Target Audience Research - Miss Miller

Researching into target audience, is where you ask the members of public  what they would like or expect in something. In my case I asked 40 people using a questionnaire about what they would expect in an Indie music and why. The reason why I asked 40 people instead of a smaller amount is because it gives me more reliable information about what to include in my music video, in order to make it successful. The results will help me gather inspirations on what my target audience would like and want to include in an indie music video. In this post i'll be evaluating my results from my questionnaire and vox pops; interviews with members of the public, then consider which answers I will consider to include in my indie music video. find

First of all, I asked my study group what gender they were and the results came out to be more females than male with a percentage or 75% : 25%. This piece of information informs me that females are more likely to watch indie music videos than boys. This find be to the typical convention of having a narrative about relationships within the indie genre that females may draw more too than males. However, my results could be not accurate nor reliable as both genders may have different perspectives on what they would expect in an indie genre and why they watch them. 

I then asked what age they were starting with 16 year olds to 26+. The outcome from this was that the age range of 17-20 had the highest percentage and in second place was 21-25 year olds. This shows that young adults are more likely to watch indie music videos. This could be because the artists may relate to them as they may be the same age as them. Also themes shown in indie music genres may include mild strong themes such as alcohol,drugs and sexual themes e.g kissing. From this find think my target audience will be from 17- 25 because it will be suitable for them if I consider including any of those themes in my music video e.g alcohol as a coping magnesium for the artist who is in a struggle in her relationship.

I asked them next, what themes they would expect to see in an indie music video. From this, the theme that was mostly answered with a percentage of 52%,was a relationship theme. This shows that the audience expect to see some sort of relationship within an indie music video, whether its a happy or an unstable one. From this me and my group have considered making a music video having the theme of a unstable relationship between to females as one wants to come out public whereas one is fine with the relationship being a secret. The second highest percentage was a performance with 23%. This was because the audience thought it was typical for a performance to occur in an indie music video, as they are known to be instrumentally talented as well as vocally. I may consider including a shot of my artist playing an instrument, particularly a piano so that it conveys what the actual artist Birdy plays and also show that she is talented. This information will help me consider making an indie music video based on a relationship, so that the audience can relate to it as it is a real life situation. A particular relationship theme I may consider to incorporate in my music video, is the theme of a relationship breakdown. This is so that I can explore the artist's feelings and emotions through the narrative and express them in way that the audience can relate with the relationship breakdown. Also, it is conventional to include a theme such like a relationship breakdown in the indie genre, as it portrays realism and shares parts of the artist's life experiences which could help build a relationship with the audience as they feel the artist is letting them into their lives. 

I then asked my study group, what would they would expect to see in an indie music video out of the following; filters, green screens or special effects. The option that got picked the most with a percentage of 67%, was filters. This is because some of them believed that filters convey what the indie music video is about, for example an old aged filter will portray that it is in the past or a memory. As this was a huge percentage, I think me and my group will incorporate filters in our music video to convey the past of the relationship so that the audience clearly understand that what is being seen is in the past and not present. I am thinking of including different colours of the filters to show the happy and negative sides of the relationship in the narrative, and these might by orange, yellow, blue etc. as they give connotations of happiness or darkness, therefore illustrating the flashbacks of the relationship further. The reason why I think green screen only got 8%, is due to the fact that indie music videos rely on realism, and with green screens this does not portray that but in fact creates a sense of escapism. This means that my group are very unlikely going to use a green screen because we want our music video to be as realistic as possible so that the audience can relate to it. 

From analysing other music videos, I gathered that the type of camera shots that are used in a music video as important to the genre. So I asked my study group what types of camera shots they would expect to see in an indie music video and why. The camera shot that was said the most was close ups, with a percentage of 62%. This was because they argued that close ups give more of an effect and plus show the artists or characters facial expression, so that the audience have more of an understanding of the the narrative. In my music video I may have close ups showing the artist singing or showing the characters facial expressions especially when they're happy or sad, for example when the artist is seen arguing with her partner, a close up could be used to portray the anger of the artist's partner and then show the artist's sad reaction to her anger through the use of close up shots.  Long shots came second with a percentage of 25% and the arguments for this was because they show the setting the artist is in. Long shots will most likely be included in my music video when the characters are at the different locations e.g market or field, this is show the audience establish where they are. Moreover, long shots would be efficient in showing mise en scene, as the audience will be able to see the costumes and body language expressed from the characters, for example a long shot will capture one of my characters folding their arms to show that they are annoyed. Therefore, I will consider including close ups and long shots within my music video, because I agree that they are helpful in showing the narrative and expressing how the artist or character feels. 

Setting is crucial when planning any type of music video. This is because it helps establish what genre it is, as well as portray the narrative, concept or performance the video is. So when I asked my study group what type of setting they would expect to see in an indie music genre, I got a few that were generally in public places. The location that had the highest percentage with 40% was a Town. This is because indie music videos usually show the characters who are in a relationship in a town or city to show the activities they do together. Therefore, I may consider having Camden town as a location for the couple to be see in, to further illustrate the complications of their relationship as the artist's partner does not like being seen intimately in public by showing them argue in public or the partner not hold the artist's hand, and also Camden is known to be quite indie therefore it is conventional setting.  Not far behind with 35% was a house. I believe this was second because a house as a setting conveys the realism within the video and portrays it in a realistic matter which makes the audience relate to the video. I may incorporate the setting of a house in my music video to show the couple in a private area and show the audience the contrast to how they act when no one is around which will be intimate and lovable. 

An open questioned that was asked in my questionnaire was what types of costumes would you expect to see in in an indie music video and why? The reason we asked this was to get an idea of what type of costume the audience thought was appropriate for the indie genre. In this study people described clothing that were casual such as jeans, top, leather jacket and converses etc. A casual costume was dominant in the study as 65% of people described clothing in this category. They argued that artists wear causal clothing to show they're real people and also match the narrative as well. Also, with the costumes being casual, unlike glamorous where voyeurism or sexualisation is explored, the artist will be portrayed as simplistic and ordinary which is conventional to the indie genre. The second highest was grunge with 27%, this type of style includes thrift store items and the typical outdoor clothing as well as a generally unkempt appearance. My group will consider having our artists and the characters in a mixture of both casual and grunge clothing so that it shows that their relatable to the audience, but also as an individual through the grunge items. For example, the artist may be seen in denim clothing when going out, or sweat pants to show her comfort in a particular scene such as a house scene. 

The 8th question I asked my study group was ' Do your prefer your artist to be more relatable or more like star and why?'. The answer with the highest percentage of 85% was more relatable and like a star was at 15%. The reasons why some said more relatable was because they believed that an artist being relatable adds more of a gritty characteristic and also makes the music video enjoyable because they can relate to whats going on. However, those that said like a star felt like an artist has to be this way because its their source of escapism (escaping reality), and it's more interesting to watch someone else's lifestyle. In reference to the indie genre, I think my artist will be more relatable to the audience through the use of mise en scene, especially costume and location. This is because I want the audience to feel connected to the artist and make them feel like they're not alone in what ever they're going through since the artist portrays it. For example, I may consider the artist wearing casual clothing that is recognisable to the target audience as they may wear it. Also, her hair will be natural to convey ordinariness and her rejection to the glamour that comes with being famous, therefore further portraying realism and makes the artist relatable.

In addition, I asked if they preferred an indue music video to have a clear narrative and if so why? The majority with 92% said yes where as 8% said no. Some argued yes because they like a clear narrative to match the song so they have more of an understanding on what the song is about. Also, some said that they enjoy watching a clear narrative as it makes the song more enjoyable to listen to and visually see. When creating my music video, I will make sure I have a clear narrative so that the audience have an insight on what the song is really about through our interpretation of love loss. Therefore I may incorporate a narrative that is about a relationship breakdown, so that it is personal to the artist and relatable to the audience. This will be shown through showing the positives and negative aspects of the relationship by showing the happy memories in contrast to the couple arguing.  Furthermore, a clear narrative will be conventional to the indie genre because they often have stories in the music video, so that the audience can relate to the situation shown.

From researching into indie music videos, I've found that instruments are conventional to the indie genre. So when I asked my study group what type of instrument they would expect to see an artist play in an music video, the results were Guitar's in first place with a percentage of 62%. This is because indie artist stereotypically use guitars in their music as well as their music videos e.g Gabrielle Aplin plays the guitar in her music video for panic cord, as they give a calm vibe. What came second was piano with 25%, those that said this is because it gives slow paced and emotional sound which relates to the narrative in a music video. From this information, we will take on board the instruments to consider including in my music video to help convey the artists feelings and emotions as well as accompanying the narrative. For example, my artist may be seen in my music video playing an acoustic guitar whilst singing the chorus to help engage the audience in and give importance to the lyrics.

Vox Pops

After the questionnaires, I filmed 5 vox pops as proof for my questionnaire results. Vox Pop is simply the act of filming an interview with members of the public through a media device. I believe creating vox pops was helpful because it gave me an insight of what people were really thinking about when answering my questions face to face. Also, it is a source of primary data, the participants could elaborate more on their answers making my research more valid and reliable to refer to. Moving on, the vox pops I created allowed me to gain more of an insight of what I should consider including in my indie music video for example my artists costume will be casual so that they can relate to the audience.


A subculture is a group of people who are united through a common value system and taste e.g. clothes, music or politics. These groups are also positioned outside of the mainstream (what is popular). The values of a subculture is conformity and rebellion, attitude to capitalism and consumerism, tribal/gang rivalry and traditional or neophyte (new ideas). The three subculture theorist are Hebdige, Grant McCracken and CCCS (Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies). McCracken argues that the postmodern world is full of diversity and creativity and that subcultures come from various cultures ,but are able to be 'self sufficient'. Hebdige says that if you look deeper into subcultures there is enough richness to warrant renaming subcultures as little cultures. Lastly, CCCS simply argue that all subcultures come from one culture. In reference to my music video, I think the subculture theory that would suit best is McCracken's. This is because my indie music video appeals to a niche audience of people who simply like indie music, however the people in the niche audience may have their differences in values and taste which may lead to creating different types of subcultures. My music video will conform to McCracken's theory, as he explains that in a post modern society there is diversity, therefore I may consider including the diversity element in my narrative by instead of having a heterosexual relationship, I will have a homosexual female relationship to portray the diversity and realism of the modern society. This will make the video more appealing and draw niche audiences to engage with the video and build a relationship with the artist as they feel she is inspirational for going outside traditional norms.

The questionnaire was helpful as it was a quick procedure that gave me an insight on the elements and expectations my target audience had for an indie music video. Therefore expanding my knowledge and understanding on the conventions of the genre through the audience, and helping me with my decisions to make a conventional, yet unique successful music video to sustain the artist's longevity through the relationship built with the audience. Researching into my target audience, was useful as it helped me understand what the public thought was conventional in an indie genre. What I learned from the public's point of view is that the themes of love, relationships and break ups were most expected in an indie music video. This is an example of a theme I may consider using within my music video, because this research has helped me gather what the audience think. From these results I will incorporate inspirations from people's answers and adapt them to fit my music video, so that my indie music video is as conventional as possible. If I was to not research into a target audience, I wouldn't know who my music video is made for, therefore the things I include in the video would have no sense and be pointless. Whereas now I have researched into the target audience, I have an idea on what to include because I have a target audience who I want to meet their needs when making my indie music video.