What is your gender?
Female: 5/10 Male: 5/10
We deliberately split our sample in to 2, so that half consisted of females and the other half consisted of males; giving us an equal amount of opinions from both genders. This allowed us to correlate each person's preference according to their gender and therefore, we could have a better idea as to who our target audience was in terms of gender. It allows us to specify our target audience more accurately in order to increase the opening's appeal. For example, if we were to find a correlation between opinion and gender, this would establish who our target audience would be if we were to incorporate they opinion in our opening sequence.
How old are you?
10-14: 2/10 15-20: 2/10 21-25: 2/10 26+: 2/10
Before conducting our research, we had a brief outline that our target audience would majority consist of 15-20 year olds. Therefore our sample was broken up into age categories which specifically included this age range so that we could identify what they found appealing. By asking our intended target audience regarding their preferences when watching a thriller opening, we are able to receive their opinion on a larger scale and therefore we are able to include their preferences to increase the appeal of the music video in terms of what they want. However, we also asked individuals who did not fall into this age category so that we could identify if their opinions differed from out target audience, to establish if they were similar or dissimilar to them according to what they found appealing.
Do you prefer to know the identity of the villain from the start of the film?
Yes: 1/10 No: 9/10
When asking people to elaborate on their opinion, each individual justified why their felt this way in order for us as media producers to understand why they found this favourable. Below are some comments made regarding why they feel keeping the identity of the antagonist a secret is key:
'I feel by keeping the antagonist's identity a secret, I feel more on edge. By not knowing who they are I feel more vulnerable because you don't know who to look out for.' Daisy Morecroft
'The films that fall into the thriller genre often create suspense for the audience, and by hiding the identity of the antagonist this effectively does that. By suggesting the antagonists presence but not completing illustrating that, the audience are left on edge from the suspense built. I particularly enjoy when this is achieved through off screen sound, as it creates a climatic enigma.' Drew Wyllie
From the comments received, most individuals felt that by hiding the antagonist's identity, this would make them feel 'on edge', a conventional effect created in the thriller genre. Also, Drew Wyllie claimed he enjoyed off screen sound, evident in other thrillers such as Obsessed. Therefore we felt that this was a conventional and successful method in creating suspense also and have decided to include it in the opening to increase appeal. Overall 9 out of the 10 people asked to fill out the questionnaire answered that they preferred not to know the identity of the villain, we have decided to keep this a mystery. This will therefore keep the audience on edge, in suspense and should appeal the high majority of our target audience.
What sub genre within the thriller genre to you prefer most?
Crime: 4/10 Psychological: 4/10 Religious: 1/10 Mystery: 1/10
From the answers received, both psychological and crime thrillers were viewed as the favourite sub genres within the thriller genre. Therefore, our opening will fall into both categories The villain will have an obsession with the victim due to his psychological instability which could possibly lead to violence which would be a crime. Both religious and mystery thrillers are not favourable amongst out target audience and therefore to include aspects of these sub genres would decrease the appeal of our opening, and therefore we won't do so.
Do you enjoy violence when watching thrillers?
Yes: 4/10 No: 6/10
There is no clear dominant answer in regards to this question, however 'no' did only just overpower 'yes'. Therefore we have decided to only suggest violence in our opening to provide for both options within our target audience. The victim will be seen as threatened and slightly psychologically damaged, however not psychologically. It appeared that older individuals answered 'yes' in comparison to younger and therefore if we were not to include violence, our target audience is more likely to be in the younger categories i.e. 15-20 years old.
Do you prefer the location of setting to be inside or out?
Inside: 7/10 Outside: 3/10
It is vital to establish an appealing setting so that the audience are not confused by it. Below are some comments that people made in their justification of their opinion:
'I prefer the location to be inside. Thrillers I enjoy typically have a house location, such as Scream or Woman in Black. By having a house as a location, I still feel on edge when I get home because the film has effected me that much.' Millie Cooper
'I prefer an location that is inside because the victim appears more trapped as they have a limited chance of escaping. This builds suspense because the threat of the antagonist is highlighted in such location.' Reggie Clark
The majority of people said they preferred the location to be inside as they can relate to it easier and find it more disturbing. Therefore the location of our opening will be in the victim's house as this will be seen as disturbing and a invasion of security. Also, our target audience feel more on edge as they can imagine themselves in a similar situation.
Do you find female or male characters more suitable as the victim?
Female: 9/10 Male: 1/10
There was a highly dominant answer to this question which was 'female'. This was because they are viewed as more vulnerable when under threat and therefore the audience can empathize with them more then males. Therefore our victim will be a female to appeal to the audience more.
1. On average, males watch/enjoy thriller more than females
2. On average, the age category 15-24 watch/enjoy thriller more than any other age category
3. An audience feel a female playing the character of a victim is more effective than a male.
4. An audience prefer the location of a thriller to be inside rather that out
5. An audience prefer a limited amount of violence when watching thrillers
6. An audience prefer crime and psychological thrillers over any other sub genre
7. An audience prefer for the villain's identity to be hidden
From this, I will take into consideration the opinions and research I have found out to build the foundation of my thriller opening. In each of the questions, I have addressed the main aspects of a thriller and by receiving feedback, have made decisions according to the answers said. For example:
1. A female will be the victim of our opening
2. The setting will take place in the victim's house so the location is inside
3. They will only be suggested violence/threat, rather than visual physical harm
4. Our thriller will encounter aspects of both crime and psychological sub genres
5. The villain will not be seen, only suggested to build suspense.
You have provided a very good analysis of your results, providing examples for both open and closed questions, showing a clear understanding of their implications. You have also stated how you might include these results within your sequence and what this will hopefully create.
ReplyDeleteYou need to have asked more questions to show a better understanding of what you might need to include within your sequence.
Also, be careful to not cross over into music video analysis (2nd question)