Questionnaire Results.



I conducted a survey as part of my research into thriller films. It will help me to confirm my target audience and give me an insight into some of the codes and conventions that my target market would like to see in the opening sequence of my thriller. I gained 31 responses in total after putting it on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and emailing it to my family. For my first question I asked gender of my participants. I received 21 responses from females and 10 responses from males. 

My second question ask the age of the participants. My target audience is teen to late twenties therefore I will compare the rest of my questionnaire results with my desired target audience and the other results to see whether there is a huge gap in what they can expect in a film. If the gap is small and they suggest the same things then although, primarily my film is aimed at the younger population it could be indicated that it would appeal to people over the age of that group making it more marketable.

Thirdly I asked whether they enjoyed watching thriller films. 39% said that yes they do, 10% (three people) said that they did not and finally 51% said sometimes. They indicated that the story has to be of their taste and in later questions gave examples of their ideal thriller film and what it would contain.

I wanted to find out if my idea for my thriller film contained the stock events that my audience wanted to see so my next question asked "What stock events do you think a good thriller film includes?". My idea for my thriller includes an chase ending in an abduction potential murder which is set in an isolated place creating an atmosphere full of suspense. I was looking to see how many people mentioned these ideas and also if there were any additional ideas that would fit in well with what I plan to do. My first five responses alone mentioned abductions, suspense, danger and lots of emotion. The responses carried on in the same direction and included ideas about isolation, tension and mystery. All of which I aim to include in my opening sequence.

Similar to my previous question I then enquired about stock characters. The suggestions followed the stereotypical characters of a thriller film and were mostly centred around, a girl victim and a mysterious bad guy. The answers also included an unlikely hero or a conventional hero however because I am just making the opening sequence of a thriller film I feel it is not necessary to include this character in my film.

Props, costumes and settings are very important in any thriller film as they help to define the genre and create the desired atmosphere within the film. Therefore my next question was centred around finding out what my audience thought to be appropriate for my opening sequence. These two answers represent the overall answers I received. Most of the answers wanted a dull, natural setting; fitting in with my ideas of setting it mostly in the woods. They wanted the clothes to be related to the character and specifically to the time in which my film is set. As my film is a modern thriller I will be asking my actors and actresses to wear everyday clothes that relate to their characters.

Camera angles are also important in films. They have the ability to show you everything but can also be subjective and hide items from view. I asked my participants to say which shots they think would be most used in a thriller film. Firstly they put a close-up shot. In the comments they commented on how not seeing the whole picture will add mystery and suspense which is the exact feeling and atmosphere that needs to be created by my film. They also said that a whole range of shots should be used to create excitement. If I did not include a range of shots the sequence could become monotonous and boring and not have the desired effect. 

Finally, my last question inquired about the amount of detail within my opening sequence. I provided three suggestions about the amount of detail from not much, to moderate and to showing the ending, then the rest of the film showing how it came to that. The most popular was moderate, containing some excitement. Due to this I have decided to carry on with my idea of a chase being the opening action and then if the film were to continue we would follow the course of getting the girl back by completing tasks that the abductor sets.

To conclude, my questionnaire research has enabled me to really define what my target audience expect to see within the opening sequence that I will be making. It has confirmed that my initial ideas were on the right track and has provided me with extra inspiration for my film piece. By conducting this research and basing my film on it, my film should then appeal to my target audience and as indicated from what I have seen hopefully a bit more wider audience than I was originally expecting.