Content research

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The Idea Stage:

This unit started on 20th October 2020, and this was the day that my research began. We looked at different news segments as a group and I was able to start thinking critically about them as well as pick up on their conventions. We viewed a five minute clip from BBC News, Channel Four News, and ITV News. All were very different as they all had different brand identities to represent. Something that I really enjoyed in the BBC Headlines, was that the music set the pace of the piece. The shots, transitions, pans and tilts all matched to the traditional BBC News Music. This set a slightly faster pace which added a dramatic element to the programme and in turn fitted with the Traditional BBC theme, as well as holding the audiences attention. Using the music to set the pace was something that I enjoyed, therefore when considering our News Channel, music is something that will have to be strongly considered, as well as the pace that it creates. 


Fig. 1 BBC News Headlines (2020)

We then had a look at the beginning of Channel Four's News show to give us more ideas. The News show had a more informal feel due to there not being such a fast paced music. There were many more still shots rather than pans or tilts and it was very contributor focussed. The News show felt a lot more intimate due to the audience being placed in fly on the wall perspective. When watching this, it felt a lot less dramatic as the BBC programme did, but calmer and portraying topics that are slightly more informal rather than lots of political headlines. Something that I would take from watching this was that it was very focussed on having interesting visuals and shots and to make the audience feel that they can be more relaxed whilst viewing the news, rather than having to be on the edge of their seat. 


Fig. 2 Channel Four News Headlines (2020)


Once we had began coming up with ideas we started to see if they would work as a News story and if they would be captivating for an audience. We began bouncing ideas off each other and I recorded them in a mind map. This was a great beginning point for ideas as it allowed me to have a starting point for each one that I could then research into. However, before we began this we looked at the Impact, Timeliness, and Resonance of each idea. For Timeliness, it was important that the idea is relevant and current and is something that an audience would be interested in now as "past events become stale when there's always fresh news somewhere." (Mudd, 2014). We then went through every idea and analysed whether it would be current or not. In the news now, the biggest story is Coronavirus and News websites are completely submerged in stories about it. Despite this, it is very current and something that viewers would want to know about as it is impacting everyones lives. We then decided that our idea that is most current is looking at the NHS Test and Trace App as it is something that is very current, and it will also be historic in years to come. We then considered the Impact of the story, this involved "the number of people affected by the event will affect its newsworthiness" (Mudd, 2020). This was also very encouraging for our idea of the NHS Test and Trace App as Coronavirus has impacted everyone worldwide, so multiple people would be interested in hearing about the app. Finally, we looked at resonance; this affects multiple people as for those who can use the app the story will resonate with them, and for those who cannot they will want to know why. I then realised that this would give us the potential to "draw any sort of emotional reaction"(Mudd, 2020) from contributors. 


Now that we had come up with our idea, it was time to start researching, as Reporter for the stories it was my job to find out the information for them, and as Producer it was my job to write the script. I looked into the NHS Test and Trace App online and tried to see if there were any other news videos that had been created about it. I found a few, however they looked at it from an approach of how to use the app and where it can be used, whereas we want to look at it from an approach of the technology behind it and how it impacts people. In Fig. it shows the links to useful documents containing statistics and figures that we put together. I then watched multiple news packages where they discuss the app and this allowed me to build a repertoire for the amount of statistics and information that we will require. 


Fig. 3 NHS Test and Trace App (2020)


Branding Research: 

One of my roles is to undertake brand research and begin to form some ideas of what colours/ designs would work well for our brand. Our target audience is age 18-50 year olds that are interested in technology and the effects that it has on our world. This is quite broad therefore I knew that our brand needed to be suitable for everyone to fit well with the target audience. As Audience feedback was so useful to me (Chapman, 2008:10), I began researching online and learned about creating a brand survey. When look at how to create a survey, I discovered that it was useful to consider "the feelings that the audience associate with the brand." (Qualtrics, 2020) I then was able to create our own survey that I posted onto Facebook as I felt this is where we would reach majority of our target audience. I feel that this was extremely successful in retrieving feedback that was useful to then develop our brand. 


Fig. 4 Google Form  (2020)


Fig. 5 Google Form  (2020)


Fig. 6 Google Form  (2020)


Fig. 7 Google Form  (2020)


Fig. 8 Google Form  (2020)

Once I had received all feedback, I was able to begin to create our style for all branding and graphics. I looked at other News logos and began to see parallels between them and common conventions such as having one main colour theme and the name of the News channel. This was something that I also wanted to include in our branding. After this, I was able to create a mood board which was extremely helpful for visualising our idea. This allowed me to place al feedback from the survey, as well as my own ideas together. In future I will always make a mood board again when branding as it was very helpful for visualising things. 


Fig. 9 Logo research  (2020)


Fig. 10 Mood Board  (2020)

After this, I created sketches of the logo idea that I had developed, and could begin to work on a prototype on a computer. This was useful for easily moving things around and making fast changes. Once I had a successful prototype, I then created the real thing. Having all of the audience feedback and branding research behind this, enabled me to create something that I felt very pleased with. Whilst completing graphics, I researched into fonts and found that 'Helvetica' is a font that is very popular in television news. Completing font research allowed me to choose one that will look eye-catching, but also follow a convention of television news. 


Fig. 11 Logo that I created from research  (2020)



Ethics and Law:

Something that was important for me to research was the ethics of journalism and filming news. "Copyright resides with the person who shot the film"  which means that for any images or stick footage that we use in any of our news pieces, we need "permission to use it" and tis is something that I will definitely ensure. (Holmes, 2008:91). 

In our News, it is extremely important for us to be "accurate and ethical." (Jones, 2008:172) This means getting permission for everyone that is being filmed, and as Producer, I will ensure that we have signed permission from all contributors. We also will only use facts and statistics from reliable sources to ensure that we are reliable as well as fair to our audience. 

The main research that I completed for this unit was for the branding, this was because it was a brand new rule for me and I wanted it to look engaging and eye catching to our audience, as well as reflecting our age 18-50 target audience. I feel that I completed this successfully as I used the feedback from the survey that I created which helped and will definitely do this again in the future. 

List of Illustrations:

Fig. 1 Emmerson, S. (2020) BBC News Headlines. [Screenshot] In possession of: the author: Kent. 

Fig. 2 Emmerson, S. (2020) Channel Four News Headlines. [Screenshot] In possession of: the author: Kent. 

Fig. 3 Emmerson, S. (2020) NHS Test and Trace App. [Screenshot] In possession of: the author: Kent. 

Fig. 4 Emmerson, S. (2020) Google Form. [Screenshot] In possession of: the author: Kent. 

Fig. 5 Emmerson, S. (2020) Google Form. [Screenshot] In possession of: the author: Kent. 

Fig. 6 Emmerson, S. (2020) Google Form. [Screenshot] In possession of: the author: Kent. 

Fig. 7 Emmerson, S. (2020) Google Form. [Screenshot] In possession of: the author: Kent. 

Fig. 8 Emmerson, S. (2020) Google Form. [Screenshot] In possession of: the author: Kent. 

Fig. 9 Emmerson, S. (2020) Logo research. [Screenshot] In possession of: the author: Kent. 

Fig. 10 Emmerson, S. (2020) Mood Board. [Screenshot] In possession of: the author: Kent. 

Fig. 11 Emmerson, S. (2020) Logo that I created from research. [Screenshot] In possession of: the author: Kent. 


Bibliography

Mudd, J (2014) Ten Elements of News and Newsworthiness. At: https://www.axiapr.com/blog/elements-of-news (Accessed 01.11.2020)

Qualtrics (2020) Brand Perception Surveys. At: https://www.qualtrics.com/uk/experience-management/brand/perception-surveys/ (Accessed 02.11.2020)

NewscastStudio (2017) 6 Fonts TV News Graphics Packages Love to Use. At: https://www.newscaststudio.com/2017/05/04/tv-news-graphics-fonts/

Holmes, D. (2009) Broadcast Journalism: A Critical Introduction. [online] At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/reader.action?docID=362312 (Accessed on 03.11.2020)

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