Podcast

Election Connection Research Report

Research is the investigation into sources in order to find new knowledge, finding out new research allows us to educate ourselves on certain topics. There are many different types of research, for example quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data is a more logical type of data, it gives a measure of what people think, you can collect a large amount of quantitative that can organised for analysis. To collect this, questionnaires and surveys are mostly used in order to collect specific answers, this sort of data can be flexible as it can be carried out in many different ways, including online, post and possibly over the phone. However qualitative data is based around opinions, what people think and how they feel. Qualitative data can be changed and changed or measured, unlike quantitative data.  This type of data can be led by discussion which is a lot more casual.

Primary data is new data that can be found out by yourself, it is used to answer specific problems and overcome issues. This can be found out by doing questionnaires and surveys to find out the opinions. Secondary data is research that has already been carried out by someone else, it involves a collection of existing research, for example finding information online, in books, on TV etc. Secondary research allows us to get a better understanding of certain subjects, you could say it is an educational type of research.

Market research is finding out information in order to know how successful a particular product will be. As part of this you will need to find out what the consumers needs and preferences are. Using a focus group is a good way of carrying out market research, it allows the potential consumers to have an input into the product. Questionnaires and surveys can be used, similarly to focus groups we can find out what the customers are expecting of the product. Audience research is gathering information about the audiences attitudes, preferences, interest, knowledge etc. The reason this is carried out is so we can get a better understanding of the target audience, it would be pointless making something that won’t appeal to the right people. Knowing the people you want to target the product at will make it have a more successful turnout. Questionnaires are good in audience research because they are quick and easy to do and they allow us to collect a lot of information about the target audience. Interviews are good because to public can describe what they would like to see, what works and what doesn’t. Online reviews and ratings are good because people can judge the product and express how to improve it.

Production research allows us to identify what resources are needed to launch a final product, and whether the product will be suitable and profitable to the market. It will give us an idea of what factors will affect the production of the product. The controllable factors will be, pricing and promotion and uncontrollable factors will be technology, competition, economic changes. Examples of production research are pre-production and post-production because they both give the producer knowledge of important aspects that need to be thought of whilst the product is in production.

To conclude I think all types of research because it allows us to gain knowledge and a better understanding of what we want the end product to be like, who it will appeal to  and how well it will do on the market. We will also have an understanding of the costs and of the income and how to organise to create best possible financial results from release date.

Linear And Non Linear

Linear Narrative

In a linear narrative can be divided into 3 or 4 sections, act one is where all the main characters and their basic situations are introduced, it explores the characters background and personalities. A problem is normally introduced in the first section which leads the storyline forward. The second act is the bulk of the story. There is normally a problem being introduced which changes and alters the storyline, as an audience we try and solve this problems ourselves. After that there is a resolution, leading to the end of the film. This is where the problem in the story boils over and the characters have confronted and solved the issue. This allows the elements of the story to come together leading to the ending. 

An example of a linear narrative film is The Exorcist, the first section of the film is where the main characters are introduced and we learn a lot about their lives. In the second part, the main character becomes possessed by a demon which is clearly the problem, their is no real explanation as to why this happened. After this there is the last part of the film which is the exorcism which is the main part of the story which it has been leading up to.



Non Linear Narrative 

In contrast, a non linear is a disjointed structure that often starts in the middle or at the conflict/problem and makes it's way to the beginning of the film. Another non linear form is including flashbacks or flash forwards to tell the story, this is interesting to the viewer because it keeps them on their toes and makes the film interactive with the audience. This unconventional way of presenting events challenge the viewer’s memory in the way that they can only understand the plot by making cause-and-effect connections between the scenes. This draws in the audience and makes the film more interesting and exciting.

An example of a non linear structure is Pulp Fiction, it structures around three interrelated storylines: Vincent Vega, Butch Coolidge and Jules Winnfield. Vincent Vega is the lead of the first story and is a hit man for Marcellus Wallace. The third story has Vincent’s partner Jules Winnfield in the lead. Each story focuses on a different series of incidents but they are all connected together.

Colour Association

Different colours can show different feelings and emotions, a certain colour can demonstrate how you are being perceived. For example I would say red has a few connotations, one is that red shows signs of danger however it can also be used to convey romance and love. Blue is seen as a relaxing colour, it can make people feel comfortable in their surroundings. Many themes of spa's are blue. Colours such as yellow, green and pink can be very bright and for me they depict happiness and a light hearted nature. The colour green is the colour of nature, I would also link it to recycling and making the world more eco-friendly. Colours such as grey and white are quite plain which in my opinion have no attached feelings or meanings because they can be shown as 'dull'.

Here I have arranged some coloured pens into the style of a colour wheel, by doing this I have gained a better understanding of how the colours look when they are put next to each other. For example, colours opposite each other are complimentary and some are contrasting due to their positioning in the colour wheel. 

This is a collage of pictures I took last week when I was walking around Bath, I took pictures of objects ranging from clothes to doors. I have arranged this in the form of the colour wheel. 

Primary Colours are those that are formed by mixing any other colours, some say they are pure colours. Secondary are formed by mixing two or more primary colours together and tertially by mixing two or more secondary colours. 

Tetradic Colour Scheme 

This colour scheme uses four colours arranged into two complementary colour pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonise; if all four colours are use in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a colour to be dominant or subdue the colours. 

Triadic Colour Scheme 

This colour scheme uses three colours equally spaced around the colour wheel. It offers strong visual contrast while retaining balance, and colours richness. The triadic scheme is not is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it looks more balanced. 

Complementary Color Scheme 

This is made of two colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel, the complementary scheme is intrinsically high-contrast and draws maximum attention. Using one colour for the background and its complementary colour to highlight important elements, you will get colour dominance combined with sharp colour contrast. 

Analogous Colour Scheme 

Analogous colour are colours that are in close proximity of each to each other on the colour wheel that share similar hue and saturation. The graphic example below shows red and two analogous colours of red violet and red orange. Analogous colours are most often used to achieve proper colour harmony. 

Art Forms

Postmodern

PostmodernI in general, included movements such as Intermedia, Installation art, Conceptual Art and Multimedia, particularly involving video are described as postmodern. Dates that have been proposed as marking the beginning of the postmodern movement include 1914 in Europe and 1962 or 1968 in the United States.  Postmodern art tends to deconstruct traditional narratives of race, gender, nationality and family. 

Futurism Art

Futurism  was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century. It emphasized and glorified themes associated with contemporary concepts of the future, including speed, technology, youth and violence. It was largely an Italian phenomenon, though there were parallel movements in Russia, England and elsewhere.  The Futurists practised in every medium of art, includingpainting, sculpture, ceramics, graphic design, industrial design, interior design, urban design, theatre, film, fashion, textiles,literature, music, architecture and even gastronomy.


Art Nouveau



Art Nouveau is considered a "total" art style, embracing architecture, graphic art, interior design, and most of the decorative arts, including jewellery, furniture, textiles, household silver and other utensils and lighting, as well as the fine arts. According to the philosophy of the style, art should be a way of life. In the 19th Century, it was inspired by natural forms and structures, not only in flowers and plants, but also in curved lines. 


Swiss Style


Swiss Style, is a graphic design style developed in Switzerland in the 1950s that emphasizes cleanliness, readability and objectivity. The style is also associated with a preference for photography in place of illustrations or drawings. Fonts chosen for the text are sans serif. Many early pioneers of the movement believing that design is a “socially useful and important activity... the designers define their roles not as artists but as objective conduites for spreading important information between components of society.”

Bauhaus

Bauhaus, was an art school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicised and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. The Bauhaus was first founded by Walter Gropius. The school existed in three German cities: Weimar from 1919 to 1925, Dessau from 1925 to 1932 and Berlin from 1932 to 1933. Changes of venue and leadership resulted in a constant shifting of focus, technique, instructors, and politics.

Recce

We walked to two different places looking for a setting for a romantic, comedy and sci-fi film. The first location was in a park, it had a lot of slopes which would allow us to get some good shots however I wasn't blown away by the surrounding, it wasn't much of an open space and it was very crowded with the play equipment. I don't think this location would've been entirely suitable for the film. In this particular location, the road was visible and could get quite busy, I think the traffic going past can have an impact on the scene and possibly be harder to work around.

The second location we went to was a lot better in my opinion because it was more of an open space, I think that a plain area would be more effective because it allows us to be more creative with our ideas. There were also a few slopes which would allow us to get some good shots from different angles. This area was quite tucked away despite having a row of outstanding buildings surrounding it, I believe this makes the set more gloomy and suitable to the film.

Both of the locations we went to were near building work which may not be suitable for the film because if we take time to discuss the shots in the middle of filming, the surrounding could have completely changed which could possibly make it look unrealistic.

Mini Research Project

Textual Analysis

I have chosen to use an album as part of my research project. The album I will be focusing on is ‘Neighborhoods’ by blink-182. Neighborhoods is a 36 minute long alternative rock/pop punk album, it was released on September 27, 2011. This is their first album in eight years, its recording followed the band's breakup and reconciliation. The trio wrote lyrics regarding such subjects as isolation, confusion and death. The band infused inspiration from each member's various musical tastes to form a unique sound that recalled their separate upbringings, leading the trio to compare the album to separate neighborhoods.

Genre

I have decided to choose this album to do my research project on because I believe it has a lot of hidden meanings behind it which are interesting to look into. The genre of this album is the type of the genre I am interested in. Blink-182 produce a very specific genre which is alternative rock/pop punk, a band such as blink-182 know exactly what type of music to write and perform for their audience as they are very aware of the audience profile.

Representation

The lyricism of the album is majorly influenced by heavy elements in each members lives, elements considered dark by Mark Hoppus (bassist/vocalist). The band wrote lyrics  dealing with breakdowns in communication and trust and tackled with themes of isolation, confusion, depression, addiction and loss. Mark Hoppus struggled with writing upbeat, happy songs for the album and attributed to dark lyricism to the heavy events occurring shortly before the reunion.

For example, I focused on one song on the album called ‘After Midnight’. The lyrics are centred around romance. The song revolves around two broken individuals who fall in love. The music video to this was released in January 2012, it combines a narrative of young lovers sneaking around a youth psychiatric ward and performance shots of the band performing.

Introduction to the ‘After Midnight’ music video

The music video begins with a mid shot of the sign saying ‘youth psychiatric ward’ which straight away tells us the idea of the video, the mid shot is used so the audience are able to read the sign clearly. There is then a wide shot to show the teenagers sat in a canteen, the lighting at this point is dimmed, this is used so show the dark atmosphere around the ward. After this there is a close up of different activities the teenages are participating in, each of which have a blank expression on their face hinting that they are distressed. A close up of a boy is used, he looks up a smiles slightly, an over the shoulder shot is followed, showing that he is smiling at a girl across the room, there is then another close up of the girl, the camera zooms into her face slightly demonstrating her realisation of the boy. This allows the audience to understand the main characters of the video. The music the begins as there is a wide shot the blink-182 performing.

Audience

I believe the target audience for this album is mostly teenagers who can possibly relate to the music the band produces. I would not say that I think there is a specific gender because it can relate to a lot of different circumstances that can happen to anyone throughout their life. Personally I am a fan of this album because I think blink-182 are extremely talented musicians and I enjoy the music they make and think the lyrics are inspiring, however I know that a lot of the audience listen to an album such as neighborhoods and use the lyrics as inspiration and it helps them with certain situations that are happening in their personal lives.

Promotion

The band approached sponsorships, song releases and social media incorporation during the roll out of Neighborhoods. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook were present throughout each stage of the release of the album which allowed more direct access and control over the bands music. I think it is good to have a range of different ways to promote an album or any other type of media because focusing on one promotion idea may only target a small group of people so making a variety will reach out.

Packaging

This is the album cover, the front cover is simple yet effective. Blink-182 is  written atop a city skyline. It clearly relates to the name ‘Neighborhoods’. The Neighborhoods sleever contains close family member names to each band member which makes the album more personal.

"Everybody in the world thinks of something unique unto themselves when they hear the word 'Neighborhoods'," Mark Hoppus.

The back lists each song, it includes their record label, a bar code and the blink-182 logo.

Secondary Research

Album: Neighborhoods

Release date: September 27, 2011
Label: Interscope

(Wikipedia)

Neighborhoods was released to mixed reviews from critics: some felt it was a natural evolution from the band's previous releases, while others found it stale and disjointed. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and "Up All Night" and "After Midnight" were released as singles, with both attracting modest success on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.

Neighborhoods did not sell as well as previous releases. The band looked back at the album with mixed feelings, for example, Tom Delonge admitted that the album may have been not have been as successful because of the bands previous unity problems.

Critical Responses:

Neighborhoods received generally favorable reviews from contemporary music critics. Mike Diver of BBC Music called the album "unexpectedly great.”