The Influence of

Research

Research refers to the study and

investigation of the project at hand,
whether that be into how it's made, the
market around it or the content within
the project its-self.

Research heavily influences the final

product of a project, giving inspiration
and information around techniques, shot
types, themes and messages that the
final result can give.
 Production

Production Research refers to researching into the

production and development of the project.

According to The Impact of Filmmaking Research

(2018, 229–242), this can include gathering
information about how film practices, techniques,
modes and genres.

Within my short film, Adrenaline, I am primarily

researching how fight scenes are filmed,
choreographed and how sound is added to create a
greater impact.
 Content

Content Research is described by Researching

Society and Culture, Third Edition (2012, 460) as
involving quantitative examination of a sample for
frequency of narratives, concepts or themes.

By researching this, it gives an idea of how the

world should look, feel and how characters should
interact with it.

For my short film, we are researching heavily into

other Action Films, to see how to make a fight
scene with a grounded character feel real, whilst
still giving the audience something entertaining to
watch.
 Marketing for films is defined by Film Cultures (2002, 76) as the provision of information
about a film; so, the research into how to further the impact of the research directly affects
the result of this effect.

By utilising Market Research, it is then possible to make a film that is catered to the
Market correct target audience; meeting the audience's expectations

For this project, we are researching heavily into other short films, as well as other action
films. This allows us to get a good picture of audiences for short films, and audience for
action films to understand who the film is being made for, what they look for in action films,
and how we can use this data to greatly improve the final film.
Primary Research

Primary Research is the collection of research

completed by the person gathering it. This means
that it is not using pre-existing data gathered by
someone else.

This can include Surveys, Observations and

Interviews.

For our project, we are aiming to release surveys for

people to access, and in doing so get a general idea
of the public's opinions on our short film idea.
 Secondary Research

Secondary Research is the collecting and

compiling of pre-existing research and data to
get information.

Secondary Research can include statistics,

polls, ratings and textbooks.

For our project, we are looking into how

previously released action films, action short
films and short films have been received, and
seeing how the film can utilise similar methods
to what the examples do.
 Quantitative vs Qualitative Research
Quantitative is the opposite, dealing entirely with data
that can be represented numerically, utilising statistics.
Quantitative research has the advantage of being easier
to collect as compared to qualitative, as it allows for
less abstract number-based questions, or for closed
questions to be asked for direct numbers to be
gathered from it.
For my action film, Quantitative can be used to
gather numbers and statistics around the film its-self, to
get a clear understanding of interest numerically.
Qualitative Research is defined by Steven Tenny's
Qualitative Study as the investigation into the
'Hows & Whys' of research, instead of into the 'How
many & How much.'
This means that as compared to quantitative
research which focuses on numbers, qualitative
research instead focuses on open-ended questions
that cannot be answered with just numbers.
For my action film research, Qualitative can be used
to ask questions around what people like about
action films and why they like it.
Quantitative &
Qualitative
Examples
 Conclusion
Research is one of, if not the most important part
of work for filmmaking. It can be utilised in Pre-
Production, Production and Post-Production to
further the impact of these stages and to be better
received and better created as a project overall.

By researching, it is possible to develop on

successes of previous projects to further the
success of yours, whilst simultaneously looking at
past project failures, determining why they failed
and avoiding what those past projects did to fail.

Inspiration is also gathered through research and

allows for the project to be an accumulation of
different ideas and inspirations to create a final,
unique piece of work.
Thanks for Listening
Sources & References
• Kerrigan, S., & Callaghan, J. (2018). The impact of filmmaking research. Media Practice and Education, 19(3),
229–242. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741136.2018.1472466
• Seale, C., & Tonkiss, F. (2012). Researching Society and Culture. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE
Publications Ltd. P.460.
• Harbord, J. (2002). Film Cultures. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications Ltd. P.76.
• Tenny, S. (2022). Qualitative Study. [Online]. StatPearls Publishing. Available at:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470395/ [Accessed 19 April 2024].
• University of Connecticut. (2020). Scientific Research and Communication — Qualitative Research: What is
it?. [Online]. UCONN. Available at: https://guides.lib.uconn.edu/c.php?g=1067492&p=8698246 [Accessed 19
April 2024].
• Williamson, K., & Johanson, G. (2018). Research Methods. 2nd ed. Hull: Chandos Publishing. pp.429-452.