Primary research is research in which is conducted and collected by yourself, it is obtained through observations and interviews: For example: Semi-structured interviews in which will give the interviewee enough time to explore the questions being asked and provide in-depth responses. This gives the interviewer rich, contextual data in which is high in validity, this allows the interviewer have in-depth results in which they can conduct their main task from. It is the most important form of research as it gives the interviewer a chance to explore the situation first hand which is the most vital thing in research.
An example of primary research in which I've carried out is through questionnaires and surveys, although these aren't necessarily high in validity, they are high in reliability as they are quick to complete, so they appeal to a wider audience than interview based research due to them being less personal. The site survey monkey is what I used to carry out my primary research, although a good tool as it allowed me to get a large range of responses, it could also be argued that it has some downfalls, as some people can forge their identity on the internet as their name, age and gender are anonymous at all times
What is secondary research?:
Secondary research is research that has been carried out by another person or from another source other than the individual who is carrying out the research. This can be obtained through many different sources, the most common of which being: Factual Books (Non fiction), both news paper and film archives and photographic evidence. Although reliable sources of information, secondary research is seen as less important to researchers as the research may of been conducted many years before hand meaning that the research findings may be irrelevant to a modern conduction of research.
Examples of secondary research I have personally used when conducting my own research is: The use of other people's surveys and using their results to either add to the results I have obtained or see the variation from my results. This is an extremely helpful to someone researching to a small scale (like myself) as it entitles me to broaden my results perhaps even double them, this allowed me to provide better results and ultimately a better final piece altogether, which is what I was obviously striving for when completing each and everyone of the tasks.
Ultimately, secondary research although it is a very good form of obtaining data, it is not as useful as primary research to someone like myself for the tasks in which we had been set to complete.
What is Quantitative research?:
Qualitative research methods, are types of methods which are based upon obtaining numerical results, this is due to numerical results being higher in reliability as they can be seen easily through the use of spreadsheets, this allows the researcher to generalize their results to a wider audience as they can be multiplied as they are there to be physically seen by the researcher, this allows them to base their results on a wider society which is seen as a good thing in the eyes of the researcher.
Examples of Quantitative research are figures such as : BARB figures, numerical responses to adverts and websites such as the number of hits obtained due to these campaigns, these are useful to both interviewers and people in the industry, due to the fact that researchers can obtain these results and use them to back up any findings, and people within the industry can use them to see just how well their product/media production have done and which demographics and pyschographics have seen them.
Examples of Quantitative research in which I have completed has been the use of of Surveys as they produce results in which can be ultimately be placed into graphs/data in which can be physically seen by anyone who wants to obtain the data, I have used these results to back up much of the research I have carried out, this allows me to produce in depth posts with the data to back up any of the points I have made throughout my research.
What is Qualitative research?:
Qualitative research is research based solely on producing results in which are high in validity, so they look to find in-depth responses rather than a large number of numerical responses. This is due to the results having enough depth to them to provide the researcher enough data to gain their results.
Qualitative data results can be obtained through: Reviews (Films,Games etc) and in-depth verbal responses to any new product or form of media. As these provide the researcher with in-depth responses for them to conclude on their research.
In terms of Qualitative data, I personally received responses when pitching my ideas to a group of peers in my class, these allowed me to manipulate and change my ideas accordingly to suit an audience more so than my previous, original ideas.
What are data gathering agencies?:
Data gathering agencies are agencies in which gather data from pieces of media by putting them into figures and allowing them to be viewed by companies and researchers who wish to obtain them. In terms of media, BARB figures are the most commonly used, they publish viewing figures for both Television and Film, these allow people to view both viewing figures and see which demographics viewed the content, for example: Age ranges, Genders and how long they viewed the piece of media for, allowing them to know which audience to tailor to, furthermore they can view at which point the viewer turned off and lost engagement, this is vital to producers as keeping the viewer engaged throughout is the aim of a piece of media and if they lose engagement and turn away from the content then they have failed in striving to ensure that the viewer has enjoyed their viewing experience.
Audience and market research Importance:
With any piece of media, ensuring the right audience is obtained for the right piece of media, this makes sure that the media is being viewed by the audience in which it was originally intended to, as if the wrong audience receives the piece of media then it will not be appreciated as the make of it originally intended for it to be. Market research is vital in ensuring that the right audience is received and the final product can be seen and viewed by the people it was intended to, whether this be: Age ranges, comedic audiences or a more serious audience.
Market research is typical carried out through the use of Quantitative research, this is due to the fact that it is more beneficial for the researcher to gather a large range of responses rather than fewer but more in-depth. A larger sample size when researching for a target audience allows the researcher to get a better know how on who will enjoy their content and on a wider scale, as the general public will be ultimately viewing the finished product so getting a sample size on a macro scale rather than a micro scale is important so the final product is more enjoyable.
In terms of market research, it is important that other similar products and their performance have been reviewed and evaluated so that it is ensured what you will be developing isn't overly similar to something that has already been produced, however, it is also important that if an audience extremely enjoys something that it isn't swayed away from dramatically if not it may cause the audience to dislike the final product. Market research most importantly allows the researcher to find out whether the product they are striving to achieve is ultimately marketable to the general public and whether it will succeed if produced
For my own market research I used Survey Monkey to find out whether or not my ideas were good to a wider society and not just myself, the responses received ultimately helped to shape the final product which was more enjoyable than the original.
Production outline: A 3 minute wonder about people's missed opportunities in life Whether due to their own accord or due to natural causes. I will be interviewing people from several different generations and whether they wish they had of taken different opportunities. Leading them to finally telling me where they think where they'd be in life now. I will be using a set of semi-structured questions so that I can cut between responses causing the video to have a more sleek feel to it and so that it runs in a smoother fashion.
Which genre is my idea based on?: This would be an observational documentary, as the person interviewing the people's voice will never be heard, they will also never enter shot, leaving an authentic feel to what the people are saying, the interviewer will never be heard and the questions will either be non-existent or shown on screen via text.
This will be in the form of 'reality' due to the fact that people will be reflecting on their real life experiences and giving the viewer an insight into their lives and their past experiences. I feel that the reality genre was the best option for me, due to it presenting itself as a more serious piece of media for the viewer, which will hopefully help them to have a better connection with the 'wonder' leading them to enjoying it more than any other genre choice I could of made.
Target audience: The target audience for my short would be that of younger people, I will hope that it sends out the message to the viewer to 'chase their dreams' and if you want something go and get it, because if you don't and you let it go, then you may end up regretting it at a future date.
The aim of the documentary: The aim of my documentary would be to inspire, to show people that you need to work hard to achieve your dreams and take opportunities that are handed to you. As if you don't then you will inevitably look back at them one day and regret what you avoided doing. I hope that it would achieve some sort of emotional response from the viewer that in turn will make them want to push themselves to the next level of what they are aiming to achieve in life.
Filming locations: At this moment in time I have 2 locations sorted. The first location being my house in Gorleston-On-Sea, this is due to practicality as I will be one of the people featuring in the documentary so a large chunk will be able to be shot instantly. I will also be looking to record in North-Walsham, as that is where one of the interviews I have lined up is, so I will be able to get 2 large bits of my 3 Minute Wonder shot in 2 locations.
Who will feature in the documentary?: The documentary will feature several different participants in the documentary. As of this moment I have 2 interviews lined up. One being with myself as I also had a dream in which I failed to follow through with. And one with my Grandad who will be going into further detail on my dream as he witnessed it first hand and also if he regrets any dreams he didn't take. No other crew will be needed other than myself, I will be using the camera and featuring aswell, this won't need any other people to help assist me in the making or editing of the wonder.
Some sample questions for interviews:
1. What did you want to achieve with your life, in terms of where you aimed to be in life when you were younger. 2. Why did you take the path you did? 3. Are you happy with how things turned out or do you regret the choices you made? 4. Picture this, a chance to go back and pursue your dreams, do you take it?
What equipment is needed for the 'wonder'?: The short documentary will need: A DSLR Camera (provided by myself) a Zoom Microphone (provided by the college). The only props that will be needed will be memorabilia provided by the participants so that they can show what they had when they were younger towards their 'dream'. Budget: The budget for this production will be £5, this will be used to cover most of travel expenses, as there will be nothing else purchased in the means of props and costumes, for the documentary. However, the travel costs are £5.90 so that means that I will have to provide some of the budget by myself, meaning that the total budget will be just under £6.00
What is a 3 minute wonder? A 3 minute wonder is a quick factual short, in which the viewer can quickly find out about something and become educated on it, these are featured on Channel 4 in the evenings so that there will be a large audience. They are 3 minutes so that they are long enough to keep the viewer engaged.
What us the aim/purpose of a 3 minute wonder? The aim of a 3 minute wonder is to enlighten the viewer in a quick 3 minute video, aimed to help them see into other peoples perspectives.
What sort of topics are seen on a 3 minute wonder? There are many different topics seen in 3 minute wonders, most being factual and serious to try and shock the viewer into seeing the experiences of other people/
Which 3, 3 minute wonders did I like and why?: Karl Pilkington - Holidays: I liked this one as Karl uses a witty tone to discuss his opinion on holidays, he is very negative about them all and his pessimistic view on life is humorous to watch, the viewer is left smiling after viewing this as his negative view can leave them oddly optimistic, as they realise that they indeed have a more positive view on life. I learned about Karl;s opinions about holidays through this '3 Minute Wonder' this one wasn't the most factual of all 3 and is one of the more un-common formats of the 3 minute wonders.
This is a reflexive documentary as it follows Karl in his unique for of a documentary.
Last Supper - This was arguably the most serious one in which I viewed, due to it being about a man on death row talking about what he may have for his final meal, this was unsettling as he is telling the viewer that whatever he consumes he won't want that as his appetite, as he will not feel hungry as he fear of inevitable death will get to him, whilst consuming it. I learnt that the last meal is not pleasant, even if they are offered whatever that want to consume, this is due to the fact that it will be the last thing they ever eat and the fear looms over the experience of eating it.
This is an observational documentary, as the filmmaker does not intervene and shows a slice of life of the person.
The King Of Laughter: This was a 3 minute wonder based on the world record holder of the world's longest laugh and his experiences in Walsall. This is due to the fact that Walsall is known as the most unhappy place in England, so he visits all the from Ethiopa to attempt to cheer people up with his laughter.
This is also an observational documentary, as the filmmaker does not intervene and shows a slice of life of the person.
What news broadcast did we watch?: We viewed a live feed of Sky News Live, on Monday the 9th of March 2015 at approximately 10:00 am, we viewed this for about 1 hour, meaning that we were able to get an educated view of what was happening, including the content, the running order and times allocated to each slot.
What stories are covered, and why were they shown?: When we viewed the live feed it was rife with political debates, this is due to the fact that politics is wanted to be viewed by many people as the general election is up and coming, meaning that people want to view to help educate themselves to ensure that they make, the 'right' choice. I
It started with a live feed of Ed Balls doing a speech about why he should be elected, this is used to draw an audience to the show, as millions would not be able to attend, however, they will be able to watch the live feed, this is something which will get viewers as people would really want to see.
After the Ed Balls live feed we were shown another live show, however, this was a live debate on free schools, and whether they should be taken away, this debate got quite heated, however this is exactly what the production team would of wanted as it keeps viewers engaged straight after the Ed Balls feed, therefore keeping viewers hooked and not looking to turn over to another channel, this debate lasted around 5 minutes and the main presenter even told one of the participants that they have 10 seconds left to speak so that the would not run over, therefore not pushing back the rest of the show.
Following on from these heated, political shots, we were shown a brief weather report which summarized the countries weather for the day and the up and coming days. Moving on from the weather report, we were sent to a live feed of Sky Sports News, in which we were given a brief short of all the main sporting headlines of the day combined together, this is a quick snippet into what the sporting day has involved, sky of course offer their own sports news station: Sky Sports News, however for viewers that want to catch the global news aswell, this is a handy way to catch up with the Sports without missing out on interesting developments.
Starting sequence: unfortunately, due to the fact that we were watching a live feed, we missed the starting sequence, however, I have found an example of a starting sequence online which can be viewed here:
This news title sequence is very formal and it gets across the point that this is news form England as it flies straight from the globe into England's landmarks, showing the viewers that this news is all about England and therefore making them involved straight from the beginning of the title sequence. It is also worth noting that the Big Ben chime is used in between clips which is also and English staple, which again helps the viewer to feel more involved with what is on the screen.
Furthermore, the intro music used is in place to grab the viewers attention, this is due to the fact that the large chimes in the background gain the viewers attention, the loud noises are more likely to grab the viewers attention, especially viewers outside of the room or those who may not be as focused on what is happening on screen, their attention is more likely to be gained with large, loud chimes.
Also, just before the news stories are announced there are 3 large chimes, these chimes are used to draw attention to the stories in which will be shown on screen this is vital in keeping the viewer engaged and alerting them to what news stories will be appearing later on in the show so that they can be looking forward to what they will be about to see.
Who were the newsreaders when we watched?: During the time slot in which we viewed Sky News, the presenters shown on screen were: Colin Brazier and Jayne Secker, Colin Brazier being a middle aged male man and Jayne Secker being a middle aged Female.
What were the presenters roles?: During the segments in which we viewed, they were not very prominent, due to the focal points being talks from Ed Balls and the debate about free schools. These taking centre stage were perhaps a one off, however, during the debate, the newsreader did however ask questions and make sure that it didn't get out of hand.
From what was shown in the documentary we viewed this is what I can conclude from the text:
This may not be accurate but I can only comment on what was seen, from these shots it seems that the two presenters would be mixed, one female and one male, it would also seem that the male would be older with the female being abit younger.
They have also made strides to be more informal so that the viewer recognises that they are part of the community.
The job is more than meets the eye aswell, with the presenters having information fed through their ears constantly whilst having to not be fazed by it and keeping the show running smoothly, they also have set time frames to do each one of their tasks. If one task runs over, even by a few seconds then this time has to be made up for at a later stage of the broadcast.
What skills are necessary for newsreaders/presenters: From what we witnessed during the live broadcast, television presenters need to be focused at all times with strict attention to detail, ensuring that they don't run over, and also that everything gets shown in the detail in which it was expected to, they also have to be multi , as they have to maintain focus to talk into the camera and keep the news flowing, however, they will constantly have people talking in their ears meaning that they need to be fully concentrated to what they are talking about 24/7. What is news ordering?: News ordering is the name for the order in which the news is placed. When the news team finds out what stories it has to work with for each show they designate each story a slot allocation depending on its importance and relevance to the people viewing and the day that has just occurred, generally the most popular of the stories is allocated the most time and is at the very start of the show, this is due to the fact that it is what most people will want to see and will draw in more viewers than any other story, it is given the most time due to its popularity, as the show goes on generally the stories get shorter, this is due to the fact that they are less important and won't keep the viewer engaged for as long as the first, main story, so they therefore cut down the length of these stories so the viewers retention is maintained and they are less likely to switch over. Information from the Huw Edwards documentary: What is meant by the term news ordering?: The term news ordering is the order in which the items are put into, it is important that each story is designated to a different slot on the show, you can't have everything being hard hitting, or too light hearted, so news ordering stops this by designating every item to and order which is comfortable to viewed by the audience, news ordering is thought about and changed many times before a news broadcast goes live, this is due to it being exactly right is key, also, some stories can simply not be covered in time so they are removed from the order and over items have to be either extended or moved in to compensate for the time lost.
When the news team finds out what stories it has to work with for each show they designate each story a slot allocation depending on its importance and relevance to the people viewing and the day that has just occurred, generally the most popular of the stories is allocated the most time and is at the very start of the show, this is due to the fact that it is what most people will want to see and will draw in more viewers than any other story, it is given the most time due to its popularity, as the show goes on generally the stories get shorter, this is due to the fact that they are less important and won't keep the viewer engaged for as long as the first, main story, so they therefore cut down the length of these stories so the viewers retention is maintained and they are less likely to switch over.
Bias in the news: Bias in the news is what affects what the viewer sees and does not see from the day that happened, the news company is more likely to carry out more dramatic stories and make the viewer more likely to view the news, they can also dramatize the the stories that have happened for dramatic affect making the viewer more likely to view the broadcast for longer. Furthermore, it is believed that different television stations support different political parties and look to show the parties in a different way depending on how it would affect their party. A prime example of this is the fact that the BBC is thought to be pro-labour meaning that they give the labour party more screen time and other parties minimal screen time. An example of some 'facts' about this can be viewed here. This is only a theory however, but there are clear examples of bias in the news: They look to almost manipulate the viewer into feeling a certain way about a story. Newspapers and News broadcasts do this before the viewer has even read a story, this is due to the fact that they use headlines on their stories, these headlines often feature words depending on how they want the viewer to feel, for example: "Tragedy" is used to make the viewer feel remorse and negativity before they have even heard the story. A prime example of this is in the news headline below where the viewer is made to feel instantly that the father is in the wrong.
Alternatively, it could be argued that news ordering is also to do with bias, for example: If the BBC were to be pro-labour they would give a story about the conservatives doing well in polls/elections minimal if any time on screen and move on to other stories very quickly.
What is the name given to stories that appear on the broadcast?: Which story is likely to be shown first and why is it selected?: The first story or 'lead' story is always the biggest, hard hitting story of the day, this is done for shock value, to keep the viewer watching to find out what happened and why it happened. It is selected to lead as the viewers want to know all of the main news stories of the day and the most important one leading will help them to gather an image of what has happened during the day. How do the other stories appear?:
The other stories appear in order of their 'importance' the more important news stories being designated more time at the top of the running order, slowly getting less time and less detail as they go further down the order, keeping the viewer engaged with less interesting stories getting less time. Why is the ability to think and act quickly important?:
This ability is key, due to the fact that things can change instantly during a live broadcast, things can run over, they can be talking to slow/fast and will need to adjust in an instant, they can also be told that a story won't be running, mid broadcast, so they will need to adjust to this within an instant to avoid the show being hindered and the viewers attention being lost. What is meant by the term 'slow news day'?:
A slow news day is when no new, news stories surface, meaning that they will have to go out and try and find news stories good enough to be shown that will keep the viewer interested. They may even cover a previous news story in more detail so the viewers can see what happened after they finished recording the last time. What is the final story often called and what is it's function?: The final story is known as an 'and finally' these are usually light hearted topics that eave the viewer happy, alot of the time these feature animals as they aim to make the viewer much happier.
The Chowles' story: What was this story about?: This story was about a family called the Chowles' who were set to be evicted from their house due to the fact they were unable to repay their mortgage of £57,000. Falling £6,000 behind at this point. Leading to their inevitable eviction the next week when the bailiffs would be due to arrive. This is all due to the fact that Pierre Chowles (the husband and father) was relieved of his work duties to the fact that he could no longer do his job due to ill health, this then triggered the events to eventually be seen by the viewers. He is finally followed to see a women who tells him the only accommodation he can possibly be placed in would be that of a B&B which was a total of 16 miles away from the city in which he owned his house. Who is involved in the story?: This story involves Pierre and his wife and their child, as they are the ones the viewer is supposed to connect with and feel sympathetic for, it also features the narrator who tells the viewer what is happening and how the situation in which the people are in has happened. Finally, the women who gives him guidance as to where he should relocate to is featured at the end of the scene.
How are these people represented?: Firstly, Pierre is presented as unlucky and that the audience should feel sympathy for him as he is the victim of his own misfortune, a good example of this is the first shot as he slips on his way to his own front door, this helps to add to the image of him being unlucky and that things really aren't going his way. Secondly, Pierre's wife is presented as smartly dressed and deeply affected by the situation, seeming bitter when asked if she would do it again, as she simply replies with: "No i would never do it again". The baby is shown so that the viewer can recognise that he is going to be affected by this situation, as he is going to be 'homeless' and pushed out to a B&B. Finally, the narrator is never visible, however, the women in the final scene is shown as smartly dressed, which helps to show that she has more authority than the other people shown.
How did I feel about the people in the story?: Personally, although the viewer was supposed to feel sympathetic for the family, I did not have much sympathy for them, however, this may be due to the fact that everyone has different upbringings and are exposed to different things in their life's which can affect the ways in which we see things, this personally lead me to feel very little sympathy for the family, and made me question exactly how they ended up in the financial situation they did, however, I can see why people would pity the family, due to them being presented as very unfortunate by the news channel. Did this story have a narrator?: This story had a male narrator which helped to tell the audience what was happening therefore making them more engaged and understanding during this story.
A documentary is a factual piece of media in which pictures or interviews with people in real life situations are used to provide a factual report on a particular subject. For example, the 'crazy gang' was a documentary based on the Wimbledon FC side of the 1980's.
Documentaries all share the similarity of creating a factual program to educate the viewer on a topic that they may or may not be new to. However, there are different types of documentaries in which they take up different styles, the first of which is: Expository documentaries:
An expository documentary consists of images with an authoritative voice over telling the viewer what is happening. It is important that the narrator tells the audience what is happening, this is due to this type of documentary often looking to provide or support a point. All facts and arguments are provided by the narrator, so the viewer knows exactly what to think and believe, often having their opinion for them in the form of a narrator. The images on screen will be seen in the way that the narrator wants you to see them, whether they are trying to paint a positive or negative picture.
An example of an expository documentary would be: A BBC documentary called: Ocean Voyager. This features sea life in their natural habitats with a voiceover telling the viewer exactly what is happening on screen.
Observational documentaries: An observational documentary presents a 'slice of life' in which the filmmaker has no intervention and just serves as a bystander to what is happening in the documentary, they also remain hidden from the audience, this helps to maintain realism at all times throughout the documentary. These are focused on what is not contained, For example, commentary,inter titles and interviews, this allows the viewer to focus on what is happening, also it allows the people in the documentary to help form the viewers opinion instead of the narrator, you could argue that this helps the viewer to gain an unbiased view. This is supported by the fact that they are non judgmental so aim not to take sides meaning that audiences decide for themselves what to think from what they have seen on screen.
An example of an observational documentary would be: A documentary made by 'Vice' on YouTube which looks into a small slice of a Cannibal's life, it is the perfect example of an observational documentary as it is a small look into a Cannibal's life.
Interactive documentaries: In an interactive documentary the filmmakers presence is clear, they are a participant in the documentary there is clear interactions between the filmmaker and the people in which they are interviewing and also the audience, as the audience can feel something from the conversation in which the filmmaker and interviewee are having. These are usually made due to an agenda being present, meaning that the filmmaker is trying to shape the audiences opinion to the same in which they have. Editing is key to these as tricks can be used to support what the filmmaker wants so show.
These have been under fire for misrepresentation and manipulation, however they have been defended by some filmmakers due to the images being more important than the finer details.
An example of an interactive documentary is: Bowling for Columbine this is a prime example of an interactive documentary, seen as a very good documentary although it is infamous for using editing tricks to help manipulate the audiences views.
Reflexive documentaries: In this type of documentary the filmmaker looks to show the audience different conventions of documentary.
The construction of these documentaries are experimented with in many different ways. These consist of shots of everyday life but these are then the foundations in which can be made into vastly different and very experimental films which can vary in many different ways.
An example of a Reflexive documentary would be: Territories as is manipulates footage in an artistic way so that the meaning of the footage in the documentary is 'created'. For example, there is repition to make a point and images are layered to create links between them.
Performative documentary: Performative documentaries represent the world indirectly with an emphasis in the presentation rather than the content in which it consists of. These make use of re-enactments to show the viewer what happened and put an image in their head of the events that occured, they also use soundtracks to draw the audience on and attempt to push their emotions in a certain direction depending on the scene that is being shown
An example of a performative documentary would be: Crimewatch as it shows reenactments of crimes based on testimony.
Personally I like observational documentaries as they appear more real as there is less interference from the filmmaker and the events seem less manipulated.
