Audience Feedback

We had to do a test screening of our film opening to a least 10 other people. During this test screening we showed the audience our film opening and asked them to fill in a questionnaire about the opening afterwards. This question asked them what their opinions were about certain aspects of the film and also what they thought could be improved. This audience feedback can then be used by us to edit our film opening in the ways our audience advised us to, in order to make our film opening more appealing to our target audience. We test screened our film with 12 other people and below is the results of our questionnaire and an analysis of what this shows us and how we can use the results to improve our film.

1. What gender are you?

10 females

2 males

We choose to do our audience feedback based on the majority of females , this was because we felt our film would appeal more to this audience and we wanted to make sure we were getting a good idea of what appealed to them and want didn’t, so that we could change anything that needed changing.

2. How old are you?

11 – 16/17 yrs old

1 – 52 yrs old

We choose an audience that was made up of mostly teenagers, this was due to our film being aimed at the teenage audience. We felt if we had targeted the test screening at this audience we would get a better idea of what they liked about the film and could change any aspects they didn’t think worked as effectively.

3. After watching our film opening, can you think of any improvements that could be made?

4- Improvements

2 – Improvements already done

6 – No improvements

Improvements that has been done –

Add all sounds you want.

Finish editing

We asked our audience whether they felt any improvements could be made, one of the people said that they thought we needed to add more sound effectives and finish of the scream at the end. They felt this would make the film even better. We did this improvement and added a scream at the end, which helped to make the film appeal to our target audience. Another member of the test screening said that we needed to finish the editing and make the continuity of our film even smoother. We did this improvement as well, by cutting a couple more shots and zooming in on the van in the invisible wipe.

Improvements to be made

Change ringtone

The beginning

The lighting darker at the end

Lighting darker at the end

Other members of the test screening advised us on other aspects that they felt could be made better, including making the lighting darker at the end. We tried to improve on the lighting, by found it quite hard, due to the limited editing software and the daylight during which the film was filmed. One member of our test screening told us to change the ring tone used, however we thought about it and quite liked the way the ring tone fitted with the overall film opening and decided to keep it as it is.

The rest of the people we used for our test screening told us they liked the film how it was and that they couldn’t think of any improvements to be ace. This shows that the film was quite effective in appealing to the target audience and worked to attract them to the film and appeal to the audience as desired.

4. What genre of film do you think this is?

9 – Thriller

1 – Psychological thriller

1 – Horror

1 – Horror/thriller

All of the members of our test screening correctly identified our film as being a thriller/horror. This shows that we have used the correct thriller conventions and the sound and camera shots work to make the film appeal how it should. The audience were clear what type of film it was and felt the film was effective in targeting the right audience for this film.

5. What would you expect the target audience of this film to be?

9 – teens (15 +), both genders

2 – 16-24, both genders

1 – 16–under 40, both genders

All of the members of our test screening felt that the film would appeal to an audience of primarily teenagers or both genders. This is good as this was the audience we were hoping for and shows that our film is effective in attracting that audience. The conventions used are obviously appealing to that audience and it is clear what the audience is.

6. Would you expect this film to be produced as a Blockbuster or an Independent film?

4 – Unreadable/unsure

8 – Independent

Of the answers we could read, it was clear that the majority of people used for our test screening felt that the film would be made by an independent film company. This is the production company we had in mind and shows that the film follows the usual convention shown by such companies. The impact of this is that our audience understand where this film would be shown and our clear what to expect from it.

7. What do you think of the film title and the graphics used?

12 – Appropriate to film

All members of our test screening liked the title of our film, Hidden, and felt it was very appropriate for the film. They liked the way the graphics have been done to help develop the thriller genre and they felt these were quite effective in doing so. They also felt the camera work and sounds linked well with the film title. This shows that the hidden was effective how it is and we don’t need to change it any further.

8. Do you think the use of sound was effective in our opening?

12 – Like the use of sound, think it’s appropriate for film and creates the right atmosphere

All the members of our test screening liked our use of sound. They thought the suspenseful music added to the thriller atmosphere and was effective in appeal to the right audience. They also liked the small use of diegetic sounds, as it added a sense of tension and panic, which was then reflected to the audience. The fact everyone liked our use of sound, shows that we do not need t o change it any further.

9. What do you think about the use of camera shots

Close-up was effective, hand-held shot was good at the end

Good

Liked the hidden behind bush and running shots

Good, with a good variety

Very good

Creepy, makes it look like stalking

3 - All link in well together

Good, as there was a variety of angles which created an air of mystery

Effective, running shot

Mainly good, wanted more cross-cutting shots

The majority of the audience used said they liked the camera shots used. Most of them said they thought they were effective and added to the overall atmosphere of the film. They commented on the variety of shots used, which was good as this was one aspect on the opening we were proud of. They thought the shots fitted well with each other and added a good continuity. They particularly liked the unconventional shots, such as the hand-held camera and restricted view shots used. One member of the audience said they would have liked to seen a bit more cross-cutting, but we found this hard to do, due to the location used and the story behind our opening. Overall our audience feedback shows that the camera shots used were very effective and appealed to the right audience.

10. Would you watch it yourself?

1 – Probably

2 – No, because they don’t like scary films

9 – Yes

The final question asked during our test screening was whether they would watch the film themselves. We got the majority of people saying yes they would and the two people that didn’t said that that was only due to the fact they didn’t like thriller films. This shows that our film was overall quite effective in appealing to the right audience and the conventions used added to the thriller genre and were accurate in making the film as appealing as possible. 

Editing

After we had finished filming our film opening, it was then time for us to upload our footage onto the computer and into the editing software. We had to select the desired clips and make sure we had all the shots we needed. Once all the footage was on the software, we then had to begin editing. Each member of the group was responsible for editing a certain part of the film. 

In addition to cutting the shots we had filmed, we also had to add music into the film as well. 

Below is a screen-shot of the editing of our film and it shows the skill I have shown when adding music to the film. 

At certain parts of our film a phone ring-tone can be heard in the background. We filmed the sound separately to the filming, as this allowed us to get a much clearer and louder sound in the film. I then had to edit the sound clip so that it was purely sound and had no video attached to it. I then had to cut the sound, so that it only played the ring-tone, rather than other background noise. Once I was happy with the cutting of the sound clip, I then had to edit it into the film, making sure it fitted in perfectly with when the sound would have played on the film. This was quite difficult as it was hard to get the sound playing exactly when I needed it to, but after playing around with it I think the overall effect is quite successful. The sound has been added to the film, but appears very much like it is non-diegetic sound that should have been there originally. The aspect I would improve is the fact the sound is quite everyday and normal, which is contradicting with the theme of the film, I think this normal, everyday sound could confuse the audience as they will think everything is as it should be. The way I think I could have improved this is if I had used a scarier ring-tone instead. 

In addition to adding the sound clips into the film, I was also responsible for editing the begining of the opening sequence. Below is a screen-shot showing a part of the film that I was responsible for editing. 

I edited this shot by zooming in on the van and making it full the whole screen. The effect of this on the audience is that the girl in the film is completely 'hidden' from view. This ties in with my film title and develops the idea that something bad is about to happen. The audience will wonder where the girl has gone. The next shot is filmed from behind a bush and therefore the girl is still not in full view, which again develops this idea further. The main intention of this van scene was originally to act as an invisible wipe, however as the next shot is filmed from a different angle it was hard to complete this shot and create the desired invisible wipe effect. If I were to shoot this again I would try and find a shot that was of a similar angle to try and improve the idea of the invisible wipe. However overall I think the shot is quite successful in developing the thriller genre and creating the idea of something being 'hidden' from the audience and the character. 

Filming

We are now into the filming stages of our film opening. Below is a piece of footage I was personally responsible for filming. It has not been edited at this stage, so the diegetic sound, cutting and lighting is still to be changed and improved.

I think this shot is an example of good use of the camera. I like the idea of the shot starting quite close up and then coming up over the girls shoulder and finishing as a mid-shot behind her. I think it has been quite well filmed as you get the idea of someone watching the girls every movement. The over shoulder the shot gives the impression of invading privacy. This then links with typical conventions of a thriller film. The audience gets the idea something bad is going to happen to this girl as you can see that something is watching her. The slow backwards steps create the impression of distance and a slow approach, which sets a very suspenseful atmosphere. This is quite a unique camera angle, which I think will help to keep the audiences interest in the film and allows them to be unsure of what is happening. The phone in the shot creates an enigma code, as the audience is a bit unsure of why a simple text message is being focused on.

If I were to film this shot again, I think I could improve slightly on how steady the camera is, as the camera moves in the shot it was hard to get it to stay steady, meaning at some points of the shot the camera moves a bit more than I would have liked. However after getting the lighting edited and the rest of the shots fitted around it, I think this may be improved and will help to add to the idea of being watched. I hope the audience will feel like the camera is being held by the person watching her.

The diegetic sound in this clip will be edited out and a suspenseful backing track will be put on the top of it, which will clean up the shot and help it to appear like a thriller film. I will also darken the lighting, to low-key, during the editing process, this will make it appear like the event was happening at night, which will help link into typical conventions of a thriller genre and the audience will be put more on edge.

Overall i am quite pleased with this shot as I think it is unique and creates the desired impression of someone being watched. This then reinforces the thriller genre and makes the audience aware that something bad is going to happen.