Survey Key Findings- Film Poster

1. T A R G E T A U D I E N C E A P P E A L
Survey Key Findings

2. Survey 1- The Grudge
 Key Points of Appeal:
- Text- “Vibrant” text that conveys a sense of
“abruptness and action”- “making it exciting”
- Image- The simplicity of the image makes “the eye
[of focus] feel more intense and piercing”.
- Composition- The title ‘The Grudge’ is in line with
the antagonist’s eye, forming a connection between
their intense and gaze and the narrative title.
- Incites a feeling of: “shock, fright a feeling of being
watched”, “a sense of unease and intimidation”-
reflective of the intention of the horror genre.
- “disturbing, scared but want to know more” and
“foreboding, chilling, fearful but interested in what
is happening”- conveys that the viewers’ interest
has been sparked.
- House Style- “It’s dark and ominous making for a
thrilling poster”

3. Survey 1- The Grudge
 Specified Weaknesses:
- Composition- “The top left seems
very empty and almost like wasted
space, maybe another image or text
would help” – Conveys the need to
ensure that all space is utilised and
reveals the limitations of a simplistic
design in creating visual appeal.

4. Survey 2- The Woman In Black: Angel of Darkness
 Key Point of Appeal:
- Text- “it’s use of capital letters” seems to form excitement as it “suggest[s that] the film may
have quick, heart-racing moments.”- creates the desired effect of the horror genre; to excite the
viewer through fear.
- Text- “It’s tall stature makes for a rather imposing font”.
- Image- “the ominous black-hooded figure”- “makes the viewer seem vulnerable and
defenceless”- mysterious and convinced by the eerie representation made.
- Key point of focus “the figure in the doorway as their face is obscured”- mystery and enigma
draws in the viewer and incites intrigue.
- “the two opposing figures in a dark dingy place”- effectiveness formed through the contrast of
the two characters.
- Incites a feeling of: “mystery, intensity, intrigue, loneliness, stress, isolation”, also makes viewer
“curious of the protagonist’s fate”.

5. Survey 2- The Woman In Black: Angel of Darkness
 Specified Weaknesses:
- “Other hints as to what might happen next”- This
received little criticism, however, this wish for more
narrative hints suggests that the meanings within the
piece are to entirely clear.

6. Survey 3- Insidious
 Text- the “unusual orientation [of the film title]
makes me pay more attention to it”, however,
“more attention [required] to work out what it
says”, confusing the viewer as they “don’t know”
whether it’s “appealing” or “irritating”.- This
reveals the danger of challenging text conventions.
 Text- “Interesting choice of font and colouring”.
 Image- “Strong contrast between the dark [of the]
boy’s face and front, against his bright shoulders...
Making it feel almost unnatural which, in turn,
makes it unnerving”. This reveals the effectiveness
of contrasting light in creating for an intriguing
visual aesthetic.
 Incites a feeling of: “unease, awkward, intrigue”-
reveals that the viewer’s interest, regarding the
film, has been sparked.

7. Survey 3- Insidious
 Specified Weaknesses:
- ”Maybe some sort of tag-line”- despite
being existent within the poster, the
viewer did not see it; suggesting the text
to have been too small and easily passed
by.
- ”The house is too bright and the sky
could’ve been used to better effect”- this
criticism reveals that some viewer’s
weren't to satisfied with the application of
different lighting and filter effects.

8. Conclusion
 Overall, this task has been useful in revealing the key
points of appeal within a film poster. These being:
“vibrant” colours, good use of space, “mysterious”
imagery, “ strong contrast[ing]” colours and powerful
font. Throughout each response these elements seemed
to be key in intriguing and sparking interest amongst the
audience, in which, if not conformed to, the lacking
presence of these featured seemed to pose as a poster-
weakness in the audience's eyes.
 Thus, when creating my own piece I shall attempt to
address each one of these specifications, in order to
create for a visually engaging and intriguing piece.

9. Conclusion
 This task has also revealed to me the methods in which these posters have
been able to conform to the horror genre. This can be identified through the
frequent comments regarding the “fear”, “shock”, paranoia and “unease”
that these posters have been described to incite. These fearful reactions
conform to the intent of the horror genre, this being to incite fear into the
viewer in order to create excitement.
 Thus, the success of these posters in gaining such a reaction has, in turn,
conveyed to me the techniques that my own piece could incorporate in
order to also achieve this desired horror effect.
 These being: “dark colours”, a sharp contrast of colour, making for an
“unnatural” and “unnerving” atmosphere, a presence that either arouses
paranoia or sympathy for a character in response to the feeling of a
foreboding threat.
 Thus, this research has also been effective in outlining some of the features
that my poster should include in order to unnerve my audience members
and thus conform to my film’s horror genre.