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1. Research
Flynn Westwood Bryant

2. Audience Research

3. Target Audience Profile
My short horror movie project has a target audience of 15-24 year olds as they are the
most likely (by study) to watch horror films. Study shows that 58% of men watch
horror movies in comparison to 42% of women meaning that I'm going to tailor my
work to a more masculine audience. The reason we consume horror movies is to
experience the stimulation. Exposure to shock and fear can stimulate the body both
mentally and physically with reactions such as fear, shock, or on the other hand
excitement or adrenaline.

4. Audience Research
• It (2017) is the highest selling box office horror movie ever with $701,083,042
worldwide box office sales. In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band
together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and
preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town. The film gained a 7.3/10 on
IMDB despite its record braking numbers at the time. Overall reviews are very
positive from standard watchers but critics are less swayed.
A review from a critic on rotten tomatoes.
“I almost fell asleep during this movie. The jump scares were predictable and not even scary. The
acting was weak and didn’t draw you in. The story (at least there was one) was boring. Like most
modern day horror stories the characters themselves are idiots that purposely tried to get
themselves killed.”

5. Audience Research
Horror movies are the 6th most grossing category of film in the world
averaging 13.65 billion per year since the 1990s. Horror films average age
range can be around 16-24 and that is due to the amount of adrenaline the
body can produce. The statistically scariest movie is the conjuring (2010)
because the average heart rate of the film is 85bpm. Its also estimated that 5
percent of all films are horror. Horror movies are seen as ”addictive” because
of the level of excitement and how much it could push the body.

6. Market Research
Existing Products

7. Hush
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcfc_Srv4mkn (clip used)
In this short clip, there is a variety of shots that create both atmosphere
and tension. The medium shot used throughout the first 20 seconds
shows the innocent and unknowing character going about her regular life
in the kitchen. The foley sounds used are all sounds you'd expect to hear
in the kitchen. The next scene is once again a mid shot but this time with
a loud shouting figure banging on the door with shots cutting between
the two opposites. The lighting comparison on both the shots shows a
contrast of the dark outside connoting danger and the safe inside with
warm light and minimal audio. At 0:41, an over shoulder mid shot shows
the contrast of the two characters with the unknowing Maddie and
slowly dying Sarah at the hands of the killer. Later in the act (1:43), high
close-up on the killers' face staring through the window at the still
unknowing Maddie after slaughtering her friend in cold blood. The
contrast between the characters of Maddie and The Killer are day and
night. One wearing standard clothes you’d expect someone lounging
around at home and another wearing a stereotypically dark and standard
outfit to avoid standing out. The location of the film is already a very
stereotypical horror esc place being out in the middle of the woods
alone. With the film being hardly dialogue based all the post effects are
done to manipulate the audio to create tension. For example, the
fading/buzzing of the audio while in the perspective of Maddie.

8. It (2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJWJ6RP55nU&ab_channel=MovieclipsTrailers (clip used)
A common theme in horror movies is contrast between good and bad.
Stephen kings IT is a great example and in the 2017 film version, the director
uses lots of techniques to create a clear and decisive good vs evil contrast to
create tension. At 0:16, the watcher can tell the tone of the film from the off.
A wide shot of a young boy running through puddles in the rain comes across
as very innocent which when paired with the happy, upbeat music and a very
friendly, stereotypical American neighborhood can lure an unknowing watcher
into a false sense of security.
1:17 shows a shot from the perspective of the drain and the young Georgie
looking through in hopes of his boat being there. The height difference
between Georgie and pennywise show a contrast of good and evil. The
darkness and low visibility of pennywise is also a smart design choice with
only the light of his eyes and his mouth showing. His sharp teeth signify
danger but as a young boy, Georgie would suspect nothing as Pennywise
introduces himself and lures him into a false sense of security. The boat is in
nearly all the shots that concerns both Georgie and Pennywise and is the
main talking point throughout the first encounters. The vocal effects used in
postproduction are used to give Georgie's voice an echo as if he was talking
into a drain. 2:40 shows the pair laughing at the sound of popcorn popping.
The dramatic music mixed with the demonic laugh of pennywise creates
suspense through audio manipulation and effects which is something I want
to create in my film.

9. The Conjuring (2013)
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi3819874585?playlistId=tt1457767&ref_=tt_ov_vi
In the opening scene of the conjuring, a close shot of the side of a
broken dolls with what sounds to be a terrified family talking in the
background about their unbelievable experiences. This sets the
tone for the entire movie from the off and infers the the audience
about the horrors they’ve had to go through. At 0:38, a very
moody and desaturated shot of the people on the voice over are
revealed. The clothes and style of the people infer that its set
around the 1970s meaning that technology was behind and while
living out in the middle of nowhere this tells the audience through
prior experience that nobody will be able to help them. 1:20
displays an over the shoulder shot of 2 girls staring down a run-
down hallway at the doll on the floor. The setting of a gloomy
hallway is used to create tension through suspense and an
unknowing of what will happen. This combined with the tight
space means that if something were to happen the main two
characters would be isolated and trapped. This shot is like that of
the shot in IT and creates the same level of suspense. At 1:40,
Lighting is used to shine the under part of the the persons face.
This combined with red marks on the door imply that something is
going to happen. The suspense building throughout prior shots
shows the build up to something big happening shortly. These first
few shots hook the watcher and make them want to watch on to
see what would happen to these characters on this journey
through their new haunted house.

10. The Purge (2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aMsB6kHLoc&ab_channel=JustTheTitles
The opening sequence for the purge uses contrast to create
a shocked atmosphere. The blocky/ military text at the start
with the 0 audio sets an imagine in the watcher's head.
When the music kicks in its very calm and would convey
tranquility. The complete opposite is then showed as
footage of people being murdered, committing arson and
many more horrible crimes. A lot of the shots are showed
through security cameras which shows nobody else dare
goes out. The outfits the people are wearing are mostly
clothes that protect their identity so they can’t be seen. The
contrast of the standard locations in comparison to the acts
that are happening shock the watcher and make them feel
sorry for the victims of these attacks. There isn’t really much
composition in the shots as its all-security footage. The
target audience for this film is a much older and mature
group as the adult themes throughout the opening
sequence would be far too mature for a young audience.
The graphic violence via security cameras is something id
like to try and recreate. The security camera is an effect ive
researched in prior projects meaning I can pull it off easily.
The graphic violence part of the film id rather stay away
from, but death will be a theme during my film as it’s a good
creator of atmosphere.

11. Research Analysis
– All the researched products use a mixture of ways to create suspense.
Whether it be through audio and music, camera shots, facial expressions, mise
en scene and setting. Both IT and Hush clips involve contrast between good
and bad with a main protagonist and antagonist. The use of over the shoulder
shots as an example can show fear and emotion from one side but the
cunning sneakiness from the other. This shot will most likely be used as an
opening shot for my film as I feel when used it can hook an audience. Full
body walking shots are another aspect to my film id like to include. It can
show off props and costume which can indicate the intentions of the
character.
– All of the research I've used should have reason which is why I want to aim to
try and use it all. The techniques and films I’ve researched all include parts of
the film I wish to try and use for my own. For example, The over the shoulder
shot in IT is something I’d like to try and replicate due to the impact it has on
the scene. The suspense it builds and the technical aspect makes it a perfect
shot for my film.

12. Questionnaire Analysis

13. Audience research
• Observation: The majority of the people who responded to my
questionnaire are wanting to see a horror film that provides jump scares and
want to see something that will have them on the edge of their seats.
• What this says about my audience: They would
rather see a film that is exiting and suspenseful from the off
rather than a film that builds up to something happening
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I
will follow the pattern that the audience want to see by having
lots of scary moments and suspense rather than a long build up.

14. Audience research
• Observation: People would want to see a classily structured
horror film with an antagonist and a protagonist.
• What this says about my audience: My audience
prefers the standard character layout instead of doing something
different. This will mean they can understand it easier.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
I'm going to stick to a standard layout with 2 protagonists and 1
antagonist to make sure there is no character mix ups. There will
be a clear difference in the two characters because of the props
and costume visible in the scenes.

15. Audience research
• Observation: Music makes scenes suspenseful and more
exiting.
• What this says about my audience: They are
heavily effected by the use of sound and music in horror as it
gives atmosphere.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: By making use of foley sound and suspenseful
music, I will create a tense atmosphere and which makes my
film exiting to watch.

16. Audience research
• Observation: Action horror is the most popular sub genre
of horror.
• What this says about my audience: Out of the 9
that responded, 5 said they preferred action horror to any
other sub genre.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: I planned to have my short film to be an action
horror already so this feedback is very useful. Partnering this is
with the majority of people wanting a high action story could
make my film popular with the age range I selected.

17. Audience research
• Observation: Horror that includes real world places is
more captivating
• What this says about my audience: they would
rather see a real life horror movie without the use of other
worlds/dimensions etc..
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: I wont use editing techniques to portray
different worlds/characters from different places. I want to
keep my story “realistic” by having real world characters and
scenarios.

18. Interviews

19. Interview 1

20. Interview 1
• Observation:
• What this says about my audience:
• How will your product appeal to this
audience:

21. Interview 2

22. Interview 2
• Observation:
• What this says about my audience:
• How will your product appeal to this
audience:

23. Bibliography

24. Bibliography
1. Flynn Westwood Bryant(2022) Target Audience Research Survey
(conducted on March 28th 2022)
2. Jamie Brown. (2022) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on March
28th 2022)
3. Alex Elsworth. (2022) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on March
28th 2022)
4. Elli Prince. (2022) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on March 28th
2022)
5. Hannah Stockill. (2022) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on March
28th 2022)
6. James Ryder. (2022) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on March
28th 2022)