Focus Group

We were somewhat late in making our focus group due to communication errors within the group (which are now resolved).

We had a group of six people aged between 17 and 18 years old. We did initially want a wider range of ages however they were unavailable at the time. If we were to do this again I would include a wider range of ages together to see if the song was more appealing to an older or younger age. I found the focus group to be a challenge as only three people regularly spoke during the focus group. Everyone else in the group only spoke occasionally and as such the feedback was limited in use to us. However what feedback we did get from the more helpful members has greatly changed the way we planned to produce our video.

The general vote was that the song was of a folk style as one of our group members first suggested.We asked them about their opinions of the track itself, and for ideas of a narrative. The general response to the song was mixed and we didn't get a great deal of for our narrative. However we were able to finally identify our songs musical genre.

When we asked the group what makes a good music video, Andrew, 18, said that he occasionally will watch music videos provided that there is a strong front man to pull focus in the video. When we asked what makes a music video memorable he said:
"something that people can relate to, maybe some experience or story of sorts that some people may have gone through that they can think - "Oh, wait, I've been through a similar situation like that" - so it kind of has a meaning that is just as deep as the song itself"

I found this especially helpful as we now know that regardless of whether a group member or an actor plays the part of the singer in our music video is going to need to particularly stand out and pull focus in the video. Andrew's example was referring to David Draiman who is known for his very powerful stage presence.

Samira, 17, stated that a good music video:
"Doesn't necessarily have to fit the music but it has to engage" but also that "it can't be too far off from what the song is about, it has to paint a picture, you can't do it yourself"

I found this interesting as it is contradictory to what a lot of people would say. Many people would say that the video does have to fit the music as opposed to not fitting it. I would like to toy around with this idea to see if there was any particular way this could be done.

However I would prefer an engaging video that can paint a picture while still matching with the song, even if it was in an ironic or sarcastic way. We have also been given the advice to make our performance sections very strong in keeping with rock music as a hole.

From our feedback I've learned that we need to make a good performance that is interesting and unique to prevent it from seeming like "just another" music video. In terms of narrative Andrew said that he liked a "solid conclusion" as opposed to a vague ending. This has been a cause for debate within our group as a member of our group particularly likes things being left to the imagination and wonders if there is any way to meet it in the middle.

I think that the people that contributed to our focus group did give us a lot to work from as they were very music literate and knew what in their made could make something unique or engaging. However I was disappointed that we didn't get the same amount of feedback from more of our participants.