My Proposal For a Media Product

The idea in which I would like to propose for our TV and film studio would be a Comedy Drama based around being a student in college and everything that may go on when living the college student life. it is very relevant, accessibly and most importunely, it is achievable.

Audience Research

I would say that the age of my viewers would be in their teens due to it being based around college so it is completely on the same page as some of the consumers so they will be able to relate to the production. I would say that the viewers will mostly be in education or about to start further education (college) to get an insight of how some people may interpret college life and everything there is to being a college student. The socio-economic status of my target market would be mostly working class as with it being a comedy it is more the traditional genre of this certain class in our society.

Market Research

The advertising would be mostly done around college due to my target audience being students but also i think that an effective way to advertise this product would be to use it on metros and buses for students when commuting to and from college but also for theses who aren't at college which will broaden the audience and therefor make the consumer boundaries larger and bringing in more viewers. Within the existing product market i would say productions such as the Inbetweeners and Bad Education could be the closest to the specific genre as they are both set in a school/college surrounding and therefor having the same market.

Production Research

The fact that our studio will be situated within the same building as the location i will be shooting in is a big benefit to both costs and accessibility with all the equipment so therefor this production is set up to be a low cost and easily made TV show. There may be a few problems though, finding a time when you can completely have control of a certain classroom for hours whilst it is set up with equipment and shot inside and also for scenes maybe in the main building of college without having people in the background and limiting the success of having a professional production. The personnel will be selected from the media courses in college and will people will volunteer rather than choose people because that way you will get the most committed and enthusiastic people to create the production. the talent for actors will be selected through an audition process. When the show first undergoes planning there will be an idea of the type of characters that want to be portrayed in the show and the actors will be chosen not only pin their acting ability but also based upon the fact of do they suit the role? Auditions will be advertised around school and in every drama classroom there will be a flyer spreading the word of the auditions.

Interpretation 

I feel that this idea for a TV show is incredibly suited to the Studio with the location and relevance to the students and also it is very capable of doing and has a lot of potential to be a success. With it being created with professional equipment, it is a great opportunity for everyone involved such as the actors as they will be starring in a professional standard production and also for the media students who will be able to use all the equipment to create the best possible College TV Show.

Primary Research

Within my research I devised a questionnaire and handed it out to 10 16-24 year olds at my work and asked them to fill it in when on their break. I came up with some averages, for example out of those questioned, on average they watch at least 10 hours of TV and Film every week. 3 out of the 10 said that they preferred to watch it on a mobile device (iPhone,iPad) rather than TV. This was mainly due to the flexibility and that they can watch what they want whenever they choose. I also found that the most common genre of film is comedy within the age range. when filling out their questionnaire, I discovered  that only 2 out of the 10 would say that they go to the cinema over 2 times per month. When speaking face to face I found that the reasoning for this was the turn over of films coming out on DVD is getting quicker and quicker and also the ability to access the films illegally online as soon as they come into the cinemas. When asked what their favourite TV series was, 3 out of the 10 answered with Breaking Bad, this means that 33% of them have, not only seen it, but would say that it was their favourite TV series and the one which they most enjoy. When asked why this was the case some answers that I received were "I heard people talking about it so i felt as though I had to watch it". This is a prime example of word of mouth which nowadays is much more than a case of just talking in conversation. It can now be spread through the internet with sites such as Facebook with 94% of teens using this website to share their own views freely on the internet. This then explains why there is such a popularity of the series Breaking Bad as if many people are posting online what they think then of course other will follow and watch the show themselves just to feel as though they have to and that it is their duty as part of this generation which is completely digitally driven.

Secondary Research

Secondary Research

Being in the generation of native digital learners, it comes to no surprise that the age group of 16-24 year olds are the biggest TV and Film watchers. On websites such as IMDB, there are statistics to show that the most watched films by teenagers seem to be those of a comedy genre. Films such as Step Brothers, Superbad and the American Pie films all see to be of a popular choice within the Film ratings. Another Genre which seemed to be of a high popularity was action films. The bar chart ratifies the point of 16-24 year olds watching the most TV and Film as the majority of those who enjoy action films are within this category and the box office figures seem to run in correlation with this point: 

Its not just what we are watching, it is how we are watching our Media. With technology comes new ways of viewing. For example the iPhone, there is now an app for Netflix so we can watch our films on the go and with 56% of people in the market owning a smartphone its just proves that there is the potential for such variety when it comes to viewing our media. 

Funding in the Television and Film Industry

Having funding is what lets us have all these companies and without funding, we wouldn't have all our favourite TV shows and films at the click of a button. there are various ways in which a company can gather funds to stay in the industry, for example:

Subscription -  This is where a consumer will pay a subscription fee to be able to gain access to certain forms of media, examples can be Netflix or Xbox Live

Pay Per View - This method can be used for certain sports events such as the Super Bowl for people to pay a certain amount of money allowing them to view the chosen production.

Advertisement - This is where a company can pay another company to promote their product by showing an advert for example in a commercial break coca cola may pay huge amounts of money just so they can have their product advertised.

Product Placement - Similar to advertisement although on a more subconscious level, for example a company may pay a film company to incorporate their product in the film. an example could be Aston Martin in the James Bond Films.

Ownership in the Television and Film Industries

Media Ownership is rapidly changing and an increasingly fewer amount of people are managing a vastly evolving industry, the media. It is key figures such as Rupert Murdoch who are, due to their financial status, able to buy the industry thus giving them the power to control what the consumers see, read and watch every day. There are many different forms of ownership within the media such as the following:

Public Broadcasting – a form of ownership that’s main aim is to please the public. The BBC can be used as an example of this where they gain funding from TV licences and this in turn enables adverts to be banished, therefore pleasing the public due to not requiring any further funding from advertising companies.

Private Broadcasting – These companies are usually run by one or more persons, an example being Sky and Rupert Murdoch. He owns various major enterprises that seem to dominate our industry and with this including film, television, radio and the news it really does mean he can have an effect on the way we for example may interpret a news story, all down to the fact that he is in a financially superior position and has the power because of this.

Global – Companies such as Time Warner, the second largest multimedia company in the world in terms of revenue. These types usually seem to own various different forms of media allowing their trademark to be globally recognised. Time Warner also own side companies such as Warner Brothers which again is at the top of the chain within its own genre of media. Disney is the largest company in the world within the media. With the masses of work which has been produced by them over all the years it makes the other companies seem inferior. This is why the company is regarded as the greatest in its field.