Dear Dr. Pete...

Dear Dr. Pete:
With the price of movie theatre admissions going up and up, I was
thinking about streaming a movie to my cell phone and then watching it
for free as often as I like. What do you think?

C.

Dear C.:

Free, indeed, until you get your cell phone bill! You could buy your
own movie theatre with what streaming to your cell phone would cost.
And here's another thing - if Francis Ford Coppola had wanted you to
watch Apocalypse Now on a screen 3 inches by 1.5 inches, he'd have shot
it that way.

Here's the thing about technology - just because you can do something
does not mean you ought to. I saw a product the other day, a "digital
luggage label." Simply download to this credit card sized 1 Mb device
your name and address, and attach it to your luggage. Change address?
Simply reload the card with the new address! Only $49.99. My solution?
Buy a 10¢ paper luggage label...

I was reading an entertainment survey the other day (I know, what an
interesting and varied life I live) and it struck me yet again. With
the increasing need for research to lend insights to the future,
question wording is paramount. Take this query for example:

"In the next couple of years or so, which one of the following do you think best applies to you?"

First, we've got to consider grammar and, in this case, mixing tenses.
Researchers need to make the questions as clear and easy to read as
possible. Now let's review an answer option:

"I think I will be carrying less portable devices on my person."

Again, it's about grammar. "Less portable" really constitutes heavier
when the researcher, I believe, means "fewer." Fortunately, the person
writing the commentary did get that right.

And, what does the survey have to say about the future of technology as a replacement for analog forms of entertainment?

• eBooks - 9% find them "very appealing."
• Audio books - 9% also find them "very appealing." (also
  interesting...audio books accounted for £71m of sales in a market worth
  £4.4bn...)
• Movie theatre attendance - 29% intend to go more often in the future.

So, it looks like the old fashioned way of doing things is going to be all the rage in 2009.

Cheers!
Dr. Pete

Dear Dr. Pete:
Don't you think it would be a good idea if all movies and TV shows were
researched before being released or broadcast? In that way we could be
sure that they would appeal to everyone.

D.

Dear D.
Right on! That's exactly what's going on now. (If they didn't have a
test audience on some comedy shows, they wouldn't know where to insert
the canned laughter.)

Anyway, who's to say that the writer, director, experienced actors,
cameramen, and cinematographers, plus an entire Hollywood studio
system, aren't capable of producing a movie that people want to watch?
Think Citizen Kane, think Gone with the Wind, think The Godfather Part
2. On second thought, maybe you're right. Think Speed 2, Howard the
Duck, Ishtar, or any film involving Madonna (personally, though, I
quite liked Waterworld...) and I'd agree that they should do more of
it.

Maybe we should do a poll to decide whether test audiences should be
mandatory or not - or maybe shoot two versions: one the test audience
liked and one the director wanted. But then you get the interminable
Bladerunner saga and that stupid unicorn. Whatever. If you like the
film, then good. If you don't, also good. Like the man said: you can't
please all the people all of the time. Try reading a book.

Dr. Pete

Dear Dr. Pete:
Do you think research should, in itself, be entertaining?

E.

Dear E.:
Short answer, no. We're supposed to be scientists. You know - white
coats, laboratory situations, test and control cells, statistics, all
that stuff. You don't hear heart surgeons banging on about whether open
heart surgery is "engaging" or not.

Here's a little secret - people love talking about themselves and
they've all got opinions. All you have to do is ask a sensible
question, you don't need to make it fun. When we get to the stage where
we're designing questionnaires as if they were for ADHD teenagers,
we're in big trouble. Guess what? I was once young and rebellious. Now
I know the difference between "less" and "fewer"...and, worse still, I
care.

Dr. Pete

Question or comment? email Dr. Pete at Pete_Cape@surveysampling.com.