Evaluation Question 5

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

What did we find out from our audience research:

• Based on our audience feedback, we found out that people liked our used of location. This is because isolated locations such as the cellar are typical to the thriller genre as they evoke connotations of the unknown and foreshadow a negative event. We hope that this will then attract our audience as they can associate the location with the type of genre  and be more aware of what they are about to watch. 
• They also said that the acting was overall convincing, however the shot with the sister at the beginning knocking at the door wasn't necessarily needed, so during editing we decided to take this bit out in order to make sure that viewers on a wider scale didn't think the same and dislike the opening sequence because of it. 
• Improvements given to us such as turning the volume up of the non-diegetic music towards the end of our opening sequence to build up more suspense. 

How we changed the opening sequence to tailor needs for audience:

We increased the volume of the production so that it delivered a larger impact, as well as taking on board the audience feedback in order to suit their needs. We had also added a heartbeat sound to build tension so that the audience felt the music bought more suspense when watching the opening sequence. In the questionnaire, the volunteers stated that we should keep the cellar in an untidy condition so it looks more realistic and so it signifies the mind of the husband; chaotic and confused. The costumes that the main characters (husband and wife) were wearing were chosen by our target audience. We gave them a number of different options to chose from and the most popularly voted was the outfit worn by our actors. Our group decided to do this so that we could interpret our audience's perspective and opinions. 

Genre Signifiers:

We used genre signifiers throughout the sequence in order to portray a realistic representation of a psychological thriller genre. We included the generic conventions of the colour ‘red’ within the sequence, a connotation of danger, blood and fear. In addition, the colour of the husband's outfit was black, creating a mysterious tone as the absence of the colour black makes the sequence generate narrative enigma. The ominous and eerie non-diegetic music overlaying the sequence, created a foreboding tone which generated fear within the audience, a common convention of other films within this genre. The general dark setting and shadows also are conventional of the thriller genre, further creating more signifiers in order to clearly show the audience what the opening sequence genre is.

How was the opening sequence engaging: 

Within our audience research, we asked the respondents whether they wanted to keep watching the film, most of which had replied yes. We also asked if they would go to the cinema to watch the film and all voted yes. This was due to the several narrative enigma codes that was present within the film, leaving the audience questioning what may occur next. For example, the shot of the wife tied up in the cellar gets the audience questioning why she is in there and what she had done to be locked up. The flashback may also give the audience an indication of where the film may be heading, making the audience wonder what may happen within the sequence later on. The respondents stated that they were engaged with the film as it was unique but at the same time followed the conventions of the thriller genre very well.

Audience Theory:

The uses and gratifications can be found within our opening sequence, it provides escapism from their normal boring lifestyle, with something to in capture their attention, however it may also fulfil entertainment needs as the sequence may seem to have suspense and tension. Our sequence also falls into the social interaction aspect of the theory as the audience gain an insight into the circumstances of others, in this case, the female victim that is being held hostage by her husband, allowing the audience to identify with others and empathise with them. Richard Dyer's Utopian solutions can also be found within our media text as it fulfils the problem of boredom. Our film allows audiences to be excited by the thrill of our plot, which allows them to escape from their normal daily lives; this engages them and causes them to want to carry on watching the film. 

Audience Feedback: 

Using the focus group, as seen within the video, we were able to gain feedback about our opening sequence from a range of genders who were the target audience. We had further asked more people within our class to watch the opening sequences and made changes in order to minimise the weaknesses of the production. Though the production had also been added onto YouTube, there had not been much feedback surrounding the comment box, however, we had people from the school further tell us about the opening sequence during lunch time. In general, the feedback we received was very positive and we had little alteration to do to our final cut of our film. We were advised to make the ending scene more tense by increasing the volume of the non-diegetic music and by also adding screams and struggling noises from the wife. This was to connote that she was scared and was struggling to get out from the cellar. This made our ending sequence much more effective as it built up tension and suspense within the audience and also made the plot of our opening sequence more believable. 

Todorov's Theory:

According to Todorov, all film plots and stories follow the same narrative structure:

• Equilibrium
• Disruption
• Battle for resolution
• New Equilibrium

But our plot is unconventional as our group decided to start with the disruption to immediately grab the attention of our audience. This will keep the audience engaged from the outset and throughout the film. By starting with the disruption it also indicates how un-mentally stable the mind of the husband and signifies the seriousness of the situation to the audience. 

Planned and written by Freya (me)