Audience feedback

Q.4 - Audience feedback of opening sequence

• We decided to gather up audience feedback about our product over an online survey. This is because our primary audience are digital natives, so the use of social networks and other online websites are easy to access through their converged devices e.g. Mobile phone, laptops/computers etc.

• Through this, we decided to ask a maximum of 10 questions, all regarding specific areas or opinions of our production – with the addition of an 11th question stating if they would watch it again in the future.

• We sent this to middle class, British (white) heterosexual, both males and females, between the ages of 15-24 and 25-35.

Online survey…

Q.1- Male or Female?

• From this Pie-chart, we can see that only 3 males and only 5 females have participated in this survey. The use of both males and females was because both genders were included within our target and primary audience.

• These numbers would have been much more accurate if more had taken part within this survey. However, the reasons for such as low number of participants was due to the late distribution of the survey and the early deadline.

• We asked for the audiences age, as we would then be able to classify them based on whether they are within our target primary audience or our secondary sophisticated audience.

Q.2 – Age?

• From these results, we are able to see that 5 people aged between 15-24 years and 3 people aged 25-34 years took part.

• By using this we will be able to see if both our primary and secondary audience like our production or not and why?

Q.3 –Did you understand what was happening in the opening sequence? was it confusing or

simple to understand?

• Despite the one

worded answers, this question was about the narrative of the production and if it was easy to identify the protagonist and antagonist and what is happening in the scene.

• These answers help to show that we were successful in creating a simple and easy to understand narrative for this production.

Female 25-34

The opening sequence is interesting, but not confusing. Until the end of the clip it is not clear who or what the girl is running from, keeping the viewer in suspense.

Male 25-34Simple to understand

Male 15-24Yes, i thought it was simple to understand

Male 25-34SimpleFemale 15-24Simple enoughFemale 15-24I fully understood it, it was simple

to understandFemale 15-24SimpleFemale 15-24Understand

Q.4 – What grabbed your attention the most? this can be a good or bad element.Female 25-34

I thought the tension was kept through the whole sequence. The blood on the map, the knife etc. made me wonder what had happened before the girl got to the tent.

Male 15-24 The darkness grabbed my attention

Male 25-34 The breathing audio created a feeling of panic that was intriguing.

male 15-24 The darkness and the girls distress.Female 15-24 Opening of the tent- sense of anticipationFemale 15-24 The trail of bloodFemale 15-24 The lighting and ambience was spooky yet intriguing.Female 25-34 Quick cuts in the beginning

The fact that there are a range of answers from the breathing to the “darkness” suggests that we successfully managed to grab both audiences attention through a range of factors rather than just the fast paced scene at the beginning.

• By giving the audience a choice to choose what grabbed their individual attentions meant that we are able to se what was appreciated and what worked out of what was shown. Furthermore, by letting them choose a good or bad ‘element’, this gave us the opportunity to see whether there were any mistakes, or objects that could have accidently received their attention. This would let us know any improvements that could be made in the future.

• Our target audience (15-24) mainly picked out the more simpler iconographies, such as the darkness, blood or the pops, where as he older audience managed to pick out the more in-depth elements, such as the camera techniques, the audio and the rowing sense of anticipation made with the props, crating questions and fulfilling the intellectual audience pleasure, which was what we were aiming towards most.

Q.5 - What is your opinion on our camera work? do you think we filmed it well? if not, then how

could it be improved?• I think this was filmed very well, the camera

work seems very smooth even thought this sequence must have been filmed on very uneven ground, especially when the girl is running. I like the cutting as well.

• Very nice camera work. I liked how the camera would pan across the screen

• I think it was filmed well and kept the suspense throughout the scene

• It was well filmed and appeared seamless. There is one part where there is a slight jump between shots which is a little clunky, and at times a little dark which hides some of the detail, but it does add to the suspense.

• Done well• Yes I think it was done well• Camera work was well done. There were

different angles and techniques used which help move along the sequence.

• Filmed well

• This response on our filming was very positive, with the addition of one mistake of being slightly “clunky”. We would make sure to keep our filming smooth and fluid in any future products.• By asking this

question, we were able to see that most of the 15-24 target audience didn't specify any specific or any opinions, but rather with a simple short sentence. This contradicts the more active older audience who were able to notice the camera work, the implications of the location and the types of techniques used.

Q.6 - Was the music/ audio in the sequence effectively used? why or why not?

• The music was subtle and creating tension without drowning out the sounds of breathing / footsteps etc. The sound of the tent being ripped open made me jump - very effective!

• Could have had a musical motif• I liked the music used as it added to the tension

without being distracting and taking away from the action, and i thought the audio used was very good.

• Yes, it added suspense and fear to the imagery as the music complemented the scenes.

• Used well yet a different track could be used• The music was effectively used - it helped to

create a very intense atmosphere• They focused on the girls breathing which added

to the ambience of the shirt film allowing the audience to feel the characters sense of fear and urgency

• Yes, it helps to build up tensionThe response to this question was very positive as I had concerns that the scores wouldn’t have created as much tension and suspense as it had according to these comments.

Most of these say that hey either liked, enjoyed or was used well, which suggests that a good score must be in place for a horror film to be successful in that area. One comments on how another score could have been used. I also agree with this as after production, I realise that repeating the same small clip might actual have the reverse effect

Q.7 - Was our use of lighting effective in creating an ominous or mysterious atmosphere?

if not, then why?• Yes, I liked the use of light focusing on the girl and

leaving the surroundings in the dark. When the antagonist is revealed, the lighting is very effective, as his face is half in the dark, this looks very mysterious.

• It was very effective and spooky• Yeah i thought the darker lighting really added to the

ominous feeling and really helped create some tension.

• Yes but at time a little too dark and covered some of the detail. However I particularly liked when the light reflected off of the eyes.

• Effective, yet more shadows could have been used• Yes it was• The stark contrast between the dark background and

the light in the foreground help add to the connotations of dark and mysterious happenings.

• YesAgain, all feedback was positive, and seemed to have the correct effect, which shows that the correct use of lighting can be a major ‘mood maker’ as well as its conventional for horror films, making it easier to be acknowledged.

As some comment on how it was too dark, this could have been due to our use of one single LED light that was used onsite. This could have been improved if we had maybe used some soft boxes to light up some of the surrounding area as none of that was real shown, so I do not think it was obvious that it was filmed in the woods, apart from the connotations from the props.

Q.8 - Is there anything within our opening sequence that confuses you? or that you are

unsure about?• I thought the sequence was

very interesting but not confusing. I liked that there were hints of how the story would unfold but it kept the viewer in suspense.

• Unsure about why she is running or what she is running from

• Nope.• Although the fear is evident I

am unsure as to what she us trying to achieve by running back to a tent which offers no protection.

• No• No• Would like to know what

happens next as the shirt film ends on a cliff hanger.

• Don't quite understand the pan used in 1:05

Some questions were raised about the protagonists motives and reasoning, techniques and what would happen next?The protagonist reasons for running weren’t supposed to be revealed, but the featuring of the antagonist was supposed to answer this question, or at least give a hint that it was ‘Him’ who she was running from.

The ‘Pan’ was used to show the protagonists P.O.V as she doesn’t know what's out there or what she’s hearing. This is also supposed to connote the ear of the unknown, as footsteps can clearly be heard, however nothing can be seen, further emphasising her isolation.The third question, of what would happen next? Was he whole point of the production, as this question was exactly what we wanted to be raised. This curiosity would then further drive the audience to watch next due to he climatic suspense and tension, that is left on a cliff hanger without the audience knowing the result.

Q.9 - Do you have any other comments you would like to add?

• I really enjoyed watching this.

• The opening sequence is good I want to watch more

• Nope.

• The sound quality was very good and the build up of fear is evident throughout the sequence. I was left wanting to know more.

• No

•

• I really liked the different shots used as the girl was running, the audience was able to see her struggles from all angles which brought the audience closer to the character.

• No

The benefit of asking for these extra comments is so that they are able to comment on anything, that the survey has not covered or ask any questions relating.

Q.10 - Did you enjoy watching our production?• Yes, it made me very

curious about how the story would go on.

• Yes I did• Yeah, quite alot• Yes, very much so.• Yes• Yes I thoroughly enjoyed

it• Yes• Yes

All participants have said yes in regard to enjoying the production. This means that we have succeeded in attracting and engaging with the audience though this product.The desired effect was accomplished very well, as this suggests our choice of audience was correct, as all have had a fitting response according to what we had been targeting all this time. It is clear from all his evidence, that our choice in primary audience was right, as hey had easily understood the narrative and the characters. The positive responses to the iconic props and the conventional use of lighting was shows that following conventions of the horror genre is successful when trying to target mass market audiences.

Our choice in secondary audiences also is shown to be correct though the evidence provided, as they were able to start questioning her motives as well as the antagonists, meanwhile thinking about he camera shots and techniques. However, compared to h primary audience, I do not think that the were able to connect with the protagonist due o he lack of personal identify, however I do think that we were able to intrigue and cause some curiosity as a result.

Q.11 - If you had the chance in the future, would you watch the rest of the film? why? why not?

• Definitely - I want to know what happens next.

• Yes I would I want to know what happens to the girl

• Yeah because this scene was very intriguing and it feels like there's a good story behind it.

• Yes, I want to know what happened and why. What was the sequence if events that led to this happening.

• yes, to know what happens to the characters

• Yes I would because I am desperate to know if the girl will get killed and the reason why the man wants to kill her

• The short film was well shot, well made, and well directed I would definitely like to see how the story progresses.

• Yes, it has caught my attention

From these responses we can see that we have managed to attract and appeal to our audience. This shows that they had managed to gain some sort of connection with our characters trough personal identity as well as have the intellectual pleasure of questioning as well as their curiosity towards the end of the product.By intriguing the audience, through our use of lighting, camera techniques and props, all together, this suggests that our production was a necessary success in terms of the audience.

Would we change our audience based on this feedback?

No, I wouldn’t change our audience now that we have received feedback and evidence concerning their opinions as well as their appeal/attractions o the production.Both audiences have responded to our production very positively, mentioning only some mistakes or improvements that could be used or taken into account in the future.This suggests that our research into audience uses and gratifications was useful and applicable to our production, causing the desired effect from both the primary and secondary audiences. However, I believe that the primary audience responed more passivley, agreeing with most questions, as not much thought was put into each answer, however, those who were of the secondary category were seen to have actually thought through their answers, highlighting their activeness as well as our correct decision to appeal to them as a secondary audience rather than primary as I don’t think they would have effectively appealed to the production as much as out primary audience did.