Primary research: Target audience survey
Aim: To survey at least 6 people in
my target audience and ask them questions about film trailers in my chosen genre. Based on the
results, I will then adapt my product to better suit the wants of my
audience.
1.
Age
18-20 21- 23 24 -26
2.
Gender
Male Female
3.
Favourite
sub genre of horror
Gore Psychological Supernatural Monsters
4.
How would
you describe your socio-economic background?
Low class Middle class Upper middle class
5.
What 3 movie
trailer qualities are most important to you?
Good soundtrack and sound effects The pacing Characters
The storyline Visual effects The atmosphere
6.
Does the
colour scheme/filter of the movie trailer influence your opinion on it in any
way?
No I don’t notice It changes the atmosphere
It makes the trailer more appealing/unappealing
7.
Is there a
certain movie stereotype that you find yourself gravitated towards? (You
can tick one of the examples)
No, I like any film that looks good Stalkers Clowns
Creepy female ghosts (like the grudge) Paranormal ghosts
8.
Which type
of trailer sounds the most intriguing;
·
A) A
trailer for a horror movie with a simple plot and lots of gore?
·
B) A
trailer with disturbing scenes, intricate plot and a morbid tone?
·
C) A
scary trailer with lots of jump scares and supernatural creatures?
Results
Q1.
Everyone I asked was between 18-26 (the main ages of people in my target audience). Most of them were between 18-20.
4 out of 6 of them were male, because the majority of horror fans are male. I therefore selected male participants because I thought their feedback would hold more value.
Q3.
It seems that the most popular horror sub-genre was supernatural. This makes sense because some of the most popular modern horror movies (like paranormal activity and the conjuring) are in this category. When asked why, they said that these were the most scary because of the creatures and the jump scares. This was followed by disturbing, psychological films. Some comments I got were that they were ‘different’ than most horror movies. However, a couple of people said they ‘were too miserable’ or that they didn’t like being disturbed. The person who chose gore said that it was entertaining and not scary, so there was no risk of nightmares. No one chose monster movies (like ones with zombies and vampires).
Q4.
Most of the people I asked were middle class. But one chose to describe themselves as ‘upper middle class’ and another as ‘lower class’. Since most had a normal background, I will try to include some elements that would relate to their lifestyle. For example, my main character will probably be middle class. If he were upper class, people might not relate to his problems, or they might think he deserved a worse life. If he were lower class, the might not have respect for him.
Q5.
According to my results; sound and visuals were the 2 most important features in a trailer. This is probably because they are the most noticeable sensory stimulants. Pace and atmosphere also drew. This is probably because they are similar factors which work together. In my trailer, I will focus lots on making the sound and visual effects good, so that they are noticeable and impressive. This will mean it has a better chance of attracting my target audience. I will put a mixture of slow and fast paced clips in the trailer for a variety of effects. The slow ones will create a tension filled atmosphere and the fast ones will add a dramatic effect. Story and characters are important, but they don’t need to be shown in depth in the trailer. My results have shown that they aren’t the most intriguing parts of a trailer.
Q6.
Half of the people said they didn’t actually notice the colour and filter effects of movie trailers. But the other half agreed that it changed the mood of the video. Although most viewers may not notice it, no one said that it had no effect. I will stick to my plan of adding grey and blue tones to the footage. The audience may not pick up on it, but I think it’ll make a big difference in the overall tone.
Q7.
Nearly all of the test subjects said they didn’t mind what cliché was in the movie; as long as it looked good, they would watch it. They aren’t drawn to any particular types of enemies. Surprisingly, the most popular stereotype were stalkers. Films like ‘The strangers’ and ‘The purge’ seem to appeal to my target audience. They include themes of violence, survival, disturbing scenes and lots of tension. This has made me reconsider my choice of enemy in my horror trailer. Instead of just having some supernatural creatures, I could add in a stalker – like enemy. This would attract my target audience. No one liked clowns in horror movies and one person (a girl) said she was drawn to grudge – like ghosts. I think the grudge cliché is way overdone and there are new films (like ‘Rings’) being released, which are in that genre. No one specifically picked ‘supernatural beings’ but I think that would be included in the ‘whatever looks good’ category.
Q8.
Finally, for the best scenario question; most people chose ghosts and jump scares over disturbing and simple and gory. This confirms my theory that horror fans (especially male) are looking for adrenaline and thrills in their entertainment. This impacts my idea because I was going to try and make the storyline clever and full of shocks. But I now realise that this may in fact bore the audience and that I should mainly focus on the creepy scenes.
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