Research and planning - advert: Drafts of adverts

After analysing key elements that help in the creation of a successful advert. We started to look at creating our advert for the work we was producing, as having an advert is really important in the promotion of an album, and also a key form of synergy. Therefore it is necessary to create an advert that appeals to the audience, as well as being relevant to the genre and consistent with the digipak.

Draft 1

Analyse your use of conventions using PEER:

• An image of the main artist has been included, however he is not facing the camera and instead stares down at the floor. Our camera-operator captured this using a long shot, with the intention of the artist looking mysterious, with the use of low-key lighting.
• Key information has been included in the advert to prevent the confusion of audiences
• The typography used is conventional to the genre, slick and adventurous

Audience Feedback:

• Even with having a dark background the advert stands out, the font is bold and easy to read, and all they key details of the record label, artist name and album title is there. 
• Where the music can be downloaded should be included
• The artist placing on the cover needs to be fixed as it is obvious and clear that it has been photo-shopped

Draft 2

Analyse your use of conventions using PEER:

• A few changes were made to improve the quality of the advert to keep the consistency of it
• We added important information, such as where to download the album
• The shade of the background was made darker, to increase the gloom feeling around the album as we had hoped for, something we saw as a 'don't judge a book by its cover' sort of feel with the campaign.

Audience Feedback:

• Looks far better than the other draft, as it says 'Available on Spotify' at the bottom, so now I know I can find it on Spotify
• The colours from the first draft, stayed consistent and remained on the second draft for efficiency
• The white spotting seen in the first draft isn't as visible and has been removed. 

Conclusion

The drafting process has allowed us to create an advert that we have deemed as a group, as acceptable to the audience and with us receiving feedback, this has allowed us to go back to the drawing board and improve on the original design. It is important that we are able to receive feedback from the target audience, and also for the hip-hop industry to gather feedback using our campaign, in turn helping them to understand what is important to the audience and how they can target their specified audience effectively and efficiently.

Research and planning - advert: Identifying conventions and analysing existing adverts

The purpose of an advert:

• Including key information about the release dates to keep the audience aware
• A generic form of synergy
• A way to promote the artist
• To appeal to the music industry and in turn become more noticeable, linked with promoting artist but on a wider scale

Generic conventions within an advert:

• Album title
• Artist name
• Release date
• Important, popular singles
• Where it can be streamed
• PA logo in the case that there is explicit content

Example - Adele - 21

Main artist: The main artist is meant to be the centre of attention within the advert. The advert is the promotion of the artist rather than the album, this can be done through the close-up of the artist revealing Adele to the audience. 

Lighting and Colour: The use of a backlighting and low-key lighting allows the artist to stand out more. Additionally, the use of black and white as a shade allows the artist to stand out and helps convey a message that there is a gloomy theme aimed at the audience.

Typography: The font is quite simple, however, it also stands out amongst the dark background as the text is in white and a dark shade of lime green. 

Information: The advert only has relevant information and isn't overly detailed as well. The advert only tells key information which is the artist name, album title and shows an image of the artist.

Layout: The layout itself is quite simple with the artist and the album title at the top, with 'Adele' centered next to it, closer to the album title. Also, note that the artist and album name are right next to eachother, making it 'Adele21'. The layout is designed to appeal to the audience and being simple as possible helps the advertisement to be more efficient and effective.

Hebdige Subcultures: The advert is conventional and is an indication of Popular Culture, rather than niche subcultures. However, because of the presentation of the adverts, there are hints that some of the singles included may subvert conventional Pop, something that can appeal to subculture audiences.

Our planned ideas:

• Keep the layout simple, as it is basically appealing to the audience
• Keep the information basic and minimal, however, at a level high enough to ensure the relevant information is included
• Typography will need to be clear, and understood
• Conventional and a visual appeal to the masses

Final product: Digipak

Our group complete with a finalised magazine advert and final product came to the conclusion as to how we are going to come about with our Digi-Pak, discussing the design and the direction we wanted to take, and whether we would use it to give the artist an outstanding image, or go for the mainstream approach with the hip-hop genre of making it an image containing a deeper message.

Front Cover 

This was the front cover, as we felt as if the posture of the artist in this front cover matched the name of the album, allowing the audience to feel sympathetic as to what the artist could possibly mean by being 'tied to life'. 

Interior/CD cover

This was the interior design for the CD cover, a little quotation from the artist himself was added as we felt it would reach out more to those who were looking on the downside of life and could use that message to pick themselves up.

Rear Cover

This was the rear design of the digipak, and we had the impression that if we started with the main song on the artists EP, it would gain the attention of the target audience, and put one of the best or fans favourite near, or at the end, it would entice the audience and encourage them to listen to the whole album in order to experience and listen to each song. 

Final Product: Magazine Advert

This is the final advert our group has come to the conclusion to use for our final product music video, as a means to promote the product and gather support for the artist, generating a fan base as we had hoped and allowing the audience to recognise the artist based on their current art form.

Final product: Music Video

After working behind scenes and undergoing what was necessary to create this music video, we have come up with a final product. Taken into consideration every little detail from cinematography, to star image and theories.


https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B19beI_O9BkBN2Z0c3VEb1dkVU0

Planning: Locations

Location is a very important factor to consider in music video during pre-production, as the locations in our music video will be chosen to fit the themes and purpose. We have decided on the final locations using the plans from our storyboard and risk assessment. The main focus was to have a variety of locations/settings for the final music video, further based on the feedback from our questionnaire.

Location 1: Stratford/ Westfield

Relevance to lyrics: It relates to the lyrics in a way as the way he says, "I got my city doing front flips", with the filming of it in a busy area showing the audience that the character is in a 'city', and even "Clean up the streets so my daughter can have somewhere to play", has relevance to the setting as Westfield is clearly a busy area with a mass amount of people going there everyday to shop.

Relevance to genre: In terms of modern hip-hop it is not relevant, but by filming in a empty area rather than a busy environment it is ideal to show this jump from being a mainstream video to a niche one. 

Relevance to target audience: Areas may be familiar to the audience leading to them getting rather excited as to the fact that they know these areas and have been there, also it gives audiences an insight into areas they may never have been as it may appeal to them as a place to go.

Advantages of location: The buildings around the area are familiar, however we filmed in a closed off part of the area, so there are no disturbances. We did however film some parts in an area where people would walk past and acknowledge your presence within the area.

Potential problems and how you could overcome them: The area is busy every single day as there are thousands of shops in the area, appealing to different age groups and individuals, however, Sunday is the least busiest meaning that we could film on the day. 

Existing video that influenced this location:
Chance the Rapper - Angels - areas set around Chicago
T.I. ft B.O.B and Kendrick Lamar - Memories Back Then - areas set around Los Angeles, California

Location 2: Ponders End Car Park

Relevance to lyrics: It has no relation to the lyrics apart from one verse which speaks, "It's too many young n****s on the southside, got us scared to let our grandmommas outside", the word 'outside' is the only known subtle link as our character will be performing and dancing outside.

Relevance to genre: The location is irrelevant to the genre and more to other genres, meaning we have avoided the mainstream and gone for the niche pathway. 

Relevance to target audience: The area may be familiar to the target audience as the block of flats behind the character could be where some of them live, also the area of Ponders End could be a known region to a majority of the audience as the scene is a local area. 

Advantage of location: It is easy to get to and doesn't necessarily require permission to be filmed in due to its short gap between it and the academy. It is a large area and can be explored to film different parts of the song without the audience knowing if we have moved or not, allowing them to analyse our imagination and creativity. 

Potential problems and how you will overcome them: Since it is centered around a car park, it is possible that cars could be coming and going, making it incredibly difficult. 

Existing videos that influenced this location:
Major Lazer ft Travis Scott, 2Chainz, Mad Cobra and Pusha T - Night Riders
Dr Kucho and Gregor Salto x Ane Brun - Can't Stop Playing

Planning: Copyright letter

After choosing the final song for the group, it was imperative to gain permission from the copyright holder before we could proceed in producing our music video. There was the possibility that our music video could be taken down, leading to a range of issues as it is considered illegal to the content of someone else without permission from the copyright holder. This means that we would be required to send a letter asking for permission to use the specified song in our final product, this will also be sent via email to the copyright holder.

Copyright Letter

The copyright letter that was written, has directed asked the artist for permission as they don't have a known management team, and is not signed to a record label/company. We have included the purpose of the letter, and an explanation as to our intentions of the song, including the upload of the final video to YouTube.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/elliott/15a139fa6237c2d6?projector=1

Planning: Initial ideas

With the formation of the group, the three of us, we were then handed the task of coming up with an idea as a finale, for it to become our groups final idea. We had to take everything into consideration, then using all that knowledge to generate atleast a suggestion on what to do and what can be done. However, although there's three of us in a group, only two of us had an initial idea.

I initially had the first idea as I am full of different ideas, different paths to take, what to do and how to make it work. Due to the decent success of my AS short thriller, I felt like it would help me with forming a really good plan in my head. As the song I chose had no video to it, i felt making my own music video would not change the perspective of it, or the message I had tried to portray.

Song: MKA - Voices

Genre: Grime, Rap, UK Hip-Hop

(Narrative) Structure: Concept, Performance and Narrative

Narrative: The video will open with a violinist walking into a dark room, straddling his violin by his side without letting even a whisker brush against the outer skin of it. He will have headphones on his head to make it out that he is listening to music, essentially at a very loud volume to block out unwanted disturbances. Then as he is setting up his violin to play with other musicians to the attending audience, something the camera doesn't pick up yet, the music progresses to male and female choir voices producing back up harmonising to his music. Yet while he is playing with his headphones he is unaware of these noises, until he takes them off near the end of his performance to realise it isn't coming from the audience or the backing instrumentalists but from inside his own head, as it was revealed at the very end of the video, that the headphones were not plugged into a device. However, the only performance related part of the music video, would have been when the violin was performing towards the audience with the other instrumentalists on stage.

Concept: The concept is hidden within the narrative, as the idea that the voices that come through in the video are all in his head 

Characters: A Caucasian male who plays the violin towards a crowd, bar the instrumentalist as they are not identifiable characters. Stereotypical would it be that males of the Caucasian ethnicity are more identifiable within the media to have mental issues, as it is more addressed in films and music videos.

Mise En Scene:

Setting: An auditorium. This is conventional for classical and opera music more noticeably, making it more creepy for a hip-hop performance. 

Lighting and Colour: The only lighting planned was a spotlight on the main character, while a dim to no light for the crowd. Low-key lighting on the backing instrumentalists was an idea to show that the bass guitarist is the main character. No colour use was really intended as the setting of the auditorium would have been kept the same, with maybe making curtains or furniture a red, burgundy colour, the colour of rage or loyalty, further confusing the audience.

Body Language and Facial Expression: His body language at the start would have been calm, to suggest nothing of the ordinary. However, i initiated the idea that my character would begin to feel agitated and uncomfortable more as the performance went on, with his facial expression going from calm and relaxed, to confused and fearful.

Applications of Theory:

Aristotle - Themes of mental issues amongst the youth culture in the current society is common, and can withstand clear representation as sometimes it goes unnoticed due to the individuals body language and lack of communication.

Todorov - The structure is clear, there is a start, middle and end. The audience will be able to dissect the video and understand that this is the case.

Goodwin - Close ups, and mid-shots of the character will be key to making sure the audience focus on just the main character, this way they can analyse the reverse psychology that because he has gone unnoticed by others, by the camera focusing on him for the majority of the video, it is a 'fightback'.

Advantages:

• It will be easy to get an audience to watch a performance
• The equipment and instruments needed for the video are easily accessible
• The characters needed for the video can be made possible

Disadvantages:

• Getting an auditorium to perform in will be rather unlikely or impossible, unless a payment was made
• To get a crowd to fill the entire auditorium would have been rather difficult.

Conclusion

This idea, plus Gulustan and maybe Elliott's idea will be key in ensuring we have a final idea together as a group and something we could all agree on. This would have been a good idea if the disadvantages were not greater than the advantages, the mise en scene needed to apply such a dark yet bright twist to the music video would have to be of the highest quality and accuracy to pull off my idea.

Planning: Storyboard

A storyboard is a series of shots put together in order to construct a final piece, with the task of delivering a message and telling a story. They can often be administered to ensure that the ideas and vision of the group are transferred onto the sheet or canvas, then used to help the group with visualising the shot-list and music video.  It is very helpful for the group as it creates a more accessible platform for the group to look at, understand, and visualise, in terms of a final music video, as it is each individuals idea fitted into one.


Scene 1-4

This is a rough but precise copy of the planned scenes 1, 2, 3 and 4. They depict the main character initially taking the literal meanings of the lyrics and trying to act it out like in scene 4, the lyric quotes 'I even had Steve giving out Apples for free'. so we planned to create a scene that looks like other ensembles displaying their apple iPhones to the audience.

Scene 5-8

This is also a rough copy of the planning of scenes 5, 6, 7 and 8. They depict the main character continually lip-syncing and performing the song to the camera, acting out most lyrics manually and presenting an image precise enough to allow our plan to go forward. 

Scene 9-12

This is the rough copy of the planned scenes between 9, 10, 11 and 12. This was an idea we had hoped to also take the lyrics to match the visuals. The initial reaction was that it would be too much of a burden on the characters, but we decided to let it slide as it would connect with the genre expectations of being hyped and energetic.

Scene 13-16

This is the final rough copy of the scenes 13, 14, 15 and 16. This idea was thought of by the majority of the group and involved both characters as it was nearing the end of the song, with interactions between both characters being key. The end scene was an initial plan to be an establishing shot of a few buildings with a slight view of the cloud to suggest that in the sky is where the 'Angels' are.

Conclusion

With the storyboard we will be hoping to take the ideas and visuals put down on each paper canvas and ensure that our characters put it to practice. With this we can take on the role of generating a positive artist image, with the mixture of positive body language, eccentric visuals and a funky vibe that has the ability to give the audience something to dance to and enjoy.

Planning: Characters

Name: Emeka

Ethnicity: Black British or African

Gender stereotypes of the role: Emeka will take on the role of the main character, portrayed as a young, humble rapper aware of the fame yet keeping it locked in the closet and not letting it get to his head and we will show this within the music video, his humble attitude. Emeka will be performing throughout the song, displaying to the audience that he is the main character, however his interactions with the second character within the chorus and other scenes will be used to depict that he isn't entirely robbing the limelight.

Costume: Our characters costume will change throughout the video, as he will be initially wearing light, fashionable and formal attire while also keeping it as modern as possible to fit the bill of a modern day Hip-Hop artist. Colour co-ordination will often be dark colours such as black, navy blue and brown amongst others, this will be used to keep to the roots of the genre.

Body language and Facial expression: The body language of our artist will vary within the video, as he will be engaging in various movements, e.g. dancing. Aswell as this, the facial expression we would like him to take in as a performer will be enthusiasm, happiness and joy, this may also differ and match the lyrics.

Role within the music video: The role we are aiming for with our artist will be to portray to the audience and music/media industry that our character is attempting to give Hip-Hop a positive image, taking a step from the conventional themes of modern Hip-Hop. And by making him the centre of attraction, we hope to achieve this. With the second character involved also, we hope to use the both of them to further make this target a success.


Name: Kayne

Ethnicity: Black Caribbean

Gender stereotype of role: Kayne has been selected to take on the role of a professional young singer, also personally good friends with the main character further enhancing the bond behind the screens, allowing for a smooth partnership on screen.

Costume: Our character will be wearing a slim bomber jacket and formal shirt, that of a businessman, yet with a shade of urban fashion sense. This is down to audiences having a conventional expectation of the fashion sense of an artist, something they look at to emulate and in turn dress like their favourite artist. We will also get him to try and be fashionable for sections where he may be dancing, therefore suitable attire would be dark clothing, a jumper and track suit bottom during this, as it is seen as conventional due to its common demeanour of a fashionable and attractive appearance.

Body language and Facial expression: The body language of our artist will be a hope of constant flexibility, and loosening due to the fact he will be moving about a lot with his dancing and acting. This will be assisted with his serious, yet joyful and enthusiastic facial expressions. Nothing to suggest the negative artist image we are attempting to avoid.

Role within the music video: Kayne's role within the music video is the featured artist who provides essentially the vocals for the chorus, the spoken words, or moreover the rapping sections are voiced by the main character. He will need to be able to lip-sync correctly the chorus, in different locations also in order for our video to be of the highest quality specifically for his hook in the music video. 

Conclusion

The appointment of these characters was made this way because of our attention to detail on the current/modern needs of society in terms of music. The audience don't want to see a scruffy artist, they want to see fresh artists performing a really good song to them, that way they can improve the attention span, and ensure the audience enjoys their music video experience.   

Planning: Questionnaires and graphs

Questionnaire

Age range?
11-16    17-25    26-35    35+

Gender?
Male     Female    Other

Social status? 
Currently working    Education    Unemployed     Retired

Do you like Hip-Hop?
Yes    No

What do you enjoy the most in a music video?
The song    The artist    The vocals    The visuals

What type of music videos do you enjoy the most?
Narrative based    Performance based    Concept based

Would you watch a music video that may not be typical construction of its genre?
Yes     No

What do you enjoy listening for in a music video?
Romance(Love)     Lifestyle(Choices)    Youth(Relation)     Politics(Issues in Society)

Do you believe close ups of the artist in a music video are a requirement?
Yes     No

Do you think you can relate to some artists in the different genres of music you listen to?
Yes     No

If marked yes, please explain why.

Should music videos portray the lifestyle of the artist?
Yes     No

Should music videos depict women as sexual objects?
Yes     No

Should a music video have links with the lyrics?
Yes     No     Depends

How often do you watch music videos?
Once a day    Several times a day    A few times a week    Rarely    Never

Graph

https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=1a2a9791c378e85b&page=view&resid=1A2A9791C378E85B!10067&parId=1A2A9791C378E85B!10064&authkey=!AB1wedPrD2lTHyI&app=Excel

Planning: Audiences

In ensuring that any music video is a success, it is important to know and understand the audience better than we already do as a group, giving us a better insight, with key knowledge of audience expectations allowing for us to better our music video. And with that, we have considered it very important that our final media product has met the needs of the consumer, with the help of external research we are hoping this can be done. This may range from looking at a range of music videos similar to what we are trying to achieve. As a result of doing this research and collating the data, we hope to ensure our chosen song and artist matches what the audience wants to see and experience. 

Age, Gender and Ethnicity - Interests and Hobbies
After doing the research about our target audience and genre, we made it a requirement to understand the expectations the audience had on our music video. With the help of a questionnaire, were able to find out the following information on our target audience. 

• Although the target audience for Hip-Hop is males, both male and females enjoy and listen to this genre of music as it's modern message and style has taken a style that in turn has intention of appealing to a wider audience.
• The genre is popular amongst teens, as well as young adults and postgraduates, an age ranging between 18-32.

In addition with this key piece of information, we also found out more on the interests of our target audience, in order to assist with our research. With the constant exposure of violence and nudity to the media, it won't be a surprise if we added those elements and themes to our music video without it shocking the audience as they would have already been exposed to that touch of nature already, and with artists sharing their music through various platforms that are easily accessible for a young audience, it is more likely for them to be attracted by the thumbnail or first impression, based on artist or song title, making it easier to spread a message and gain the required attention from the target audience as initially intended.

Audience Reactions;

Audience Engagement – As our target audience will be reacting to our final media product, we have decided that there will be an age range of 12-19. This way we can analyse reactions and anticipate whether we will have the opportunity to expand our our final target audience. We believe that for the audience to engage with the final music video product, they will need to be able to relate, so things such as the artist dancing is a relatable subject as it draws upon the feeling to dance when listening to lively music. With the instance that within the music video there will be subcultures and also slight evidence of popular culture, we are hoping the audience will be able to feel the music while watching the video.

Audience Expectation – Having the ability to consider as a group what the expectations of our audience will most likely be, is a skill we have to engage with as majority of the audience will have various contrasting yet similar opinions on the music video. This could largely be down to various factors, may it be the gender, age, hobbies of the individual then so be it, and because Hip-hop is, and may carry on being an influential and mainstream genre, we will need to factor in conventional expectations as well to ensure our consumer is satisfied. 

Audience identification – According to Dyer's theory, an artist requires a type of image to be portrayed as ordinary, yet extraordinary to the public, something that will be taken into consideration. Before and after research, we proceeded with the group discussion of our audience, including their interests and tastes. With that knowledge we found a song, and then an artist suitable enough to portray the correct artist imagery we want for our music video.. 

Conclusion
With the conclusion of this research, we intend to take our finalised ideas and connect the missing dots using the research we have undergone to understand the difference between the needs and wants of the consumer, and media. To follow the audience expectations, yet still find a way to keep in touch with similar themes of the common conventions of this genre will be done using further information taken from this research. With the audience also being young and in the same bracket of our chosen target audience, we hope that we can take this and produce a final media product, with enough capacity to fit the bill.

Planning: Artist Image

Genre Ideas
The genre for our music video is Hip-Hop, therefore we will have the intention to follow some conventions while also challenge most of them. This is down to us as a group deciding that we want to separate ourselves from the mainstreams of this genre of music. Hip-Hop is a widely explored genre, and tends to fall under heavy criticism for its promotion of sex, gang violence and drugs, however, over time and with modern society gradually changing and expanding to meet the interests of society, it has adjusted to subtle promotions of violence, nudity and partying. 

Morals and Values
We are aiming for a change in our artists morals, and we want to challenge the norms and values of a Hip-Hop artist by the artist image we hope to convey with our artist. With the majority of Hip-Hop artists coming across to the media as being very thuggish, addicted to drugs and in love with the money, we aim to step away from that and use the chosen song to help with that, 'I got angels all around they keep me surrounded', the lyrics muster up an ideology that, with the right people around our artist, and the correct morals, he will be able to part company with the common conventions.

Media Perception
Our artist will be inspired and influenced by Chance the Rapper as he has an angelic and innocent vibe around him, also he doesn't wander off into the norms of the hip-hop culture and rather just do his own thing, bringing a positive image, and with this the audience will see them as a great role model to society, rather than give off a bad image and allow the audience to make a peripheral judgement based on the fact that our artist belongs to the Hip-Hop genre. Instead of giving the audience what they expect, we will instead reach out to the more niche minority of the Hip-Hop fan-base, therefore leading to the possibility of a positive audience and media perception.  

Similar Artists;

• Jeremih
• Taylor Bennett
• Big Sean

These solo artists have indeed helped us in our artist representation and the construction of our male performer, as they each have their own unique but prominent style, and give the audience a product to listen and relate to. Although they may not share similar tastes and interests, their morals and values are similar as they are clear representations of originality and stray away from negative controversy. In our prediction we want to emulate their values by depicting our artist in the same way these artists choose to depict themselves. Our artists tend to wear a mix of clothing, mixing colour and style yet not leaving the conventional fashion sense often associated with Hip-Hop. We decided to be influenced by Taylor Bennett's fashion sense as it is a long way away from the media's stereotypical representation of Hip-Hop artists. 

We took into consideration the fact that these artists tended to dwell in the gospel and Christianity sections of Hip-Hop, rather than the conventional elements of old-skool gangsta rap, where the constant promotion of violence and sex meant that artists went for a fashion sense that made them look like thugs and attracted the opposite sex. Our artist will use the key information gathered when looking at these similar artists to influence costume, hair and makeup. Hip-Hop artists also tend to be able to attract the opposite sex by looking fresh and in shape, we hope to achieve this in our artist by keeping him dressed in the freshest gear, and looking 'fly' as they say in Hip-Hop.In relation to Big Sean, new school, modern era Big Sean, we relate to his vogue and have been inspired by his coming-of-age style, his fashion sense is quite urban and the clash of the colours is so smooth that it goes well together and compliments the modern era of Hip-Hop. 

Our Artist 

For our production we decided to use me as the artist as we felt that my tall, broad shape met the requirements of an urban Hip-Hop artist. I didn't look too aggressive which also helped in leaving the common conventions of the genre behind and opting for a diverse artist image. I am also a great age for the audience to be able to relate to and understand the song better than if the artist was much older, however, if this was the case then the age of the target audience will then have to adapt to the age of the artist to ensure continued audience interest. I also have experience with acting as I done it last year for the AS Media product of a thriller film, so with me being cast as a character it will help me in preparation for this music video.

There was also an artist featuring in the song as it was set out in the original version. The second artist, Kayne Gordon a sixthform student from our school, was appointed this role as we felt it suited his calibre and image in terms of artist imagery and links to the music. Both artists were dressed smart for the video and look as innocent as can be yet still urban enough to match what is needed for the music video. He has also done some acting and with this knowledge it made it easier as a group to select him for our music video production.

Link to Theory;

Hebdige
We have decided as a group that our artist will part belong to the popular culture, yet still take a step away from the common conventions and be a member of a subculture. In the sense that our artist isn't promoting violence, sex or nudity, then to an extent its a step away from the popular culture the Hip-Hop genre drags along, as the song for the music video has a sense of gospel within its realms, which is rather unusual in the genre, allowing for the artist to link with Hebdige's theory.

Goodwin
With Goodwin's theory, we have decided to include mid shots, and close ups in our music video to portray and enhance the artists image in a clear light towards the audience. This will allow the audience to feel a great sense of positivity about the artist, and in turn support the star image we are aiming for with our artist.

Mulvey
With Mulvey's theory on the male gaze, we have decided as a group that although it sheds some light on the common conventions of our chosen genre, Hip-Hop, we won't be including any evidence to support her theory. 

Popular Culture
Our artist doesn't have a clear intention in the video aside from the fact that they are both dancers, they won't take part in anything other than dancing in time to the music, this is down to the decision of the groups producer and director deciding that the artists should just remain in a positive light and stray away from the mainstream conventions of Hip-Hop, even though dancing has now become a modern agenda with current strands of Hip-Hop music, it will be the only convention our artists will take part in.

Conclusion
Planning artist representation has been helpful to us, this does help us when producing and planning what to include in our final product. We have a clear idea of how we want our artist to be portrayed to the audience and music scene, and with this in mind we can generate an artist image that benefits both us and the Hip-Hop genre. Additionally, creating the right artist image allows for the audience to then relate back to the artist, something which is hard to generate in modern conventional Hip-Hop music, where audiences want to live like the artist instead of sitting back and understanding every or most words that come out their mouth.

Research: Subcultures

Subcultures are considered as distinctive norms and values often shared by a group of individuals within society, the section of society that choose to step away from the mainstream and challenge the dominant cultural ideology. They tend to depict how they want to live their life, instead adapting to the common way of living. There are various examples where subcultures are present and existing within society, 'biker, which openly refers to an individual that is a part of the bike riding culture, and 'Freshers', which refers to first year university students. These are just a few various subcultures that developed in society over the years and will continue to be present. 

Bikers

The subculture group of individuals who dedicate their lives to motorbiking. Majorly and culturally dominated by older white males, they take an interest in rock or heavy metal, tend to be mesmerised by body tattoos and heavy machinery. They usually wear dark clothing and gaze at women in nude. 




Skinhead

The subculture group of skinheads have their own religious beliefs. They are normally young or middle-aged British and Christian males, usually uneducated and unskilled manual workers, and tend to listen to pure house or reggae music. These males come from low working class backgrounds, and due to their distinct appearance, they have stood out in society for the shaving of all their hair, and lack of communication towards individuals from other religions.


Roadmen

This subculture group may not dedicate their lives to the roads, but their passion and negativity towards the government and police, stem from a group of individuals chilling and playing on the streets, to taking it serious. Not a mainstream of global recognition but more regional, 'roadmen' are widely influence by the music scene. Popular English genres like Grime and Trap usually involve artists promoting violence and a hate crime against the police, and yet they only surfaced from the underground during the 2011 London riots, one of the worst moments in British history, a riot spanning 4 days over the death of Mark Duggan, a young black father from the outskirts of Tottenham. 'Roadmen', will continue to be considered a subgroup as they choose to live life they want to, disbanding from the mainstream and living life the way they want to Black attire, side pouches, a love to show off their designer gear e.g. Stone Island, Gucci, Armani, and also Nike and Adidas are considered the most visible clothing brand associated with this subgroup.

Examples of Subcultures in music:

• ACDC
• Led Zeppellin
• Gorillaz
• Red Hot Chilli Peppers
• Green Day

These bands are all subcultures, as each member is likely to hold the same norms and values, as their target audience is very selective and tend to hold the same norms and values as the artist., leading to them relating to the music they produce and deliver. 

McCracken
McCracken stated that the modern world was full of diversity, dynamism and creativity, believing that sub-cultures came from different cultures. This can lead to an ideology that all subcultures come from one culture, something considered a rejection of mainstream culture. And by rejecting the values of the mainstream and values, they end up forming their own subcultures and upheeding to their own values.

Hebdige
Hebdige also stated that members of a subculture often prompt their association through a distinctive and symbolic use of style, including fashion and language. This meant that there was a resistance against the mainstream, and as there are many subcultures that share similarities, they will belong to the same culture.

Subcultures and historical times in terms of music

Many will argue that cultural music tastes depended on the historical time and structure of social, economical and political change.

• 1950's; Rock 'n' rollers, Beatniks and Teddy Boys.
• 1960's; Surfers, Rudeboys, Mods, Hippies and Bikers.
• 1970's; Skinhead, Soul Boys, Rastas, Glam Rockers, Funksters and Punks.
• 1980's; Heavy Metals, Hip-Hop, Casual, Goth, Rave and Clubber Styles.
• 1990's - Present; Distinctive blends of fashion and music have become a defining feature of the cultural landscape which depends on 'what's cool and what social group you fit into'

How does the industry now target audiences?
In regards to today's society, the music and media industry targets their audiences dependent on their preferred genre and taste. The industry considers the audiences likes and interests, and how the music could possibly appeal and reach out to them. The identification of significant gaps in the market allows for the music and media industry to attempt to cater and appeal to all audiences by generating a variety of artists from a wide range of genres. They use these methods to engage the chosen target audience, keep them interested, thus preventing the loss of interest towards the media/music production.

Current day in relation to McCracken:

• The way in which music is consumed, is a process that may differ from one individual to another
• A sub-cultural group can like one thing but different reasons

Current day in relation to Hebdige:

• Individuals within modern society can now have shared cultural values 
• Target audiences and fans will support the star and artist in their process of fame.

Research: Audiences

Audiences are groups of individuals that may read or consume what the media feeds them, this could either be TV, magazines and newspapers, and radio. It is very important to know about audiences as it is considered that without an audience, the media will not flourish, and in order for the messages to be spread or make profit from their products, an audience is required to consume it, thus allowing the media companies to know and understand what keeps audiences attracted and interested. Having knowledge of audience interests and expectations can help in developing and adapting products to meet this. 

How might some audiences be categorised?

Audiences may be categorised due to various range of factors which include age, gender, social class, income status and hobbies. Audiences should generally be categorised as they may not all agree on the same thing, if this was the way then media companies would be finding it difficult to keep the audience stable and happy. Therefore because of the vast contrast between audience interests, what they give off and sell will defer and be different, with the intention of reaching out to different audiences. Examples of this will be an artist making a music video with the expectations and interests of their target audience in mind. Martin Solveig for example, makes very niche, unusual videos for his music as house is considered to be quite appealing to a niche audience but also conform to the mainstream, drawing in the masses more than anything.  

Audience Categories

With audiences, they are always and will always be separated to ensure that products have an intentional target, making it easier to conform to needs and expectations, thus increasing their chances of success. You often get the masses and then the bourgeoisie, yet it is more defined than that as the masses have subgroups within the culture, making it easier to direct their products to an audience based on the information they have. 

Advantages and Disadvantages 

There will always be a few upsides and downsides to everything within the media, this included. Categorising audiences will always have a lasting effect, assuming companies identify these things and find ways around, it is still knowledgeable to know.

Advantages

With categorising an audience, it will make it much easier to have a target audience.

It allows for the interests of the consumer to be taken and looked at, rather than being ignored and frowned upon.

It gives the opportunity to use this information as a way to encourage companies to advertise you.
The sort of products your audience can look at and afford, based on their income, can be identified easier.


Disadvantages

Categorising audiences doesn't consider that people are different. For example, if two individuals have a similar or identical profession, it may not necessarily mean they will share the same interests. 

It doesn't consider an individuals interests, only the income and status of the individual

Stereotyping individuals and subgroups can lead to false assumptions

Different genres have different audiences

Rock - Males, aged 26-45 mainly of white ethnicity, working class status, this may include those who are unemployed, students, unskilled and semi-skilled workers. Rock music themes may be linked similarly to those of Pop and R&B, yet leaning more on the latter. Struggles, pain, disappointment, life, it may not be anti-happiness, but it doesn't necessarily generate joy. There are different subgroups of rock, but this main one accepts all these themes and attempts to manifest and turn them into topics to be celebrated in terms of having a positive outlook.

Pop - Females, aged 15-25, mainly of white ethnic background, working class status, this also may include those who are unemployed, students, unskilled and semi-skilled workers. With pop, you have artists like Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. These artists are the type to have a fan club, leading to a major group of individuals to go home and listen and relate their songs to their real-life scenarios. This makes it easier for, let's say Bieber, to make a song about his girlfriend not saying no, yet not saying yes, leading to young girls thinking, "Oh, I've felt like this before, let me listen to it more".

R&B - Females, aged 18-29, mainly of black ethnic background, working class status, this also may include those who are unemployed, students, unskilled and semi-skilled workers. The themes behind R&B are often about sex, financial problems, relationships and life amongst several others, this makes it more likely for a young black woman to relate to these struggles more than a young white woman, based purely on what the media feeds to society.

Hip-Hop - Males, aged 16-30, majorly of black ethnic background, working class status, this may also include those who are unemployed, semi-skilled manual workers and skilled workers. At concerts of artists belonging to this genres, it is common for the audience to be as hyped and energetic as the performer, this is what hip-hop artists aim for, further increasing their knowledge on who?, as a target audience.

Classical - Males and Females, aged 50-85, mainly of white ethnic background, upper class status, this may include those of a high managerial, administrative or professional profession within the job industry. Classical concerts often involve the crowd listening patiently as the singer or Maestro takes control, drawing the audience in rather them singing back.

Conclusion
With the knowledge i have gathered from this, I can say that knowing the target audience for your media product will help better the project, leading to more ideas and increasing the chance of the final media product to be successful. With our artist being quite young, with the song also being aimed at quite a young age, we can generate that we will want to make our target audience's age, range from about 16-24. This may come from the idea that males and females within this age group, tend to be excited by the high-adrenaline music that is mainstream today, the music that fuses different genres together yet still finds a way to stay in one genre.