To address the research questions, the collection and analysis of research data were organised into separate work packages (WPs), each of which contribute towards the Project outputs in a different way:
WP 1: Ontology Development
(led by Mr. Michael Pidd)
This involved the development of an ontology to capture, define, store and query a diverse range of data about audiences in a consistent way. The ontology was developed iteratively, drawing on datasets from across the project to cover the attributes of and relationships between audience participants, films, venues, digital platforms and film services and regions. This work package provided the basis for the ontology and search tools, and underpin all other data visualisations on the website.
WP 2: Document Analysis of Policy and Industry Trends
(led by Prof. Andrew Higson)
This involved collating and analysing a list of 114 trade press articles, industry reports, policy documents, statistical reports, box office information and exhibition and distribution material, to identify policy and industry trends around specialised films. This work package provided a basis for the policy timeline and map of independent film exhibition in the UK.
WP3: Development of Socio-Cultural measures
(led by Prof. Simeon Yates)
This involved the development of socio-cultural measures that influence the formation of audiences, drawing on secondary data from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) and British film institute (BFI). While this work package does not directly form the basis of any data visualisation on the website, it does provide a rigorous basis for the comparative understanding of the audiences for specialised film against broader patterns of media consumption and socio-economic status, which informed data analyses in all other work packages.
WP 4: Interviews with Audience Members
(led by Prof. Bridgette Wessels)
This involved conducting 200 semi-structured interviews with audience members from across the four English regions, providing an understanding how people engage with film at the regional level, and how film features in their lives. The interviews will explore film practices and experiences regarding taste, venues, film events, use of digital platforms, and the meanings audiences take away from specialised film. This work package contributes towards several data visualisations, and forms the basis of the Personal film Journeys.
WP 5: Three-wave Survey
(led by Prof. Simeon Yates)
This involved a large sample survey conducted over three waves, each three months apart, gathering responses on patterns of audience formation at scale. Alongside socio-demographics the survey fathered information about respondents cultural interests, how often they watch films, what types of films they watch, the venues and/or media they use to do so, and what their overall perceptions of specialised film were like. This work package provides a basis for the Survey analysis and Advanced survey analysis data visualisations.
WP6: Interviews with Policy and Industry Experts
(led by Prof. Andrew Higson)
This involved interviewing 27 policy-makers and industry professionals to explore film release and distribution strategies, and the challenges and concerns of those work on the film industry in line with the project’s focus on region and specialised film. Although the work package does not directly provides the basis for any specific data visualisation, the insights gained through the interviews strengthen many of the concepts within the ontology.
WP7: Film-elicitation Focus Groups
(led by Dr. David Forrest)
This involved conducting 16 film-elication focus groups (four per English region) to examine how audience members comprehend and interpret the narratives and thematic components of specialised films, to better understand the relationship between film texts and their contexts of consumption. This work package provides the basis for DATAVIZ 6 NAME
WP8: Data Search, Visualisation and Analysis
(led by Mr. Michael Pidd)
Following the development of the ontology this work package involved the design and implementation of a database, in order to develop the full suite of search and data visualisation tools on this website.