Lo3 - Production schedule feedback.

Example introduction answer for PS mock question - (why is a PS effective / ineffective).

• A production schedule is a planning tool used to organise the amount of time given before the launch date. This is effective because it is organised and every job role is included. 

Example 16 mark answer. 

Feedback for my mock answer. 

Lo3 - Types of research

What production stage does the research stage take place 

• pre-production. 

• Pre-production consists of primary research, such as: looking up existing products relating to the media product you'd like to create. This allows you to find a gap in the market and understand your competitors, researching products similar to the one you'd like to create also allows to you understand the conventions in which would typically be in this type of media product as they should all typically share recognisable conventions. You can also discover what demographic would typically be interested in your product via audience research such as handing out prototypes and early drafts in public and requesting feedback. 

What are the two types of collective research?

• Primary - Research you conduct yourself.

• Secondary - Looking at existing research. 

Audience research

Research your target audience to discover which demographic will stereotypically be appealed towards your product the most.

The purpose of this enables you to effectively target your audience, the more you know about your audience the more you can target them, helping bring in profit and revenue. 

Market research

Still includes the consumers. However, market research is based on how and where the product will be available e.g. in what stores that exist within todays market.
How will your product fit into the genre of the store?
How will my product be different / stand out?
How will you tackle competitors such as PAMCo, RAJAR, MIDIA.

Product research

The production team now carry out research into the product itself, this I done by:

1. Collecting source material (this depends on the media product)
2. Establish how visible the project is. Will it be a success? Is it worth making
3. Find locations. 

PRIMARY RESEARCH.  (Research you conduct yourself.)

• Interviews.

Advantages 

- May get more detailed feedback due to there not being a limit on what the audience can say back you.

- You get various ideas and opinions. 

- Can ask probing questions (can get as much information out of them as you want by asking multiple questions) - creating qualitative data. 

- use feedback to improve designs / the product (whatever you showed them)

Disadvantages

- May be hard trying to find members of the public in which are willing to do an interview

- If someone disagrees to being filmed or recorded you may not be able to have your focus group session documented, meaning you may forget ideas, finding an alternative may be time consuming and possibly even affect the launch date. Therefore you must be clear about how the session will be documented.
- Time consuming to arrange.
- Ethical issues such as impairment, must be assessable and fair for everyone. 

- Answers being biased - needs to consist of people who are not connected to you in anyway or aren't afraid to agree with your idea just for the sake and money of it. Creating invalid data. 

• Questionnaires / surveys.

Could be on a visualisation digram or a prototype (can be done at any point of production) 

Advantages

- Audience have the chance to express their opinions freely (not just yes and no questions), giving an   insight into the characteristics of your audience, this is called qualitative data. You can use this feedback to cater your product to your audience / make it suitable for the demographic you're targeting.

- Cost effective (cheap and easy to make)

Disadvantages

- If you receive multiple different detailed answers and requests within the feedback of your questionnaires / surveys you will not have enough time to analyse it all / it will be very time consuming. 

SECONDARY RESEARCH  (Looking at existing research. )

• Internet research.

The website has to be applicable to the brief, information has to be from an official website e.g. .org / .ac /.gov, as this guarantees you correct information.

Advantages 

- Not very time consuming as the research has already been done, it's easy to look up and find existing sources of information. However you have to make sure that the website / source is valid (.org / .ac / .gov). Is it still relevant, up to date and valid?

Disadvantages

- Not all sources consist of correct or valid information. Its important that you check the sources that you are using to ensure that they are up to date.

• Focus group 

A focus group is where you arrange a group of people to give you verbal and written feedback on your prod, this group of people should consist of people that are within your target audience, based on age, gender and lifestyle. 

You would need to arrange a time, day and location for them to give you feedback. Focus groups are usually filmed or recorded. Ideas can be physically denoted and explained. 

Advantages 

- May get more detailed feedback due to there not being a limit on what the audience can say back you.

- You get various ideas and opinions. 

- Can ask probing questions (can get as much information out of them as you want by asking multiple questions) - creating qualitative data. 

- use feedback to improve designs / the product (whatever you showed them)

Disadvantages

- May be hard trying to find members of the public in which are willing to do an interview

- If someone disagrees to being filmed or recorded you may not be able to have your focus group session documented, meaning you may forget ideas, finding an alternative may be time consuming and possibly even affect the launch date. Therefore you must be clear about how the session will be documented.
- Time consuming to arrange.
- Ethical issues such as impairment, must be assessable and fair for everyone.

- Answers being biased - needs to consist of people who are not connected to you in anyway or aren't afraid to agree with your idea just for the sake and money of it. Creating invalid data. 

• Journals

Written by a person / organisation.
Research based (facts and figures)

Advantages

- Using somebody else's research / documentation - not very time consuming.
- They can be widely accessible (within the last ten years)
- authors are typically professionals or experts. Ensuring us that the information is correct and valid.

Disadvantages.

- Biased information as it is one specific persons opinions, therefore it is crucial that you look at more than one source of information. Such as a newspaper or magazine.

How is an interview similar to a focus group?

• you physically speak to the target audience during both research methods. 
• They're both pre-arranged. 
• You have to ask questions. 

What differences do they have? 

• You're only speaking to one person within an interview, whereas a focus group consist of a group.
• An interview is more formal. 

Revsion.

Lo3- Research methods

Types of research:

1. primary.
2. secondary. 

Both research types allow us to do audience research, helping us: 

• Improve the product based on feedbag from public
• help us find out audience's interests / preferences to help us target them better
• help us understand the product that were making. 

PRIMARY RESEARCH

Definition - where you organise and prepare research yourself. 

Types of primary research:

Focus group - this is where you gather people from your target audience to give you feedback on your  ideas / product. 

A focus group has effective features, such as:

• You can ask probing questions due to it being in person. 
• Qualitative data due to probing questions. 
• feedback allows you to adjust the product to your T.A's preferences. 
• Relevant pre and post production.  
• Data can be collected within a short period of time (instant data.)

A focus group has ineffective features, such as:

• Biased feedback (people may not have to to speak up )
• Ethics - making sure location of focus group is accessible to all regarding distance and impairment. 
• You need other documents such as a visualisation digram (if meeting is on ideas / print based product), moodboard, story board if product is video based.
• Takes a long time to process data. 
• Duration of focus group, time consuming. 

Survey - A survey is a list of quantitive questions that are answered by your target audience in order to gain easily processed feedback on your ideas / product. 

Surveys have effective features, such as: 

• Quantitative data (yes no questions), are quick to complete therefore giving you instant feedback. 
• Cost effective, only need a pen and paper minimum. 
• Collect a large sample, you can ask a range of people, take a range of peoples opinions into account. 

Surveys have ineffective features, such as: 

• Lacks qualitative data (explain questions), therefore no detail to help you improve the product. 
• Responses, it could tale a long time for your feedback to return to you. 
• Other documents, a visual representation of your ideas / product. 

Questionnaire - A list of qualitative and quantitive questions that are answered by your target audience in order to gain feedback on your product / ideas. 

Questionnaires have effective features, such as:

• Quantitive data, quick to answer, therefore giving you instant feedback
• Qualitative data, give you detailed feedback allowing you to use it to improve your product
• Aimed more towards your target audience 
• Collect a large sample, you can ask a range of people, take a range of peoples opinions into account. 

Questionnaires have ineffective feature such as:

• Responses, it could tale a long time for your feedback to return to you. 
• Other documents, a visual representation of your ideas / product. 
• May take a long time to analyse data due to qualitative data

Meeting - is something you'd have with your client. 

Meeting have effective features, such as:

• Direct feedback
• speaking to your client, able to update them on progress, you can tell them about the ideas you've got / what the outcome of your audience research was.
• You can ask probing questions due to it being in person. 
• Qualitative data due to probing questions. 
• Feedback is going to be honest and valid due to the fact that you're representing them as a brand and therefore the client won't accept designs that they think won't represent them the way they want, allowing you to be ensured on what changes need to be made. 
• You can have more than one meeting.
• You don't have to meet in person, e.g. you can Skype.
• 'Meeting minuets', have evidence on what was said to help you look back on what changes need to be made. 

Meeting have ineffective features, such as:

• Technical difficulties such as no internet connection to Skype. An alternative could be a phone call & send your visuals over text / email. 
• May not like your design meaning launch date possibly being effected.
• Need other documents such as visuals. 

SECONDARY RESEARCH  

Definition - looking a existing sources / information / products. 

Types of primary research: 

Internet - Where you look at existing sources such as websites / reviews / online products to gain data on elements regarding your product such as layout, theme, genre and so on. 

The internet has effective features, such as:

• 
  

Journals - Written by a professional / academic person such as a historian. 

Journals have effective features, such as:

• 
  

Books - General books based on the theme of your product, typically non-fictional. 

Books have effective features such as:

• 
  

Mock question answer.

Alexia could use a visualisation digram to communicate her ideas to Garmz. A visualiisation would be more effective to demonstrate ideas compared to other planning documents such as a moodboard. Due to the fact that although both planning documents demonstrate the theme, house tyle colours anfd fonts, the visualisation digram visually shows you what your ideas would look like when put together, for example, Alexia would be able to show what the ideas she has for the  'wardrobe' 'shoerack' and 'accessories' sections that Garmz would like to see on the website, whereas a moodboard can only show initial ideas such as colours, fonts and images. Secondly, a visualisation diagram includes annotations, connotations and denotations, meaning Alexia would be able to justify why she thinks her design ideas would be suitable for the 18-35 year old target audience, whereas moodboards do not feauture elements such as annotations therefore meaning Alexia could potentially forget why she decided to chose the deisgns she did, or, Garmz won't understand the concept of her ideas. However, despite the benefits of a visualisation diagram, they can still have constraints such as  being very time consuming to create due to the fact that they're neat and thoughtfully presented, potentially affect the presentation of Alexia's ideas as she may not have enough time to get document prepared for the meeting to the standards she wants, whereas although a moodboard doesn't show the visual outcome of the product, they're to quick to make due to it's non-linear presentation.

Mock question plan.

• Introduction 

- state which document would be more relevant than an alternative document ( VD vs Moodboard )

• VD effectiveness

- visually shows you what ideas look like when put together, for example she would show what the 'wardrobe' 'shoerack' and 'accessories' sections will look like - Moodboard can't do this due to its 

- includes annotations, connotations and denotations to help - This would allow alexia to justify 
why she thinks her design choices would appeal tot he 18-35 year old target audience. - Moodboards do not include them therefore you may forget why you've chosen those design ideas or Garmz may not understand the concept of your ideas.

• VD ineffectiveness

- A visualisation diagram can be very time consuming to create due to the fact that it's neatly and thoughtfully presented, potentially affect the launch date as Garmz want the website ready for may, which isn't a lot of time, whereas although a moodboard doesn't show the visual outcome of the product, to quick to make due to it's non-linear presentation. 

Lo4 - Regulators.

• ASA - Advertising Standards association.

- Regulate all advertisements such as on TV / Video and Radio. 

- Have guidelines to ensure that the content is appropriate to the target audience, such as pre/post watershed rules.
- Wouldn't be involved within the production stage, but pre-production as they only regulate the adverts once they've been complained about as the products are expected to know the guidelines of ASA when creating it. 

• BBFC - British Board of Film Classification 

- Give films age certificates. e.g 12A, 15, 18, U, PG. 

- Ensure that the content is suitable for the audience, for example if a film is rated a 15, no one below this age is able to watch the film at cinemas, they cant buy / rent the DVD in stores either.

- BBFC rate films based on the amount of explicit and graphic content they include, for example, a film with a BBFC 18 rating would include a lot of explicit language, 

• PEGI - Pan European Gaming Information 

- Give games certificates. e.g. 12, 15, 18 8, 3. 

- They regulate all kind of games such as computer games, xbox, iphone and so on. 
- apply content description graphics to the packaging of games to show the audience some of the controversial elements that are in the games (typically seen on PEGI 15-18 games) such as racism,  drug abuse, threat / horror and so on. content description graphics have been applied to games due to the amount of moral panics games have caused and it also helps parents decide whether they want their children being involved with these sort of activities. 

• OfCom - Office of communications 

- Regulate TV and radio. 

- Ensure that the content is suitable for the audience. For example, due to the fact that most live Radio shows are broadcasted throughout the entire day, guidelines have to applied such as ensuring that no explicit language or biased options on things such as politics or people are included as this could influence a younger, more impressionable audience. 

- Pre/post water shed guidelines - cannot play explicit music or use explicit language before 9pm on radio due to the thought that children are typically in bed by this time and therefore will not hear it. 
For TV, no explicit language or graphic scenes can be portrayed in programmes before 9pm for the same reasons. 

• IPSO - Independent press standards organisation 

- Regulate print based products. E.g magazines, newspapers.
- "Editors code" - i.e. their guidelines, these ensure that the products are suitable for the target audience of the products. 

• W3C - World wide web 

- For website only. 
- Give advice and guidelines to content for websites, they even give you help on how to get good content on your website. 
- don't necessary regulate websites but they do supply support.

• PRS - Performing rights society. 

- Responsible for any music that used in a media product, for example adverts,  jingles, theme music, sound effects, melodies. 

- affecting any sounds we hear in radio. 

- you sign up to them and give them access to your music, if they think it's acceptable you will repaid the royalties if your song is used within a media product. 

- however, if it is seen that someone used your music / SFX etc, without your permission, you can sue them as they haven't contacted PRS to use your property, meaning it's a copyright issue. 

• Trademarks

- includes logos, colours and slogans. 

- applies to all media products: Music, SFX, colours, shapes, characters.

- a trademark is an asset / design, which is legally owned by a person / organisation, such as the McDonalds logo.