Week 18: Reflection on Practice - Focus Group Plan

Had our focus group plan hand-in today.
This is my plan.

    Focus Group Plan

I aim to organise a focus group of roughly 5-10 people to gain any valuable information on my research project. The project itself is very much revolved around visual effects and compositing in film and will be focussing on perceptive realism and how the believability of story and character can be enhanced using visual effects and compositing. My research will most likely benefit from a range of people; generally people who are interested in film and story. The discussion will be around 45 minutes long with an additional 15 minutes for introductions and final comments.

The Participants

As my research will depend on people with varying views on film and visual effects I will seek participants from a variety of places. I will make use of the Hermes system within the university and also reach out to clubs and organisations focussed on film. Additionally I can get in touch with film/media/animation students within the university to participate. I can also look for any local organisations within the city that show interest in film and story (even book clubs for example). However, as my research really applies to the general public as a whole, questioning people with varying interest in film and story will more than likely prove valuable. I will probably make contact with people via e-mail and phone wherever possible to organise meetings and perhaps make use of posters/leaflets in areas that may attract people interested in this research.

Possible problems

Potential drawbacks or issues to consider when using this research method are that:

Ø  The questioner must ensure that the questions asked are not leading or biased in wording. This could unintentionally steer the conversation in a certain and unnatural way.

Ø  The promise of anonymity can only be kept within the research team. There is no assurance that the other participants will keep such information private and this could likely affect the honesty reflected in the answers given by the participants.

Ø  Also, being a group-based research method, it could certainly be possible for the conversation to be dominated by a small number of the participants. This too affects the data gathered as the views collected could be rather one-sided. It would be the job of the moderator to ensure that all participants are allowed their chance to speak.

Ø  Additionally, although any findings can be used to hypothetically re-create the opinion of an audience in general, the findings cannot be seen as a representation of the wider public and this undoubtedly needs to be taken into consideration within the research.

The Research Team

The Research team will most likely consist of 3-4 members including myself.  The tasks and roles will be as follows:

The moderator

·         Will focus primarily on the participants

·         Will ensure the participants are comfortable and understand the situation.

·         Will ask the questions, encourage discussion and take notes of any valuable points made.

·         Will also play the clips for the participants.

Tech/Recording person

·         Is responsible for any electrical equipment/visuals used.

·         They will set up and prepare the visuals (DVD player and television/projector and screen etc.)

·         Will record the discussion.

·         Take notes.

Scheduler/Time keeper

·         Is responsible for scheduling/organising the focus group.

·         Creating/sending out any prior consent forms etc.

·         During the focus group, their primary focus will be to keep the discussion to the scheduled time.

·         They will also be in charge of the handing out and collecting the consent/expenses/mileage forms and questionnaires on the day of the focus group (prior to the discussion) – with the help of the observer or moderator if necessary.

·         They will also take notes of the discussion.

The Observer

·         Predominantly focussed on taking notes.

·         Manage refreshments

·         Will also help out with general tasks where necessary

The Venue

·         After visiting the venue in advance to check it is suitable, it will then need to be set up before the meeting.

·         The venue will need to be relatively close and easy for the participants to get to.

·         The room should be quiet and have decent space for the equipment and meeting.

·         A large table with comfortable seating will be required and should hopefully be in the centre of the room.

·         Within good view of the table will be a screen or television set which will be used to display visuals and examples.

·         A small desk for refreshments will also be required.

Equipment and resources:

·         Recording equipment such as a camera or a voice/sound recorder.

·         Notebook and pen.

·         Necessary footage and visuals .

·         Television/ screen and projector.

·         DVD player/laptop.

·         Consent forms and expenses forms if necessary.

Protocol:

Preparations:

·         Setting up projector and screen/ television and other visuals.

·         Providing and laying out of refreshments (Tea/coffee and biscuits etc.)

·         Setting up recording equipment (sound recorder/mobile phone etc.)

·         Ensuring any necessary forms are at hand.

Beginning:

·         I will begin by introducing the research team and myself.

·         Then have the participants introduce themselves to the group and ensure that everyone is comfortable before proceeding.

·         The purpose and background of the research project will be introduced to the group.

·         The focus group will assist the research primarily for achieving a greater understanding of an audience’s interpretation of believability using visual effects. This too will be explained to the group beforehand.

·         Ask participants to complete any necessary forms, such as consent and mileage/expenses forms if required.

·         Also hand out questionnaires and clarify that these are necessary for gaining more insight into the research. Having an understanding of who the audience may be and what factors, if any, can affect their views on their perceptive realism are fundamental in this process.

·         I will explain that this is to be an informal and natural discussion.

·         The participants will be notified that the information gained will remain anonymous. Emphasising that their identity will be kept in complete confidence if the participants so desire this.

·         I will also explain that the participants can withdraw at any time.

·         The duration of the discussion will be roughly 60 minutes altogether and this will be stated beforehand.

·         It will then be explained to the group that the discussion will be recorded purely for information gathering purposes and that the recording itself will not be used in any outcomes or by anyone out-with the research team.

·         Then I will ask the participants each to state their name, to confirm that they understand the purpose of the recording and that they consent to the recording of the focus group.

The Discussion Process:

·         After the introductory process, I will show the group a small number (no more than 2-3) of short clips from films using visual effects to enhance perceptual realism and I will ask the group questions based on these.

·         Once the discussions are completed and the time is up, the main points risen will be summed up and agreed with the participants.

·          The team and I will then thank the participants for their contribution to the research.

·         After the group has left, the team and I will discuss our conclusions and make further notes.

 

The Questions

Firstly, the participants will be shown examples of visual effects used in film. I will then base the questions around the examples to see how the participants, as an audience, felt about the believability of the characters and story through the visuals.

Clip specific questions:

1.       Has anyone seen this clip before?

2.       What did you think of the story as a whole?

3.       Considering the context of the story, how believable did you feel the character/idea was?

General/Concluding Questions:

1.       Can you see or think of anything specific in any of these clips which may have affected your personal belief in the story or the character?

2.       How do you feel that the use of visual effects affected the realism of the character/idea?

Concluding the Focus Group

·         After the questions are asked and the discussions are completed within the given time, the main points will be summed up and agreed with the participants.

·         The participants will then be thanked for their time and efforts.

·         Once the participants have left I will debrief the team and we will make further notes/read over the notes made and discuss these.

 

Aim of Focus Group

It is hoped that by holding a focus group, I can attain an understanding of how an audience’s perception of realism can be affected by the use of visual effects in film. I will be gaining information from a number of people at one time.  A focus group will also be more relevant to my research in that observing group mentality almost mirrors the idea of understanding an audience as a whole. It would also be quite common for audience members to discuss a film after watching it, and this focus group in a sense would be mirroring and studying that process. Additionally, a focus group will hopefully be more interesting for the participants too, and the more comfortable the participants feel, the more open and honest they may be with their answers. The comparison of opinions will be much easier and any opposing views will likely be discussed and furthered in detail due to the open and informal nature of this conversational-styled research method. It will also provide greater focus on certain issues, as the conversation will naturally lean towards certain points and views. This may highlight specific factors that could affect the audience’s perception of realism. Primarily, this research method will help me to reflect on the purpose/aim of the research and will hopefully provide me with the information necessary to continue these findings into my practice.  The input from the participants will really help me to understand which elements will best illustrate the story and character to the audience, despite any factually impossible ideas, and which visual factors can be manipulated to enhance the audience’s perception of what is contextually believable.

 Unfortunately, instead of a focus group,  I am beginning to think an interview would be a better method of primary research. I feel that my investigation would benefit more from a one-to-one discussion with a psychologist on the topic of perceptual realism.