Max Frankel collected feedback on his short film from viewers on YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook. Most reactions were positive, with viewers enjoying the opening titles, catchphrase, and suspenseful first shot of an abandoned Joker mask. However, some interpreted the mask shot differently than intended. Getting this feedback helped Max realize including more ambiguity could encourage audience doubt. He also posted his film poster online, which received mixed responses regarding the use of the Joker mask and black and white color scheme. Collecting this audience feedback provided valuable insights into how viewers interpreted and experienced his media texts.

1. EVALUATION QUESTION 3
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
BY MAX FRANKEL

2. • I found the process of collecting audience feedback on my media text
really interesting. Finding out how audiences reacted to my short film
was very instructive. I posted my completed video on YouTube and
Vimeo because they both have lots of unique users every day. I also
posted on Facebook with a link to my media text, telling them to
watch it and let me know what they thought. I found that most
reactions to my text were positive. Viewers said that they enjoyed the
opening titles and they thought the film’s catchphrase was punchy,
memorable and witty. They also said that they enjoyed the suspense
of the first shot of the abandoned Joker mask on the floor. It was
interesting to see how different viewers interpreted this scene. I
intended for it to look like the mask had been dropped in a hurry by
Rossi’s character, but some people told me they thought somebody
was buried in the ground beneath the mask and that the diegetic
sound of “Help! Help” was them crying out. When filming that shot I
didn’t even consider that that could be a possible interpretation, but
getting audience feedback has helped me think more about
deliberately including ambiguity in media texts which actually
encourage doubt in the audience. It’s made me think about how I
would try to include more mystery into my short film if I did it again. I
think it actually makes the text and the experience of viewing it richer.

4. • I also posted my ancillary texts on Facebook and Instagram. People’s response
to my poster was on the whole very positive. They liked how simple and
uncluttered it was. Some commented that they liked that I tried to keep the
text to a minimum: just the film title, strapline, principal actors’ names, critic
review, film credits and release date. I found that among my intended target
audience of 18-30 year old males the poster was received really well. They
could see that it was a gangster movie and the title made it clear that they
could expect a movie centered around an elaborate heist. They liked the simple
positioning of the three main characters and some said they liked how they
even seemed to come out of the darkness, suggesting they were very shady
characters. Using the Joker mask as the other clear focal point on the poster
was a success for some people, but for others it didn’t work and they found it
confusing – they fed back that it confused genre conventions and made them
think of horror. Another piece of constructive criticism I got was about the
colour scheme of the poster. Some people did question why I chose to put it in
black in white. They said that it would have been better in colour, but I found
that it made it seem artistic and sinister. One thing a viewer said which
challenged what I’d previously thought was that she couldn’t imagine seeing it
on the side of a bus or on the Underground network as it was too
monochrome. I hadn’t thought about the specific locations the posters would
be posted and this was a really interesting comment. I found it really valuable
asking them what expectations they had of the film based on the poster. It
showed me how much we’re all aware of certain conventions and how these
shape our expectations.

6. Review of Feedback from Viewing
(Video)

7. Audience Feedback sheets

8. Audience Video Feedback

9. Review From Feedback
• From my audience feedback sheet it was clear to see
that the overall feedback was positive and that the
audience enjoyed the soundtrack and they though it
went well with the thriller genre, the overall plot and
the quality and variety of shots. Although I did
recognize from the feedback sheets that the acting was
not as good as it could have been due to a few smiles
from the character of Jack played by Lucas Rossi which
may have made it look a little bit less professional. I
Also recognized from the audience feedback sheets
that the colour of the shots were very good when the
lighting was dark but sometimes the lighting fluctuated
and became a little brighter, although this was caused
by one of the cameras filmed in a different effect.