Creative Media Unit 2

1. Research
Will Stewart

2. Existing Product
The colouration of the title offsets
the rest of the piece, drawing
attention to the area around it.
The layered darkness works really well to
create the sense of moving away from
safety, and entering a world of mystery and
danger.
The image of the setting sun contains
connotations of the world being submerged
in darkness and the unknown, and a time
when fear becomes manifest.
The crossing of the boundary
between the city and the forest
carries connotations of leaving
civilisation behind, abandoning
concepts like propriety and civility
in exchange for a wilder, more
intense existence.
The open night sky represents the
grand unknown, and how people
only occupy a very small space in
the universe.
The image was artificially constructed
using digital software, granting full
control over how it is presented to the
audience. This allows the creators to
present it at any angle they chose, the
third-person view being impossible to
pull off if it were a natural photograph.

3. Existing Product
The portal at the centre of the
piece draws the viewer to it,
mimicking it’s function as a
gateway to other worlds, acting
as a literal passage into the
world of the game.
The leering, smoky figures that
surround the main image act as
harbingers, conveyors of a greater
meaning. Their presence adds a
sense of foreboding to the piece,
being observed by a figure of greater
authority creating a claustrophobic
and enclosed atmosphere.
The darkness of the island
serves both to highlight the
title, and to convey the
bleakness of the game, a
place devoid of light usually
denoting a place devoid of
hope, joy or love.
The angle at which the image is
presented creates the sensation of
looking upwards at a larger entity,
denoting a feeling of insignificance
and weakness from being dwarfed
so utterly.

4. Existing Product
The classic font for horror movie titles
is used, harking back to the early
1980’s, when melodramatic horror
movies were the norm. The
colouration also works well, reminding
the viewer of blood and violence.
The background’s colour conveys
mystery to the audience, purple
often being associated with things
of a supernatural nature. The way it
radiates from the mansion in terms
of lighting draws the viewer’s eyes
to the background, highlighting the
structure.
The lighting from the door-shaped
portal in the centre works really well
to highlight the silhouettes of the
protagonists. It adds a sense of setting
foot into forbidden on uncharted
territory.
The tagline works to hook the
viewer, reflecting the title of the
game, and further imposing a
feeling of dread and foreboding
upon the viewer.

5. Existing Product
The titanic figure of Cthulhu in the
background serves to be as
imposing as possible, driving home
the theme of humanity being
barely more than a speck of dust.
The unnatural environment, such as the
eerily sculpted peaks or the starless sky,
is an obvious hint that the player has
stepped into a completely alien
environment.
The lone boat on the open sea
conveys a sense of isolation and
confusion, and impending doom in the
face of something so far above
humanity on the food chain.
The colouration of the sea – deep
black – denotes certain concepts
like danger, darkness, evil, and
misfortune.
The size and scope of Cthulhu
dominates the image, towering over
the alien structures, further adding to
the sense of helplessness.

6. Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched
products have?
– They all use minimal colours, and focus heavily on lighting and shadow, to better highlight the
mysterious and hidden aspects of the game. They also generally have similar themes, such as the
protagonists stumbling into a situation where they have no place being, or the leaving behind of a
civilised world. This carries connotations of abandoning such concepts like sensibility or logic,
denoted in the form of travelling from one environment to another.
• What aspects of the research will you include
within your on work?
– The minimalistic colour scheme, the heavy emphasis on light and shadow, the theme of humanity’s
insignificance, and the ambiguity of the danger the protagonists face. The reason these posters are
so effective is because they force the audience to imagine the mystery, filling in the blanks with their
own narrative. This creates a unique charm for each member of the captive audience, as their
imagination crafts whatever it is they associate with the presented themes.

7. Questionnaire Analysis
Survey Link:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/
GMQQ8TS

8. Audience research
• Observation:Most of the audience is 16-18 years old.
• What this says about my audience:That most of them are in their late teens to
early twenties.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:Including content that
will appeal to this age group, working around the shorter attention spans associated with this age group.
This includes a fast-paced progression system, and a greater focus on linearity rather than multiple facets
of one story.

9. Audience research
• Observation:Most of my audience is male.
• What this says about my audience: That I can expect around eight-
tenths of my audience to be male.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:No
noticeable changes, possibly a greater focus on action. Inclusion of a rapid, hack-and-slash combat system would
be a preferable choice.

10. Audience research
• Observation:Most of my audience has an appreciation for horror.
• What this says about my audience: That they are accustomed to the
various tropes and themes associated with horror.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
Incorporate established horror motifs into the design, while adding a sense of individuality. Representation of
various horror genres, such as supernatural, psychological and personal horror.

11. Audience research
• Observation:Most of the audience avoid horror video games.
• What this says about my audience: That they are averse to jump
scares or other common horror video game themes.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: By
avoiding most common horror game tropes and adopting a subtler aesthetic. Examples would be avoiding
common horror stereotypes, such as the ‘final girl’, or romance between two characters leading to their deaths.

12. Audience research
• Observation:Most of my audience pays attention to poster design.
• What this says about my audience:That they are aware of design
aesthetics and that presentation matters to them.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: By
taking presentation and design seriously, and producing a piece of respectable quality. Researching recent design
elements of horror-based products, and incorporating the ones that fit the aesthetic of the game into it’s design.

13. Audience research
• Observation:Most of my audience are already involved in gaming.
• What this says about my audience: That they are conscious of video
game themes and styles.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
Develop it’s own unique style and express individuality. This will be accomplished by combining what is seen as
typical horror aesthetics and the personal aesthetics of the creator.

14. Audience research
• Observation:A large majority of the audience value design.
• What this says about my audience: That they expect a piece of
reasonable quality ad style.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: To
take the audience’s views into account and focus on developing a high-quality piece. Make all of the material to an
acceptable standard, with a distinct style so that people will easily recognize the brand.

15. Audience research
• Observation: The audience is more-or-less tied between ‘sometimes’ and ‘never’.
• What this says about my audience: That the individual personality
and views of the audience factor into their tastes.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: To
focus on what divides the audience, and bridging the gap between the two sides. Conduct further analysis of the
two groups, specify what differentiates the two.

16. Audience research
• Observation: The audience is evenly tied between horror fans and horror casuals.
• What this says about my audience: Once again, individual tastes are
the deciding factor in what appeals to the audience.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: To
focus not just on the horror elements, but also the mystery and action-based aspects. This will be done through
dividing the content of the game using an organisational system, to prevent any one theme from eclipsing another.

17. Audience research
• Observation: The majority of the audience is accepting of horror-related material.
• What this says about my audience: That their interest in horror varies on the
individual person.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: To have more
material to it than just being another generic horror game. I will accomplish this by presenting the game from different
perspectives, through the views of the characters, leading to many separate angles being explored simultaneously.

18. Interviews

19. Interview 1
• What do you associate with horror?:
• One killer stalking someone, dark colours, ominous music, jump scares, psychological twists
• What do you associate with safety?:
• Being with other people, having access to communication (such as phones, internet etc.) safety of a secure
home.
• What scares you?:
• Unpredictable scenarios. Anything which appears fast on screen. ‘the fear of the unknown’ – being
isolated, stranded?
• What do you associate with danger?:
• Situations which you can’t resolve, such as being stuck somewhere without help. Someone coming after
you/stalking. Threats. Violence. Fire.
• What is your knee-jerk reaction to being scared?:
• Mostly jump or Goosebumps if the tension is slowly climbing

20. Interview 1
• Observation:The interviewee is primarily afraid of situations where control is
taken away from them, or where they lack certain vital resources.
• What this says about my audience: That they consider
safety to be when they can account for unpredictable situations, and that they fear being a
adrift in a sea of unknowns.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: By adding a layer of confusion to the mystery aspect, where no one has
all of the pieces yet, and it is easy to be influenced by possibly false sources. This sense of
confusion can be simulated through the use of disinformation, where multiple conflicting
scenarios make it difficult to discern what is true and what is false.

21. Interview 2
• What do you associate with horror?:
Death, Jumpscares and chases.
• What do you associate with safety?:
Company, light and civilisation.
• What scares you?:
Death
• What do you associate with danger?:
Dead silence, weapons.
• What is your knee-jerk reaction to being scared?:
Shield myself and I run.

22. Interview 2
• Observation: The interviewee’s fears are focused around sudden change and
unforeseen endings, often related to pressure or stress.
• What this says about my audience: That they prefer to
simply enjoy things as they come, and react negatively when something disrupts this lifestyle
or forces them to stop having fun.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: By incorporating elements of disruption to the aesthetic, seemingly ordinary life
turned upside-down by unexpected circumstances. Jump scares are a useful tool to generate this effect,
but only with an appropriately effective build-up of normalcy, to properly convey the feeling of sudden
chaos.

23. Audience Profile
Category Demographic Content to appeal to this audience
Age Range
16-30 • Fast-paced, but not rapid, with detailed
content and plot.
Gender
Irrelevant • A switching narrative through a gender-
equal ensemble, to cover different
perspectives.
Psychographic
Mystery and
horror fans.
• Due to the deeply investigative aspects of
the plot, as well as the supernatural and
psychological horror elements.
Social Status
Working to
Middle-class
• Mostly due to the action-based aspects,
mild blood and gore, and mature language.

24. Research Evaluation

25. Research Evaluation
• Give an overview of how you conducted your research.
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each method
– Product Research
• Analysing the qualities of different products that I wanted to emulate, and what
made them successful. Helped to identify each product’s appeal, but there was a
noticeable lack of pieces in the similar vein of what I was working on.
– Questionnaires
• Provided valuable information on people’s views, expectations and desires, but
took a while to produce results, people forgetting to do the survey in favour of
other things.
– Interviews
Useful for acquiring a more personalised perspective, can be possibly wasteful if the
interviewee has nothing unique, or is simply unused to giving detailed explanations.

26. Research Evaluation
– What sort of a response did you get?
Valuable information was acquired through the survey, expressions of different
personalities, viewpoints and tastes very helpful in improving the aesthetic and
value of the project.
– How did you distribute your survey? Give an advantage and a disadvantage
Through e-mail. It gets to people easily and is generally a stable and organised
form of digital transference. However, people often forego e-mail in favour of
more immediate methods of communication, such as social media platforms like
Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram.