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This is Task 1 of Unit 9/10, For this task, I have carried out audience research by way of a questionnaire, focus group and vox pop. I wrote more about them in this blog.
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TASK 1
SECONDARY RESEARCH
The primary research that me and my group had carried out was very valuable and informative, however I feel it is important to carry out second research as well in order to broaden my understanding and knowledge on the product we are making and Our Day Out as a production itself.
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As part of said secondary research, I watched the film version of Our Day Out to get an idea of what kind of things I should put on the poster that also link to the play itself.
CONTEXT ON WILLY
RUSSELL
Willy Russell is a writer and performer of musical theatre songs and productions. In plays such as Blood Brothers and Our Day Out, he writes about the class segregation and the different perspectives of people from different areas, age groups and professions. It would be fair to assume that this is because of what he has seen and experienced growing up. He himself has been a student in the working class, leaving school early to do a low-paying job, but has also been a teacher and has seen that perspective as well. Obviously as he became more popular, he also experienced life from that perspective as well. Because of how accurately he portrays these experiences, people from all walks of life watch his shows whether it be to live in a time other to the present, to gain an understanding of someone else's everyday life or just because of how entertaining they are.
THEMES EXPLORED IN
OUR DAY OUT
EDUCATION
The play shows in many ways how people from low-income, working class backgrounds often are limited to a lot of things that people from middle class backgrounds would usually be able to obtain and achieve. It shows how the education system has failed children from working class backgrounds because they purposefully make the choice not to include them in things that could better their education and knowledge because they believe that it will be invaluable to them due to the "cycle" that existed and still exists today in low-income areas and backgrounds. However Russell's opinion is to an extent expressed, he at times makes it clear that he thinks this cycle only exists because of the opportunities that aren't given to these people.
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SOCIAL INEQUALITY
The play also highlights the way social status effects the way you are seen, the way you are treated and overall decides who you are as a person in society rather than your character. It shows how because of the prejudice the middle and lower classes have towards each other, they are unable to break down the walls that segregate them. Despite this, it is shown in the play that when they eventually do see each other on a personal level, they are able to get along very well and, not fully understand each other, but have an understanding of why they are the way that they are and why they act in ways that they act.
YOUTH & ADOLESCENCE
Youth and adolescence are heavily touched upon subjects in this play. It shows how the youth are viewed as one, all with the same attitudes and behaviour. However it also shows that this is far from the truth. It shows how gender, race and age all effect opportunities, experiences, and the challenges faced in adolescence and in life. There is an array of dreams presented by different children in the play, of where they would prefer to instead live when they are older, what kind of income they would like to have and how it seems unachievable to them because of how crushing society is. It shows that this is the reason why a lot of children, especially from working class backgrounds, give up and even sometimes want to take their own life rather than continue because life seems like a futile effort to them.
AUTHORITY & REBELLION
Authority is a very prominent theme in the play. It shows how different authority figures handle their "power", how some let it get to their head while others understand how important their role is in a child's life which is why they take such care making sure they aren't "tyrannical". In the play, the characters with the most power are the ones who let it get to their head the most while the ones with less are more down to earth. Definitely a representation of other power hierarchies. Interestingly, rebellion is a theme found when looking at both adults and children in the play. The children are found on many occasions in the play rebelling and doing things that are considered wrong or against the rules. However this is expected, what isn't expected (especially at the time) is a teacher such as Mr Briggs to be somewhat "rebellious".
ESCAPE AND FANTASY
It is made very clear how much of a burden the characters feel their social position is. However, they are able to escape from the pressure that daily life brings them through the trips that they go on. Mr Briggs can be seen using it as a temporary escape, emphasis on temporary unfortunately. He destroys any evidence of the fact that he had any fun on the trip which is a shame because it means that he is most likely going to go back to how he was before, pretending to be someone who he maybe isn't. More obviously, the kids use it as an escape. Carol is the character who shows how much of an escape it is the most, fantasizing about one day being able to live in Conway and be able to afford the life that she wants.
CONCLUSION
This task has been very useful to me. It has given me experience in research methods that I haven't done much looking into prior to starting the task, specifically primary methods.
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Although the secondary research was definitely useful, the primary research was most definitely far more valuable. There is no better way to find out what the target audience want to see and what they need to be convinced to watch the show than the target audience itself. However I think the secondary research was still useful because when applied with what we gathered from the primary research, we can figure out the best way to present the themes that the subjects in the interview found more important in promotional artwork.
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One of the major benefits of the vox pop interview was that the art student provided us with direct answers. They provided us with clear and concise answers to our queries, which is quite beneficial for making wise choices while developing the product, especially those that include advertising. It was challenging because the art student felt obviously rushed throughout the interview. Their time constraints limited the depth of our discussion. Their responses were also at times inconsistent. I think that next time it would probably be best to target areas of the college where fans of performing arts are most likely to be because we wasted a lot of time and as a class got a lot of unhelpful answers because people in other areas of the college had no interest at all in performances. I think with ore practice I could also become better at vox pop interviews myself.
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We were able to speak with people who perfectly matched the profile of our target audience by conducting interviews with musical theatre students. Due to their enthusiasm for theatre and involvement in the performing arts, they made ideal study subjects. Their first-hand experience in providing entertainment for the demographic we intend to draw was incredibly helpful. They were able to deliver genuine and sincere insights into what attracts to our target audience because they have an individual perspective from their performances. The people we spoke with, who got along well and shared interests, were able to express their thoughts in detail. Despite the fact that musical theatre students' perspectives were very valuable, they might not accurately reflect those of outside of our target audience who we would like to draw in. To acquire a broader perspective, we should next time ask people who aren't active in theatre for their opinions and people who don't often attend performances, too. We can make sure that our poster is inclusive and catered to a bigger variety of potential viewers by doing this. It was evident that the research group interview provided a more detailed and specialised viewpoint on the expectations and demands of our target audience when contrasted with the earlier vox pop interviews. I think I should have pushed for more of an in depth response with some of the main questions though, so I will make sure to do that next time.
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Focus groups, vox pop interviews, and questionnaires all had their advantages and disadvantages. Questionnaires' adaptability enabled the collection of data from a broad range of participants while obtaining concise responses. However, compared to interviews, they could not be as high-quality in terms of the information provided and the interactions between those being interviewed which led to more answers. Vox pop interviews capture unscripted thoughts and a variety of perspectives, but they may create a negative sample bias, lowering the representativeness of the results. All of the methods used together make an infinitely effective bank of research to make reference to when creating the product and therefore I think it is important to use all of them in the future when doing secondary and primary research.