Research data

Types of research

Qualitative - Typically descriptive, in depth data used to find out how people think about a given product

• Interview (primary)
• Focus group (primary)

Quantitative - data that can be measured numerically

• Questionnaires (primary)
• Survey (primary)
• Reviews of past similar (...) (secondary)

Secondary research

- Books

- Journals

- Reviews

- Magazines

- Television

- Newspapers

- Internet

Primary research

- Focus group

- Interview

- Questionnaire

- Survey



1) Whats your favourite talent show? (X-factor, BGT)

2) How often do you watch TV? (everyday, once every few days, once a week)

3) What would you want a talent show to feature? (open question)

4) Would you prefer to have judges or online voting?

5) What celeb judges would you like o see on the show (open)

6) How many shows do you watch in a month? (1, 2-4, 5+)





Whats your favourite genre? (

Audience needs

Why do we consume media?

• Information
• Personal identity
• Integration and social interaction
• Entertainment
• Education
• Escapism

Uses and Gratifications

Information : News - Telegraph App. Read articles on business and brands. 

Personal identity : 

Entertainment : Xbox games such as Fifa in my free time. Watch TV programmes on TV or my laptop - ITV hub and Netflix. Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat on my phone frequently everyday.

Integration : 

Education : Using my laptop to do research on the internet and work on Word. 

Escapism : Instagram, Facebook (all social media) - scrolling through fashion pages.

                  Netflix TV series or films through a laptop.

Barb review

This graph clearly shows that live streaming is way more popular than watching the programme on demand. This is because people want to view programmes as it is happening live in real life to get ahead of everyone else who may watch on demand. Many of the events that were available to watch were sports games which many people like to watch as they are happening.

Furthermore, the graph shows us that more people watched the Euro 2016 than the US election.

From the 2012 report to the 2016 report, there has been a decrease in the number of channels watched per week. In addition, the lower class of C2, D and E watch more channels per week than the higher classes of A, B and C1 who in 2012 and in 2016 watch less.

This graph illustrates clearly that the peak time of people watching TV is between 8:00pm - 10:00pm. In the morning and early afternoon only around 1 billion people watch across all audited TV player apps, whereas at the peak times of 8pm - 10pm it reaches around three times the a number of views. This clarifies when the most people are watching programmes and when the least number of people are too.

Audiences

Mainstream 

An audience that consumes a product that appeals to a wide range of groups and cultures.

For example, the TV programme Dr. Who.


Niche

An audience of a specialist interest media product that may only appeal to a small number of people or those who fall with a specific demographic profile (age, ethnicity, gender).

For example, the magazine, Gardening World, or Fishing World



Chris Anderson: The Long Tail Theory

• Created by Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine
• First published in 2004 and then in 2009
• Concerns mass vs niche products and audiences

BARB data

Barb stands for Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.

The collate viewing figures for all the major UK broadcasters such as CCB, ITV and Sky.

Demographics and Psychographics

Demographics

In which media producers study the breakdown of their target audiences based on variables in age, ethnicity, gender, economic status/class, level of education, hobbies and interests and lifestyle choices.

Psychographics

Profiling of audiences based on personal briefs values, interests and lifestyle.

How someone makes a profile based on psychographic

Using psychographics can help build a profile because it includes information about in depth facts about people. Demographics are helpful in gaining basic understanding of people however, psychographics take this to the next level. This helps people build a bigger and more detailed picture on individuals. This makes it very easy to find a fit for a job as they could match the exact in depth specification required. The insight that psychographics gives you makes it much easier to find people with more specific skills and interests.

Exam practice (Dr. Who and X-Factor)

Example question and answer

Analyse how mis-en-scene is used to create meaning in a media product you have studied. (12)

In the Doctor Who episode, the Power of Three, mis-en-scene plays an important role in establishing a sense of character and mood. For example, in terms of costume, the Doctor is represented as a character who holds a position of authority. This is demonstrated through his old-fashioned, formal appearance. He wears a bow-tie, blue/grey shirt and tweed jacket which transcends the ages. The Doctors appearance creates a sense of timelessness, which reflects the fact that the show has been running since 1963. Successive Doctors have worn similar attire since the shows inception. Rick Altman states that audiences consume media for different reasons; one of these is emotional pleasure. The doctors antiquated dress code trigger feelings of nostalgia in the audience, making us feel a sense of fondness and identification with his character. 

Orange opening sentence/ introduction of text

Red example

Green evidence

Blue explication

Black linking to theory

X-Factor

Camera angles:

• High angle - makes her seem inferior at the start and not important
• Low angle - makes her the centre of attention
• Eye level shot as if speaking to her face to face. Creates meaning and sympathy towards her

Shot types:

• fade in at the start
• Really quick cuts of her - fast paced
• Extreme close ups - zooming into her emotions - lot at the start of the song
• Shot reverse shots (her and judge)
• Extreme long shots of the location
• Difference between extreme long shots and close ups 
• Fades for her memories - her grandad - makes us as an audience feel sympathy towards her and creates a feeling of desperation for us to want her to succeed
• Her perspective of peeping onto the stage and seeing the judges
• Zoom into judge to catch emotions

Movements

• Zoom movement from a long shot into her face
• Tracking shots over the audience
• Movement of her walking up the stairs to the side-stage
• Crane shot over the stage
• Following shot of her onto the stage

Analyse how camera is used to create meaning in a media product you have studied (12)

In the audition of X-Factor participant, Ella Henderson, the shot types used plays a vital role in understanding her character and being able to sympathise with her. For example, in the lead up to the actual audition, very fast paced cuts are used to show her in different lights. The quickness of the cuts could emphasise how much the audition means to her and her nervousness and uncertainty of the performance she is about to display. In addition, within these fast paced cuts are images of her and her grandfather. A fade is used within these shots to imply how lost she is without him and creates meaning behind her character. This makes us as an audience feel sympathetic towards her and creates a feeling of desperation for us to want her to succeed. The shot types used when portraying her appearance are close up shots which are used to demonstrate her exact emotions in the lead up to her act. The use of the close ups brings us closer to her and once again creates the feeling of sympathy - making her a very likeable character. 

Furthermore, camera movements are instrumental in creating meaning behind the performance. The use of zooms from an extreme long shot to a close up of Ella Henderson illustrates the importance of her character and highlights the passion she has for singing through her emotions. Another movement of a tracking shot following Ella to the stage depicts the nervousness she felt and the intimidating audience and judges ready on the other side. This gives the audience a perception of what it is like to be her and as the audience have already sympathised with Ella and understand her background, it creates a feeling of discomfort worrying for her. The X-Factor is a television programme that creates futures for contestants which makes the performance more meaningful and important, allowing the audience to connect with her on a different scale. 

Despite the importance of the shot types and camera movements, the use of camera angles is just as pivotal when creating meaning for Ella Henderson. For example, the use of an eye level shot brings us close to Ella and makes us as an audience feel as if we are there next to her. This enables the audience to feel and empathise with her emotions. An eye level shot and POV shot was used when focusing on the stage. Ella looks through a gap in a shutter on the side of the stage, which captures sight of the audience and judges. By seeing this from the perspective of Ella, it allows the audience to see exactly what she is and creates a sense of understanding of her current intimidating position. Not many acts show the exact perspective of the participant so by doing this, it makes the audience feel an extra connection with her and feel differently about her to any other singer. 

Detailed Doctor Who analysis

Genre and audience pleasures

Rick Altman argues that genre offers audiences a set of pleasures:

Emotional Pleasures
How does the text make you feel? - happy, sad, nostalgic etc.

Visceral Pleasures
Gut response such as excitement, fear, laughter

Intellectual Pleasures
Does it make the audience think?


Mis-en-scene

Dr. Who

Costumes are old fashioned
Bowtie, blue shirt (familiarity, dependable), formal
Formal dress gives the protagonist a sense of authority

Assistant

Yellow summer dress

Polka dots

Upbeat

Kate Stewart

Formal clothing

White shirt, black scarf

Setting and location

Secret, underground

Colour palette is neutral and earthy but turns blue and icy in the labortary

Advertising and Marketing

- TV advertising slot
- Morning breakfast radio shows
- Big third party websites (BBC) - google Adwords/Adsense
- Feeder websites (what people would be interested in)
- Digital billboards
- Word of mouth
- Paper based



Advertising - Payments from brands in return for the placement of promotional material on pages                during production. Could be in the form of commercial breaks, or via product placement.

Traditional methods: Print (billboards, leaflets, posters), Newspaper, Word of mouth, Radio

Digital methods: TV adverts, Radio, Websites, Billboards, Social media, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) - works based on keywords - bidding on them for searches. Native advertising, Remarketing, Video ads, Email ads.

Above the line - mass media is used to promote brands. These include conventional media such as television and radio advertising, print based and the internet.

Distribution - How a product or brant reaches an audience (web, television, cinema).
                      - Its marketing and promotion

Web 2.0 Technical Convergence

Technical convergence allows audiences to access media content from multiple platforms on one device. It involves the coming together of information and communication technologies to create new ways of producing and distributing products and services to media audiences.

A black box is a device that supplies us with all of our informational and media requirements 

(e.g a smart phone)

Web 2.0

• The dot.com boom (1998-2001) was a huge rise in the number of internet-based companies.
• There was then a shift from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0
• It was the possibility of staying online and interacting online which really changed things.

Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dislodge as creators (prosumers) of user-generated content.

Web 2.0 or 'new digital media' shapes the relations of public/private, work/non-work, home/outside.

Mobile phones enhance social connections that have always existed (making arrangements, talking) 

How then is social networking different from more ancient forms of networking?

Social networking is different from more ancient forms of networking due to the changes in technology. Technology enables people to communicate at any point in time through the use of social media. Social media such as Facebook, Messenger and FaceTime allows people to interact with one another instantly whenever they want which wasn't possible with more ancient forms of networking. 

Simulcasting

When a media product is broadcast both online and via a traditional medium at the same time. 

In television terms, it could refer to a programme being broadcast on two different channels.

On a side note, the US Open tennis tournament was broadcast on Amazon Prime in 2018, one of the first occurrences of a video streaming service acquiring the rights to a live sporting contest.


Narrowcast channels

Television channels that distribute special niche content. For example, Manchester United TV as its very targeted.


LoveFilm was a provider od DVDs by mail and streaming videos on demand. Amazon bought it in 2011 and it had reached 2 million subscribers and 4 million rentals of DVDs a month per month in 5 countries.
In 2017 it ended because there was a decreased demand for discs and an increased demand for online streaming.