Focus Group Analysis

Response to Question 1: What genre would you say the song is?

After hearing the first twenty seconds of our selected song, 9 out of 10 of our focus group answered from the selection we gave them that they thought it was ‘Acoustic Pop’ while the other participant selected ‘Grunge’. Some people specifically wrote how they could tell it was of this genre, noting that there were few instruments and the acoustic guitar being a main element of the song. The fact that the responses show that the genre is quite easy to identity could imply that we have more reason to include basic conventions of music videos of this genre. Because it evidently has a typical sound for this genre, it would follow that we use conventions that are identifiable with it, for example much performance of the artist and a disjunctive style to the video. Then again, our research shows us that viewers would not want our video to become predictable or stereotypical. Therefore there is room for us to subvert some conventions and be creative with the ideas. The feedback shows us that people are very familiar  with this genre, thus they are likely to have seen many conventional videos and it encourages us further to be atypical and use elements that perhaps would not be expected of the genre, yet still work well with the song.

 

Response to Question 2: Do you like the initial concept?

Once we had pitched the initial idea to the focus group, we asked them to put their thumbs up or down depending on whether they liked it or not. This would give a good fast reaction as they had to give a response out of two options. Fortunately the whole group put their thumbs up to show that they thought it would be a good idea. Even though this was a group of just ten people, it is still useful to have this positive feedback. What was even more helpful was the feedback people gave explaining why they liked the idea. We went round the group and each participant put forward something that they thought was effective.

 

Response to Question 3: Why/why not?    

One of the responses that came up a few times to why the focus group enjoyed our concept was that it was relatable. The participants mostly agreed that it was of importance that a viewer of a video can relate to the messages it gives. People pointed out that the heartbreak theme of the song is relatable to most people, and our concept will convey this clearly. In addition to this, some said that it is relatable but is still abstract and artistic. It is not purely realistic so it should still be interesting to watch. A couple of people used the word ‘unique’, ‘new’ and ‘interesting’, yet elaborated by saying that it would still work with the song. It will not be so unique that it is irrelevant or not suitable for the song. This feedback has shown us that it is important to ensure that the more abstract element of our video- the paint throwing and symbolic part- is produced in a professional way to enhance the uniqueness, while still maintaining the clear theme of the song.        

 

Response to Question 4: Do you think that this is an original idea?

On a scale of 1 to 5 with five being most original and one being not at all, these were the results we received:

5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 4, 3

 

As mentioned in the analysis of the feedback for the first question, this shows that it would work for us to use a less conventional idea for our video. The average response from the focus group describes our concept as original, which means it is certainly not a typical promo idea. In addition they agreed that they liked the idea, consequently having a less conventional video for this song and genre should be successful. It is important to us that our idea is original because it will then be memorable, and this is one of the primary intentions of a music video. It makes people watch it repetitively and listen to the song more and more. The fact that it is not unoriginal means it could be a long-lasting video.

 

Response to Question 5: What target audience would this appeal to?

This was a written response, so we received a range of detail in the responses:

 

-          16/17 year olds as it is relatable for them

-          Teen girls

-          Teen females, as relationships are becoming an important part of life for them and this song is linked to this theme

-          It has a universal appeal, but more specifically to females ranging from teens to twenties

-          19-25 year olds

-          16-25 year olds

-          Teens or people who have recently experienced a breakup

-          Teens/young adults

-          Teens/young adults

-          Teens/young adults

 

It is interesting to note of the different details people gave; many of the responses involved age and gender. One answer specifically mentioned people that had been in a breakup as they would find this relatable. On the whole it seems that the focus group felt that the song would appeal to young women. This seems to be because the lyrical content is relatable and because it is sung by a woman. Because the artist is a female it is instantly easier for girls to empathise with the emotion conveyed in her song. Knowing this information means that we can target our video specifically towards an audience. We can make decisions that would enhance the appeal to the target market and have a clear goal for the overall result of the production.

 

Response to Question 6: Is there any part of the concept that you would change?

Someone asked if we will use slow-motion at any part of the video. We responded to this by saying that we are definitely planning to use different effects, especially for the paint throwing part of the video when this would look most effective. The fact that this question was asked would suggest that this is a convention that would be expected. The participant obviously believed that this would work well and this has made us certain that we should try various editing effects. Another person asked what colour of paint we planned to use. We decided to hold a vote for different ideas. Either we would use a range of bright colours from the start to the end, or we would begin with bright colours and end with darker red and black as the performer becomes angrier. Everyone voted for the latter because of the symbolism and tone this would give of the emotion becoming bitterer. The last thing we discussed as a group was what sort of props should be used. Many of the partakers put in ideas such as: roses, boxes of chocolates, a veil, teddy bears, picture frames, hearts and jewellery. This was helpful as it gave us more of an idea of props to use to project the theme of love and heartbreak.