UEA PDP video- research and paperwork

UEA PDP promotional video evaluation

 Evaluation

The task we were given was to create a promotional video for an underpromoted area of the college. The possible video topics were: T Levels, ENhance, ExtENd, the Futures team, the UEA Personal Development Programme, 'Why choose EN?' and curriculum offers. We were given this task by the marketing team, specifically the Admissions, Marketing and Engagement officer, Jon Dack. As there were 7 topics, we were split into 7 pairs and each given a different topic. We were first asked if there were any topics we'd prefer to do and the rest were randomly assigned using names drawn from a hat.

As we were a pair, we each had to take on multiple roles. We did all the pre-production work together, though I was responsible for scheduling most of the interviews and meetings. We took on different roles during the production process. Paige, my partner, mainly was in charge of the audio (e.g. holding the mic) whilst I did the majority of the filming, setting up shots and operating the camera. We then worked together again during the post-production process, taking it in turns to edit the audio and footage. 

One of the specifics that we had to adhere to for the video was the time limit. We were told to keep the videos around 90 seconds long with 2 minutes as the maximum limit. Another specific that we had to stick to was producing a video that reached near professional standards as it is going to be used on the EN website, at marketing events and as general promotional content. We also had to try not to include anybody wearing masks in our video so it can still be used in the future if masks are no longer necessary. Furthermore, as with all videos, we had to be careful to not include any copyrighted material, which is usually an issue when finding background music. For our video specifically, which was about the UEA PD Programme, we had to emphasise the strong connection between EN and the UEA by including footage of the Hive. This was because it was created collaboratively and contains UEA posters and logos all around the space. Rough cuts had to be completed by the 27th November and the final videos had to finished for the 16th December.

One of my favourite aspects of the task was filming the cutaway shots that were put over the top of the interviews to add more visually interesting elements. I loved experimenting with each shot, trying out different angles and shot types so we had a nice variety to choose from when editing our video. It was very satisfying when we captured a good shot, such as this shot of someone typing. The shot is perfectly focused on the hands and keyboard and the computers fade nicely into the background. I was very excited when we managed to get this shot, so we made sure to include it in our video. Another aspect of the task that I really enjoyed doing was editing the video once we'd collated our interview footage, cutaway shots and audio. I love working collaboratively, so greatly enjoyed working with Paige as we figured out the order we wanted the interviews to be in and deciding where we wanted to put the cutaways. It was also very rewarding to watch it all come together after all the hard work we'd put in with organising and carrying out the filming. I was also able to learn more about how to edit as I've only ever used the basics of Premiere Pro before and I've usually been in a large group, so I wasn't editing very often. For example, we used Adobe Audition to edit our audio during this task, which I had never used before.

One of the main challenges that we faced whilst creating our video was trying to schedule our interviews with the progress tutors. We initially wanted to interview 8 of them because there are 8 sections known as 'strands' involved in the PD Programme. We emailed all of them asking if they would be able to do it and most replied saying that they could. We let them know the dates we would be filming but a lot of them said they would be too busy. In the end, we interviewed 2 progress tutors and 2 progress managers and they each spoke about 2 of the strands. However, we still then had issues trying to organise dates when they'd be available and it took nearly 2 weeks to have all of them filmed (the first interview was on 13/11/20 and the last was on 25/11/20). We then only had a limited amount of time with some of the tutors because they had to leave for meetings. It was probably the most stressful aspect of the entire creation process, but they were key for making the video as effective as it is now and for delivering the information about the programme. 

Another challenge that we faced was editing the audio for the interviews. We filmed the interviews in the Hive, which was constantly filled with people. There was therefore a lot of background noise, though the tutors' voices could still be heard clearly. We tried to reduce it in Adobe Audition, but it was difficult to do that without affecting how the tutors sounded. It is therefore still audible throughout the video, though a combination of the voices and the background music makes it slightly less noticeable.

What I feel that I've taken away from this project is a larger sense of responsibility. With the majority of the units we did in media last year, I was working in larger groups with some people who had much more experience than I did. As there were only 2 of us working on this video, I had to take on a lot more roles and complete many more tasks. This has improved my confidence in regards to working with filming equipment and editing software, which will help for future projects if I work in such a small group again or produce an individual project. My editing skills have certainly improved and these skills will be very useful and highly applicable for future projects. I have also learnt how to work to a brief, something I had never done before. I constantly had to be conscious of the specific requirements we had been told and always had to consider the client's view and feedback. I was so used to always creating what my other classmates and I wanted to create, so having a specific brief was much more restrictive and a new experience. I have improved many of skills because of this such as time management, as we had to meet every deadline. 

If I were to do this again, I would've selected a different location to film the interviews in as this would've reduced the likelihood of having disruptive background noise. I would also be far more persistent with the interviews as I often left a couple of days after sending an email to allow the tutors to reply. Their infrequent availability caused a lot of delays with filming dates so I would properly chase them and get solid filming dates. Most of the tutors were very uncertain whilst being filmed as they weren't sure what to say and felt slightly conscious about being filmed in a public area. I would therefore make sure that they're prepared and know what they're going to speaking about exactly, which could be accomplished by sending them an outline of a script. I would also be better at giving them direction as they often wouldn't look at the camera and would forget to clap at the beginning of the shots, and we didn't have enough time to reshoot them. 

EN- Initial research

 EN- Initial Research 

East Norfolk Sixth Form 

Mission 

“Excellence and Care: the College is working for its Community” 

The college strives to give their students the best opportunities that they can offer so they can fulfil their potential through high quality teaching. They provide a supportive environment, catering to individual needs, and serve the local and national community by adapting to their students’ and stakeholders’ needs.  

Core Values 

• Excellence: This is promoted in order to provide students with the best opportunities, encouraging them to have high aspirations, high standards and high achievement 
• Care: They value their students, staff and governors and their talent, supporting each student so they can achieve their personal potential  
• Diversity: This is embraced, and equal opportunities are promoted for all within a framework of mutual respect 
• Integrity: They adhere to ethical and professional standards in all aspects of their work, committed to working hard and promoting equality and fairness 

Impressive facts 

• 25 subjects of the 37 A levels offered achieved 100% pass rate 
• 56% of students that progress to Russell Group universities achieve a First-Class degree, over 20% higher than the national average for State and Independent sectors 
• 9 students secured their places at Oxford and Cambridge in 2020, a record-breaking number for EN 

Number of courses 

There are 87 different courses currently running at East Norfolk, including A levels, BTECs and T-levels. 

Futures Team 

The Futures Team is committed to supporting students in making informed decisions about their future career pathways and encourage all students to be aspirational with their choices, whether they plan to apply for an apprenticeship, job or university place. They ensure that our students have a wide range of work placements to choose from and organise a programme of guest speakers from a variety of different industries to engage students in thinking about their future career paths.  

ExtENd 

The Extend Programme is for students who are aiming to get into a highly competitive university and typically where the application process includes some form of admissions process. The programme challenges students to think ambitiously about where they see themselves progressing onto after Sixth Form studies. They provide extra support for those intending to go to Oxbridge or Russell Group Universities as they’re typically more demanding than other universities and applications are much more competitive.  

 

Competitor- Lowestoft Sixth Form College 

Mission 

Lowestoft’s mission is to ‘enable our students to excel and progress beyond expectation in an outstanding learning environment in the heart of Lowestoft’. 

Core Values 

• Aspirational – Being supportive, exploring potential and challenging ourselves daily.
• Respectful – Acting with compassion, being inclusive, and welcoming others in our learning community and to our environment.
• Professional – Putting team first, acting with integrity, developing our expertise and having a focused work ethic.
• Successful – Determining our ambition, achieving excellence and continually raising standards.

Impressive facts 

• In 2020, 100% of their A-Level students passed their exams, with 96.1% achieving A*- C grades. The BTEC students did equally well with 100% passing their Diploma course 
• Lowestoft Sixth Form College is a £25 million purpose-built college 
• They have full WIFI coverage 

Number of courses 

There are 37 courses currently available, including A levels, BTECs, CTECs and Level 2 courses (BTEC and GCSEs). 

Additional support 

At LSFC, they support for those with special education needs and disabilities. The support includes assistive technology, wellbeing and counselling, exam access arrangements, and independent careers advice and guidance.  

They also have the Happy Balance wellbeing programme which helps students to achieve their ideal mental, social and physical state. The student wellbeing team run a host of talks and workshops throughout the year to protect and advise those who need help. 

 

Why you picked EN 

I picked EN because of the enormous range of courses that are on offer, many of which I was intrigued by. I had never heard of so many of them and I wanted to try out new experiences. My intrigue was further extended when I found out you could select 4 courses to do as it appealed to my indecisive nature. Furthermore, I liked the sound of the various ENhance activities available, such as the DofE award. I greatly enjoy doing as many extracurricular activities as I can, so found interest in how many activities I could pick from. EN is also only a 10-to-15-minute drive from my house, which was an advantage when I was considering my options. Though East Coast college is closer, I found EN to be the better choice for me because I wanted to be able to do multiple courses.  

What subjects are you interested in? 

Aside from the courses I am already doing (performing arts (acting), creative media (TV and film), psychology and fine art), the subjects which interest me, and I would like to find out more about are:  

• Criminology 
• Dance 
• Photography 
• Fashion & textiles 

Corporate video analysis chart

Current practices task

 Current practices tasks 

1) The equipment required to produce a corporate/promotional video consists of a digital video camera or camcorder, tripod, external microphone, extra batteries and recording media, video lights and light reflectors, computer and video editing software. These are all important pieces of equipment which can ensure you capture the best quality video and audio footage. However, these are only the basics and extra equipment can be acquired to help increase the quality of the production. For example, a dolly, jib arm or crane can be used to steady a camera and prevent movement whilst being held. The equipment required also depends on the weather and location (e.g. lots of artificial lighting won’t be needed if filming outside in summer).  

2) The distribution methods required to reach the intended audiences would likely be through conferences, in presentations (e.g. training videos) or online (usually on a website or on social media). 

3) One common shooting method/convention you would expect to see in a corporate/promotional video is the use of the rule of thirds, especially during shots of interviews. The interviewee will often be positioned on either of the intersecting vertical lines whilst facing towards the larger space next to them, which is long-sided composition. Close up and mid shots are often used when there’s an interviewee in the shot or to show the work the company does, whilst wide shots are frequently used to showcase locations.  

4) Regarding pre-production, all corporate/promotional videos should begin with the client brief. This contains the initial ideas the client wants to include in their corporate/promotional video.  

5) Client liaison is important because the filming company can then understand exactly what kind of content their client wants and any potential issues with their ideas can be brought up so a solution can be negotiated. The video that’s produced will then be satisfactory for the client and will promote the image that they want.  

6) The documentation that should/could be completed before production starts consists of talent/location releases, location recces, a shot list, risk assessments and a production schedule. Talent and location releases are needed so the filming company has permission to film a specific person/place. Location recces provide an assessment of the locations the crew want to film at, containing information such as the address, availability and contacts. Shot lists and production schedules provide a plan for what is going to happen in every shot and when each one is going to be filmed. Risk assessments allow the crew to consider any complications that could happen during filming and come up with solutions to prevent any injuries that could happen to themselves or others.  

7) The difference between a script and a shooting script is that the shooting script is more elaborate, precise, overwritten version of the screenplay. Unlike what common sense may suggest, the shooting script is not written by the screenwriter. It is written by the director alongside the cinematographer, while both discuss their ideas and shot plan desired for the movie. [1] 

[1] What is the shooting script? | Movie Directing (elementsofcinema.com)

 

Legal and ethical issues

Legal and ethical issues task 

Legal issues 

1) Libel: a form of defamation in which a false statement is published that damages somebody’s reputation. It can be in written form or on film, whilst slander is the verbal version. 

If applied to a corporate/promotional video context, libel could happen if a company were to make false statements in their video about another company to make theirs look better in comparison. Unless these accusations could be backed up with evidence, it would be classified as slander. Alternately, this would be applicable if the company used a positive review in their video given by someone else but with incorrect information in it that can’t be supported.  

Copyright: the legal right to control the production and selling of a piece of media. It’s given to the content creator for a certain number of years.  

If applied to a corporate/promotional video context, copyright would be in place when it comes to music. The majority of songs out there are copyrighted, which would require a company to pay to use a specific song. This is why the background music in corporate videos is instrumental and generic which they likely either hired someone to create or found online with no copyright/royalties.  

2) The Equality Act 2010 is the current legislation relating to race relations, disability and discrimination on the grounds of protected characteristics. The act legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and a wider society. These protected characteristics include: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. 

This means that media companies couldn’t refuse to hire somebody (e.g. writer, director, designer) because of any of the protected characteristics. When casting a media production, the casting director couldn’t discriminate against certain actors because of any of the detailed characteristics. The only exception would be if there were specifications for a character such as race, age, gender etc. but only if they’re necessary for the storyline. However, factors such as sexual orientation or whether they’re transgender wouldn’t have an effect on this (e.g. gay actor could play a straight character, trans actor could play a cisgender character).  

3) The Obscene Publications Act 1959 is the law that relates to obscenity. Content is considered obscene if it will ‘deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it’. However, this can be variable in the media depending on factors such as context and target audience. More graphic and obscene content would be allowed in media rated for adults (18+), though some mildly ‘obscene’ material can still be included in content for younger viewers (e.g. specific swear words are allowed in films rated 12A). Nudity allowed in media also is often dependent on context. For example, nudity portrayed in a sexual manner would receive a high age rating whilst nudity in relation to culture and living conditions (e.g. low development countries) is usually allowed with more leniency.  

4) Ofcom and the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) are the bodies responsible for television and film regulation to ensure content is appropriate for viewers. Ofcom is the regulator for communications services such as broadband, home phone and mobile services, TV and radio. The BBFC is responsible for the classification and censorship of films and videos released in cinemas and video works (e.g. TV programmes, trailers, adverts, public information/campaigning films, etc.). They apply an age rating to these videos, which ranges from a U (suitable for all) to an 18 (suitable for those aged 18+).  

This can be related to this unit because even corporate videos need to be regulated and rated to ensure all the content is appropriate for viewing and doesn’t contain anything that could be interpreted as offensive or harmful.  

Ethical issues 

1) As media students we need to consider representation regarding the portrayal of people, places and events so any content that we create cannot be interpreted as offensive/discriminatory towards anybody or anywhere. We also need to be considerate because we could defame a person/organisation/place/etc. if we were to incorrectly represent them as it would be a false statement. 

2) In 2017, Netflix released a live action film of the popular anime and manga ‘Death Note’. Despite its Asian origins, none of the major characters were played by actors of Asian descent. The main character’s name was even changed from Light Yagami to Light Turner. This extended into a change of location from Japan to Seattle in America. Many complaints were made about the whitewashing within the film and they felt that the director, Adam Wingard, and his team completely ignored the significance of Japanese culture within the story. Asian people are frequently misrepresented in major media and the characters are often side characters and/or are based off of cruel stereotypes. Whitewashing ‘Death Note’ erased all its Japanese origins to become a basic Hollywood film. [1] 

In July 2020, Halle Berry shared that she was preparing to play a transgender man in an upcoming film, though hadn’t been officially cast. In an interview she expressed her interest in the character and constantly referred to the character as ‘she’ and a ‘woman’, despite him being a transgender male. Berry received significant backlash for both misgendering the character and for accepting the role. As a cisgender woman, she wouldn’t be able to understand the struggles of being transgender, so the role should go to a trans actor. The trans community has been severely misrepresented for years so they should be positively represented by an actual trans actor. Berry pulled out of the role and apologised for her actions, saying that ‘the transgender community should undeniably have the opportunity to tell their own stories’, and thanked everyone for pointing out her mistake. [2] 

[1] Why ‘Death Note’ Is Guilty of Whitewashing | IndieWire

[2] Halle Berry Pulls Out of Transgender Film Role After Backlash - Variety

The nature and purposes of research in the creative media industries

 The nature and purposes of research in the creative media industries

Primary research

Primary research is when a person collects their own information, which can be collected using surveys, interviews, observations, questionnaires, etc. Conducting primary research is a useful skill to possess because it ensures the information you collect is correct and honest [1]. It "is solely carried out to address a certain problem, which requires in-depth analysis" and means the researcher doesn't have to "[depend] on data collected from previously done research" [2]. This allows companies to have a high level of control over how and where their information is collected from.

Whilst I was creating my documentary, I had to conduct my own primary research. I collected the information using a questionnaire, which contained both open and closed questions so I could accumulate both qualitative and quantitative data. This is an efficient method for finding out individuals' opinions as well as collective opinions/actions. I used my collected responses to convey a variety of opinions on the subject matter of COVID-19, broadening my audience by linking the documentary to a wider range of views. I decided to create a questionnaire rather than a survey, interview, etc. because I chose to present my questionnaire in a written form so those who filled it out could read the questions at their own pace and have a sufficient amount of time to answer them. This means their answers are well developed and truthful as they had the time to ponder over what they wanted to write. The anonymity of questionnaires further ensured that people would answer every question honestly, making the data collected trustworthy. [19]

I also conducted another questionnaire in which I gained feedback for a promotional video I co-created for the college. I created it on the platform Survey Monkey and used a combination of both open and closed questions so I could collect qualitative and quantitative data. Through these responses, I was able to gain an insight into what kind of audience had watched and reviewed my video and their opinions on it. I left a sufficient amount of space for them to express what they wanted and learnt what the successful aspects were, what could be improved and what kind of effect it had on people. [20]

There are many advantages to using primary research instead of secondary research. The main advantage is that the data collected is first hand and accurate. meaning it hasn't been diluted over time. The data is also customised to math the personal requirements of the researcher, whether it be an individual or company/organisation. Another advantage is that the collection and usage of the data can be controlled so it's used as meaningfully as possible. It can be used for its exclusive purpose in as much depth as needed. However, there are also a few disadvantages. For example, it's a time-consuming type of research as interviews need to be conducted and surveys/questionnaires need to be sent out, received and sent back again. The results then have to be evaluated and applied to the media product taking an overall extensive amount of time. Also, more than one primary research method is usually used (e.g. surveys and interviews) so multiple kinds of data can be collected, and answers can be checked against each other if the same participants are used for both methods. [2]

In the professional media industry, test screenings are often used as a method of collecting primary research. Test screenings are previews of a film or TV show before it's released to measure audience reactions. The audience is selected from a cross-section of the population and usually have to fill out a questionnaire/provide feedback after the screening. [3] These screenings have significant control over how a film/TV show ends up being like when it premieres, with significant changes sometimes being made after majorly negative feedback. One example of this happening relates to the musical film, 'Little Shop of Horrors (1986)'. Originally, the film had the same ending as the stage musical with both Audrey and Seymour being eaten by Audrey II, leading to world domination by the carnivorous plant. However, after two failed screenings in San Jose and Los Angeles, the theatrical ending now seen in the film was shot, giving Seymour and Audrey a happy ending. Eventually, 'The Director's Cut' of the film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray containing the original ending, but with better colourisation and special effects than it originally had. [4]

Secondary research

Secondary research is when someone collects data and information from other sources such as books, video/audio recordings or articles. This published research material can be available in public libraries or online. The existing data is "summarised and collated to increase the overall effectiveness of research" [5]. It is important to assess the secondary research you may use to ensure that any data that's discovered is the truth, otherwise you could end up spreading false information. This research can be used to back up primary research, providing more evidence to support the facts being presented. 

Whilst I was creating my documentary, I collected a large amount of secondary information to expand my knowledge about coronavirus. I therefore had a better understanding about the subject matter, allowing me to create a factually accurate film. I covered multiple different areas of the situation such as shopping, lockdown measures and stay at home life, as well as the relevant statistics like the number of positive cases and the death rate. This meant I could then collect other people's opinions about these topics as I have my own understanding of it all. I collected this information primarily from online sources as they are easily accessible and numerous websites are available at once. I could therefore cross reference the information I found between multiple websites so I could make sure the facts I collected were honest and accurate. Anybody can publish what they want online so you need to be careful and not take everything you see as fact. [19]

There are numerous advantages to using secondary research over primary research. For example, it is constantly and readily available due to the large number of sources which can be quickly accessed, unlike primary research, which must be collected from scratch. The availability of the data also makes secondary research a less time-consuming process, which can be completed within a few short weeks. Alternately, there are a few disadvantages. One disadvantage is that a credibility evaluation must be carried out to check the authenticity of the information. The resources may not offer the latest versions of reports or statistics, making the data outdated and irrelevant in accordance with current events. Another disadvantage is secondary research derives its conclusions from collective primary research data. The usefulness of the information therefore depends on the quality of somebody else's primary research. [5]

In the professional media industry, biographical films require a major amount of secondary research so the highest possible accuracy can be achieved. This research includes collecting accounts from the people involved either through books they've written, newspaper reports, videos etc. They collect this information from multiple different sources so they can compare and check the facts to eliminate the effect any biases could've had when the information was first collected. An example of this is the Netflix film, 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)'. This film is based on the memoir 'The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy' written by Elizabeth Kloepfer, the real former girlfriend of serial killer Ted Bundy. By using this as a basis, the film successfully and accurately portrayed the real events from Kloepfer's perspective. As well as the memoir, all the available recordings of the subject matter were used as reference, and some were even recreated with the exact same dialogue, design, composition, etc. 

Quantitative research

Quantitative research is when numerical data is collected using something such as a questionnaire or other numerical/statistical methods. It can be obtained using both primary and secondary research. This can be carried out using a questionnaire or survey, though the questions are always closed (e.g. multiple choice questions) so the answers can be counted and quantified [6]. The data can be used to "find patterns and averages, make predictions, test causal relationships, and generalize results to wider populations" [7].

During the creation of my documentary, I had to conduct some quantitative research, which primarily consisted of finding statistics and figures relating to the coronavirus pandemic. In my research dossier, the majority of the statistics are the number of positive coronavirus cases and the number of deaths caused by the virus on multiple different dates. I collected this information from online sources as they're the most accessible. I also included 2 closed (Yes or No) questions on my questionnaire which I could've collected quantitative data from had I been able to give my questionnaire to a larger number of people. [19]

For the questionnaire about my promotional video, I also conducted quantitative research through the use of closed, multiple choice questions. I generated graphs and percentages using these responses, a form of quantitative data. This allowed us to understand which options audiences most agreed with and clearly see the differing results. It also allowed us to understand the main audience that was watching our video by counting how many people said each age that was mentioned and which gender they said. We then knew the primary and secondary audiences by looking at the majority and the second most selected answers. [20]

There are many advantages of quantitative research over qualitative research. For example, the data collected will be accurate and reliable, as it's in numerical form. Opinions are subjective whilst statistics can't be argued with. This also means that the data can be easily analysed without differing interpretations due to personal biases [6]. Another advantage is that it's easier to present quantitative research as you can show the data visually using graphs/charts. It is easier to digest this kind of information because the results are very clear, distinct in the differences between sections of the graph/chart. However, there are multiple disadvantages of quantitative research. One disadvantage is that numerical data oversimplifies complex concepts such emotion and opinion. For example, a film may not make a large amount of money, but this doesn't reflect whether people enjoyed the film or not [7]. Another disadvantage is the closed questions used to collect data provide very limited options for people to choose from. For example, someone may not fully agree or disagree with something with a 'yes' or 'no' answer, therefore excluding their opinions.

In the professional media industry, quantitative data is used gauge how successful a media text is using figures such as the box office revenue, star rating, etc. For example, the highest grossing film ever is 'Avengers: Endgame (2019)' with a worldwide gross of $2,797,800,564 [8], so is successful in that sense, but is the 74th highest rated film out of 250, with a rating of 8.3 stars. On the list, the top rated filmed is 'Shawshank Redemption (1994)' with 9.2 stars. [9] The rating could be considered a better method of measuring success as it's a collective average of thousands of ratings, whilst box office revenue only measures how many people bought tickets/DVDs/merchandise/etc. not how much they enjoyed watching.

Qualitative research

Qualitative research is the collection of any kind of non-numerical data that can be observed and recorded (e.g. reasons or opinions). This can be collected using observations, interviews and open question surveys/questionnaires as methods of primary research [10]. It can be used to "understand concepts, opinions, or experiences" and "gather in-depth insights into a problem or generate new ideas for research". By gathering descriptions of people's experiences, feelings and perceptions, media products can then be improved upon [11].

During the creation of my documentary, I had to conduct some qualitative research, which I collected using the open questions on my questionnaire (primary) and online sources (secondary). All lead to the collection of non-numerical data, both factual and opinionated. The data I collected using primary research methods is a more fitted example of qualitative data as I gathered descriptions of people's experiences and perceptions relating to COVID-19 so I could better the accuracy of my documentary regarding how the pandemic has affected others. It also helped me to generate ideas about what events and situations I should film. For example, I asked both my mother and my sister about the activities they were doing during lockdown. These included playing board games, going for walks, playing video games, etc. so I recorded short snippets of each one. [19]

I also conducted qualitative research using open questions on my questionnaire about my corporate video. I added exclusively open questions and also left space for people to put their reasons why they selected certain answers in the closed questions. The responses I gained have allowed me to understand what was successful about the video and which areas could be improved, with the most important points being emphasised by the numerous comments about the same aspects of the video. The data also can be used to justify and back-up the graphs created from closed question responses. Furthermore, the feedback that we've received can now be applied to our future projects so we can achieve the best quality possible and it'll appeal to the people we're aiming it towards. [20]

There are many advantages of qualitative research over quantitative research. One advantage is the detailed answers which can be collected, because of the open nature of the questions and the freedom people are allowed to express themselves and their opinions. This then provides more information to be analysed and applied to a media product, so it can be as improved as possible. Although, there are multiple disadvantages of qualitative research too. One is the time-consuming process of collecting the data. If a large group of people is interviewed, then it will take a significant amount of time to ask them every question and record every answer, especially if they provide a lot of information. Another disadvantage is that the data isn't as straightforward. There will be a lot of conflicting data because of people's differing opinions. For example, there will be some people who have negative views about a film, and some who have positive (these can be heavily influenced by personal biases in relation to factors such as genre) [10]. 

In the professional media industry, qualitative data is often collected from reviews given by the audience or by critics. These reviews are frequently posted online on websites such as IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Roger Ebert's review site. On IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, any of their users are free to write reviews about all the movies and TV shows they have available on there, expressing their personal opinions about how successful it is. On the other hand, Roger Ebert posted his own reviews to his website as he was a professional film critic. These reviews are useful for media production companies because they can read through them and find out what worked and what didn't as reference when creating future media products.

Data gathering agencies

A data gathering agency is an agency that captures and records consumption of footage, with the data collected made available to the public. (e.g. TV ratings and viewership). Examples include: BARB and RAJAR. 

The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) is an organisation that collects and compiles audience measurement and TV ratings in the UK. It is jointly owned by multiple different companies such as the BBC, ITV and Sky. BARB collect their data from around 51,000 homes containing participants. They all have a box on top of their TV sets which tracks the programmes they watch. The participants can indicate who is watching the programme by pressing a button on a remote control handset. The data is collected overnight and is published at around 9:30 the following morning for TV stations and the advertising industry to use. [12]

                                      

IMDb (Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information relating to films, TV shows, video games and online content. The sections on there include cast, production crew, plot summaries, trivia, ratings and fan/critical reviews. It has approximately 6.5 million titles and 10.4 million personalities in its database with 83 million registered users. These users are able to write reviews, edit the site's information and vote on the ratings. [13]

Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue, which is owned by IMDb. It includes box office data for franchises, genres, actors, filmmakers, distributors, budgets, and inflation-adjusted figures. It also displays the top movies of the year (in terms of revenue) and has competitions between 2 films of a similar genre. [14]

Audience and Market research

Market research is "the action or activity of gathering information about consumers' needs and preferences". Information is gathered about target markets and customers so the company/organisation knows more about them- this can be individuals or organisations/groups. This helps to identify and analyse the needs of the market, the market size and the competition. Both qualitative techniques (e.g. focus groups, in-depth interviews) and quantitative techniques (e.g. customer surveys, analysis of secondary data) are used to collect the desired information. [15] It is conducted to gather information about the market within which the product or service aimed at the audience operates in. It can include competitors, pricing and PEST analysis. [16]

Similarly to market research, audience research is identifying the target audience of a media product and conducting research to understand who they are (e.g. demographics, psychographics). It is conducted on specific audience segments and includes information such as their attitudes, interests and preferences. This differs from market research, which also gathers information about those who aren't interacting with the company/product. [17] 

During the creation process of my documentary, I conducted some audience research. I identified both the primary and secondary target audience after carrying out extensive primary and secondary research about the topic of coronavirus. Everyone is affected by it but I decided to have my primary audience as families. Everybody can relate to family dynamics, so was a perfect choice for a target audience. I can also personally relate to family so I was then able to add my opinions and perspective into the documentary. My secondary audience was young people (11-17) as this is also a demographic I can relate to, so I could implement an accurate perspective into my documentary. I used my questionnaire to understand the attitudes and preferences of these audiences, and I appealed to both by questioning both my mother and younger sister. [19]

In the professional media industry, audience/market research is used when rating and regulating a media text. The media production company would have thought of their target audience, especially regarding the age demographic, before creating the product so they then understand what content they're allowed to include in it. After that the product is the sent to a regulatory board, such as the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification), to be reviewed and rated. The board can then provide guidance on how a media company can change the product if they don't comply with the restrictions of the age rating they want. 

Production research

Production research is focused on the creation of a media text (how it is made). This includes investigating the typical codes and conventions of it, what technology/equipment is needed to produce it and who you'll need to make it (both cast and crew related). Also, this involves finding suitable locations/recording studios which will work appropriately for the creation of the media product. The finances involved are also a part of production research such as calculating the costs of hiring locations, purchasing equipment, etc. By doing this kind of research, it helps them to identify the commercial viability (the ability of a business, product, or service to compete effectively and to make a profit [18]). 

Whilst creating my documentary, I conducted a significant amount of production research, which is in the form of paperwork in my research dossier. Investigating the people needed and the locations available was easy to do as I acted as the crew (planning, filming, editing, etc.) whilst my family and I acted as the cast. The locations I used were also local and the majority of them were public spaces, so I didn't need to make location releases for them. The equipment I used was also limited as we were at home in lockdown. For the entire documentary, I filmed with my phone and used a 'selfie stick' to achieve some high angled shots. These decisions lead to no costs being involved and I have no intentions to earn profit off of my documentary, meaning commercial viability can't be applied to my work. [19]

In the professional media industry, pre-production paperwork has to be filled out for every media project so the company can gain permission to use certain people and locations and so they can plan what they're going to do during the production process. This paperwork includes talent/location releases, location recces, shot lists and production schedules. Before they fill these out, however, processes such as talent and location scouting are carried out so they can find the cast, crew and locations they want to use in their media text. With location scouting specifically, the company will review the locations they'd like to use so they can see if it's actually possible for them to film there and capture the shots that they want. This is dependent on factors such as weather, space, availability, etc.

Bibliography

[1] https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/conducting_primary_research/index.html#:~:text=Primary%20research%20is%20any%20type,them%20in%20a%20cohesive%20fashion. [Accessed: 25/08/2020]

[2] https://www.questionpro.com/blog/primary-research/ [Accessed: 25/08/2020]

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_screening [Accessed: 25/08/2020]

[4] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091419/alternateversions [Accessed: 25/08/2020]

[5] https://www.questionpro.com/blog/secondary-research/ [Accessed: 25/08/2020]

[6] https://www.questionpro.com/blog/quantitative-research/ [Accessed: 27/08/2020]

[7] https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/quantitative-research/ [Accessed: 27/08/2020]

[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_films [Accessed: 27/08/2020]

[9] https://www.imdb.com/chart/top/ [Accessed: 27/08/2020]

[10] https://www.questionpro.com/blog/qualitative-data/ [Accessed: 27/08/2020]

[11] https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/qualitative-research/ [Accessed: 27/08/2020]

[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcasters%27_Audience_Research_Board [Accessed: 29/08/2020]

[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMDb [Accessed: 29/08/2020]

[14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Office_Mojo [Accessed: 29/08/2020]

[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_research [Accessed: 05/09/2020]

[16] https://sapioresearch.com/tutorials/audience-understanding-research#:~:text=The%20main%20difference%20between%20the,at%20the%20audience%20operates%20in. [Accessed: 05/09/2020]

[17] https://www.colleendilen.com/2016/06/08/audience-vs-market-research-a-critical-distinction-for-cultural-organizations/ [Accessed: 05/09/2020]

[18] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/commercial-viability [Accessed: 20/09/2020]

[19] Research dossier for documentary (see below)

[20] Questionnaire responses for UEA PDP video feedback questionnaire (see below)