Audience Research

Audience research is a method used to find out about your target audience. For my audience research I conducted a questionnaire, this is one of the most common methods for gathering audience research. I decided to do a questionnaire as it was quick and easy to produce and get the data for. In my research group there were 10 participants.

Q1) What age are you?
- Below 12
- 12 – 15
- 16 - 19
- 20 – 23
- 23 – 26
- 26 – 30
- 30 +

Q2) Which do you prefer to watch?
- Music Video
- Documentary
- Short film

Q3) What attracts you to watching a music video?
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Q4) What genre of music do you enjoy listening to?
- Rock
- Pop
- R&B
- Rap
- Hip Hop
- Classical
- Metal
- Other

Q5) What formats do you watch music videos on?
- Phone
- Internet
- Television
- Other

Q6) What type of music video do you prefer to watch?
- Abstract
- Performance
- Narrative
- Mixture

Q7) What attracts you to documentaries?
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Q8) What formats do you watch documentaries on?
- Phone
- Internet
- Television
- Other

Q9) What attracts you to short films?
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Q10) What formats do you watch short films on?
- Phone
- Internet
- Television
- Cinema
- Other

Summary of Questionnaire:

From the questionnaire I was able to summarise the answers I received, which will help me towards deciding what to make for my A2 production. Whether it be a music video, short film or a documentary. My original idea was to do a music video but I wished to see what others liked but due to this the majority of my questions are music video related.

After looking through the answers people had given to the questionnaire I was able to see that on general most of the participants would prefer to watch a music video. This was due to music being a part of everyday life for the participants, as they listen and watched music videos in spare time.

The majority of answers to question 3 when asked what attracted them to music videos, were along the same lines as they were attracted due to being able to watch their favourite artists. Also other answers said because some music videos are very visually engaging, mainly down to the use of special effects or they can have a strong emotional reaction to the video, which makes them want to watch it. Others answered that with performance videos, especially ones recorded at concerts it gives you a chance to see them in action or even bring back memories of seeing that artist perform. 

The most popular genre of music was R&B with 4 out of the 10 participants answering with that for question 4. Rock was the second most popular answer and others had an average response. However classical had no votes and therefore was the list popular genre of music.

For question 5 the most popular format to watch a music video on was the internet. Youtube would be a leading website for people to watch videos as this is where the majority of people go to watch them due to the high viewing figures music videos have on there. Also the internet is the most accessible way to but video premiers often show casing online. Television was the second most popular, as there is a wide range of music channels available.  

6 out of the 10 participants preferred to watch a music video with was a mixture of the different types of music video, them being: abstract; performance & narrative. This is because it is more engaging to watch and visual varied. 

Most people were attracted to documentaries in question 7 as documentaries offer an interesting and visual way to learn about a factual record; report or popular issue. Which without watching they would not have known about. 

Question 8 showed the results that 6 of the participants watched documentaries via the television. The other 4 watched documentaries through the internet, usually on sites such as BBC iplayer and 4od. 

The main reason as to why people were attracted to short films was due to being about to watch a story in a short period of time and not taking ages to get into the  meaning/plot of the film. Also they found them easy to watch and understand as they tend to get straight to the point. The usual twists which short films have also attracted people.

From question 10s results I was able to find out that the majority of people watched short films on the internet. Mostly on the BBC website, as they showcase short films but also on such mediums as Youtube and Vimeo.