Questionnaire and Results

by Emma Green
We decided to ask a sample of 20 people on what they like to see in Music videos, and what they would like to see in a 60's-based one. I decided to use a mixture of quantative and qualitative questions to get a greater insight into our results, and we asked these to a panel of different ages and sexes. The first 5 questions were selected to find out what the public think of music videos generally, and how they impact them in their daily life and media use. The last 3 questions refer to our own video, to give us feedback from the public to their thoughts and ideas of a 60's themed song and video.


Questionnaire:

1. How reguarly do you watch music videos?
Every day
Every couple of weeks
Every week
Occasionally
Never

2. Where do you mainly watch music videos? (Tick accordingly)
Music channels
Youtube
Band/Music Artist's website
Xbox or other game consoles
Ipod
Iphone
Mobile phone
Itunes or other music downlaod sites
Other (please state what)

3. What are your three favourite music genres?
Pop
Punk
Indie
RnB
Grunge
Rap/Hiphop
Rock
Emo
Heavy Metal
Dance
Classical
Garage
Other (please state what)

4. What are your three all-time favourite music videos and why?

5. What do you like to see in a music video? (Tick accordingly)
Strong narrative and story-line
Fashion and Looks
Sexiness
Band/Artist performances
Cameo apperances from celebrities and famous personalities
Humour
Dance Routines
Characters and Situations
Issues in today's society
Abstract ideas and concepts
Stunts/Actions
References to films and popular culture
Other (please state what)

6. Do you like 60's music?
Yes
Don't mind us
No

7. If you chose yes or don't mind in the previous question, who are your favourite artists from that period? (Tick accordingly)
Jimi Hendrix
Dusty Springfield
The Kinks
The Temptations
Sonny and Cher
The Beatles
Elvis Presley
Diana Ross and the Supremes
The Drifters
Johnny Cash
Pink Floyd
The Mamas and the Papas
The Rolling Stones
The Velvet Underground
The Beach Boys
The Monkees
Bob Dylan
The Who
Other (please state who)

8. What would you expect and like to see in a 60's-themed video?

The Results:

1. How reguarly do you watch music videos?
Every day 8
Every couple of days 4
Every week 3
Occasionally 5
Never 0

(Music videos seem to be quite a popular meidum, with over half of our sample watching them on a regular basis. This also means our video will need to be impressive, as people are used to watching music videos on a constant basis, and it will be compared and analysed in comparison to professional music videos).

2. Where do you mainly watch music videos?
Music channels 17
Youtube 18
Band/Artists websites 3
Xbox or games console 2
Ipod 3
Iphone 0
Mobile 2
Itunes 1
Other:
*Vech.com

(Nearly all of our sample watch music videos via the television medium, but what was also interesting to see was the emphasis on now online technology. This in a way is exciting news for us, because people now watch music videos via the internet, this means our video, which wouldn't be normally seen by the genral public, now has a large audience oppurtunity. Uploading it onto a site like Youtube is not only free, but anyone can give feedback and share it.)

3. What are your 3 favourite music genres?
Pop 13
Punk 1
Indie 9
RnB 10
Grunge 1
Rap/Hiphop 1
Rock 9
Emo 2
Heavy Metal 3
Dance 5
Classical 0
Garage 0
Other
*Blues
*Techno
*Jazz
*Hard House
*Dirty Electro
*Easy Listening

(We are pleased by these results as it shows we have chose a song that has roots in some of the most popular genres that were picked by the sample. Our song is somewhat pop, as it is upbeat and catchy, but also has a touch of rock, indie and folk. This means alot of people will like the song, becuase it is a mixture of genres, and the song is obviously a key factor in producing a good music video.)

4. What are your three all-time favourite music videos and why?

Some examples given:
*Justin Timberlake- "Like I love you"- "Because of the sexy dancing".
*Shakira- "Did it again"- "Because it screams sex!"
*The Streets- "Don't mind yourself" - "Funny and Cleverly done!"
*Kate Nash - "Foundations"- "I love the animation in this video"
*Kanye West- "Golddigger"- "The women, costume and posing are cool"
*Fat Boy Slim- "Weapon of Choice"- "Christopher Walken and his dancing are awesome in this"
*Dire Straits- "Money for Nothing"- "Just all fun and 80's like!"
*Madonna- "Vogue"- "I love the vampy 1920/30s vibe and the chereogaphy is outstanding"
*Marilyn Manson- "Tainted Love"- "Dark, but really absolutely sexy at the same time"
*Blondie- "Call me"- "Focuses on Debbie Harry and her style"
*Bjork- "It's oh so quiet"- "Her videos are so quirky and unusual"
*Foo Fighters- "Best of you"- "I love the energy of their performance"
*Micheal Jackson- "Beat it"- "Good storyline"


(The main findings from the examples given were that two of the most popular videos stated were Micheal Jackson's "Thriller", and Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". "Thriller" is a well renound classic and paved the way for future music videos, and new artist Lady Gaga's videos are sexy, strange, and unique, like her style. Both artist's music and video style attract a wide selection of fans, becuase they always have not been afraid to experiment and try new ideas and genres. The sample also chose a mixure of different music genre videos, but the main elements they liked about the videos were a concept that was cool or kind of wierd, the dancing, the look/aesthetics and sexiness.)

5. What do you like to see in a music video?
Strong Storyline 11
Fashion/Looks 9
Sexiness 10
Band/Artist Perf. 10
Cameos 4
Humour 9
Dancing 12
Characters/Situations 7
Issues 6
Abstract ideas 9
Stunts 3
Pop culture 8
Other:
*Animation

(Although I had some idea of what attracted an audience to a music video, based on the research I found in Question 4, I wanted to find more specific and accurate answers, to be definite. So therefore, it did not surprise me when I found that sexiness, fashion and dancing were ranked as two of the highest popular elements, because it links with media's obsession with vouyerism and image. But I was also pleased to see other elements such as the actual band performances and abstract concepts proving well-liked as well, because it shows an audience isn't too narrow-minded in what they enjoy watching).

6. Do you like 60's music?
Yes 10
Don't mind it 9
No 1

(It is important to know whether the general public do consider the 60's a good time for music or not, if our video is going to be enjoyed by those who watch it. Generally, nearly everyone from our sample seems to like the music this decade produced, which means our video should be hopefully relatable and liked).

7. If you selected yes or don't mind, who are your favourite 60's artists?
Jimi Hendrix 6
Dusty Springfield 2
The Kinks 9
The Temptations 6
Sonny and Cher 3
The Beatles 12
Elvis Presley 9
Diana Ross 4
The Drifters 1
Johnny Cash 11
Pink Floyd 8
The Mamas and Papas 4
The Rolling Stones 7
The Velvet Underground 1
The Beach Boys 9
The Monkees 10
Bob Dylan 5
The Who 7
Other
*Cream

(The artists that were most popular were mainly male artists and bands, with a mixture of sexy, dangerous rock star (e.g. Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and Johnny Cash) and good, old-fashioned musicians (e.g. Thw Monkees, The Beatles and The Beach Boys). These results show we are going to have to portray out band in the video as a mixture of these two qualities, to attract a bigger audience.)

8. What would you expect in a 60's themed video?
The most popular requests were:
1. Bright Colours
2. 60's Fashion
3. Hippie/ Flower Power Vibe
4. Big/Crazy Hair
5. Dancing
6. Psychedelia
7. Drugs
8. Over the top acting

(These are elements I think we MUST include in the video, because we want to live up to an audience's expectations of what the video will look like, not just ignore them.)

Other suggestions include:
*60's Cultural References (e.g. Woodstock, JFK shooting, Martin Luther King, Vietnam War)
*Vintage Stuff
*Classic car
*60's technology
*Relations to era
*Fun narrative
*Guitars

(This stuff we may include, as long as it would fit well with our style of video)