Media studies

1. WHAT HAVE I LEARNED
FROM AUDIENCE
FEEDBACK?
Evaluation Question 3
Lloyd Pocknell

2. Target Audience
 During the planning process in developing
the plot of the film. The group and I decided
it would be of significant importance to find
out what our target audience was and how
we would attract them to watch the film. We
targeted our audience members of 10 with a
questionnaire and In all the responses
the respondents claim to have watched at
least one post-apocalyptic/survival film, which
not only gave us confidence on our chosen
genre, but also tells me that those asked are
aware of the genre and their answers should
be really appreciated as they are very likely
to be interested in the trailer.

3. The Animatic Process
 During the creation of the Animatic the group was
always aware of the constant need to improve. When
our first draft of an Animatic was produced, many
people struggled to find a clear narrative behind the
story. One person who viewed the Animatic claimed
that the Animatic was too “complicated to understand”
because we reused many of the photos and everyone
was dressed casually. From this we knew that we
needed to change the Animatic, and from that we
created a much more successful Animatic. The other
problem that some members found to be not effective
was the soundtrack. Many people suggested that the
calm guitar playing did not portray the narrative as
well as it could have and then when we went and
created the actual film trailer we replaced the guitar
with synthesisers and radio noises.

4. Film Trailer Process
 During the creation and adaptation of the film
trailer, all of the members of the group was
constantly seeking guidance from people
inside our target audience demographic to
see if their needs were met within the trailer.
During start of the filming process we were
told by members of the audience that they
were concerned about the camera and sound
quality that we had on some of the shots we
produced out on location. By putting the
information on bored, we went out and went
filming again and then recreated the shots.
Thankfully this was all worth it in the end, as
the shots ended out a lot better than originally
intended. This was then met by much better
support of the trailer.

5. The Focus Group
 Once our film trailer was
created we decided to delegate
many of the members of the
original questionnaire and some
new members of our target
audience. I recorded their
reaction (on the blog) and then
set them a questionnaire to fill
out. The feedback was the
most important feedback we
had received. The most
common aspect of the film they
didn't like was the amount of
“blackness” at the start. We
immediately changed this after
the focus group session and the
film trailer was more successful
because of it

6. Here are some of the questions
asked...
 1. After watching the trailer what audience age range do you think the trailer targets?
 A) 12 – 18 years
 B) 15 – 20 years
 1. After watching the trailer what audience age range do you think the trailer targets?
 A) 12 – 18 years
 B) 15 – 20 years
 C) 18- 25 years
 D) 20- 30 years
 2. What genre of film would you classify this trailer to be?
 A) Action.
 B) Post-Apocalyptic.
 C) Supernatural.
 D) Horror.
 E) Psychological Thriller.
 3. In the space provided can you specify three reasons for the genre you have chosen? (This can be from
anything , from dialogue or key images to sounds.)
 1.
 2.
 3.

7. Questionnaire Results
 The audience answered the questions
exactly how we hoped. This made it clear to
me and the others in the group that we had
done a successful job in creating a trailer that
catered to them. The audience were pretty
accurate, 100% had said that the film was
targeted towards 15-25 year olds. 62% said
that the genre classification was post
apocalyptic which was a slight concern but all
of the other answers they submitted were
really encouraging. This shows that the group
had done a successful job in making the
trailer age appropriate to them.

8. The Magazine
 During the production of my music
magazine, I was of paramount
importance to the trailer that I
needed consistent audience
feedback in order for my product to
be as successful as possible. As I
felt my magazine design was the
poorer of two individual products, I
really needed some harsh criticism
to make me create a successful
product. Many people had originally
suggested that the font of the
magazine was not conventional for
magazines and that the colour for
the main image was “childish” and
“unprofessional”. I changed this
and now my magazine looks a lot
more sleek and professional.

9. Poster
 After creating my original hand
drawn drafts of my poster (which
received quite allot of praise) I
then started to create the first
versions of my poster. I initially
was pleased with the poster, but
after some criticism about the
poster being “too boring” I really
needed something to break
Todorov’s theory equilibrium. I did
by adding in the birds scattering
away, the silhouette of a gang and
a mysterious shadow behind the
main character. I feel without the
criticism from members of my
target audience my poster would
not be as successful as it is now.

10. In conclusion...
 What have I learnt from my audience
feedback?
 The audience is a vital component in
measuring how well a product is
successful or not. The feedback from the
audience was vital in enabling all three of
my products to become successful.
Despite some of the criticism being
harsh and heartfelt, I feel it was all
necessary for me to adapt to these
constructive criticisms and it was
beneficial to the overall success of my
products.