Research Techniques An Introduction Unit 1 : RESEARCH FOR CREATIVE MEDIA PRODUCTION

Why Research? Creative Media Production To find out more facts about a subject To develop your understanding of a subject To check your facts To find out the thoughts of others

Creative Media Production Research Techniques Types of Research There are different types of research conducted for different purposes in the media. Audience research – the analysis of who consumes what media products and why Market research – investigations into the way that products could produce income by looking at the demands of consumers Production research – the research conducted to inform the production process of a media product eg. background information, locations, legal and ethical requirements etc.

Creative Media Production For this unit, you will be using academic research techniques to conduct all of those three types of research activity. The methods used to conduct academic research generally fall in to two groups - Research Techniques Types of Research PrimarySecondary

Creative Media Production Research Techniques Primary Research Primary research involves material and information which has been found ‘for the first time’ by the researcher. This would include material found using techniques such as:  Observations made when viewing an exhibition, show, performance or on visiting a location  Interviews with people  Reports of meetings / discussions with people  The collection of information from questionnaires or surveys  Focus group activities

Creative Media Production Research Techniques Secondary Research Secondary research is information or material which is collected by looking at the findings of others. Secondary research techniques would include:  Referring to books, journals, magazines and newspapers  Gathering information from the Internet  Making notes on information presented on audio visual formats like DVDs, videos or CDs  Collecting information from The Internet

Below are a list of the many different research techniques you may employ in your work. In pairs see if you can decide whether they are primary or secondary research techniques. Reading a book Interviewing a media professional Talking to people at a film screening Collecting articles from a newspaper Taking photographs of a location for a recee Collecting information from websites. Creative Media Production

PrimarySecondary InterviewsBooks Reports from visitsInternet Own photographsDatabases Focus groupsNewspapers / Magazines Own thoughts / commentsTV Programmes / DVDs Questionnaires / surveysAudio CD / Radio There are many different ways we can research information on a subject. Below are some of the most common methods used.

Reliability and Validity There are many techniques that can be employed when researching. However it is vital that you choose the right one to ensure that your information is reliable and valid Reliability = whether this can be trusted as a source of information. Could it be biased by people’s opinions or effected by flaws in their research methods? If this activity was done again, would it get the same results? Validity = the relevance of information to your investigation. Can you determine that it proves what you think it does (ie. If an interviewee reveals something can you give a direct quote that backs this up?) Creative Media Production

Other Points to Remember You need to keep careful record of the research you conduct. Once collected research material needs to be stored carefully. Paper-based material should be kept in an organised way in your folders. Electronic material should be either printed out and stored or kept on your hard-drive or student area. You will ALWAYS need to keep a Research Log for media projects– either using the template available on Moodle or by starting a dedicated Pinterest board Creative Media Production