The document summarizes the results of a questionnaire about key creative decisions for a film project. It discusses: - The most appropriate main theme (isolation) and setting (a train station) - Choosing "Reflux" as the title and using low-key lighting throughout - Establishing the protagonist, named Ethan, with a close-up shot - Using minimal dialogue and ambient sounds for the soundtrack - Aiming to thought-provoke audiences about real-life issues through an authentic portrayal.

2.  I have been very lucky regarding my
questionnaire results because everyone has
been so keen to help me and has given extra
information/pointers on what they think
would look/sound appropriate in our film
which is great! Also, I managed to get just
over 40 results back so I can see even more
of a pattern in the abundance of answers.

3. 1. What key storyline/ theme do you
think is most appropriate?
Drug Abuse
Bullying
Isolation
Desire for
information
I am surprised that bullying or drug abuse wasn’t as popular. However, this
could possibly show that the above themes have been done before and due to
the audience being thinkers and innovators, they want something new and fresh
which has not been done before and perhaps that is more difficult to portray.

4. 2. Where do you think the setting
should be that retrieves his
memories?
Train station
In a flat
Scenes in a park
Inner city
Despite the fact Inner city and park scenes
are the most popular I still really like the idea
of a train station, being suggestive of some
sort of journey.
The audience
may have
picked inner
city as it
creates a
prototype that
we may
associate with
stereotypical
views of C2-E
income
bracket
situations we
are
highlighting in
our
production.
I think scenes in the park will create the ideal of isolation
however it could perhaps make it too bland (although
the film is bleak) which could un-engage our viewers.
This evidently shows that the audience
liked all the locations. So, which one
we pick will be their preferred.

5. 3. Which title name do you think would be
most fitting for the film?
Relapse
Emancipation
Regression
Reflux
Alone
It is obvious that the most favourite names were ‘Alone’ and ‘Reflux’. According to
Maslow’s needs, the audience look to satisfy problem solving, spontaneity and
creativity. Therefore the name ‘reflux’ connotes intellectuality that would satisfy them
more as opposed to the ordinary title ‘Alone’.

6. 4.What type of lighting would you feel would
be most appropriate in the opening
sequence?
Low key lighting
High key lighting
It is obvious here what the audience preferred so we will go with low key lighting to
connote the gritty atmosphere of the film with no equilibrium.
One of the questionnaires suggested that we use high key lighting to show the
positive times with the mother. This made me therefore make the decision of
whether we look at the negativity and despair of the boy or the beginning of hope.
However, because of the conventions of the genre I am going to keep the lighting
dark suggesting his isolation which was the chosen theme most appropriate from
the audience.

7. 5. Would you prefer to see a
filter/effect over our film? If so, what
filters and effects would you desire
to see?
No effect
Gray scale
Sepia
Vintage cold
Other
The results were quite varied here but the key answers were grayscale and no
effect. I really like the idea of both as the grey connotes his past/history and the
positivity with his mum. However, the audience favoured no effect which I think we
are going to go for because it heightens the verisimilitude and realism as opposed
to making it look slightly clichéd.
(Images of the
effects are on my
questionnaire.)

8. 6. What name do you think, would
be most appropriate for our
protagonist?
Ethan
Samuel
Emmet
Oliver
The audience have picked the name ‘Ethan’ as their preferred choice
therefore I think we are going to go with this name. All the others are
perhaps more common and Oliver may have associations with the
musical ‘Oliver Twist!!’

9. 7. For our protagonist, which shot
would you preferred to be used for
establishing the protagonist?
Close up
High angle
Long shot
Medium close up
Other
Other people suggested using a low angle, eye level and a birds eye view. I really like
the latter because it perfectly shows his isolation and alienation from social
acceptance that we are trying to portray. However, due to practicality reasons I think
we will be unable to film this with the equipment we have.
The results show a rather equal view on the shot however a close up
has slightly more votes. Therefore we will use this one to portray the
boys intense feelings that foreshadow his destructive, forthcoming
future.

10. 8. What camera movements do you
think should be most frequent
throughout the film?
Hand held
Dolly in
Tilt down
Tracking out
From the results our two most commonly used camera movements for the film
will be a handheld and dolly in. The hand held shows the natural/ realistic and
emotional tone the opening title sequence evokes, avoiding all associations
with perfect Hollywood filing. The dolly in, reinforces the notion of enclosure
suggesting a limitation of space of which the boy is unable to escape from.

11. 9. What type of music/sound
would you like to hear during the
opening sequence?
Rhythmic score
Melodic score
Quiet/moving
score
Just ambient
sounds
Here, we got
some fantastic
feedback on
suggestions for
the music such as
Moby- ‘Why does
my heart feel so
bad?’ because it
is melodic it
reveals the
connotation of a
light at the end of
the tunnel for the
boy finding his
parents but
however is maybe
too positive for the
bleak nature of
the film.
The audience preferred most, ambient sounds
which I agree with. I think it will be more
powerful to pick up on them such as the loud
noise of trains entering the station to connote
the boys sensitivity and loneliness highlighting
that every move he picks up on is punctuated
by a thought/memory.
We also got
another
suggestion of
‘Ballyturk’
which is great
for our
production. It
includes the
perfect tones
that we are
looking to
convey and it
is very
powerful
although in a
dreary way.

12. 10. Would you rather have dialogue
or music playing through the whole
production?
Just dialogue
Music only
Minimal dialogue
with music
playing
The audience preferred minimal dialogue and just dialogue. Due to the results
prior, I think we are not going to include any music and just have ambient sounds
with dialogue to make it more dramatic and convey our message across with
simply. We are trying to achieve ‘substance over style’(comment from pilot
questionnaire) so therefore we do not want to overcomplicate it.

13. 11. How would you like our media
product to affect you?
Informed of real
life issues
Thought
provoking
Be able to relate
to it
It is obvious here that the audience want an intellectual pleasure, but they still
want an emotional pleasure gained from the title sequence, especially on the
topics we are presenting. Therefore we must make it our aim to make the
audience go away with perhaps 3 things they are going to think about. Like
Hitchcock’s auteur theory he places on his work, to make ours our own, we
could trigger thoughts from the audience as they watch it and make them
carry on brooding on about what was shown.

14. 12. Regarding props, what do you
believe is the most appropriate
approach?
No props
Everyday props
Exaggerated
props
I think we are going to use everyday props
like the audience believed was most
appropriate. This portrays the ‘reflective’
representation theory that we are showing to
mirror real life of which everyday, mundane
props will present.

15.  “Film should highlight the struggles when people are placed
in abusive and desperate situations.”
 “Have a look at England 80’s and 90’s because it is filmed
and shot so well. It covers what you’re trying to achieve.”
 “Shots from his eyes and long shots in a foster care room will
accentuate the ‘alone’ factor.”
 “Expression and body language will be key. Show the
contrast between the degenerating life of the male character
and the social acceptance and happiness of others in
couples/groups.”
 “Sound is very important, you could exaggerate sound and
the odd prop- maybe making it oversized by filming the prop
in the foreground.
 “Focus on presenting things through the protagonist’s eyes”

16.  “You could start the film with short overlapping
positive warm scenes of the son with his
mother. The viewer may believe this is the
present. All these shots use high key lighting to
suggest the child is at the centre of this world.
The harsh reality could start abruptly into a dark
grey scale with cold long shots representing the
real here and now highlighting how isolated the
boy has become. When the boy recollects, the
colour saturation changes.”

17.  The questionnaire helped me make lots of decisions. I have concluded
that;
 Our main theme will be based around isolation perhaps of the boy in
foster care and the feeling that his father feels due to the mother’s
death.
 We are going to use a train station to connote the idea of a trip/journey
through the past experiences of his life.
 We are also going to have to music and pick up on particular sounds at
the station.
 The film will be called ‘Reflux’.
 Low key lighting will be present throughout.
 We will have no effect over the film.
 The name of the boy will be ‘Ethan’.
 He will be first established in a close up to foreshadow the film and
promoting the most favoured theme of the audience, ‘isolation’.
 The audience will gain the uses and gratifications of entertainment
through thought provocation and perhaps be informed of real life
issues that will be present through the boy’s realistic situation.