Task 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

We asked a groups of media pupils of 16-18 (our target audience) to fill out a questionnaire the answers below are a summary of what the students thought and said. I find it difficult to create opinions on my own pieces, because of course I am slightly biased; but it allowed me to hear the opinion of others within my age group. Also; to be able to stand back and become critical of what worked, and what could have been improved on.

Q: What genre would you pigeonhole this type of music to?
A: "Alternate Folk", "Acoustic Singer/ Songwriter" "Urban"

Q: Did the use of camera and editing compliment the song, and if so how?
A: The best bits of the video where when the camera tracked slowly around the singer like at the beginning, perhaps more of these shotscould have been used. Less static shots, and more tracking/panning. The blurry after effects work very well to create an atmosphere of surreal reminiscence and nostalgia.

Q: What was the purpose of using two locations?
A: There was a constant oscillation between reality and fantasy, and they moved to smoothly between them that the reader felt melancholy and relaxed. Sometimes the song felt depressing. The two locations made a connection between the lead singer and the character in the wood. Was he reflecting on a memory/fantasy? A broken relationship? Teenage fantasies?

Q: Who do you think the target audience are?
A: Young people our age, especially girls who would like to emotionally invest in the narrative. Girls love love stories. Bon Iver appeals to university students, festival-goers.

Q: Any other comments about synergy, film language, representation?
A: We think that the video both conforms and challenges the conventions of pop videos. It conforms because it uses romance as a narrative and the beautiful red haired girl to make a statement about beauty and idealism. However it challenges stereotypical conventions because it has an unhappy ending where we want the boy and girl to fall in love but instead she disappears and this leaves us with a negative take on love.