Evaluation Question 3

1. A2 Media studies: evaluation questions
Question 3
“What have you learned from your
audience feedback?”

2. First Brief
After deciding as a group that we wanted our film to follow the thriller genre, we all
decided to write an individual storyline each and then put them all together and take
certain ideas from each one to come up with the final plot. Once we had done this
and had a general idea of what direction our production was going to go in, we
created a questionnaire on Survey Monkey for the target audience so we could gain
some feedback.
We sat each respondent down, read them a brief description of our short film and
then asked them the following questions and recorded their answers on camera.
1. What type of genre do you think this film would have?
2. What would you title this film?
3. What type of audience would you suspect this film to have?
4. What do you think happens next after reading this (the brief)?
5. What would you expect the main character to look like?
6. What type of settings would you expect in this film?
7. What type of lighting would you expect to be used in this film?
8. What type of shots would you expect in this film?
9. Do you feel you have watched a film similar to this before?

3. Responses
We received a total of six different responses from our questionnaire
which we analysed closely in order to find out if we needed to make
any changes to the storyline before starting production work.
All of the responses but one answered the question “What type of
audience would you suspect this film to have?” with the same age our
film is targeted at (16-25) which increased our confidence that our
storyline was not too advanced for the intended viewers.
Another question asked was “Do you feel you have watched a film
similar to this before?”. We got a mixed response to this question with
some respondents saying that they hadn’t seen anything like it before
and others comparing the production to the popular Taken franchise.
Both opinions were helpful to us as it meant we could develop and use
certain elements from films such as Taken but we also had the
opportunity to play around with our own ideas as well.

4. When respondents were asked “What do you think happens next after reading this (the
brief)?” we got the following responses:
 “She gets drugged”
 “She gets drugged in her drink and starts hallucinating”
 “Somebody will be waiting in a dark corner…waiting for the girl to leave the bar”
 “Unfortunately she gets raped”
 “I think she’s gonna get abducted by someone who spiked her drink”
We noticed that all of the answers were based around Grace being affected by the drug
which was put in her drink and in turn loses control and gets kidnapped. At the end of
the film it is never actually revealed what happens to Grace, the audience are left to infer.
We realised that this would be an effective decision because we could have a lower age
rating and it would also leave the audience to make their own inferences about what
happened to her. It may make the storyline of the film stay with them longer and could
also be more entertaining as the respondents seemed to already have an idea of what
would happen to Grace.

5. Video Questionnaire

6. How did we ensure meaning would be apparent to the
audience in filming & editing?
During pre-production work we decided we wanted to create a short film with a
circular narrative. We knew it would be slightly more challenging to achieve this as
we had to be careful not to confuse the audience, however, after doing some
research we felt that there weren’t many thriller films that included flashbacks so
we thought it would add a unique element to our work.
The flashback of Grace laid in the bed opens the film as she says “Have you ever
woken up with no emotion...?”, etc. It was important for this scene to feature at the
beginning of the film as it would set the audience up to be constantly expecting
something throughout the film. It hopefully should have increased their curiosity
and lead them to wonder how Grace came to find herself in that situation.
In order for the audience to clearly understand that the first scene was a flashback,
we added a non-diegetic boom sound and then faded to a black screen to signal
that the first scene had finished. The next scene then opens up with a time marker
in the bottom left reading “17:00pm” and an establishing shot of Grace sat on the
sofa in her living room. She is lounged comfortably on the couch watching TV
which should suggest to the audience that the first scene where she is laid in the
bed was a flashback as in that shot she was staring blankly at the camera and had
smudged make up to show she had been crying.
Flashback
Real time

7. One of the most significant parts in the short film is when Grace gets
her drink spiked at the bar. At first we wasn’t sure how to portray as
we wanted the audience to understand just how quickly it can happen
without you even noticing, however we knew that it HAD to be
noticed by all viewers watching the production otherwise none of the
story would make sense.
In order to portray the spiking scene effectively, we shot close up
shots of the girls drinking back at the house while they were getting
ready in order to convey to the audience that they were already drunk
and chatty by the time they arrive at the bar. Once at the bar, a
medium shot is used to show the girls chatting to each other and not
really paying attention to the bar man.
A close up shot of the drink is taken and when the bar man drops the
pill into the drink we slowed it down during post production and also
added in a ‘boom’ sound effect when the pill hits the bottom of the
glass. The clip lasts for around only 5 seconds but it is long enough for
the audience to have kept up with the storyline.

8. Rough cut
During the production of our film, we decided to put together and release a rough copy of our work. We realised it
would be a beneficial idea to receive feedback from our audience as we could then add things in or take things out
depending on the audience’s opinion.
The rough cut only lasted for 3 minutes and 35 seconds but we were able to create a questionnaire on Survey Monkey to
ask audience about certain elements and features. From the responses to it we were able to gain information about
music, lighting, editing and shots. We were also able to find out how long certain shots and scenes should last for to
ensure the audience doesn’t get bored or becomes confused.
We asked the following questions:
1. Within the club scene what did you particularly like?
2. What do you think we could change?
3. Do you think the club scene should be edited to the music used?
4. Should we add more music effects in the editing process?
5. Do you like fast paced editing?
6. What was your favourite part of the clip?
7. Why was this your favourite scene?
8. What length do you think the night club scenes should be?
9. Are you male or female?
10. What is your age?

9. Rough cut

10. Rough cut feedback Results

13. Rough cut results analysis
We asked our demographic “Within the club scene what did you particularly like?”. 63% said
editing, 27% said lighting and 0% said music. With this in mind we planned to edit our final
production in the same way taking into consideration continuity and also planning to develop
our knowledge of Premiere Pro even further. Having noticed that no one said they particularly
liked the music, we decided to change it and conduct more research into what makes good
club music in preparation for our final cut.
Another question we asked the audience is “What do you think we could change?”. 27% of
respondents said lighting. We realised that in order to pull off a realistic club scenario we had
to use professional lighting. This lead us to get in touch with Devils Lighting Events and ask if
we could use their lighting. Fortunately, we were allowed to borrow the strobe lights, etc. and
were able to include them for our final production.
Other questions asked revolved around editing and sound effects. Most respondents thought
that the editing was spot on and the sound effects added a dramatic touch to the rough cut.

14. Final Cut Questionnaire
After analysing the results of the rough cut questionnaire and making changes to the
lighting and music as respondents had requested, we continued with production of
our final cut. We took into consideration all of the feedback we had compiled over the
months and finally completed the short film.
After completion we showed the film to members of our demographic and then
handed them the following questionnaire to fill in to provide final feedback for us.

15. Final Cut Questionnaire Results & Analysis
79%
19%
1%1%
WHAT IS YOUR AGE?
16-24 25-35 36-40 41+
My questionnaire opened with “what is your
age?”. I included this question as I handed the
questionnaire out to a range of different ages.
Unsurprisingly, 79% of the respondents were
the same ages as our target audience. Our film
was a certificate 12A so it made sense that a
younger audience was watching. However,
there are still elements in the film that cater to
all ages.
30%
70%
0%
WHAT IS YOUR
GENDER?
Male Female Other
I asked this question as I wanted an idea of
which gender would prefer a film like this. I
predicted more of the audience would be
female as the central character is the same
gender. Also, the problem of drink spiking
affects women more so I feel like females
watched the film out of interest, too. 30% of
the demographic were male showing that the
film did still appeal to them.

16. Yes
80%
No
15%
Unsure
5%
OVERALL, DID YOU ENJOY
THE FILM?
Yes No Unsure
Though this question may be a little general as
there are no specifications, it was still a beneficial
question to find out whether the film was
successful as a whole. Understandably, 15% of
people said no, one respondent commenting “the
film scared me”. Heavy storylines such as
abduction can affect viewers in different ways, this
is why it is essential there is an age rating on the
film and warnings about certain themes included.
However, 80% of respondents enjoyed the film
which is a positive as they have also been
educated about the dangers of drink spiking.
70%
29%
1%
OUT OF THE FOLLOWING
THREE, WHICH DID YOU
THINK WAS THE BEST…
Editing Lighting Music
70% of respondents chose editing as the best
feature in our film. We put a great deal of
effort in the post-production of Saving Grace,
ensuring that the editing complimented a
scene well. For example, slowing an action
down to ensure the audience understands
what is going on.

17. 70%
20%
10%0%
WHAT GENRE WOULD YOU
SUGGEST OUR FILM WAS?
Thriller Horror Drama Other
Our film is advertised as a thriller but we wanted to see if
the production had followed the codes and conventions
successfully enough for the genre to be obvious. 70% of
respondents freely suggested it was a thriller, while 20%
said horror and the rest said drama. It was suggested by
one person that they thought it was a horror due to the
storyline and the scene where Grace is dragged through
town. If we had to do it again I think it would be beneficial
to consider whether we would also advertise the film as a
horror due to certain creative decisions we made during
production.
0%0%
12%
88%
WHAT RATING WOULD YOU GIVE
THE FILM OUT OF 5?
1 out of 5 2 out of 5 3 out of 5 4 out of 5 5 out of 5
88% of respondents gave
the film a 4/5. I asked this
question as when a
professional film is released
they receive a rating out of
5 from critics.

18. 15%
85%
ARE THERE ANY
IMPROVEMENTS YOU WOULD
MAKE TO THE FILM?
Yes No
Over three quarters of respondents said
they couldn’t suggest any improvements
for the film. One stated that the storyline
was portrayed in a “tactful” way leaving
“little room for improvements”. However,
a respondent who answered yes to the
question suggested that the film “came
together” a little more at the end as they
would have liked to know what happens
to Grace and the man who abducted her. 60%
10%
30%
DID YOU FEEL
CONNECTED TO GRACE
THROUGHOUT THE FILM?
Yes No Unsure 4th Qtr
One of our main aims of the film was that we wanted
the audience to feel connected to Grace. We wanted
them to care about what happens to her as it would
keep them watching. One respondent who answered
‘unsure’ commented that they “couldn’t ever see
themselves” in her position so it was difficult to
connect. However, someone who answered with ‘yes’
stated that “it felt real” and therefore they felt
attached to the character.

19. 8%
5%
63%
24%
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE
PART OF THE FILM?
Flashback Girls getting ready
Club scene Abduction
I included this question as I wanted to see which part of
the film was enjoyed the most. 63% of answers said the
club scene was their favourite. I think this is because we
attempted to film this professionally, even contacting a
lighting company to borrow strobe lighting for the
occasion. As well, it was a moment of relief for the
audience as jut for a few minutes the girls were having
fun. The second most popular scene was the abduction
and I think this is due to it being a high intensity scene
with non-diegetic dramatic music playing throughout.
100%
0%
WOULD YOU SAY THE
PRODUCTION EDUCATED THE
AUDIENCE?
Yes No
After seeing the response to this question I realised
just how effectively we had presented the storyline of
a girl getting drugged and abducted from a club.
While our main aim was to provide the audience with
an entertaining production to watch, we also wanted
to make something that would illustrate the dangers
of getting your drink spiked. I think our work has
shown the audience that it is never the victim’s fault
no matter how much they have drank or how little
attention they are paying when they pick up their
drink.