Media Questionnaire Feedback

Gender?The first question, about gender, was answered exactly how I thought it would be. The horror film genre tends to appeal more to the male gender, maybe because they enjoy being scared and find the violent and gory elements of the film appealing. So for my media production I may try to include aspects of gore and violence so that it appeals to the male audience.

Age?Similar to the first question, I was not surprised with the results concerning age, the teenage category seemed to be by far the most popular with the early 20s bracket also being popular. This seems to link back to the male appeal of horror films, individuals within these brackets may enjoy the suspense and tension created within the film, they may also go and watch horror films on nights out with their friends. So that my horror film appeals to the most popular age brackets, I will aim to create tense and uneasy moments to draw the audience in.

Most appropriate horror film location?By far the most popular option for a horror film location was the abandoned house, this came as a bit of a shock to me as I thought people would stick to the traditional horror film cliché and select the woods as the most appropriate location. However, an abandoned house connotes themes such as isolation and the presence of mysterious supernatural beings so it could be a much more appropriate location to set my horror film. Additionally, I discovered that abandoned house locations are used quite prominently throughout existing horror films, including in the films I looked at for my textual analysis, so by adhering to forms and conventions of existing horror films I can make my film seamlessly fit within the genre.

Ideas for a horror film storyline?I initially came up with four potential plots for my horror film trailer and pitched them to my target audience in the questionnaire. The first idea was marginally the most popular and it centres on a group of teenage friends who discover the concealed location of a supernatural antagonist. The second most popular option was the idea of a teenage group of friends uncovering mystical object that brings their nightmares to life. From these results I was able to deduce that the most popular films for my target audience tend to involve teenage actors of a similar age. When I quizzed some of them about this in the focus group, they informed me that the main reason for this is that they feel they can relate to the actors and can subsequently feel the emotions of the plot. So therefore I have decided that even if I make tweaks to the plot I will still use teenaged actors as it seems to be what my target audience enjoy the most.

Ideas for horror film props?Next, I asked my target audience about potential horror film props to use within the film trailer. Both the axe and the mobile phone received the most amount of votes from the audience, I felt that an axe could be used to emphasise elements of violence and gore that appeal to my male target audience whilst the mobile phone could be used to portray the stereotypical male teenage image that I am keen to portray within the film. The sword received no votes, potentially because it borders on cliché for the action and adventure films e.g. the Indiana Jones franchise, so maybe the audience felt it would look out of place in a horror film. The mask option received a large amount of votes, implying that the true identity of the antagonist should be kept from the audience until the end of the film, enticing the audience to watch the film until the end.

Appropriate horror film costume?

In terms of the costume for the film, a casual style appealed to the target audience, who seemingly feel they can relate to a casual and stereotypical teenage character. Additionally, some members of the audience would prefer me to focus on the antagonist, dressing them in dark and mysterious colours to amplify the violent and apprehensive themes of the film.

Appropriate sound in a horror film?I then went on to ask the audience about appropriate sound within the horror film, the question mainly focuses on diegetic sounds to amplify the uneasy and apprehensive feel of the film. The most popular response was screams and moans and the whistling of the wind to create high levels of suspense and tension within the film. A few of the audience members, however, preferred the sound of rustling bushes and twigs snapping, whilst the roars of my antagonist was also a sound that some of my audience liked. The popularity of the whistling wind and the screaming of the protagonists means I will try to incorporate them as much as possible within my piece. However, I will also make subtle reference to the other sound effects my audience seemed to feel were appropriate, including bushes rustling, twigs snapping and roars from the antagonist to create greater suspense.

Favourite horror film sub-genre?

For the next question I asked my target audience about their favourite sub-genre that exists within horror. It was a three way tie , with action horror, comedy horror and slasher horror being the preferred choices. In light of these results I feel it will be best if I focus on just one main sub-genre and then make various subtle references to the other sub-genres. So, for my production I will mainly focus on the slasher/supernatural horror sub-genre and then make references to action and comedy, the latter could easily be interwoven by using aforementioned male teenage actors. I have decided to combined supernatural with slasher as the most popular horror film plot, asked in a previous question, was the idea of the protagonist discovering the location of a supernatural antagonist, so it makes sense to make reference to combine that within the main sub-genre.

Rank horror films out of 10?

For the penultimate question I asked my target audience to rank the genre out of 10. I received a mixed response of ratings culminating in an average rating of 5.8 out of 10. This could potentially be because there are not a lot of good horror films out there that appeal to a mass audience, successful horror films tend to pick a specific niche target audience and then develop the film based on their preferences. So in order for my film to be a success, I will have to pick a specific style of horror film and then develop it to appeal to my chosen target audience.

Favourite horror film, if you have one?

Finally, I asked those who have a favourite horror film to share it, so I could gain an insight into the sorts of films my target audience enjoy watching. A variety of different responses were recorded including ‘The Hills Have Eyes,’ ‘The Woman in Black 2’ and ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 3.’ The responses to this question will allow me to structure my film package in the same mould as some of the films mentioned, therefore allowing my target audience to relate to my film in the same way they will to their preferred horror film.