Research techniques for creative media production

1. Research techniques for creative media production • Lesson 1: Introduction to research techniques and production contexts

2. Market research technique • Market research = the collection and analysis of information about the market within which a particular product will compete with other products for an audience and for revenue.

3. Production research technique • Production research = related to the production process itself, using a variety of techniques depending on the production context.

4. So what is market research? • Statistical data about audience size and composition for a particular media product (for example how many people read the Sun newspaper and what sort of people they are) • The extent to which a potential audience are aware of a media product / service (for example how many people are aware of new digital radio channels that are available) • What people think about particular products and services, what their patterns of behaviour are (for example what people think about broadband internet technology and what they use it for) • Market competitors who are competing for a share of the audience and revenue with similar products (for example a company launching a new lifestyle magazine will want to be fully informed about other similar magazines)

5. Market research organisations • There are various organisations whose main role it is to undertake market research on media audiences. Their findings become a commercial product in its own right. • Some of this information is freely available through newspapers such as The Guardian, The Independent and Broadcast Magazine. • National Readership Survey and Audit Bureau of Circulation are membership organisations but some information is free to access online.

6. More organisations… • Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) • Radio Joint Audience Research Limited (RAJAR) • In addition, there are a growing number of commercial agencies that offer research and analysis services to media producers, advertisers and regulators.

7. Audience segmentation • Age • Gender • Culture / Ethnicity (ethnographic classification) • Income & Social Class (socio-economic classification)

8. Age: Commonly used by advertisers to target specific audiences • Common divisions: • 15 years or younger • 16 - 24 years • 25 - 44 years • 45 - 64 years • 65 years and over However, divisions can be customised according to what is most relevant for the task. Regulation (such as BBFC = British Board of Film Classification) can be a factor when determining the age framework. Look at a variety of newspapers and magazines to analyse if there is a clear relationship between the types of products advertised and the target readership.

9. Gender • A significant category for audience segmentation • Many media products are targeted specifically at women or at men, especially the magazine market. • Can you think of examples of media products that are gender-specific?

10. Culture & Ethnicity • Today’s media industries operate in a global marketplace. Newspapers, magazines, radio & TV programmes from all over the world are available to people living in the UK. • Also many media producers sell their products to audiences worldwide. • Can you think of some media products in the UK that are aimed at specific ethnic and / or cultural groups? Think of one newspaper, one magazine, one radio and one TV programme.

11. Income & Social Class • Most organisations involved with media research and production use the socio-economic groups A, B, C1, C2, D and E to identify and describe the different audience groupings according to income and social class. • It is also important to advertisers to establish the audience’s disposable income to know which products to target to what audience.

12. Socio-economic grouping • A - Higher managerial, administrative, professional e.g. Chief executive, senior civil servant, surgeon
 • B - Intermediate managerial, administrative, professional e.g. bank manager, teacher
 • C1- Supervisory, clerical, junior managerial e.g. shop floor supervisor, bank clerk, sales person
 • C2 - Skilled manual workers e.g. electrician, carpenter
 • D - Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers e.g. assembly line worker, refuse collector, messenger
 • E - Casual labourers, pensioners, unemployed e.g. pensoiners without private pensions and anyone living on basic benefits

13. Production Research When planning a new media product, the company making the programme, film, magazine, website or game will need to undertake a great deal of product research.This is in order to: • provide content and gather material to allow them to write and develop the new product • research the commercial viability of actually making the product • throughly research and plan the production and post-production stages to ensure that it all runs as smoothly as possible. • Some of this research will be generic, but much of it will depend on the type of product being planned.

14. Different types of production research • Print journalist writing an article / feature for a newspaper / magazine / online publication • Documentary filmmaker preparing a documentary film project • TV drama producer planning a long-running series for television • A radio show host preparing a daily current affairs programme

15. The varied role of a researcher • Radio and TV programmes usually employ researchers in pre-production stage • Research on shows such as Trisha, Big Brother differ greatly from shows like Panorama, Newsnight • Researchers on radio shows such as Today and Newsbeat find out stories on the day • A researcher finds contributors and stories, writes up proposals and research notes for the director or producer / line manager, organises the shoot and conducts recces (or location research) • If employed during production, the researcher is often the location manager • If employed during post-production, the researcher may be clearing rights, dealing with paperwork and organising the post-production facilities.