Evaluation of Primary Research Trip

After talking in the session we had to evaluate the research trip that we carried out the previous week.

General

Good:

• Both the Arnolfini and V-shed are in the same area, which made seeing the similarities and differences in audience and the level of pedestrian traffic, among other criteria, easy to notice and compare. Conducting the trips on the same day, under the same conditions at a similar time also helped with this.

•  They are entirely different venues with distinctive features, which gave us a different perspective on how animation can be screened in Bristol.

• We took lots of photos, which proved to be good for reference and reflecting back on the venue later.

• We made enough notes on the the criteria that we set that we could make conclusions about the venues as well as compare them.

To improve:

• We could have collected more detailed information, like the exact numbers of people in the venues at those times. This would have made comparing the level of audience and their characteristics easier.

• We could have surveyed the audience there at the time for their opinion on the venues. We might have learnt something about the venue that simply observing, or perhaps attending regularly/ other days, wouldn't have told us or have gotten a range of perspectives on them.

•  We could have tried to see an animation at both venues. None were showing at the time, but perhaps by re-visiting it would have given us a clearer idea of the audience, their reactions and the overall suitability of the venue.

• We went at an off peak time. While this was safer for us (Risk Assessment Form) it meant that the audience was limited and they were perhaps not the usual attendees.

V-shed

Good:

• By visiting the venue I was surprised at how suitable it is for showing animation. As it's a pub I thought there would be strong smells of food/ alcohol and busy, noisy crowds which would make it difficult to appreciate any animation shown. By visiting I realised that this wasn't the case and discovered quite a lot about the venue.

• By sitting in the outside seating area of the venue we actually discovered more about the venue then we planned. We found that the TV screens could be seen from inside and outside the venues. Exploring the venue was very beneficial.

To improve:

• We could have researched more by spending more time inside of the venue to properly scope it out. As we were sat outside it meant that we got a good impression of this area, but we may have missed other TV screens etc inside. Next time we will explore all areas of the venue, like what we did for the Arnolfini.

Arnolfini

Good:

• We asked for information from the reception area and were given several photos and information about the venues available for screening animation. Without asking the staff there we wouldn't have known about the extra screen or have got a good reference photo of the auditorium.
• By exploring all of the gallery spaces of the venue we were able to find extra portable TV screens that could easily screen animation. Without seeing the whole of the venue, we would have missed this useful information.

To improve:

• As they weren't screening any animation at the time, we didn't check prices. To get an idea of them for comparison (as the V-shed is free) we could have noted down the prices for other film screenings or asked at reception for some information on them. Perhaps we could have made links/ observations about the audience and prices for each venue with this extra information.

Research for Essay

From carrying out the research trip and the evaluation I've been able to narrow down some approaches that I will try to apply to my primary research for my essay. These include making sure to take lots of photos and notes. These proved great for accurate recordings of information and were easy to take and review. I'll choose, based on research of the venue etc and area, the best time to visit beforehand. This should help me to get the best results possible, whether this be so that I get a better idea of the audience and other criteria. Also I will make sure to always ask for more information from the staff/ venue (if applicable) as we learnt a lot from the information that they gave us in the Arnolfini.

Overall I've found the research process, from filling out the Risk Assessment forms, to the actual visits and the evaluation useful for giving me an idea of what to expect and do when conducting future primary research for the essay. Hopefully using everything that I've learnt will improve my final essay.