Research

Primary Research:

Mood boards:

Questionnaire:

1. How old are you? (this allows me to see whether or not my questionnaire is reacting my target demographic)
2. What is your gender? (Again, this will allow me to look into whether or not my target demographic is being reached)
3. Overall, how would you rate game shows? (this is important as I need to know whether or not my target demographic actually enjoys watching game shows and if I need to change my target audience to apply to a better demographic)
4. How large a role does television play in your day-to-day-life? (this allows me to see if my target audience is watching television or consuming programs through their laptops or phones)
5. Out of these examples (examples given on questionnaire), which Late Night show do you watch often? (You can pick more than one). 
6. What do you like about these shows? (this gives me a rough idea about what I should include into my own production to appeal to my audience)
7. Out of these examples (examples given on questionnaire), which Game shows do you watch often? (You can pick more than one).
8. Please list three of your favourite colours (this allows me to see what the most common colour relation is and apply it to assets such as a logo, banner, borders or title screens)

Results from questionnaire:

The results on this question suggests that what I predicted my target audience to be is not entirely accurate as more females where attracted to and answered my questionnaire instead of my prediction of males being more likely to interact with a questionnaire about live streams.

These two graphs tell me that people generally enjoy game shows but do not watch them on television as much. This makes me think that it is perhaps wise not to plan my multi-camera production to be broadcast on to a television channel and instead uploaded or streamed on to a social media platform such as Twitch, YouTube or FaceBook. Doing this means that I am more likely to reach and appeal to my target audience and they are more likely to watch it, read about it and interact with it. Furthermore, social media and streaming services are aimed at teenagers and young adults already, which means that it is wiser and probable to become successful if I follow this path.

The most popular game shows are 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and The Chase. This is a very good outcome as my idea of challenges came from Countdown, similarly, The Chase and Countdown  both have timed activities in them which create a sense of tension. I will combine both of these aspects to create a outline for a game show before I make my storyboards and script.

Secondary Research:

What is a Live Production?

Live-streaming, or Live Production, is the "broadcasting of real-time" over the Internet. It can be streamed on a range of social media's such as Twitch, FaceBook, Instagram and YouTube. Live-streaming can be for multiple purposes, such as to educate, entertain or interact with an audience instantly. (What is Livestreaming?)
A live production is usually broadcast on television, this means that shows such as Football and Rugby, mainly just sports, are live productions. Other live productions are the news and even radio shows are live.

What is a Multi-camera Production?

Multi-camera productions are normally live such as game shows and late night television chat shows, however they can also be films, for example, a particular movie set can film multiple shots at one time to capture as much coverage of the same scene as possible from different angles. However,  there is also aspects that could prevent if a production is able to use multi-cameras, this could be because of the location and the availability of space. When using more than one camera on a shoot, you are able to set a time code. This means that when it comes to editing the footage together it is easier as the times on the camera will be similar - for example, if I started filming at 10am, the camera will have a running time code after 10:00:00:00. This time code will also relate to my shot list, which will have the times of when specific scenes and shots where recorded, and I will be able to locate them using the running time code after 10am. 

When would I use multiple camera's in my production? As the production is live, it is important that I get as much coverage of the unfolding events as possible, this means that I will need at least 3 cameras to capture multiple shots of the games.

Blumler & Katz' Uses and Gratifications Theory: this is the theory that revolves around why the audience consumes the media that they chose to consume - it also applies to how much media a person consumes in a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis. There are five reasons an audience member watches or reads  media texts, these are:

• Entertainment - for example, an audience watches silly cat videos on YouTube because it makes them laugh at the kittens antics meaning that they receive entertainment
• Escapism - most people surround themselves in a personal-bubble as a way to shut out the world for a little while and focus on something ‘unreal’ 
• Social Interaction - speaking to others about a media text you see, sharing your opinion, relaying information count as social information 
• Identification - individuals who have a role model who is famous, for example, may follow their lead or copy their style. Similarly, someone may identify with a fictional character and their back story 
• Education - media texts can relay information on to the target audience which the audience can use as educational input

How does it apply to my idea?

According to Blumler & Katz’ Uses and Gratifications Theory, my audience will receive entertainment, education, escapism and social interaction. My final product aims to educate my target audience through trivia, trail-and-error and entertainment - for example, the participants failing to create a origami crane will entertain my audience while also teaching them what not to do whilst under pressure. Secondly, my audience is able to watch the production and relay information, ideas and feelings on to others - this is social interaction. Lastly, I want my production to be a way for my audience to escape, meaning, that I want my audience to feel relaxed and comfortable enough to have a sense of escapism and immersion.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: this theory partly relates to Blumler & Katz' as it mentions the audience's needs, wants and well being when it comes to media and why we consume it. However, the theory itself also covers the audience's every-day needs such as sleep, water and food. The theory itself is a motivational psychology that is made up of five-tiers. The most basic and immediate needs are at the bottom, and the most desired for satisfaction needs are at the top (these don't necessarily need to be fulfilled).

Target Demographic:

My target audience is mainly males between the age 10 and 23. Specifically:

Age: 10-23

Gender: male (however, it is also that there are female audience members too)

Country: England - this is where I am recording meaning that it is more likely that it reaches an audience that comes from England too. Specifically King's Lynn as this is where it's filmed and more likely to reach viewers who search for there area related shows.

Job/Income: most likely unemployed, in education or has part-time jobs such as Fish & Chip shop server - £1,000 - £2,000 a year

Ethnicity: White British

Race: White

The current population of King's Lynn is 49,000 people, there is 24,155 (49.3%) males living here, there is approximately 11,961 people between the age 15-23 (my target demographic) currently living in this area - which is 24.4% of King's Lynn's population. From the pie charts, I can predict that the majority of King's Lynn's population is White British Christians or White British with no religion.

Socio-economic Groups:

From my research into my target audience, I can predict that my target demographic is in socio-economic group's E to D. I understand that this is where they are situated because people aged between 10-23 are usually in a some form of education or have recently started working. Furthermore, families in groups B to A are less likely to be watching game shows on YouTube as they are seen as more sophisticated.

Comparing Two Multi-Camera Game Shows

(Off Topic by Achievement Hunter)

Off Topic has a very well edited opening sequence that flows from one graphic to another, specifically, I like how the Off Topic logo on the beer glass changes to a black background and then fades into the wide shot of the cast, and the Off Topic logo appears on the television screen behind them.

There are three main camera shots on this podcast, the first one is a wide shot of the set and all of the cast (as seen above). This is the first shot of the podcast, and an establishing shot for the viewers - this shot allows the audience to see who is on today's podcast, while also allowing them to look at the posters and pictures in the background which could give the audience a taste of what will be discussed during the live episode. The other two camera shots are often locked off in the same place but can change from a medium shot to a close-up. 

As someone who has watched the Off Topic podcast before, and the Rooster Teeth channels for years, I feel that the cast always tries their best to make the show enjoyable for their viewers, while also involving the audience in their conversations via twitter, the YouTube comment section and Reddit. A lot of the information I get about gaming is from this podcast to, which I then chat and debate about with my friends who are also fans of video games, because of my social interaction with my friends who agree on my views and the fat that I can see that the Off Topic cast has done their research (on the windows laptop that you can see in the second photo above) I feel that the Off Topic podcast is a reliable source of information about video games and events.

The misé-en-scene of Off Topic is that of a stylish bar. There is beer pumps on the back of the wall, under the television as well as bar stools for the cast to sit on and chat. The podcast itself reminds me of a group of friends chatting at a public bar - which makes the audience feel less like they are being taught a lesson by teachers and instead as though they are at the bar chatting - this indicates that the podcast is informal. Furthermore, the cast is wearing t-shirts and jeans, which also supports the casual and relaxed tone of the podcast. In the background of the podcast, there are poster frames that display advertisements (e.g movie posters) and other edits which change depending on the recent events (for example, for the up-coming release of a Marvel movie, they might add a poster on the wall that promotes that movie) these posters add a promotional aspect to the podcast where companies can sponsor Off Topic for a shout-out/honourable mention (one of the most common sponsorship that Off Topic get is The Dollar Shave Club).

All of these aspects can make the audience have mixed feelings. On the one hand, the audience can feel relaxed or in a calm mindset, they might even drink while watching the podcast much like the guests on the show are doing. Furthermore, this type of audience member might be known as a passive member - meaning, that when the podcast presenter relays sponsored or unsponsored information on to the audience and discusses it, the passive and active audience may agree with and participate in the conversation via twitter or socially interact with their friends after hearing the information. However, on the other hand, a oppositional audience member may disagree with the information that they are hearing due to it being potentially controversial, incorrect, or it could simply be down to their view-point on the matter. This oppositional member could also not enjoy watching the podcast purely due to the alcohol consumption on the show. Some people do not condone drinking and this alone could potentially jeopardise their interest in the show.

(Twitch Gaming Podcast by RocketBeansTV) 

This podcast is taken off of Twitch to show the difference between a popular podcast filmed on a large budget set and a lesser known production. They are both similar in styles as they display artwork in the background for aesthetic, are casual/informal and have funny props and beverages in the shot. While Off Topic is set in a bar, RocketBeansTV appears to be in a living room area, which makes it seem more relaxing and down-to-earth. I think this is a good choice as it applies to all target demographics as there isn't any props or articles that are offensive or in clear view of young audience members, however Off Topic has multiple bottles, kegs and cans of alcoholic drinks that could be viewed as offensive and pressure young impressionable minds.

RocketBeansTV uses two cameras for their production. The main one they use shows all of the guests  sat on the two separate couches, and then switches to the couch with the two presenters on. This is a good function as it shows all angels and prospective to the audience while only using two cameras, the space that RocketBeansTV is using looks small and unlikely to fit more than two cameras, as well as the couches, tables and television; they have placed the cameras in good areas of the room to allow them to get as much coverage without using too much equipment.

Another aspect of their live streams I like is the use of graphic cards to show a split screen of the television and the face cam. Although it looks very basic, it allows the audience to not get distracted by too much information on the screen - they have a watermark in the top left corner and the logo near the face cam. The video (advertisement for the new Gemini Man movie), is larger than the face cam as it is what they are all focusing on, it is also more important that we can see the advertisement and hear the commentary as it is possible that they are being sponsored to talk about the trailer; they have to have appropriate amount of coverage.

Unlike the Off Topic podcast, this podcast has less of a reason for a audience member to dislike the set as there isn't a lot of alcohol everywhere and it looks as though they are in a comfortable living room. 

The use of the graphic is helpful for the audience as they can watch whatever video the guests are watching as well as see their reactions at the same time; seeing these two perspectives also means that the audience knows where the dialogue and other audio is coming from, preventing it from getting confusing.

Lower Third:
In post-production, a lower third sits at the bottom of a screen as displays information that could be useful to the audience/viewer. This information could be one or more of these aspects:

• Name
• Age
• Score
• Team Name

Bibliography:

What is Livestreaming? (n.d.). Retrieved from Thinkuknow: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/what-is-live-streaming/