Research in the media industry, like
many other industries, is increasingly important. As competition increases, it’s
become and more vital that the companies keep up with demand. To do so, there
are a number of different ways to conduct research.
Primary research
Primary research is a method of
research which is conducted by the filmmaker/company themselves. Methods of
primary research include surveys, a look at analytics , questionnaires, or a
look at what’s trending through online forums, etc.
In order to achieve my own primary
research, I asked my friends and family to fill in an online questionnaire
which was intended to achieve the best results in my planning stage.
An example of this can be found listed below:
I essentially went through the results of my questionnaire ad added analysis to whether or not they met my intention - responding to the target audience, USP, etc.
Secondary research
Secondary research is research which
has already been accessed, and it available to the public domain. Examples of
this kind of research can be found within online articles, books, or previous
case studies.
In order to achieve my own secondary
research, I took a look online. We were given the task to look at famous
animators throughout history and analyse their work. I enjoyed this, because it
gave me an insight into what is popular and how to attract, as well as keep the
interest of potential audiences.
We were also asked to respond to a
brief within our animation, with the brief being to produce a short ESting
animation for E4. I achieved this by creating a blog post comparing the target
audience of E4 in comparison to mine.
Qualitative research
Qualitative research is research which
orientates around words, as appose to numbers. Within the film industry, this
can be to take a look at film reviews, online forums or leaving open spaces
within surverys.
We were asked to produce an advert for a Unilever product. So, for some qualitative research of my own, I decided to head over to their website and learn more about them, their history and what they aim to achieve within their products.
I produced a prezi running through all the things I learnt through my research.
Data gathering agencies
Data
gathering agencies are companies which provide open figures to budding
filmmakers. They can range from viewing figures to age groups interested in a
particular show. These are important to filmmakers, especially those who are
asked to respond to a brief.
The
main example of this within the film industry is IMDB. IMDB is a film review
based website which is used by the public as well as filmmakers. They provide
short previews of the film, as well as a rating out of 100. This is an average
rating from the viewers who have gone over to IMDB to make their thoughts known
on the film.
The
reason this is so important to filmmakers is because it provides an insight
into what is popular among a certain genre, as well as how good a certain film
is doing among the target audience.
Another data gathering agency, for those who are more interested in statistics, is BARB. The company provides television ratings which are accessible to the public domain.
Advertisers often use these figures to decide when the best time to place a particular advert on the television and between which shows. The aim of this is to retain audience retention, and of course, increase conversions based on the aims of their advert.
Audience and market research
The most important kind of research within the media industry, in my opinion, is audience and market research. This type of research tailors around the actions from the audience. These may include audience retention, behaviour, and the effects of advertisement placement.
It was hard for me to analyse this kind of data, but I used secondary research in the form of data gathering agencies like BARB.
Production research
Production research is mainly primary
research, which is used to preview a particular production. These can include
the likes of location research, budgeting, or simply planning how you want the
production to plan out.
This is good to give you a general
idea of what needs to be done, as well as giving an indication to when certain
aspects need to be completed.
A lot of my production research came
when I planned my documentary on grassroots football. Of course, I had to
research each production I took part in, but this meant the most to me as I did
everything myself, as oppose to working in a group.
Some of these examples can be found
below:
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