The document analyzes questionnaires given to a target audience for a student horror film project. Key findings include: 1) 40% of respondents were 15-17 years old, so the film will target teenagers. 2) Over 68% of respondents watch horror films regularly, so the film will follow horror conventions. 3) Religious/supernatural horror and teen slashers were the most popular subgenres, so the film will combine these. 4) Elements from popular films like The Blair Witch Project and Scream will be incorporated.

1. Naima Begum
Analysis of Questionnaires
I have added this question into the survey in order to narrow down the audience for horror
movies. This is efficient as it make it clear for our group to decide on our target audience.
From the results we can see that 40% recipients were aged 15-17yrs of age. This means that a
majority of teenagers and the youth are interested in horror movies, which is why we have
decided to make our target audience teenagers of the same age.
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A majority of 68% of the recipients answered that they watch horror movies every time
another one is released. Another 36% answered they are likely to watch horror movies every
month. This indicates that we have to follow codes and convention of horror movies in order
for the audience to be able to clearly distinguish and identify our movie as being a part of the
horror genre.
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2. Naima Begum
When asked what sub-genre, within horror, the recipients preferred, 28% answered both
religious/supernatural horror and teen slashers. This is the reason why our group have come
to a decision to mix both these sub-genres together. We have decided to form a horror movie
with codes and conventions from both religious/supernatural horror as well as teen slashers.
This shows that we have incorporated what out specific audience want therefore satisfying
their needs.
The recipients were asked to rank the following films in order of favourite, Rec, Dawn of the
Dead, The Blair Witch Project, Friday the 13th and Scream. As evidence from the chart
above, it is clear that the intended audience favour films such as, The Blair Witch Project and
Scream. For this reason we have decided to create a horror movie with a mixture of the
elements from both these films. We have decided to use the found footage technique from
The Blair Witch Project, as most recipients described this as the most horrifying aspect of the
film, along with the post-modernist view on horror movies as seen in Scream; again
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3. Naima Begum
explained in the questionnaire by the recipients. As slasher film, Friday the 13th came third
highest in the ratings with 16%; we have also decided to add some similar elements of Friday
the 13th which coincide with Scream.
32% of the recipients believe the setting is what they like most about horror movies. For this
reason, we have been focusing more on finding a venue which can live up to the standard of
being “scary” and “creepy”. For this we have decided to use our school building which has a
very antique and aged look about it. Having a group of teenager as victims was also a
common response amongst the recipients as 24% of the recipients replied that is what attracts
them to horror movies. So within our group we have also decided to have a group of
teenagers as victims. This not only satisfies the target audiences’ needs but it will also allow
the target audience, of 15-17 year olds, relate to the characters more.
The two main aspects which are seen to have the most impact within a horror movie, is that
of editing and setting. With 40% each, we have decide to have put more focus on finding a
suitable location for our horror movie as well as experimenting editing, with practice shots.
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4. Naima Begum
Similar to other horror movies, our group has decided to have a female as the lead
character/survivor throughout our horror movie. This is because it conforms to what society,
and the target audience, want to see as well as conforming to Carol Clover feminist theory, of
a female surviving all the torture and demise.
When asked an open question about who the recipients’ favourite survivor was, 40% replied
Laurie, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, from Halloween. The next favoured character was
Sydney, played by Neve Campbell, from Scream. Amongst all the stated characters, most of
them were women which, finalised our choice of having a female character as the lead
character/survivor, thus conforming to the feminist theory of the Final Girl.
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5. Naima Begum
32% of recipients’ felt the editing of a horror movie trailer was the thing which will attract
them the most. Close behind, other recipients’ believed the sound (non-diegetic) and setting
were also important. From this we have decided to make sure that the editing, sound and
setting of our trailer will be coherent and consistent with each other, that way the target
audience will be attracted to our trailer, thus satisfying their needs and conforming to what
they would like to see.
40% of the recipients’ believed having no communication for the victims, was a major and
reoccurring code and convention of horror movies. Torture/death is also seen to be a code and
convention within horror movies, which is why we have decided to add these paradigms into
our horror movie trailer. The codes and conventions we use, such as no communication and
torture, makes our trailer more like a horror movie, therefore easier for the target audience to
identify it as a horror movie of a certain sub-genre.
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6. Naima Begum
I have put this question on to the questionnaire as it would allow me to gather information on
whether the audience would like the horror movie trailer to narrate the ending. As 68% of the
recipients’ responded to no, they would not like to be told the plot; it has given our group a
structure to follow for our trailer. This is also similar to many other horror movie trailers,
where the end is not given away, therefore our trailer would conform to what our audience
want to see as well as follow the codes and conventions of horror movie trailers.
Moving on to the advertising and distribution of our horror trailer/movie, 40% of our
recipients answered they find out about upcoming and current movies from the internet. For
this reason we have decided to advertise out horror movie on the internet. This could be in the
form of viral marketing or through social networking sites, as many teenagers between the
ages of 15-71 year olds are frequently using such sites.
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7. Naima Begum
Amongst our group we have decided to make our horror film a standalone film, as 72% of
our recipients preferred to have stand alone films. This makes it conform to the codes and
conventions of many horror movies, thus making it easy to identify as a horror movie.
42% of our recipients’ answered they consume media products by visiting places such as the
cinema. For this reason we have decided to screen our horror movie in more than one screen
in a cinema at numerous times. As 28% of recipients claimed they consume media products
through legal downloading, from software such as iTunes, we have also decided to allow our
audience to consume products this way, as it is very popular and the new technical way to
consume media products.
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