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1. Evaluation of audience research:
6 out of 8 people told me that they where already familiar with the Film Noir
genre, contrary to my research this suggest that the genre does still have some
prominence. This is a positive sign because it suggests that people will take an
interest in my production. Furthermore all 8 people gave a positive response
when asked what they thought of the genre, suggesting that they would be
actively interested in films of the genre. The two people who said that they
where not familiar with the genre even left responses indicating that they had
interest in watching a Film Noir. Most responses noted the genre’s fast paced
exciting tone and said that it’s typical subject matter concerning sprawling cities
and the mafia. Overall the response was 100% positive.
6 out of 8 people went on to say that they would choose a Film noir at the
cinema. One response from someone previously unfamiliar with Film Noir said
they where very interested in seeing one and especially in the idea of seeing old
recycles story archetypes re-invented. Another said that they would see one out
of curiosity most of those who had already had a taste of the genre said that they
where drawn to the style/iconography and so would definitely see another. One
person told me that they would watch a Film Noir but perhaps not over other,
more popular genres. Only 1 person in 8 told me that they would not pay to see a
Film Noir as it does not really appeal to their taste. I am very pleased with this
figure and think that in my production it is safe to stick to classic Noir
conventions without fear of alienating much of the audience. I feel it is not
necessary to pander to everyone’s taste and losing some audience is
unpreventable due to taste differences.
The majority of people told me that they had seen Film Noir in an educational
setting. This would imply that I might in fact be targeting a specialist audience.
This narrows my audience greatly and as to win over the specialist viewers it
will be very important for me to produce a technically impressive piece. A few
told me that they had seen titles at home. This suggests that Noir does still apply
to a small audience of non-specialist viewers.
As expected 8 out of 8 people regurgitated the general, classic features of Film
Noir as what they expected to see: low key lighting; black and white; scenes of
smoking and violence; an overrunning sense of isolation and being trapped and
archetypal stock characters. They also generally agreed that a suitable age
certificate would be 15 due to strong language and scenes of violence but
generally subtler that what we would expect in an 18 title.
3 out of 8 people told me that they preferred the classic approach to the Neo
Noir because of an attraction to the vintage style. Another three told me that
they prefer the Neo Noir approach: reasoning that the modern approach allows
for more gritty/violent storylines to oppose the more subtle themes in classic
Noir the remaining two told me that they where on the fence and could
appreciate the artistic approach of both sub-genres. This is an interesting view
and likely came from specialist viewers who would appreciate a title for it’s real
quality regardless of personal taste. These results suggest that a modern take on
classic Noir as I am aiming to create taking elements from both subgenres
(modern filming technique and classic storyline) would appeal in some way to
everyone, suggesting that my film will be popular with the general audience.