Creative Media Production: Primary Research (My Documentary)

Primary research is a form of analyzing which consists of various methods. The forms primary research I will be studying for my documentary will be the audience, voice-overs and archive footage. I will explain the advantages and disadvantages in this essay.

• The Audience
• Voice-overs
• Archive Footage
• Interviews

The Audience can be used as a form of primary research. A Television researcher would study a certain audience to understand what their response was to a program. They do this by creating focus groups or airing pilots onto a network. An advantage of an audience is that you can see the response before you air a program. This means that the researcher can make changes to improve to program. A disadvantage of an audience is that the show's subject may only cater for a certain's persons interest. This could mean the programs strengths could be ignored.

A voice over is used in many television programs. A program would uses voice overs to explain information over video footage without being part of a narrative. An advantage of a voice over would be that it may be spoken by someone who appears elsewhere in the program. And this can also create a dramatic effect for the show. A disadvantage of this would be that without seeing the presenter, the audience may be confused and may not know who is talking.

Archive footage is a form of primary research which involves seeking out and extracting evidence from it's original source. An advantage of this would be that it saves filmmakers from shooting new material. A disadvantage of this would be that they are a number of companies that own the copyrights to this footage and they can charge the filmmakers for using it.   

An interview is a form of primary research which is used in several forms of media, including newspapers, radio, television and film. An advantage of an interview can give the researcher a chance to use open questions and ask the interviewee to expand and elaborate on their answers. A disadvantage of an interview could be that the interviewee can give unnecessary or irrelevant information.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I have discovered several other shows that follow a similar format to what I want to create. 

• Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder.
• Crimewatch
• Most Evil
• Born To Kill