MS2 - how to research effectively
After you have created your research blog and chosen your genre and form, you need to start researching. But how?
Key areas to research:
Genre: what repertoire of elements do you need to use? How can you show you understand the genre you are working within?
Narrative: how is your artefact going to be structured? Can you apply any theory to your work?
Audience: who are your target audience (be as specific as possible)? How will you target them? What features or characteristics do you need to include? Remember to use your knowledge of semiotics, codes and conventions and mise-en-scene where appropriate.
You need to include primary, secondary and audience research:
1. Primary
Primary research is research you have gathered from media texts themselves, by carrying out your own analysis and making notes.
e.g., if you're planning to storyboard the opening of a sci-fi film, you need to analyse the openings of some sci-fi films. Use all the MS1 skills you have been taught so far to do this.
2. Secondary
Secondary research is research from other sources: class notes, text books, Media Magazine, websites etc. Some useful sites are listed below:
Make sure you make a note of your sources and include them in your research blog. It's not good enough to say 'google' or 'wikipedia'; be specific.
3. Audience
If you are targeting an audience, you need to research what that audience expects to see. Using your primary and secondary research to help, put together a survey with some multiple choice questions and ask the people around you what they would like to see in a film/TV show of the kind you're storyboarding. Be specific about the demographic and reasons for targeting your chosen audience. You should also include some research on the effects of your shots on the audience.
Genre: what repertoire of elements do you need to use? How can you show you understand the genre you are working within?
Narrative: how is your artefact going to be structured? Can you apply any theory to your work?
Audience: who are your target audience (be as specific as possible)? How will you target them? What features or characteristics do you need to include? Remember to use your knowledge of semiotics, codes and conventions and mise-en-scene where appropriate.
You need to include primary, secondary and audience research:
1. Primary
Primary research is research you have gathered from media texts themselves, by carrying out your own analysis and making notes.
e.g., if you're planning to storyboard the opening of a sci-fi film, you need to analyse the openings of some sci-fi films. Use all the MS1 skills you have been taught so far to do this.
2. Secondary
Secondary research is research from other sources: class notes, text books, Media Magazine, websites etc. Some useful sites are listed below:
- WJEC
- Guardian Media
- Media Know All
- www.imbd.com
- www.filmsite.org
- The Media Blog
- Media Magazine
- David Gauntlett's site
- Aberystwyth University's media site
- MediaKnowAll
- Google Books
- Nick Lacey's site
- Wikipedia - with a warning - this is good only as a starting point!
Make sure you make a note of your sources and include them in your research blog. It's not good enough to say 'google' or 'wikipedia'; be specific.
3. Audience
If you are targeting an audience, you need to research what that audience expects to see. Using your primary and secondary research to help, put together a survey with some multiple choice questions and ask the people around you what they would like to see in a film/TV show of the kind you're storyboarding. Be specific about the demographic and reasons for targeting your chosen audience. You should also include some research on the effects of your shots on the audience.