Controversial Videos

In response to our target audience to create a unique "off the wall" video which is different to the norm as a group we have opted for what at the moments seems like a challenge. We have decided to use our music video to highlight controversial issues through the visuals of our video in reponse to the lyrics. From our research we have deduced that many videos from this genre do this, which can be seen in the following examples. These videos have also been the videos which we haved viewed multiple times as they are interesting and take more than one sitting to be understood. We also aspire to achieve this in our video having many different layers to our video which will spark different interpretations and views.


- Highlighting the issue of adultry and the destruction it causes

- highlighting the issues of bullying

- contraverial from its explicit drug referneces and graphic imagery

- Living up to their reputation this video has a age limit on those who can view it! This video was at #1 on the countdown and therefore named the "Most Controversial Video" in MTV's history. The video portrays drinking and driving, snorting cocaine, violence, vandalism, nudity and sex. The unedited version also includes a scene of heroin use and a hit and run incident.

Target Audience

Now that we have decided the genre and song it is important to identify our target audience. It is necessary to find the right balance when defining your target market in a way that causes your audience to recognize that you are talking specifically to them. It also creates a sense of a brand and gives its members a sense of belonging to a certain community. During our research a website which has been particularly useful is

UK Tribes.com.

The website is a project which looks at youth culture and offered a tribal breakdown based on the social glues (music, sport, fashion, technology etc) around which young people gather. This has been vital to our research as one of these "tribes" labelled indie scenesters is the market we will be aiming at, the website has provided us with invaluable information concerning this audience such as their fashion, favourite brands, favourite hangout places and up and coming bands. This information allows us to reach out to this target audience and know what type of people they are and how to attract them which is fundamental to our planning. Not only must our music be relevant to its genre but as this website has shown us young people take themselves very seriously. It is important to them to feel like they "belong" and we must therefore cater to what it is they are familiar with.

This is a short clip from the website summarizing our target audience:

However as seen in the description of "Indie Scensesters"

"like to be ahead of the game when it comes to discovering new music."

So conversely while it is important to adhere to the conventions of the genre it is also important to keep it new, fresh and trendy.We can also see that the media consumption of this audience is very large:

So from this we can tell that it is important to our audience to have a video to their music as they clearly enjoy the visual side of media as their main areas of consumption are the internet, magazines and newspapers all of which are predominantly visual.

Getting to know our target audience

In order to get to know our audience better we have carried out a few short video clip interviews with our peers who we feel fit into this genre/target audience. We have asked them a few questions in order to get a first hand account of what our target audience likes and wants which is important in understanding the conventions which apply to this genre which will subsequently allow us to create a well targeted music video. I have asked one student Jemma Cook, who I feel fits the stereo type "indie" and asked her some questions which we constructed as a group. We all interviewed at least one person and the other interviews can be seen on Hulya's and Aisha's blog.

Question 1

How would you describe the genre "indie rock"?

Question 2&3

What music channel do you watch?

What radio station do you listen to?

Question 4

Who is your favourite musician/band?

Question 5

What is your favourite music video and why?

Question 6&7

Do you prefer performance or narrative videos?

What hobbies to you enjoy?

Question 8

Define yourself in five words

Mood board

We have created a mood board in response to both the lyrics and music to our chosen song "Shadowplay". In this mood board we have used images and words which we feel best represent how the song makes us think and feel. We have also jotted down some initial ideas that these images have given us for our video.

The Killers "Shadow Play" lyrics

To the centre of the city where all roads meet, waiting for you
To the depths of the ocean where all hopes sank, searching for you
Moving through the silence without motion, waiting for you
In a room with a window in the corner I found truth

In the shadowplay acting out your own death, knowing no more
As the assassins all grouped in four lines, dancing on the floor
And with cold steel, odour on their bodies made a move to connect
I could only stare in disbelief as the crowds all left

I did everything, everything I wanted to
I let them use you for their own ends
To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you
To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you