Question answered

I asked a group of people, aged between 16 to 40, "What makes a good music video?" I did this to create a clear outline for what to follow in order to appeal to all ages in my music video task. Here are a few of the quotes from the people I asked that I believe are most relevant to my project:

"I like the storyline of videos. I don't particularly pay attention to the song or lyrics when I'm watching a video, so if it's a boring song but has a great storyline in the video I'll still watch it." - 17 year old female.

"From seeing a few music videos in the alternative rock genre, I've decided that the thing that's most iconic to me in a good music video is the colouring and the setting. If the band and its image are portrayed through the video then I'm happy." - 24 year old female.

"I'm not too bothered about actually seeing the band in videos. And I'm not bothered about seeing anyone singing along to the song, I pay more attention to what's going on. By that, I mean the plot of the video." - 30 year old male.

"I don't like overly edited videos. I don't like the creepy eyes in the Bastille video (Pompeii) and I don't like things that look too 'over-done'. I'd prefer to have a standard video with the band or actors, no fancy gimmicks." - 56 year old female.

"I really admire videos that have a gripping storyline. And, of course, the video has to somehow reflect the lyrics and the tone of the song." - 43 year old male.

From asking this question, I have a clear indication of what direction I should take when creating this music video. In agreement to a respondent, I don't like overly edited videos and believe that music videos in this genre should be fairly plain with quite "easy" editing. By that, I mean no special effects added. Or, if effects are used, they are tastefully done. I think having a narrative driven video will help me reach out to my target audience, as most people I spoke to said they preferred watching what goes on on screen opposed to listening to the band's lyrics. However, I must make sure that my music video fits the mood of the song and its lyrics.