The Nature and Purposes of Research in the Creative Media Industries

The Nature and Purposes of Research in the Creative Media Industries

When it comes to the creative media industry, research is one of the key aspects and is an appropriate starting point for any sized media production. Not only does research allow you have some sort of knowledge of the production's popularity and success but it also helps you gather a range of information relevant to the content of the production. Many media companies conduct extensive research to gather data about audience consumption of media products to further assess the market and to find a gap in the market to pursue.

Primary Research

Primary research is information which is collected first-hand by the researcher and is widely used in market research. It is often undertaken after the researcher has chosen a particular issue to pursue and collected secondary research. This type of research can be collected through various methods e.g. questionnaires, surveys, observations, interviews. In terms of media related primary research, this could be looking at things such as costumes or props, for a TV production team like ITV's Downton Abbey, the research would have been extremely in depth so that the entire mise-en-scene is authentic and true to its historical period. Test screenings are another process of which media production teams would complete as part of their attempt to receive primary research.

In regards to my project, I found that an online survey was the best way to collect data as it was highly practical and the data could be collected in a fast process. Some of the questions I included in my survey were: 'What is your age?', 'Have you ever heard of a Channel 4 3 Minute Wonder?' and 'Would you be interested in watching a 3 Minute Wonder about relationships?'. With 29 responses, I felt the results could be highly accurate regarding people within the age range of 16-18 as this is the age group that mainly completed the survey. Therefore this information allowed me to determine what age range would be the best target audience for my 3 Minute Wonder and whether people would be interested in my chosen topic.





Secondary Research

This method of research involves the collection of existing data that has already been gathered by someone previous and again, is widely used in market research. Secondary research is usually gathered in the early stages of an investigation/project to  determine what information has already been collected and what new information is required. This type of research can also be collected through a number of different ways e.g. books, online reports, magazines, newspapers.

My secondary research consisted of information from online articles and websites. Not only was this method a less time consuming one but it also allowed me to search across a wide spread for relevant information on love and divorce (relationships). Part of the secondary research I collected was a poll from 2010/11 which sources from the Office for National Statistics. The information includes the number of divorces over the past five decades. I also decided to research whether there were any other 3 Minute Wonder's based on the topic to give me something to work from.

Quantitative Research

This is data which is collected numerically that is demonstrated through statistics, percentages etc rather than through observation or opinions (qualitative data). This method is mostly used to receive a basic whilst accurate piece of information. The what, where and when information.

Within my secondary research I did find a piece of quantitative data which consists of the figures over the past 50 years of the amount of divorces. This is quantitative as it consists of only numbers.

Qualitative Research

This is data that is collected in an in-depth manner and uses methods such as observation, field notes, and structured interviews. The how and why information.

For my primary research I did receive qualitative data as the recipients of my survey wrote down their favourite documentary, therefore not receiving a number/figure but giving the choice to freely write what they want rather than having to choose a selected documentary etc.

Data Gathering Agencies

This is practically what it says in the title, agencies (businesses) that gather information and then provides that information to the public. A great example of this is the Broadcaster's Audience Research Board (BARB), a website that provides official viewing figures for UK television audiences. According to BARB 'This information is vital in assessing how programmes, channels or advertising campaigns have performed and provides the basis for airtime advertising trading.' Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd (RAJAR) is another data gathering agency however instead of measuring television viewing/information, it is the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK. There is also IMDb which stands for Internet Movie Database. Which as it says in the title, has a database full of movies ranging from old to new.

Audience and Market Research

Market research is any planned effort to gather information regarding target markets. Some examples of methods commonly used within market/audience research are demo-graphics, psycho-graphics, consumer behaviour, product market, competition and advertising placements.

When conducting research for my 3 Minute-Wonder, I came to the conclusion that I didn't not want to have a specific target audience, therefore having no specific demo-graphic/psycho-graphic. I also felt that I didn't really have to consider other methods as I wasn't actually selling/advertising my media product. However, if I was to advertise my media product I would choose to do it on places such as social networks as the potential customer is already online and can reach the 3 Minute-Wonder within seconds.

Production Research

This method of research is used to collect and analyse information for the content and production of a media product. Examples of this are: Content, finance, personnel and location.

When analysing this for my media product I had to consider the personnel I was going to interview and include in my 3 Minute-Wonder. This meant contacting them and choosing a certain time and location to film. I also had to analyse what content to include. This was when I decided on which questions to ask the couples involved in my documentary. In terms of finance and cost it wasn't an issue as I didn't have to purchase anything for the filming. I completed the shooting with my own camera in my own time.


Assessing Research Data

Reliability

Reliability relates to the the overall consistency of a measurement. A measurement has high reliability if it produces similar results under similar conditions. Examples of reliability in terms of research are surveys and questionnaires; where more than one person is asked a range of questions under consistent conditions.

In my research, I did carry out an online survey and in a sense it was reliable as I had over 25 people that were involved in completing it, however, the method did have it's faults. For example, not all of the recipients took the survey seriously and as it was an online survey I wasn't there to oversee they were completing it in a mature manner. Another problem was that I didn't receive any in-depth information/answers. It was simply yes or no answers a part from the question regarding people's favourite documentaries.

Validity

Validity relates to the authenticity of the research, whether it can be proved and is truthful. Examples of validity in terms of research are again surveys and questionnaires; where more than one person is asked a range of questions and we receive valid information from the recipient.

In the research I conducted, I believe there were elements of validity. This is due to receiving a number of responses to my survey and making sure every question was answered. However, the secondary research I under-took isn't necessarily that reliable as I didn't part take in the investigation therefore not knowing the full validity of the articles.

Representativeness and Generalisability

Due to a large amount of the respondents falling under the age range of 16-18, this does have elements of representativeness, however, I don't believe it is enough results to become a representation of people between the ages of 16-18. Also we don't know enough information about the respondents, for example if every response was by a 16-18 year old girl that lives in the town of Lowestoft and attends Denes High School, then the results would be representative. Due to my research's lack of representativeness, it therefore means the research is not generalisable.