UPDATE: Next tasks, Audience Research and Evaluation Questions

Your blogs are looking good but you need to now focus on filming and editing!!!

Alongside that, you need to continue updating your blogs:

- The work you have done on your titles so far, with screengrabs and a few evaluative comments;

- Any test shoot or recce you have done, with pictures of behind-the-scenes if possible!

- Institutional information research - Who would produce your film? Who would distribute your film?

- More research into your target audience:
* Profile of your target audience member


Some of you are already quite far into your research. Remember to sum up your findings about core target audience, any secondary audience.

All magazines do it - for instance, look at NME's summary of their target audience:



You must have identified a clear target audience and you must show the steps you've taken to identify it and  the steps you've taken to test your ideas against this specified audience. This doesn't mean just an endless series of questionnaires. Use the range of techniques including interviews, preferably with your target audience, and the tools available through Web 2.0.

Look at similar films and research their audiences - How was it marketed to appeal to the target audience? What are the viewing figures?

You must be able to answer these questions fully and with illustrations:
1. What is the core target audience? Is there a secondary target audience?
2. How would you describe the look and tastes of your target audience? (collage with key words)

THIS SHOULD HELP - FROM MEDIAKNOWALL WEBSITE.

* Research into the Uses and Gratifications Theory. You can start by reading this
Explain what your audience would 'get out of' watching your film, focusing on the bullet points from the article above (and copied below)

Blumler & Katz (1974) argued that audience needs have social and psychological origins which generate certain expectations about the mass media, leading to differential patterns of media exposure which result in both the gratification of needs and in other (often unintended) consequences. This does assume an active audience making motivated choices:

Information
• finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world
• seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices
• satisfying curiosity and general interest
• learning; self-education
• gaining a sense of security through knowledge
  
  
• Personal Identity
  
• finding reinforcement for personal values
• finding models of behaviour
• identifying with valued other (in the media)
• gaining insight into one's self
  Integration and Social Interaction
  
• gaining insight into circumstances of others; social empathy
• identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging
• finding a basis for conversation and social interaction
• having a substitute for real-life companionship
• helping to carry out social roles
• enabling one to connect with family, friends and society
  Entertainment
  
• escaping, or being diverted, from problems
• relaxing
• getting intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment
• filling time
• emotional release
• sexual arousal

Finally, some of you are being really good at writing short updates which help us get a sense of your 'journey'. All of you should be doing it.
Also make sure that you use plenty of screengrabs to show evidence of what you have been doing, particularly which technologies you are learning to use.

I will now put the Evaluation Questions below as it is crucial to have them in mind as you plan.
This is the suggested Evaluation Tasks List but I am keen to experiment a bit more with different formats this year. You can use this as general guidance though.

Marking Criteria and activities for the evaluation by hgaldinoshea