Research is a key part of creative media production and is
the essential starting point for any
Types and Methods of Research
Primary Research
Primary research is defined as information collected by researchers rather than depending on data collected from previously done research and other sources. Examples of primary research includes questionnaires, interviews, surveys, focus groups and any other information found directly. This is because the dictionary definition of primary states “not derived from, caused by, o
r based on anything else; original” meaning primary research is “original” data collected.
In my own documentary I have had to conduct some primary research regarding the opinions of those involved and the corona virus pandemic (this can be found in my research dossier linked here: https://maddiewhittakerfilmandtvblog.blogspot.com/2020/06/research-dossier-life-in-lockdown.html) For this I carried out face to face interviews and also asked the participants questions in the form of questionnaires before filming commenced so I could gage the tone of the documentary and get them thinking a bit before filming their responses in the interview.
Specific examples of primary research in the industry includes interviews. In the documentary “Louis and the Nazis” the primary research for this came in the form of Louis Theroux interviewing the participants including Tom Metzger who is dubbed “the most dangerous racist in America.” The primary research about Tom and his beliefs came from Louis asking him some very personal questions the form of interviewing. This is a prime example of primary research in factual programming.
Primary research is also commonly used to ask viewers a series of questions after a proposed idea to see if there would be any interest in watching it. A good example of this would be game shows. Often there are focus groups of contestants and an audience before production goes underway to gage reaction and see if the format works and is easy to follow.
For the screenplay unit, I also conducted some primary research. I made a questionnaire and sent to 30 people and received 22 responses. This questionnaire was designed to help me see how I could improve my screenplay to make it more appealing to my target audience and also allowed me to gauge if the screenplay would likely be a success if put into production.
Secondary Research
Secondary research
(also known as desk research) is defined as a research method that involves collecting
or scouting and using pre-existing data. This data is summarised and collated
to increase the overall effectiveness of research. Examples of secondary
research includes books, websites, newspapers, film archives, view figures and
ratings, government statistics and any other factual information from an
indirect source. This is because the dictionary definition of secondary states
its “coming after, less important than, or resulting from someone or something
else that is primary” meaning that secondary data comes from “someone or
something else.”
In my own documentary I had to conduct some secondary research regarding facts and figures related to corona virus pandemic in order to use as part of my content to portray to the audience some facts to back up the opinions included (this can be found in my research dossier linked here: https://maddiewhittakerfilmandtvblog.blogspot.com/2020/06/research-dossier-life-in-lockdown.html) For this I mainly used information I found on the internet (from government and NHS sources to make them more reliable) as well as footage from news clips (BBC).
Specific examples of secondary research in the industry includes film archives. In the 2019 Netflix documentary “The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann” a lot of the secondary research for this came in the from video footage used as evidence in the case from the police. This was used as part of the content to back up the opinions. This is a prime example of primary research in factual programming and also helps to back up the opinions of the film makers to help influence the audience.
Secondary research is also commonly used throughout the industry to find locations and other resources required for production. This also helps to calculate how much the production will cost to make sure the production company can definitely afford it before filming commences to avoid bankruptcy.
The Pros and Cons
There are pros and cons of both primary and secondary research.
A huge advantage of primary research is that it allows the researcher to obtain original data that are current and highly specific to their needs regarding certain content or information they require for a production. This is something that secondary research doesn’t allow. Secondary data is often not presented in a form that exactly meets the researcher’s needs for the production. Which makes primary research a better method. An advantage of secondary research though is that it is mainly quick, cheap and easy to obtain which makes it a good option if information needs to be found quickly or for productions on a budget. However, a huge disadvantage of secondary research is that the quality could be compromised since the origins of the information may be questionable. This is not an issue with primary research as the origin of the information is known making it more reliable however this method is extremely time consuming and often expensive depending on the method and reach.
It is best to have a combination of both primary and secondary research within the media industry to make data as reliable as possible especially for factual programming where reliability of content impacts the way the media product is perceived by the audience.
Quantitive Research
Quantitive research is defined as a research method that is the systematic empirical investigation of observable phenomena via statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques. So, in simple terms, research that involves the collection of stats and figures whether that be primary or secondary methods. Examples of Quantitive research includes programme ratings, readership circulation figures, hits on a website, box office figures, sales of CDs and DVDs and any other number based data. This is because the dictionary definition of Quantitive states its “relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something” meaning that Quantitive research relates to any collection or finding of numerical data.
In my own documentary I had to conduct some Quantitive research regarding facts and figures related to corona virus pandemic in order to use as part of my content to portray to the audience some facts to back up the opinions included (this can be found in my research dossier linked here:https://maddiewhittakerfilmandtvblog.blogspot.com/2020/06/research-dossier-life-in-lockdown.html ) For this I mainly used information I found on the internet (from government and NHS sources to make them more reliable) as well as footage from news clips (BBC).As part of my primary research for the screenplay unit, I collected some quantitive data. Here is the quantitative data I collected.
Secondary Research
Secondary research
(also known as desk research) is defined as a research method that involves collecting
or scouting and using pre-existing data. This data is summarised and collated
to increase the overall effectiveness of research. Examples of secondary
research includes books, websites, newspapers, film archives, view figures and
ratings, government statistics and any other factual information from an
indirect source. This is because the dictionary definition of secondary states
its “coming after, less important than, or resulting from someone or something
else that is primary” meaning that secondary data comes from “someone or
something else.” In my own documentary I had to conduct some secondary research regarding facts and figures related to corona virus pandemic in order to use as part of my content to portray to the audience some facts to back up the opinions included (this can be found in my research dossier linked here: https://maddiewhittakerfilmandtvblog.blogspot.com/2020/06/research-dossier-life-in-lockdown.html) For this I mainly used information I found on the internet (from government and NHS sources to make them more reliable) as well as footage from news clips (BBC).
Specific examples of secondary research in the industry includes film archives. In the 2019 Netflix documentary “The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann” a lot of the secondary research for this came in the from video footage used as evidence in the case from the police. This was used as part of the content to back up the opinions. This is a prime example of primary research in factual programming and also helps to back up the opinions of the film makers to help influence the audience.
Secondary research is also commonly used throughout the industry to find locations and other resources required for production. This also helps to calculate how much the production will cost to make sure the production company can definitely afford it before filming commences to avoid bankruptcy.
The Pros and Cons
There are pros and cons of both primary and secondary research.
A huge advantage of primary research is that it allows the researcher to obtain original data that are current and highly specific to their needs regarding certain content or information they require for a production. This is something that secondary research doesn’t allow. Secondary data is often not presented in a form that exactly meets the researcher’s needs for the production. Which makes primary research a better method. An advantage of secondary research though is that it is mainly quick, cheap and easy to obtain which makes it a good option if information needs to be found quickly or for productions on a budget. However, a huge disadvantage of secondary research is that the quality could be compromised since the origins of the information may be questionable. This is not an issue with primary research as the origin of the information is known making it more reliable however this method is extremely time consuming and often expensive depending on the method and reach.
It is best to have a combination of both primary and secondary research within the media industry to make data as reliable as possible especially for factual programming where reliability of content impacts the way the media product is perceived by the audience.
Quantitive Research
Quantitive research is defined as a research method that is the systematic empirical investigation of observable phenomena via statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques. So, in simple terms, research that involves the collection of stats and figures whether that be primary or secondary methods. Examples of Quantitive research includes programme ratings, readership circulation figures, hits on a website, box office figures, sales of CDs and DVDs and any other number based data. This is because the dictionary definition of Quantitive states its “relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something” meaning that Quantitive research relates to any collection or finding of numerical data.
In my own documentary I had to conduct some Quantitive research regarding facts and figures related to corona virus pandemic in order to use as part of my content to portray to the audience some facts to back up the opinions included (this can be found in my research dossier linked here:https://maddiewhittakerfilmandtvblog.blogspot.com/2020/06/research-dossier-life-in-lockdown.html ) For this I mainly used information I found on the internet (from government and NHS sources to make them more reliable) as well as footage from news clips (BBC).As part of my primary research for the screenplay unit, I collected some quantitive data. Here is the quantitative data I collected.
Specific examples of Quantitive
research in the industry includes film viewing figures. This usually helps to
determine the popularity of a TV program or media text to gage whether the
audience wish to see more. A good example of how this has been used in the past
is through the popular ITV2 reality TV show Love Island. The first series aired
in 2015 with a new series every year. Producers pay a close eye on viewing
figures when decided whether to do another series of the show. The most recent series
(January 2020) got 4.8 million views on the first episode which shows that the
show is still very popular therefore making a new series likely. This is extremely
common among the media industry especially TV and is one of the main reasons
that ITV’s the X Factor changed it’s format in 2019; The X Factor had been
running every year since 2004 but due to low viewing figures in 2018, Simon
Cowell decided to change the format to a celebrity version in the hopes of
increasing viewer figures. Viewing figures are extremely important also as they
determine the amount of money that can be made through advertisement.
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is defined as a research method that relies on unstructured and non-numerical data. The data may take the form of fieldnotes written by the researcher in the course of observation, interviews, audio or video recordings carried out by the researcher in natural settings or interviews, documents of various kinds and even material artefacts. Examples of Qualitative research includes film reviews, game reviews, fanzine websites, attitudes to media products, responses to news coverage, responses to advertising campaigns, discussion and any other opinion based data. This is because the dictionary definition of Qualitative states its “relating to, measuring, or measured by the quality of something rather than its quantity” meaning that Quantitive research relates to any collection or finding of the quality of a media text based upon opinions.
In my own documentary I had to conduct some Qualitative research regarding participants opinions related to corona virus pandemic and the lockdown to make up the main content of my documentary to show how the virus is having an impact on people. I did this through interviews which were used as part of my documentary (this can be found in my research dossier linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wzHjMAJ6aE&feature=youtu.be).
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is defined as a research method that relies on unstructured and non-numerical data. The data may take the form of fieldnotes written by the researcher in the course of observation, interviews, audio or video recordings carried out by the researcher in natural settings or interviews, documents of various kinds and even material artefacts. Examples of Qualitative research includes film reviews, game reviews, fanzine websites, attitudes to media products, responses to news coverage, responses to advertising campaigns, discussion and any other opinion based data. This is because the dictionary definition of Qualitative states its “relating to, measuring, or measured by the quality of something rather than its quantity” meaning that Quantitive research relates to any collection or finding of the quality of a media text based upon opinions.
In my own documentary I had to conduct some Qualitative research regarding participants opinions related to corona virus pandemic and the lockdown to make up the main content of my documentary to show how the virus is having an impact on people. I did this through interviews which were used as part of my documentary (this can be found in my research dossier linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wzHjMAJ6aE&feature=youtu.be).
As part of my primary research for my screenplay. I collected some qualitative data. Here is the qualitative data I collected.
Specific examples of Qualitative research in the industry
includes film and TV program reviews. This usually helps to determine the
popularity of a media text to gage whether the audience wish to see more. A
good example of how this has been used in the past is through the popular 2013 Disney
film Frozen. Producers pay a close eye on reviews when decided whether to do a
sequel. The reviews for Frozen were so positive (getting a 90% rotten tomatoes
rating) and the general reaction was so good that a sequel was released in 2019
doing just as well. This is extremely common among the media industry
especially film and is one of the main reasons films have sequels.
The Pros and Cons
There are pros and cons of both Quantitive and Qualitative research.
Qualitative research allows an exploration of topics in more depth and detail than quantitative research. This is good especially when gaging reactions to a media text or a topic for content as producers are aware of opinions rather than statistics which they have to decode and possibly analyse themselves which can be time consuming. Also, qualitative research is often less expensive than quantitative research because you don’t need to recruit as many participants or use extensive methods and the information is easy to get other such as film reviews are easily accessible online. Primary qualitative research can be expensive and time consuming however like conducting an interview or focus group. Another pro of qualitative research is that it offers flexibility as far as locations and timing because you don’t need to interview a large number of people at once. One disadvantage of qualitative research is that it can’t quantify how many of your audience answer one way or another. This makes it extremely difficult to create any type of solid statistic whereas this is positive with Quantitive data and allows easier analysis and comparison. Another con is that you can’t generalise your findings. As opposed to quantitative surveys, qualitative research does not allow you to use your findings as a basis for a broader audience or the public in general.
One of the pros to quantitative research involves the fast speed that data can be collected. This data can also be analysed and compared to other stats fairly quickly. Another advantage involves the planning process for programs. Quantitive data is ‘black and white’ so it is easy to tell if a media text was popular. With the reliable, repeatable information that quantitative surveys can provide, a trusted set of statistics can give confidence when making future plans. Quantitative research can also be anonymous, which is useful when dealing with sensitive topics especially when it is being used as part of the content of a media text such as the news or a documentary. One con of quantitative research is the limited ability to probe answers. Also, people who are willing to respond may share characteristics that don’t apply to the audience as a whole, creating a potential bias in the study so if the data is used as part of a media product it could be unreliable and therefore wrongly influence the audience. In addition, quantitative primary research s can be costly.
Data Gathering Agencies
A data gathering agency is an agency that captures and records consumption of footage. One of the main data gathering agencies in the media industry is barb. Barb often deal with TV viewing ratings and by the statistics that Barb has produced for the views of TV between the 28th of December 2019 to the 3rd of January 2020 you can see that BBC 1 is the most popular TV channel closely followed by BBC 2, ITV and Channel 4. These agencies often deal with a certain aspect of the media industry such as TV or radio with their findings made available to the public. This is a extremely reliable secondary data source that is used throughout the media industry to remain competitive and compare. The main examples of media industry data gathering agencies include Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB) Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd (RAJAR), IMDB (contains ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows) and Boxofficemojo (tracks box office revenue).
Founded by the major players in the industry it supports, BARB is a not-for-profit limited company. BARN is a joint industry currency which are created by the industry to provide audience numbers and trading metrics for each advertising medium. As well as creating the standard metrics that serve as the bedrock for evaluating and trading advertising media, BARB also provide critical inputs that enable advertisers and their agencies to understand the effectiveness of cross-media marketing campaigns. BARB also publicly making viewing figures available not just for advertisement purposes but also for media outlets so they know what is popular and what types of programs are doing well.
Purpose of Research
Audience and Market Research
Audience research is any research conducted on a specific sample, so in this case the audience in order to find out about their attitudes, behaviours and habits to help better understand them. This is similar to the official definition of market research which as stated in the dictionary “the action or activity of gathering information about consumers' needs and preferences.” This therefore in terms of the media industry helps media outlets better understand their audience to custom their products to appeal to them in order to be successful. Some examples of audience and market research includes audience data, audience profiling, demographics, geodemographics, consumer behaviour, consumer attitudes, audience awareness; product market, competition, competitor analysis, advertising placement, advertising effects and any other research that involves gaining an understanding of the audience or platform in which the product will be distributed.
Data related to the audience who watch love island (found on YouGov: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/entertainment/articles-reports/2019/07/29/what-kind-person-watches-love-island) clearly shows that 43% of their viewers are under the age of 30 and only 2% of viewers are over the age of 70+. The survey by YouGov also found that 75% of love island viewers agree with the statement “it is important for me to look physically attractive” compared to the national average of 52%. They are also much more likely to say “I use beauty products to make myself look better” at 69% vs 46%. This information therefore allows love island producers to gain a better understanding of their audience in order to aim their content specifically at them. Also, information likes this allows Love Island to develop sponsorships with brands that would appeal to their audience. Past sponsorships that Love Island have had have been with Superdrug and I Saw It First (a woman’s fast fashion site) that greatly meet the criteria of their audience.
Production Research
In terms of media, production research means finding out whether the productions future income is going to be greater than its creations outcome and if it is viable. As well as the creations costs production research is also used to see which advertising events would be suitable and budgeting the costs of pre-production, production and post-production. Secondary, primary, market and audience research are all great ways to collect the information needed. So essentially any research related to the production. Examples of production research includes Content, viability, placement media, finance, costs, technological resources, personnel and locations.
I carried out my own product research in the depict unit when doing research into other similar products and also budgeting and scouting out locations (link to blog post relating to this: https://maddiewhittakerfilmandtvblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/finished-pre-production-paperwork-depict.html).
Production research is extremely important in the media industry and is something every production should do in order to ensure they have correctly budgeted but also to scout locations and resources. For example, the producers of Downton Abbey would have done research into various different locations they could film at and then compare this to their budget to ensure they could afford it. Also, before producing the Harry Potter films, producers would have read JK Rolling’s book in order to gage various details then do further research into creating props and scouting locations that fit her written description.
The Pros and Cons
There are pros and cons of both Quantitive and Qualitative research.
Qualitative research allows an exploration of topics in more depth and detail than quantitative research. This is good especially when gaging reactions to a media text or a topic for content as producers are aware of opinions rather than statistics which they have to decode and possibly analyse themselves which can be time consuming. Also, qualitative research is often less expensive than quantitative research because you don’t need to recruit as many participants or use extensive methods and the information is easy to get other such as film reviews are easily accessible online. Primary qualitative research can be expensive and time consuming however like conducting an interview or focus group. Another pro of qualitative research is that it offers flexibility as far as locations and timing because you don’t need to interview a large number of people at once. One disadvantage of qualitative research is that it can’t quantify how many of your audience answer one way or another. This makes it extremely difficult to create any type of solid statistic whereas this is positive with Quantitive data and allows easier analysis and comparison. Another con is that you can’t generalise your findings. As opposed to quantitative surveys, qualitative research does not allow you to use your findings as a basis for a broader audience or the public in general.
One of the pros to quantitative research involves the fast speed that data can be collected. This data can also be analysed and compared to other stats fairly quickly. Another advantage involves the planning process for programs. Quantitive data is ‘black and white’ so it is easy to tell if a media text was popular. With the reliable, repeatable information that quantitative surveys can provide, a trusted set of statistics can give confidence when making future plans. Quantitative research can also be anonymous, which is useful when dealing with sensitive topics especially when it is being used as part of the content of a media text such as the news or a documentary. One con of quantitative research is the limited ability to probe answers. Also, people who are willing to respond may share characteristics that don’t apply to the audience as a whole, creating a potential bias in the study so if the data is used as part of a media product it could be unreliable and therefore wrongly influence the audience. In addition, quantitative primary research s can be costly.
Data Gathering Agencies
A data gathering agency is an agency that captures and records consumption of footage. One of the main data gathering agencies in the media industry is barb. Barb often deal with TV viewing ratings and by the statistics that Barb has produced for the views of TV between the 28th of December 2019 to the 3rd of January 2020 you can see that BBC 1 is the most popular TV channel closely followed by BBC 2, ITV and Channel 4. These agencies often deal with a certain aspect of the media industry such as TV or radio with their findings made available to the public. This is a extremely reliable secondary data source that is used throughout the media industry to remain competitive and compare. The main examples of media industry data gathering agencies include Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB) Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd (RAJAR), IMDB (contains ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows) and Boxofficemojo (tracks box office revenue).
Founded by the major players in the industry it supports, BARB is a not-for-profit limited company. BARN is a joint industry currency which are created by the industry to provide audience numbers and trading metrics for each advertising medium. As well as creating the standard metrics that serve as the bedrock for evaluating and trading advertising media, BARB also provide critical inputs that enable advertisers and their agencies to understand the effectiveness of cross-media marketing campaigns. BARB also publicly making viewing figures available not just for advertisement purposes but also for media outlets so they know what is popular and what types of programs are doing well.
Purpose of Research
Audience and Market Research
Audience research is any research conducted on a specific sample, so in this case the audience in order to find out about their attitudes, behaviours and habits to help better understand them. This is similar to the official definition of market research which as stated in the dictionary “the action or activity of gathering information about consumers' needs and preferences.” This therefore in terms of the media industry helps media outlets better understand their audience to custom their products to appeal to them in order to be successful. Some examples of audience and market research includes audience data, audience profiling, demographics, geodemographics, consumer behaviour, consumer attitudes, audience awareness; product market, competition, competitor analysis, advertising placement, advertising effects and any other research that involves gaining an understanding of the audience or platform in which the product will be distributed.
Data related to the audience who watch love island (found on YouGov: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/entertainment/articles-reports/2019/07/29/what-kind-person-watches-love-island) clearly shows that 43% of their viewers are under the age of 30 and only 2% of viewers are over the age of 70+. The survey by YouGov also found that 75% of love island viewers agree with the statement “it is important for me to look physically attractive” compared to the national average of 52%. They are also much more likely to say “I use beauty products to make myself look better” at 69% vs 46%. This information therefore allows love island producers to gain a better understanding of their audience in order to aim their content specifically at them. Also, information likes this allows Love Island to develop sponsorships with brands that would appeal to their audience. Past sponsorships that Love Island have had have been with Superdrug and I Saw It First (a woman’s fast fashion site) that greatly meet the criteria of their audience.
Production Research
In terms of media, production research means finding out whether the productions future income is going to be greater than its creations outcome and if it is viable. As well as the creations costs production research is also used to see which advertising events would be suitable and budgeting the costs of pre-production, production and post-production. Secondary, primary, market and audience research are all great ways to collect the information needed. So essentially any research related to the production. Examples of production research includes Content, viability, placement media, finance, costs, technological resources, personnel and locations.
I carried out my own product research in the depict unit when doing research into other similar products and also budgeting and scouting out locations (link to blog post relating to this: https://maddiewhittakerfilmandtvblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/finished-pre-production-paperwork-depict.html).
Production research is extremely important in the media industry and is something every production should do in order to ensure they have correctly budgeted but also to scout locations and resources. For example, the producers of Downton Abbey would have done research into various different locations they could film at and then compare this to their budget to ensure they could afford it. Also, before producing the Harry Potter films, producers would have read JK Rolling’s book in order to gage various details then do further research into creating props and scouting locations that fit her written description.
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