Research

Qualitative vs Quantitative research

There are 2 different types of research, qualitative and quantitative. qualitative means that you ask lots of questions, and find out why people feel towards something the way they do. However quantitative research is very short, but more focused on numbers and statistics, usually used in surveys. Qualitative research is good because it provides context, and helps researchers to understand why people react the way they to to things, and can explain other aspects too. Quantitative research 

Qualitative pros / cons

• Qualitative research allows the research to expand on its findings, and understand the reasons for the results, which can lead to other questions and answers 
• It can save time, as you aren't interviewing as many people whilst still gaining helpful insight. 
• It may be less accurate, as you are working with a smaller sample size
• People may not be as truthful with their reasoning, leading to inaccurate results

Quantitive pros / cons

• Better for building statistics
• More linear process
• Doesn't provide context and reasoning 

Primary vs Secondary research

Primary research is finding out things first hand, creating resources from scratch based on your own findings from personal experience whereas secondary research is taking other people's results and resources and using them to gather information on a topic.

Primary research pros / cons

• Primary research is a lot more trustworthy, as its evidence acquired from personal experience.
• Your own findings may be inaccurate
• There may be a lack of evidence to support your findings 

Secondary research pros / cons

Ethical vs legal research

When conducting research, you have to ethical and legal aspects. For example you must be sure not to offend any of your potential audience, or they may boycott the product, losing sales and a positive reputation. On the legal side of research, you must make sure that all work is owned by the company or group of people working on the project. Otherwise, you may be subject to legal issues which will either force you to pay royalties, rework aspects of your product or outright recall it. 

When creating a media production, it's important to have extensive knowledge on the topic being portrayed, especially if it is sensitive. This is often the case for documentaries, which oftentimes cover tragic events. For example, if a documentary on true crime is being made, it's important that the team working on it understand the facts fully as to not upscale or downplay the actions of the criminal, which is a sensitive topic for some audience members, otherwise, you may alienate them and cause negative coverage and damage to the team's reputation.

Media regulations

The BBFC, Ofcom and the ASA Are all British boards of regulation which approve media before it is released to the public. 

BBFC stands for British Board of Film Classification, and it's an organisation which rates films before the are released into cinema. They are important as they help the public to understand how upsetting the contents of the movie potentially are. Parents specifically, are able to easily decide if a movie or series is suitable for their child. Furthermore, the BBFC offer their reasoning for the rating, meaning that people can check to see if the movie includes elements that they are upset by, and choose to avoid the movie. 

The ASA is the Advertising Standards Authority, and they set the guidelines for TV adverts in the UK.  Mainly, adverts must be truthful, inoffensive and legal. A truthful ad means that it is not allowed to lie about the product, what it comes with and its side effects (if any). For example, a model cannot be used to promote a fitness product which they didn't use to achieve their body, such as a diet pill, as you'd be selling a lie. 

Ofcom is similar to the BBFC, but it regulates TV programmes primarily, but also focuses on radio broadcasting and broadband. For example, one of their influences on TV is designated advert space, which each programme is required to show for a minimum of 15 minutes.