1. Unit 25: Research for product development

2. Magazine show: Generating Ideas
L.O. – What ideas could we use for the new magazine show aimed at year olds, ‘Life in Between’?

3. Your task, as outlined in the pre-release project brief:
Flashbang Productions have been commissioned by a national public service broadcaster to produce a new youth magazine show called ‘Life in Between’. ‘Life in Between’ will have a target audience of year olds. The content will provide teenagers with a range of information about health and well-being along with celebrity gossip and film and gaming reviews.

4. Unit 25 learning objectives
Unit 25 Research for product development
LO1
Be able to conduct research for a digital media production
LO2
Be able to use research to inform pre-production and planning
LO3
Be able to apply research findings to the proposed production processes
LO4
Be able to use research findings to promote the digital media product
LO5
Know how feedback is used within research techniques

5. Discuss these questions and make notes as to how you might answer them
In the real media industry:
How would ideas be generated for a new programme?
Who would be involved? What research would be carried out and why?
What would you need to consider?
What would be the challenges?

6. You need to start thinking about content for ‘Life in Between’
You need to start thinking about content for ‘Life in Between’. You must come up with suitable ideas and justify them, linking back to the research you have already carried out

7. Individually, come up with ideas for the proposal of ‘Life in Between’ highlighting the content and justifying your ideas (linking them to the brief and to research)
Length of programme/time aired/frequency (once a week, twice a week, every day)
Target audience (go into more detail about who they are/imaginary entity/psychographics etc.)
Purpose (uses and gratifications)
Title sequence and background music
Set (style, mise-en-scene, colour scheme, layout sketch, camera layout etc.)
Presenter/presenters (including their mode of address, who would you choose?)
Content (how it will conform to the brief, regular features, link presenters, mix of studio and outside content, live programming with pre-recorded content, social media elements, vox pops etc.) – this will be linked directly to the brief, programme’s genre and what are the needs of the audience
How it will be/could be distributed?
How it reinforces/subverts similar media texts
What is its unique selling point? How is it different to what is already out there?