Unit 03 Assignment Brief: Research Techniques

The Nature and Purposes of Research

Your blog post title: The nature and purposes of research in the creative media industries 

Research is fundamental to all aspects of creative media production and is the essential starting point for productions of any scale. It can be used to determine the financial viability of a future production, to gather a range of information relevant to the content of the production, or to assist with the planning of technical and logistical requirements.

There are also media companies which conduct extensive research using a range of sophisticated methods to gather data about audience consumption of media products and services. This has become increasingly necessary in the highly mixed and competitive environment media industries operate in. But an ability to undertake research is essential for anyone working in the media industries and is vital in many stages of production and distribution.

To complete this unit you need to demonstrate that you understand why and how research is conducted in the creative media industries. The maximum word limit is 1000 words (we won't mark you down if you go over but try to be as concise and succinct as possible). Remember to proof read your work before submission and check for spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. As always use examples of your own research from any of the work that you have completed whilst at college (TV & Film or your other courses).


The task - please complete as a written report or as a video project (audio commentary over well-chosen examples in the form of images and audio-visual content).

Types/methods of research:

Primary research/self-generated research
General examples include; interview techniques, observations, questionnaires, surveys, types of questions, focus groups, audience panels, participation in internet forums (self-generated e.g., own video, audio or photographic records of events).

1. Define primary research (in your own words)
2. Back your own definition up with a relevant quote
3.What primary research have you had to conduct? Include the actual work as a visual example, e.g., flip-book of questionnaire responses
4. List specific examples of primary research from the professional industry.

Secondary research 
General examples include; books, journals, reference-based books and directories, periodicals, newspapers, film archives, photo libraries, worldwide web, searching internet forums, CD Rom databases, audio material, ratings, circulation figures, government statistics.

1. Define secondary research (in your own words)
2. Back your own definition up with a relevant quote
3.What secondary research have you had to conduct? Include the actual work as a visual example
4. List specific examples of secondary research from the professional industry.

Pros and Cons
1. What are the advantages of primary research over secondary and what are the advantages of secondary over primary? Do you think one form is more useful / purposeful than the other?

Quantitative research
General examples include; programme ratings, readership circulation figures, hits on a website, box office figures, sales of CDs and DVDs.

1. Define quantitative research (in your own words)
2. Back your own definition up with a relevant quote
3.What quantitative research have you had to conduct? Include the actual work as a visual example
4. List specific examples of quantitative research from the professional industry.


Qualitative research
General examples include; film reviews, game reviews, fanzine websites, attitudes to media products, responses to news coverage, responses to advertising campaigns, discussion.

1. Define qualitative research (in your own words)
2. Back your own definition up with a relevant quote
3.What qualitative research have you had to conduct? Include the actual work as a visual example

4. List specific examples of qualitative research from the professional industry.

Pros and Cons
1. What are the advantages of quantitative research over qualitative and what are the advantages of qualitative over quantitative? Do you think one form is more useful / purposeful than the other?

Data gathering agencies
General examples include; Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB), Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd (RAJAR).

1. Explain what the BARB does. Also, IMDB and Boxofficemojo can be mentioned and add print screens from each site, showing valid collection of data
2. Search for either 'media research agencies' or 'data gathering agencies' and you will find a range of good examples - mention one and say what they do.


Purposes of research:

Audience and Market research 
General examples include; audience data, audience profiling, demographics, geodemographics, consumer behaviour, consumer attitudes, audience awareness; product market, competition, competitor analysis, advertising placement, advertising effects

1. Define audience and market research (in your own words)
2. Back your own definition up with a relevant quote
3.What audience and market research have you had to conduct? Include the actual work as a visual example
4. List specific examples of  audience / market research from the professional industry.


Production research
What are some examples? Content, viability, placement media, finance, costs, technological resources, personnel, locations.

1. Define production research (in your own words)
2. Back your own definition up with a relevant quote
3.What production research have you had to conduct? Include examples the actual work
4. List specific examples of production research from the professional industry.

Research Portfolio

Create a new post called 'Research Portfolio' and put the following in it:

Under the title 'Primary Research'

• embed a questionnaire that you have conducted
• embed a flipping book of your questionnaire responses from any questionnaire that you have conducted
• print screen examples of any interviews that you have conducted

For each of the above you should write a short summary below explaining how they are good examples of primary research.

Under the title of 'Secondary Research'

• embed your Unilever Rebranding pitch prezi
• embed your TV advert analysis prezi
• link to your research and planning for the Corporate Video college video project, Depict, TV Adverts (whichever are relevant).

For each of the above you should write a short summary below explaining how they are good examples of secondary research.

Under the title of 'Quantitative Research'

• embed a questionnaire from one of your projects
• embed a flipbook of the quantitative responses / results of research that includes graphs and charts or ratings (anything numerical).

For each of the above you should write a short summary below explaining how they are good examples of quantitative research.

Under the title of 'Qualitative Research'

• embed a questionnaire from one of your projects (a different one where possible, but it can be the same)
• embed a flipbook of your qualitative responses / results of research that include lots of detail (from open questions).

For each of the above you should write a short summary below explaining how they are good examples of qualitative research.

Under the title of 'Market & Audience Research'

• embed your Unilever Rebranding pitch prezi
• embed / link to any evidence that shows consideration of a current target audience and / or how to reach a proposed target audience (TV advertising, Depict, Corporate Videos, Screenwriting)

For each of the above you should write a short summary below explaining how they are good examples of market / audience research.

Under the title of 'Production Research'

• post you recces, location releases, talent releases, budget sheet, production schedule and risk assessment from your best assignment (the one where the pre-production is the highest quality).

For the above, you should write a short summary explaining what the documents are and how they are good examples of production research.

To create a 'flipping book' you can put print screens (use the snipping tool found in the Start menu) to add your questionnaire responses into a PowerPoint (1 graph / chart or set of qualitative responses per page) and then use SlideShare or anyflip to upload. Get the embed code from SlideShare and put on your blog using the HTML tab.

REMEMBER THAT ALL OF YOUR SOURCES SHOULD BE LISTED IN YOUR RESEARCH DOSSIER

AND YOU SHOULD BE FOLLOWING THE HARVARD SYSTEM OF REFERENCING.

Anglia Ruskin University, 2015. Quick Harvard Guide 2015. [pdf] Available at:<http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/files/QuickHarvardGuide2015.pdf> [Accessed 10 April 2016].