Evaluation, question three: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Q3: What have you learned from audience feedback?

During one lesson of Media Studies and an hour of free time outside of lessons, I enacted my audience feedback for the digipak, magazine advertisement and video in the form of a paper based questionnaire. The nine participants in the video questionnaire volunteered during the lesson, reviewing the video as they watched it, of which four were male and five female. The digipak and magazine advertisement were reviewed in digital form during a free period by four peers, two of which were male, the others female. All participants were valid candidates for the 18-25 demographic, ranging in age from eighteen to roughly nineteen.

Example of Music Video Evaluation Questionnaire

Example of Print Production Evaluation Questionnaire (click to enlarge)

The first question of the video evaluation covered how much the audience enjoyed the music video. The level of enjoyment and entertainment gained from the product is vital in increasing the appeal and selling the digipak. If the video had scored low on this question and had not been enjoyed, it would be unlikely that Insomniac would be a financial success. All participants scored between four and five for this question, proving that the video was successful in being entertaining. The positive reactions of the participants may also encourage them to recommend it to others, either by word of mouth or hyperlinks online, widening the audience.

Question two concerned whether the narrative was easy to understand. A middle-high to high score on this question is crucial, as the video contains contemporary issues intended to be contemplated by the audience, such as alcohol abuse and mental illness. If the themes proved confusing, the intended audience may not be reached, negatively affecting the sales of the product. Participants scored this aspect at four and five, confirming that the narrative is satisfactorily clear. The surreal aspects of the narrative were potentially challenging, though the participants were thankfully unhindered.The audience is therefore more likely to understand the themes of insomnia and pessimism in the video.

Question three asks the participants whether or not the video held their attention. If the audience do in fact find the video interesting, they are more likely to be persuaded to buy the digipak. If given a low score, the audience will quickly be bored by the video and move on to another product. Most of the participants gave a high score in this question, through which we can infer that the video held their attention long enough to sell the product. Many of the participants, mostly in the male group, are accustomed to rock and guitar music, so the music itself may have also helped to hold their attention.

Question four asked for a rating of the camera work and editing in the video. Positive aspects of the video can make the product more engaging and entertaining, and the high quality video builds anticipation for a similarly high quality product. If a video in itself is critically acclaimed, it may build somewhat of a cult following or fan base, which in turn widens the potential audience for the band and digipak (bands such as Daft Punk have built an expectation around their videos for iconic or acclaimed content). Alternatively the quality of a video may be so low that it is clearly an amateur production, thus the reputation of the entire advertising campaign becomes damaged. The camerawork and editing proved popular with the participants, scoring at a similarly high level to the other questions, strengthening the appeal and quality of the advertising campaign. As the participants are also media students, and have experience using editing software and working toward a music video as a final product, the positive scores are given with vital knowledge of the process of filming and editing the video, decreasing chances of bias between peers.

The fifth question required a similar rating of the mise en scene in the video. If the visual themes of a video are of a high quality, the video can be more memorable and interesting for the audience, as well as appearing more unique when compared with other music videos. Factors of professionalism and entertainment are again more likely to increase with the quality of locations. On the other hand, a low quality of mise en scene overall can retract from the other features of a video and render the final product bland or boring, which makes it likely for the video to be lost beneath hundreds of other videos of similar or higher quality. The mise en scene of Insomniac was rated between three and four (an average to good score), therefore the quality of this aspect did not necessarily stand out, although it did not negatively affect the appeal of the video elsewhere. Drawing upon the previous scores, the mise en scene was clearly not a major problem for the enjoyment of the participants, and was not scored so low as to be labelled as bad, rather that it is merely of average quality.

A numerical system ranging from one to five, one being poor and five good was used for the first five questions, as it accurately details the opinions of the participants on variable aspects of the video, such as the overall level of enjoyment. This method is also more efficient in identifying the areas of the product that work well when compared with a simple yes/no question.

The sixth question requires the participants to circle the appropriate answer out of a group of four, concerning the length of the music video. Options include the claim that the video is too short, long or at the correct length, with an ‘undecided’ option included in the case of queries. If the video is labelled as the correct length, the potential audience will be widened as it is most likely fit for use on music channels such as MTV, due to its meeting of the typical criteria for length, which in singles is often less than four minutes. If the video is too long, the audience may become bored or uninterested; if it is too short the artist may not be sold successfully due to the abrupt nature of the video. Four participants answered with either ‘too short’ or ‘do not know’, suggesting that the single is on the short side, though most agreed that it was of a suitable length. The length of a music video can often vary by a substantial amount, such as the fourteen minute long video for Michael Jackson's Thriller, so there may have been some confusion in those who answered 'do not know' concerning the apropriate length. They, along with those who answered 'too short,' could also have misjudged the video as cut to a shorter form, as the song is very short and fades out as the opening synthesized section replays. 

Question seven of the music video evaluation asks whether or not the participant would listen to the song again. This question makes it clear whether the song itself was successful in promoting the band, although the video is bound to also affect the appeal. The video would be a success overall if answered with ’yes’, and unsuccessful in enlarging the fan base if answered with ‘no.’ All of the participants answered with either ‘undecided’ or ‘yes,’ with most choosing the latter, therefore the song and video complement each other in their promotional success. Those who did not give so clear an answer still had positive criticism for the video, from which I can infer they enjoyed the video, though their preferred musical genre may not have been Indie Rock. The song itself may also have not appealed to some.

Question eight asks for suggestions on what could be done to improve the video’s appeal. Using relevant advice from the questionnaire I have been able to make subtle improvements to the product. Most of the questionnaires were left blank or labelled ‘no’ on this section, as the appeal of much of the video was satisfactory. One participant suggested adding more generic signifiers, which are made vaguer by a lack of performance from a band or supporting characters. One other participant suggested shots of a band performance, though this was deliberately left out of the production. Some suggested that the fading image of the gun on the bedside table could be altered, which I changed promptly, opting for a longer cross-fade from the previous shot and a fade to white at the very end.

The next question regarded any offense caused by the product, such as the representation of certain races, cultures or genders. If potential customers are grievously offended by the product, it has failed in encouraging them to purchase the digipak. Potential for offense in Insomniac exists in the lack of female representation and exclusive focus on the Caucasian male protagonist. None of the participants were offended, confirming the success of the video in appealing to the audience. As five of the nine participants in the music video questionnaire were female, there is a possibility of gaining a larger female audience for the band as the scores they gave all reached four to five. Racial offense was extremely unlikely as the participants were all of white British descent. The lack of representation for other races and genders is a far less offensive format than an inclusion of another demographic in the form of a token character or needless voyeuristic image of the female body.

Question ten asks the participants if there were any parts of the video which were difficult to understand or confused them. If the product is hard to understand, it may lead to the misinterpretation of themes and ideas which are crucial to the story and message of the video, such as the themes of dreaming and mortality in Insomniac, thus hindering the process of selling the product to the desired audience. Most participants agreed that the narrative was easy to understand, which would contribute to sales in the event of a real advertising campaign. One participant did not understand the inclusion of the shots of the cemetery, from which I can infer that the shots’ connection to the lyric ‘wasting my lifetime’ was not absolutely clear. The change in mise en scene in this sequence is brief and sudden, and the new location is far different to that of the streets and interior of the house.

Questions eleven and twelve respectively ask for the best part of the production to be detailed and whether the video reflects the style of the music. Question eleven confirms what each participant liked the most about the production; more emphasis can consequentially be put on the favoured aspects to improve the appeal. Most participants cited the editing and pace as the best aspect, which supports the findings of question four in the quality of camera work and editing. The lack of other actors and restricted mise en scene may have pushed the audience to compliment the editing, though their experience with editing and camerawork makes them a credible source of praise. Question twelve assures the appropriateness of the video within the Indie Rock genre for the promotion of the single. The majority of participants answered yes to question twelve, having witnessed conventions of the genre in popular British music, as bands such as Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys continue to achieve success in the charts. Some of the participants are avid fans of the aforementioned bands, and their positive feedback shows that the Indie Rock demographic is likely to give the band a postitive reception overall, thus the video is applicable to the genre.

The final question in the questionnaire requires a rating for the product on a scale of one to ten. This rating covers the music video in its entirety, confirming its overall success (or failure). The average score in this question was eight, which gives the video a good or successful rating. None of the participants gave the video a perfect score, proving that there were unbiased in their scoring despite being fellow students. One participant remarked that they would expect the video to be aired on a professional music channel, supporting the good ratings. A section was left for further comments, though it was not filled in on any of the sheets. This either shows that there were no further issues for the participants or that the issues which existed were too minimal or unimportant to the score of the video overall to deduct marks.

Graphs/charts of stastistics taken from Music Video Questionnaire on Prezi

The second questionnaire, given to four peers at a later date, follows a similar format to that of the music video evaluation, with the first five questions following a scale of one to five and others requiring a choice of answers or line to write a response. It questions the design and appeal of the digipak and magazine advertisement. 

Question one asks whether the digipak reflects the genre of music. If the genre is clear, possible customers with knowledge of Indie Rock will be more easily attracted to the product. The rating for question one was high, strengthened by the participants' knowledge of the genre and that the band were classified as Indie Rock, therefore the digipak is successful in appealing to the desired audience. Question two involved a similar question on the magazine advertisement. According to the high score on this question, the magazine advertisement also caters to the target audience and compliments the sales of the digipak. A similar score was likely due to the repeated digipak design, and supported by the quotes in the upper area of the advertisement. Likening the band to Kasabian and including a quote from Zane Lowe were aspects which strengthened the link to the Indie Rock genre.

Question three rates the standard of the graphics in the entire package. Again, if the genre is made clear the product can be relatively easy to sell to the prefabricated Indie Rock audience. A high rating was given by the participants, who were pleased by the cut-out/print design. The heavily edited format allowed for iconic imagery such as the eye motif, repeated as part of the band's logo; the print productions are therefore visually appealing and somewhat professional in their design. Question four focuses on the standard of the album itself. It, like question three, yielded high ratings, as the digipak uses images and an overall design that compliments the magazine advertisement.Most of the participants answered questions three and four with the same number, from which I can infer that the two print productions are of the same or similar quality.

Question five asks the participants whether the ‘Britishness’ of the package is well-established, clearly marketing itself for a British audience. Two of the participants rated the package at three and one at three on the scale, which implies that it is not clear that the prints are marketed for a British audience. One participant scored this question at five, though their prior knowledge of the market may have caused bias. The ambiguity of the nationality of the campaign may lead to success for the album elsewhere, specifically English-speaking countries where there would be no requirement of translation, such as America.

Question six is a ‘yes/no/undecided’ formatted question on whether the magazine advert encourages the participants to buy the digipak, showing whether the promotion of the digipak in the advertisement has been successful. Two participants chose ‘yes,’ connoting the success of the advertisement in encouraging a section of the audience to buy the digipak, whilst the other two chose ‘undecided,’ which may be due to their dislike of the gene or an avoidance of advertisement, particularly after experience misleading campaigns. These results confirm the success of the advertisement though the genre of the music is not preferred by all of the participants.

The question on improving the appeal has mostly been left blank again, improving the success of the package. One participant suggested that there could be a greater variety of colours, although the restrictions on the palette were deliberate. The offense question was left blank as there was no negative representation identified by the participants, suggesting that the video contaisn politically correct representations. Each participant detailed a different aspect as the best; the colour scheme, layout, use of the eye motif and overall design were mentioned, which shows that the design can appeal to the audience’s varied tastes. A one to five scale was used on the rating of the overall package, which scored successfully between four and five.

Graphs/charts of stastistics taken from Print Production (Digipak & Magazine Advertisement) Questionnaire on Prezi

Though the margin was incredibly narrow, the female participants rated the prints higher than the males, which may point to a greater appreciation for the design aspects. The music video was also scored higher by the female participants, possibly due to the appeal of a male protagonist. The female participants also chose specific aspects of the prints (magazine advertisement and eye motif) as the best points, whereas the males chose the wider aspects (layout/design and colour scheme), suggesting that the males may be more objective in their favouring of the designs. In the video questionnaire the participants of both genders rated both wider, editing-based aspects and more minimal aspects such as the shot of the moving clock as the best section. One of the males rated 'Britishness' at a higher value than three, whereas none of the female participants did, which may confirm that the males had a greater awareness of the genre, thus identifying certain aspects as British, such as the inclusion of Kasabian and a '.co.uk' URL for one of the websites. Female participants in the video questionnaire were more willing to be critical on the aspects which did not work as well as planned, whereas the males did not fill these sections in, perhaps not reading as far into every aspect of the video's construction.