The Nature of Media Research

Production Research

Can you get the rights to use the story if its not your own idea?

• Have you specifically asked for permission from the author to create a film from their idea?

What locations are you planning to use?

• How long will you need to use each location for? (Quantitative)
• How many different locations would you need? (Quantitative)
• What time of year would be best to film in that location?
• Would you be able to get permission to use that particular location?
• Would the location be accessible for a complete film crew (ease of access)
• Is there an electricity supply available for the crew to use?
• Can things be changed in the location e.g painting or new builds? 

What staff would you need to hire?

• Would you have a whole production team, or just a few members?
• Would they all be available to work for the entire project?

What equipment would be needed?

• Would you need to hire equipment such as the camera?
• Would there be any specialist equipment you would require, for example a dolly and track?

If the story is non-fiction or a documentary would it be historically correct?

• Have you fully researched the time that the film is set?
• What kind of attire would the actors have to be wearing?
• Would the locations used be suitable?
• What kind of props would you have to acquire?

Would any post production be need?

• How much would be needed?
• How long would this take to do?
• Would you have to hire any specialists to do it?

Market Research

Have there been any previous films that are of similar genre to this one?

• Have they done well, e.g have they made a profit or a loss? (Quantitative)
• Is there any in production at the moment?
• Has that genre peaked, e.g are they not doing so well any more, are they still popular?

Does the film have a unique selling point?

• Is there something that will make the film different to previous releases? 

When are you planning to finish and release the film?

• What time of year are you planning to release? e.g in the summer, when young people are off school
• Are there any highly anticipated films releasing at the same time that may cast a shadow on your release?

Where are you planning to release the film?

• Are you going to get it into the cinemas or straight to DVD? Could you use a newer medium such as the internet or mobile stores?
• Which medium will suit your film best?
• Have these other places of release made as much money as a cinema release? (Quantitative)
• If it was released in cinemas first would it available on other mediums later?

Would the age rating of the film affect how many people it will research?

• Is it suitable for children? or is some of the content too mature?
• If it was an 18 would it limit the amount of people who see it?
• If it was put on a lower rating would it constrict the original idea of the story?
• What countries would it be released in?
• Would it be accepted by all audiences or could it offend certain cultures in different places in  the world?
• Is there certain countries where it would do better than others?
• Would it only be available in the language it was filmed in or would it be subtitles or dubbed?

Production Budget

How much is the film going to cost you? What is the negative cost? (Quantitative)

• How much is it actually going to cost to produce, for example wages for all of staff, equipment and locations hire, electricity usage, post production, catering and expenses such as travel and fuel. (Quantitative)

What happens if the film runs over budget? (negative pick-up) (Quantitative)

• When a large production company (such as Warner Brothers) buys a film before its made they will give the producer a budget to spend, and this it the only money they will provide. The extra money will have to be found and will cut into the amount of profit that the film will make. This is why research must be completed accurately, to insure the negative pick-up is kept to a minimum. 

How much is the film going to cost to market? (Quantitative)

• How much is it going to cost to market the film to an audience, for example what are the total cost of the posters, trailers, interviews, TV and cinema adverts going to cost to make a distribute to the correct places?

How much profit will the film actually make? (Quantitative)

• This is the amount of money that the films makes after all the negative costs and pick ups have been exceeded
• This money can be made from a variety of sources, for example box office sales, DVD sales, Television showings, merchandising and memorabilia