with the ‘king’ character in is a great inspiration for my music video as I’ll create a similar effect in mine with contrasting shots between the band singing and playing the song, and more narrative-driven shots.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper - This music video perfectly embodies the ‘feel-good’ atmosphere and attitude I would like the music video to have. The way Cyndi Lauper and the other dancers in the video dance without a single care is what I would like to emulate in my music video with the members of the band.

Footloose by Kenny Loggins - Similar to the previous music video, this encapsulates the idea of dancing without a care, which I will include in my music video as inspired by certain scenes in The Breakfast Club. The music video also uses scenes and clips from the 80’s movie Footloose, which I can use as an example when deciding what scenes to replicate from the previously stated list of 80’s movies.

Audience Research - Focus Group

Subjects from the primary audience:

Name: Allegra Li

Age: 16

Occupation: Sixth-form Student

Psychometric group: Aspirer/Mainstreamer

What are your interests and hobbies?: Music, fashion, musicals, and pop culture.

What are some of your favourite films?: My Neighbour Totoro (1988), Oceans 8 (2018), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), and Mamma Mia (2008)

What’s your opinion on 80s pop culture?: “I like the general aesthetic of the 80s, especially the fashion!”

What’s your favourite song?: Long Live by Taylor Swift

What’s your favourite music video?: Lover by Taylor Swift

What’s your music taste?: “My music taste is a mixture of everything. I especially love classical music due to my musical roots, but I also really enjoy mainstream female pop stars like Taylor Swift. I also like music from films as well as jazz.”

Name: Amelia Beth

Age: 16

Occupation: Sixth-form Student

Psychometric group: Mainstreamer

What are your interests and hobbies?: Sports, especially hockey, piano and reading.

What are some of your favourite films?: Ready Player One (2018), Parent Trap (1998), Nerve (2016), Top Gun (1986) and Top Gun Maverick (2022)

What’s your opinion on 80s pop culture?: “I listened to a lot of 80s music growing up thanks to my parents, so the music has a special place in my heart.”

What’s your favourite song?: You Can’t Catch Me Now by Olivia Roderigo

What’s your favourite music video?: Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson

What’s your music taste?: “When I’m studying, I like listening to jazz and Taylor Swift. I like lots of mainstream pop like Dua Lipa and Olivia Roderigo, whatever’s on the radio basically. My parents play a lot of 80’s music at home, like Guns and Roses and Kate Bush, so I like listening to that too.”

Name: Saskia Haas-Lee

Age: 17

Occupation: Sixth-form Student

Psychometric group: The Reformer

What are your interests and hobbies?: Musical theatre, fashion, music, video games, making jewellery, and watching movies.

What are some of your favourite films?: Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Footloose (1984), Singing In The Rain (1952), and The Half Of It (2020)

What’s your opinion on 80s pop culture?: “I really like 80’s movies, most of my favourite movies like My Neighbour Totoro and The Shining are from the 80s.”

What’s your favourite song?: Glue Song by Beabadoobee

What’s your favourite music video?: Because I Liked A Boy by Sabrina Carpenter

What’s your music taste?: “I like a lot of pop and indie music, as well as some R&B and dance music! My favourite artists are Sabrina Carpenter, Renee Rap, PinkPantheress, Laufey, and Beabadoobee. But, I like lots of different music style, and  have listened to some hip-hop, rap and metal in the past too.”

Name: Billy Taylor

Age: 25

Occupation: London Underground station staff

Psychometric group: The Explorer

What are your interests and hobbies?: Photography, nature, hiking and LEGO.

What are some of your favourite films?: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and The Lego Movie (2014) 

What’s your opinion on 80s pop culture?: “I like the heavier music from the 80s like the metal and rock. I’m not really too keen on the fashion but I really like the movies.”

What’s your favourite song?: Twilight of the Thundergod by Amon Amarth

What’s your favourite music video?: Steel Commanders by Sabaton

What’s your music taste?: “My music taste is predominantly metal, I enjoy most sub-genres of metal such as black metal, death metal, folk metal, and power metal. I do also enjoy different rock genres, especially 

Subjects from the alternative secondary audience:

Name: Julie Taylor

Age: 50

Occupation: Exams officer

Psychometric group: The Succeeder

What are your interests and hobbies?: Reading, watching TV, gardening, and spending time with family.

What are some of your favourite films?: Dirty Dancing (1987), Thelma and Louise (1991), The Shining (1980), and Boiling Point (2021)

What’s your opinion on 80s pop culture?: “It was a fun, bright period of time. I really like 80s rock and pop.”

What’s your favourite song?: Keep The Faith by Bon Jovi

What’s your favourite music video?: Club Tropicana by Wham!

What’s your music taste?: “I mainly listen to soft rock and pop from the 80s and 90s, like Bon Jovi, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, and George Michael.”

Name: Teresa Haas-Lee

Age: 52

Occupation: Emergency Call Handler

Psychometric group: The Mainstreamer

What are your interests and hobbies?: Music, movies, singing, and going out with friends.

What are some of your favourite films?: Serendipity (2001), The Holiday (2006), Calamity Jane (1953), and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

What’s your opinion on 80s pop culture?: “Being a teenager in the 80s, I have fond memories of that time. It was interesting seeing how the fashion and music has come back recently.”

What’s your favourite song?: You’ve Got a Friend by James Taylor

What’s your favourite music video?: Club Tropicana by Wham!

What’s your music taste?: “I like soul, Motown, rock, r&b, pop, and lots of other genres. I listen to a variety of different artists as I like all different types of music. But my favourite artists that I’ve seen live are Luther Vandross, Black Eyes Peas, Take That, Will Young and Lamar.”