There are two different types or research which takes place in TV and film industries, one is Market research, and the other is Production research. Firstly let’s have a look at production research. This is research on the show or film you are wishing to make and how viable it is. This can be done by various different ways such as on the internet, or even by looking at competitor shows and films. Here are some of the key areas which are looked at in production research:
Content: First of all you need to know what it is you are wanting to put into the production you are making, this should be ideally based around you target audience , for example if you are producing a children’s programmes, you can’t go putting in violence, inappropriate language and nudity in it. Plus you need to look at the laws and regulations such as OFCOM and the BBFC, this is so when making your production, no laws will be broken which means people will not be offended and sue.
Resources: This involves so many different things which so many people will be involved in researching, for start personnel. Producers will be looking for the best of the best staff wise so that the production will run smoothly efficiently and above all to a very high standard. This is why when recruiting personnel the staff involved in the actual recruiting will research in to each and every one of the possible personnel so that they can hopefully fin the best man/woman for the job.
Talent is a major factor to research in a production, people will be looking for casts bulging with talent, this will help in both making the production as realistic and as popular as possible. It may also help anchor the production due to the popularity of the cast due to perhaps the talent which could have won them a large fan base. But it is vital that the producers get the right person for the job. For example, experience wise the casing department will research each of the auditions previous parts in films or shows. Or if they are making a production where instead of casting well known stars they are wishing to create the stars then they are more likely to hire someone who hasn’t had as much experience, perhaps a few cameo roles, however can show the talent in an audition.
Money will always be among the most important areas with the production of a TV show or film, mainly there are two different areas: Cost and Finance. Firstly cost: cost is everything in TV and film, for some producers it will make or break the production and half of the viability relies on the cost, and this is the cost of everything, Objects, Dressing, Cast hire, locations, editing, sound, EVERYTHING! Which is why if the cost isn’t researched properly then producers could go into serious debt and the production of the TV show or film may possibly have to be cancelled. This is why staff in the money department will be paid for finding the best deals possible and saving the production as much money as possible as well as managing to keep the moral of the film good.
All the money is then dealt by the financial department, these areas are in charge of the buying and selling in a film or TV show. It is in charge of paying ever participant involved in making the production. These people must research where the money is going, why it is going and make sure that everyone is getting there bit. Financial management can also help avoid any serious debt perhaps by researching how much money is available for each of the production departments on competitor films or programmes and try to set realistic amounts available for each production department to spend.
Suppliers are also key to the financial area of a production whether they are supplying equipment or money as the opportunity to be a sponsor. Once again the producers will want research done so that the best supplies with the best deals are recognised and used o the productions advantage. Sponsor wise the producer will want the highest offer as every penny will help towards the production of the film as well as various different TV or film companies wishing to be part of the production for the film or programme which usually once again in research terms will opt for the company offering the most money.
Facilities are the equipment for making the production they could be items such as cameras, they could be sound facilities or lighting facilities which ever it is research must be taken to find the very best. This will improve the quality of the production and open up more opportunities for different effects which may only be available on the very best facilities which will most definitely be at a higher price.
Lots of research will be undergone for the location, weather in a studio or on an actual location producers will want something which sets the mood for their production perfectly. People could be sent off around the country or perhaps even all the way round the world as if the location isn’t right then the production may not work. This is why when in a film, if the story is set in one country it could very likely be filmed on location in a totally different one because the surroundings my suit the description of the actual location better.
The production must be working to everybody’s pace, and it has to meet so many different deadlines, this is why the logistics is vital to the viability of the work, everyone has to be doing the right thing, every piece of equipment has to be in good functioning order, if not the whole production could end in catastrophe. This means people will have to research where every department is in the terms of meeting the deadline, and may have resolve problems such as faulty equipment or areas behind schedules and research into any solutions for these issues.
A key thing which comes up in all of these areas is viability. Is it actually doable? Will it be done on time? Will serious debt come into the equation? All these questions and many more have to be answered before production even takes place and the best possible kind of research for things like this is looking at similar films or programmes to the one the producer is aiming at creating. For example someone wanting to create a soap will obviously look at shows like Coronation Street or Eastenders. Some one wishing to produce an action film may look at various successful films in that department and research all of these issues listed below and above. And if nothing has been done like what the producer is wishing to create, then the staff must decide whether to take the risk or no, which could have an outstanding result, or turn into a huge failure.
Placement: This is where the researcher must find the best place to production obviously the TV programme would be broadcasted, however the researchers for both TV and Film could find out whether it would financially help to involve publication, for example posters, book and may also help to look at web casts, for example a website where viewers could watch the programme again or view trailers, a bit like BBC I PLAYER as quite a lot of the time research will most likely show that quite a bit of profit can be made from this.
Audience: This is critical for the success of any type of media it has to attract its target audience, it then has to get them interested in the production, they next need to feel desire to watch it and finally take action and make themselves view the production. Various different types of research can happen for the aim of the programme or film to suit the audiences need, you could look at similar productions, however the best type of research for this is most likely going to be primary research which can easily be acquired by handing out questionnaires and having interviews for people who fit the description of the productions target audience then you can find out directly what the people want.
Competition: This is where people can take advantage over rival shows; researches can view opposing shows or films similar to theirs, which are aimed at the same target audience and improve on them, they can find out where the opposing shows bad points are and exclude them from their own. Also as said above, researching competition can also help in all of the factors above and if anything looking a rival can only make your show or film a lot more popular with the target audience than that of the rivals.
Understand the purpose of research in media industries
Applying a range of research techniques
Presenting research results
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