Unit 1 - Research Techniques

Unit 1:1 Content – Market Research

Audience Data – Audience Data is collected by BARB. Audience research is information on ratings i.e what people watch on television. BARB are the British Audience Research Board. They do research into how many people watch certain programmes. They do this by using 8,000 homes in the UK, and they have to log in to a special programme every time they watch television. This is then recorded on BARB’s database and they can take an average of how many people in the UK watch each programme.

Audience Awareness – Audience awareness is knowing who you’re talking to, or knowing who your viewers are going to be. For example, if you’re talking to people at an age of 5 or under, you will talk in much more simpler language, whereas, if you were talking to an adult of the same age, you would talk in much more formal language.

Product Reach – How many people the product will reach. E.g. If a programme will broadcast nationally or internationally. This is also monitored through BARB, as they can tell who watches what through their login process.

Audience Profiling – Audience profiling is collecting data about the viewers. BARB do this so that they know who watches what. They collect information such as age, gender, ethnicity, and peak watching times.

Consumer Behaviour – Consumer Behaviour is how the viewers view programmes. For example, shows can be watched through television, internet and through video and DVD.

Consumer Attitudes – Consumer attitudes depends how the consumer sees the programmes. For example, viewers in America may be sensitive towards television programmes about the 9/11 incident., whereas European viewers may not be too bothered about it.

Competitor Analysis – Competitor Analysis is where one channel/programme gets information from another, so they can see what they’re up against.

Advertising Placement – Advertising placement is product placement. For example, placing an item in the shot of a film, so that you can see it, and it will make you buy the product.

Advertising Effects – This is the result of advertising. Adverts make you want to buy a product, and the effect of advertising is making you buy the product that they are advertising.

Production Research –

Content – What a product consists of, what it contains.

Resources – Personnel: These are the staff that work for the companies. Talent: the talent would mainly be the actors of the TV programme. Suppliers: The people that supply things such as whatever they need. Facilities: What they will be using, such as cameras and props. Locations: The places where all the events such as filming will take place. Logistical support: Teamsters and roadies. Carrying equipment.

Costs: How much the production will cost to make.

Viability: viability is whether the product is okay to be released.

Placement: Where the production will be placed. TV etc. Ho the production will be published e.g. through television or through the internet. The product will need to be broadcasted, so it will need a TV slot. Also, it can be show through the internet, which is known as a webcast. It can also be produced as a recorded speech package, known as a podcast.

Audience – Who the production will be broadcasted to, and where.

Competition – What the producers are up against.

Product Research:

Talent: This can be anybody from actors to film crew. They are referred to as 'talent' as they are trained to things that others cannot do.

Finance: This is how the money is managed for the entire production. Such as where and how it is spent, and keeping to a budget. The money can come from advertising and other company's wanting to invest in the product.

Suppliers: these are the people who supply things such as props and sets, amongst other things. These people are needed to help bring the product together.

Facilities: these are things such as set locations and editing studios, or even cafeterias for the workmen to have lunch.

Locations: Locations are where a product may be filmed. For example, the majority of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film adaptation was shot on location in New Zealand.

Logistical support: These are the people who carry the equipment about from location to location, or even from one set to another, such as cameras and props.

Costs: This is the amount of money it will cost to make the whole product. This can be an issue as there is usually a set budget on the finished product, and the price of things such as cameras and actors is very high these days.

Viability: this is whether or not the product can be made. Sometimes it may not be viable due to the technology needed may not be advanced enough.

Placement:

Publication: the first showing of a product is called the premiere, this is the publication.

Broadcast: Broadcasting is the most popular way of showing your product to worldwide audiences. Broadcasting is usually associated with TV.

Webcast: A product that will be shown on the internet. This is mainly for niche audiences, as the product may not have a wide enough audience to gain any profit from airing on TV.

Podcast: A downloadable speech package that can be put onto an MP3 or iPod. An example of a podcast is BBC radio.