Production Research

Production Research is the collection and analysis of information for the content and production of a media product. This type of research is essential to the production of a media product, as it provides things such as content, commercial viability and helps to plan the post-production phase. The thorough research and production planning ensure that the sages of work run smoothly and efficiently.It also allows members of the research team to know what resources are needed for the end product and if it would be profitable. Researchers will gather suitable information in the area that they are looking into, for example if they are looking at the budget of a production they will analyse financial documents and look at how another media production phase has handled its finances.If the media product is a game, film or TV production research will involve looking for appropriate content that would appeal to who it is being aimed at. Production research helps the producer think of things to act upon and change during the production phase. The research also allows one to see the types of factors that could affect the production and whether they are controllable or uncontrollable. Some controllable factors are pricing, distribution and content whereas uncontrollable factors are loss of production crew, technology upgrades, competition and economic changes.

Production Research can be conducted through many different research methods including primary, secondary, qualitative and quantitative. A researcher will usually have to conduct it first hand, as the production phase will have to be tailored to suit the needs of the media product being produced. However, if a company has already produced a very similar products they will look at old records and documents to see how to complete the production phase again. However, if the production of a past product they have produced didn't go very well, they may make changes to make the process faster and smoother. While checking to see if there is a good reason to launch a product, they may conduct research such as quantitative and qualitative, asking consumers and researchers about product viability. An example may be during the production of a video game. Researchers will go out and ask people about their opinions on a game while also seeing how other products have done on the market. They will thoroughly analyse all aspects of the production phases, such as money, content and the creation process. This may involve hiring certain people, perhaps who have previously worked on successful games.

The main advantage of production research is that producers gain the knowledge of the resources they will need and how to coordinate the production process. They can also ensure they will not go over budget, break copyright laws or assign incorrect information. Disadvantages of production research is that the sources may be old and unreliable and the production crew may be inexperienced. This along with things such as resource and supply issues could affect the deadline date and the entire production process from going smoothly.