Sunday 29 April 2012

Final Draft Feedback

On the night we showed our films, we gave everybody a questionnaire to fill in. Our group had 56 questionnaires filled in by the end of the evening, and so it took a very long time to analyse it all. However, we perservered and here we go:

The typical demographics questions were asked, and we found that a lot of our positive feedback came from females ages 0-20, showing that they were the audience that enjoyed the film opening the most. This could be because all of the actors in the film are females aged 0-20, but also because our group is all 0-20 females, we made something that we liked which is probably why it appealed to other 0-20 females. Out of the 56 people asked, only 5 listed horror as their favourite genre, although they gave us the highest marks, generally 9 or 10 out of 10. This is really good for us, because fans of that genre would be more critical, because they watch more of them and know more about what makes a good horror film, so for them to like it the most was a big achievement for us.

Question 1) Did you think the choice of settings in the video were appropriate?
Positive comments: 51
Neutral comments: 4
Negative comments: 1
Sample comments: location suited genre; great locations, looked real; they used the park in the vision well. (I haven't purposely not put the negative comment there, they literally just wrote 'NO'.

This feedback shows that the choice of locations we used were a good choice. The comments were mostly positive, saying that the locations were appropriate for a horror movie. Only one person in my specific sample (we split them into 3, I have 18 sitting in front of me) commented on a specific location, the park, which shows that the dream scene was effective and got across its meaning. Although nobody commented on the first half in these surveys, previous questionnaires we produces concluded that the first half location was also effective and atmospheric.

Question 2) How successful was the video in satisfying the conventions of the genre?
Positive comments: 53
Neutral comments: 3
Negative comments: 0

Sample comments: liked that the notion of reality was questioned; good use of music; successful and clear.

This feedback shows that we were very succesfful in satisfying the conventions of horror. The comment which liked the notion of reality being questioned was especially good for us, because our film was specifically a psychological thriller, and that is something present in them. Getting no negative comments made us very, very happy, because that meant that we were very successful in fulfilling our aim: to make a horror film opening.

Question 3) How successful is the editing? 
Positive comments: 53
Neutral comments: 2
Negative comments: 1

Sample comments:  good use of filters in the dream, transitions in beginning were good; built up tension.

This feedback shows that people really liked the rapid transitions in the first half, because they thought it built tension, which is good because that's what we were going for. They also liked the use of the blur filter in the dream sequence, because it distorted reality. This is also what we were going for, so that is also good. I don't have the one with the negative comment, but I will try and find it out from Jess/Hannah.

Question 4) How successful were the choice and execution of camera angles and movement?
Positive comments: 52
Neutral comments: 3
Negative comments: 1
Sample comments: liked the flashback to the past; liked the moment where she looked up after she killed her best friend; some of it was a bit shaky. 

This feedback shows that people were generally happy with our camerawork. The shots that people particularly liked were the high angled shot where Jess looks up after her ritual and the flashback clips. People commented that they thought the camera angles in the ritual scene made the scene more scary, and that we used a variety of camera angles. However, one person thought that some of the angles were a bit shaky, but they didn't specify which ones. However, I can take a guess because there is one angle that kills my soul every time I look at it. It's in the middle bit, after the ritual but before the dream, when Jess and Hannah are talking. My hands are incredibly shaky, so usually we use something to put the camera on when I film, but this time I forgot and there's one moment when it's on Jess and it shakes and every time I see it, I die a little inside. Or they could mean the beginning, when the camera was shaking on the door, in which case, it's meant to be shaky because a straight shot of a door would be quite boring, plus the effect we placed on it makes it shake even more, so it creates an atmosphere, kind of like it's actually a person walking up to the door.

Question 5) Was a clear narrative established?
Positive comments: 48
Neutral commens: 7
Negative comments: 1
Sample comments: yes, you can see that one girl dies due to Jess's imaginary friend; quite clear; not quite clear.


Most people could clearly follow the storyline; however, there were some people who weren't clear on it. This feedback shows that our change of second half was a good decision, because the original discussion with Hannah and Jess in the 2nd draft wasn't very clear; however, most people understood the storyline with the changes we made, showing that we made a good choice. There was one person who put that they didn't get it, so I'll find out from Hannah/Jess what that comment was and get back to you on that one.

Question 6) What section of the film was most successful and why?
Positive comments: 51
Neutral comments: 4
Negative comments: 1
Sample comments: when she killed her friend and the dream; running through the arch; the ending because it was interesting; the voiceovers in the dream.


The majority of the feedback listed either the ritual or the dream as the most successful bit, although some people were more specific. The arch bit, the voiceovers and the daisy were also listed, showing that it wasn't just an overall effect that people liked, there were actually specific parts that built up what people enjoyed. This is good for us, because it shows that we didn't just put a load of things in in the hope it would make an effect, it shows people noticed the little things we put it. Hooray. Once again, I don't have the negative comment in front of me, I'll try to get it off Hannah/Jess.

Question 7 (last one, I promise)) What could we do to improve this?
Positive comments:14
Neutral comments: 31
Negative comments: 8
Sample comments: make story clearer; you don't need to; steadier camera in places.

This one was really hard to gauge whether people thought that something was bad, or whether it could have just been a bit better. Most people put 'maybe' or 'could have possibly', suggesting that they thought that it was good, although it could have also had this in it. The people that did suggest things said that the storyline could have been clearer and that the camerawork could be a bit steadier in places, which I explained above.

Average score out of 10: 9.


From this feedback, we can tell that people generally liked our film. Huzzah.

Here's the specific demographics we got:
Ages:
0-20: 37
21-34: 1
35-51: 7
52+: 2
Did not say: 9


Genders:
Female: 30
Males: 16
Did not say: 10


Genres:
Comedy: 24
Drama: 2
Action: 3
Romcom: 4
Horror: 5
Thriller: 4
Period drama: 2
Spy/detective: 2
Fantasy: 2
None given: 14



2 comments:

  1. 4) "However, one person thought that some of the angles were a bit shaky, but they didn't specify which ones" - which ones do you think they might have been referring to and might these have been shots which were shots where you intentionally aimed to create a sense of verisimilitude by accentuating the handheld work or is this a viable criticism (nothing wrong with either answer by the way - remember, I'm not just here to award marks for every time you claim you're brilliant!)

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  2. Hello Sarah B, I love this post.

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