Vanisha Sumboo

64%

7%

18% 4% 7%

What occupation do you have?

Student

Retail Worker

Teaching position

Admin Worker

Other

1. I gave my questionnaire to an equal number of male and females. This is to make the questionnaire equal with regards to gender and give a balanced response from both males and females.

2. 45% of the people asked were aged between 18-20, and 30% were aged 15-17. The main target audience for horror films is teenagers as the certificate is usually a 15 or 18. This is why the majority of people whom I chose to ask were 18-20 as they are the main target audience. When making our trailer, we should make the age rating 18 as this would denote that it is a horror film, though a 15 certificate would also be practical as many 15 year olds also watch horror films.

3. 64% were students with regards to occupation, whilst 18% held a teaching position. I asked teachers as they have different ages, so that different views could be taken into account. As the majority asked were students, this was because they are teenagers who could provide reliable answers with regards to this horror questionnaire.

50% 50%

What gender are you?

Male

Female

30%

45%

15% 10%

What age are you?

15-17 18-20 21-23 24+

Vanisha Sumboo

0% 0%

45%

55%

How often do you watch horror films?

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Yearly

4. 90% of people watch horror films compare to only 10% who don't. This shows that the horror genre is one that is very popular amongst society, as it provides entertainment of a world beyond our imaginations. Also it shows that some of the older people watch horror films and not just the younger generation. Though the majority of people who normally watch horror films are teenagers, it shows that there are no boundaries with regards to age, and that horror is one of which attracts a wider audience, including adults.

5. No one specified that they watch horror films daily or weekly. This could be because people have many commitments which are far more important than these types of films. However 55% watch them monthly, and 45% watch them yearly. This shows that though they are not viewed very often, people do make time for them as and when they come, thus showing that horror films are still very relevant in modern society and that people do watch them.

What is your favourite horror film and why? 6. I made this an open question so that I could see different responses which would enable me to gain a better idea of the type of horror that people like. Many different horror films came up, with the main favourite horror films being Saw, Scream, The Grudge and The Ring. Saw is mainly a slasher horror film that mainly depicts of a group of teenagers being brought to their deaths, in a very sadistic and torturous way. This however has produced many sequels with an inconsequential outcome, other than teenagers dying. This suggests that the audience enjoy watching people in pain and being killed for the fun of it. If we were to use the slasher genre, then in our trailer we should include elements of blood, and the impression of teenagers being killed. Scream and The Ring are psychological horror films, especially The Ring. A tense atmosphere is built up throughout the whole film, with moments where the characters are being killed. These may have been popular favourites as it keeps the audience on edge for a very long time, which incites horror when it is least suspected. It may be the prolonging of events that provokes the horror, which make them very effective in scaring the viewers.

90%

10%

Do you watch horror films?

Yes

No

Vanisha Sumboo

30%

27%

20%

6%

17%

What type of horror genre do you most prefer?

Psychological

Supernatural

Slasher

Hammer

Gore

82%

18%

Do you prefer the villain to be male or female?

Male

Female

From these responses, it may be more suitable if we made our idea and trailer similar to psychological or slasher films as this is the type of films that usually generate a positive reaction in being the favourites. 7. The horror genre contains sub-genres which portray a particular type of horror. 30% of the people asked preferred psychological films, with 27% preferring supernatural. These two particular sub-genres could have the highest percentage for the reason being that these horror films tend to be quite tense, and provoke fear of the unknown very effectively. Psychological films usually are quite slow in pace which provokes a very edgy atmosphere, making them popular as it does the job of scaring people. Similarly, supernatural horror films do the same, as they play on the fear of the unknown, which cannot be explained, therefore frightening the audience due to not knowing what existence is the cause of events happening. 8. I wanted to get an idea of the type of villain that people most like as it would give me an insight to the certain character traits that make a villain quite popular. Popular villains were Freddy Krueger and Mike Myers. Mike Myers has been defined as being pure evil, with no remorse or feelings. Later films uncover his past, but ultimately the focus is on his never ending killing spree for no apparent reason. Freddy Krueger represents a character trapped between the real world and the dream world whereby he is characterised by various feelings which represent the revenge he wishes to enact. However as well as later films revealing a troubled past, the focus is again on endless killings. Therefore it suggests that a successful villain can either be portrayed as being pure evil, or with a very troubling background that can be a very small problem developed to the extreme in order to cause ruthless and senseless events in the future. 9. 82% said that they would prefer the villain to be male, with 18% preferring that the villain be female. This may be because males generally can harbour such intense feelings of revenge towards a person, therefore having the motive to want to kill, as usually the villain wants to take revenge on people. For the 18% who preferred females this could be because it would be unexpected for a woman to be a villain, as women stereotypically are seen as calm and innocent human beings.

Vanisha Sumboo

72%

28%

Do you prefer the villain to survive or die?

Survive

Die

32%

68%

Would you rather the hero be male or female?

Male

Female

Therefore we can assume that it would be better for us to have the villain as a male as this is the most preferred gender. If we were to make the villain as female, although not many people would prefer this choice, it could still be quite effective as it would be unexpected thus taking the viewer by surprise.

10. 72% preferred the villain to survive. This shows that people prefer it when the villain lives, which could be due to the film in showing that it would be impossible for the villain to live, when in fact he or she does. It would incite questions of how they could have lived, and also provide an opportunity for sequels or trilogies in order for this to be answered. 28% would have like the villain to die, maybe as keeping the villain alive could be pointless as to go through so much turmoil in the

film, to then being able to survive even if it looks like they have been defeated. Therefore, although in our trailer we would not actually show this idea, in our treatment the villain would most probably survive due to the majority preferring this to happen.

11. 67% of the people questioned preferred it if the hero was female. The reason for this could be because horror films generally focus on a woman enduring a course of turmoil and experiencing someone else's wrath. This is seen through many horror films such as Drag Me To Hell, Scream, Halloween, Friday 13th and I Know What You Did Last Summer. 33% preferred the hero to be male, which could be because males stereotypically

protects others and have such masculinity which would make them seem the perfect person as a hero, though it could provoke less sympathy as it is a male who stereotypically should be seen as strong and not weak. Whereas with females the audience can sympathize with her during her ordeal, and hope that she survives through it. For this reason, we would have the hero or main character as female as this is one the main conventions that horrors films tend to have. Also it would relate to “The Final Girl”, a stereotypical character seen in horror films.

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12. 88% would prefer the hero to survive, as it could be boring for all the characters to have died without someone living through it to tell the tale. When a character survives it also incites the opportunity for sequels and further productions of the film, as it could show the continuation of where they are and what has happened to them since the original film. It also provokes another wave of events as he or she would be at the hands of another (or same) villain. 12% would like the hero to die, which could be because this percentage may be known as sadistic, whom associate with the film more when the villain inflicts pain on their victim. Therefore they may believe that it would be more effective if the victim dies, as the villain would have enacted their revenge which they believe is purposefully led and have succeeded in doing so. We may not want to reveal if the hero survives or die in our trailer as this would be giving away the ending. So we may choose to include this in our media treatment, but exclude this in our trailer. 13. 44% of people preferred the use of knife, as this is the most commonly used weapon in horror films which would make sense in being the most popular. A knife can signify death as it is used to kill people when in the horror genre. Therefore we should use a knife (or a pretend one) in our trailer as it would connote the conventions of horror and make the audience aware that it is a horror film. If we are unable to show this in out trailer, then we can still use it in our treatment. The second most popular was the use of a rope with 21% preferring this choice. This could be because a rope can be used in showing a painful death. Also when the victim is hanging from a rope, it provokes fear for the characters as usually the victim is dead and covered in dripping blood. Therefore in our idea and trailer we should aim to use and show a knife and rope. It may be hard to show someone hanging from it, which in this instance we should try to create the impression that there is someone that has been hanged.

87%

13%

Do you prefer the hero to survive or die?

Survive

Die

44%

16%

21%

12% 7%

What weapon do you most like to see used in horror films?

Knife

Hammer

Rope

Chainsaw

Other

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14. 32% preferred a deserted location, as this would be the ideal place for the characters to come into contact with a villain. Also they would be isolated from everyone else, which is why this may be the favourite place as a lot of horror can happen. 24% liked the location of the woods, as it can give a creepy and tense atmosphere as horror usually take place at night and so the place of the woods could add to the horror in being very disturbing. 19% preferred a haunted house, and 16% preferred a school. A haunted house, whilst also being a perfect place where horror can happen, can be seen as being a bit too typical for us to use as compared to the other locations it may not be too appealing as the audience would not be able to relate to it as they would do so with a school or the woods. From these results, depending on what our idea will be, we may choose to use the woods as the location and not a deserted location as this would be too difficult for us to find. Similarly we may use a school as this would be convenient for us as it would be easier to film in and easier to access. 15. I asked this question as I wanted to see what people thought makes a horror film successful, which would then enable me to include some of the elements in our own idea and trailer. 34% liked the use of supernatural existence in horror films, however although this element is very effective, it would be quite difficult for us to film this due to our resources that we are limited to. 26% liked children to be used, which could be due to them being innocent and to then use them in horror films changes our connotations and expectations of them. This as well as being a good idea, it would also be slightly difficult for us to use as we would need to gain parents’ permission, and would most likely be filming after school hours which could be difficult to arrange for the child. 18% thought teenagers would be a good element, and 14% thought psychos would be good. From these responses we would most likely use teenagers, and maybe depending on our final idea, have one of them as a psycho for the villain as this would fit in with conventions and also attract the intended audience of teenagers.

16%

19%

24%

32%

9%

What location do you like better in horror films?

School

HauntedHouseWoods

DesertedLocation

28%

19% 15%

38%

What elements do you think make a horror film most

successful?

Children

Teenagers

Psychos

Vanisha Sumboo

In your opinion what makes horror films unsuccessful?

16. I wanted to see what people thought didn’t make a good horror film as then I would be able to take those elements into account, and eliminate them from when it came to choosing our own idea and making our trailer. There were different responses to this question. Some people said they didn’t like it when it took a while for the main events to happen as they felt it was boring, so when it did happen they didn’t feel that scared. From this response, we could potentially produce either a slasher or psychological horror trailer. Slasher films usually have a lot of action happening quite quickly, which is prolonged throughout the film. Therefore the audience wouldn’t be able to be at ease for a long time as the main events would be already taking place and thus they wouldn’t feel so bored. However a psychological idea would also be effective, as although the main events do not explicitly happen straight away, the build up to it can be very tense and jumpy which would keep the audience on edge as an uneasy atmosphere. Therefore either of these two subgenres would be effective in making sure the audience wouldn’t feel so bored during the film. Others said that when there are too many sequels, it ruins the whole original idea that was made as usually the originals are always the best. This can be said to be true for films such as the Saw and Nightmare on Elms Street series as the first film was predominantly the best one. Further sequels can ultimately ruin the image of the first film, therefore it would be better for us to only have a stand alone or one sequel so as not to risk ruining the initial film.

17. I asked this question so that when it comes to making our trailer, I would know if it is appropriate in advertising a new horror film, as if not many people are interested in horror trailers, then it wouldn’t be a good way to promote a new horror film. However, the majority of people (31%) said that trailers did in fact make them want to watch horror films. With 29% saying that the internet is what makes them watch the film, it has given me an idea that we could once completing our trailer, advertise or promote it on websites such as Facebook or

YouTube which would then attract interest as the internet is a means of communicating new productions and is the tool that teenagers being our target audience, mainly use.

32% 10%

18%

28% 7%

5%

What makes you watch horror films?

Trailers

Word of Mouth

Reviews

Internet

Advertisements

Other

Vanisha Sumboo

39%

32%

21% 8%

How do you view horror films?

Cinema

DVD

Download on theInternet

73%

27%

When you view horror trailers do you prefer them to leave you guesing or tell

the whole story?

Leave youguessing

Sell the wholestory

18. I asked this question for distribution purposes so that I would be able to gain insight to how currently people tend to watch horror films which would help me in deciding how to show and promote the trailer and film. 39% said they view the films in cinema, which would be quite common as people (of all ages) can go with their friends and family to see films. With horror films, mainly teenagers go to watch them with their friends. Therefore we should include a notice somewhere in our trailer that it is available to watch in cinemas from the opening date. 32% said they watch horror films on DVD, which would suggest could that they do or don’t go into cinemas to view horror films. Either way it shows that DVDs are still a suitable format that horror films can be distributed on, even if they do not make it to cinema screenings as people still buy DVDs. 21% said they download the horror films by the internet. This is a faster way to viewing them, as technology has advanced and more people are using the internet. However this would mean that less people would go to the cinemas if they can just download the film on the internet. From these responses, if we were to distribute our media product, I would advertise the trailer online, and try to place restrictions on the film being uploaded on the internet.

19. I asked this question so that it would help us when making our trailer in deciding how much we should show within the time of 2mins-2:30mins.The majority (73%) preferred that the trailer would leave them guessing. This percentage is quite high which could be because if the trailer reveals too much then less people may want to go and watch the film if they have already seen all of the main parts from the trailer which could make it less exciting if they were to watch the film. 27% would rather that the trailer sells them the whole story, which might be because it makes it more interesting and appealing that they gain a better idea about what the film entails, so then they can decide whether or not they feel it is worth to go and watch it. From the percentage given, it would make sense that we should construct our trailer in a way that it leaves the audience wanting more and leaves them guessing about what exactly happens. This way we would attract the audience successfully in gaining their attention.

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34%

51%

9%

6%

Do you prefer horror films to be...

Stand Alone

Sequel

Trilogy

Franchise

36%

22%

20%

9% 13%

If the horror film was based on a particular occasion, which would you

prefer it to be?

Halloween

Friday 13th

Road Trip

School Trip

Other

20. I asked this question to get an insight to whether people like to see continuations of horror films, which when producing a film one would be able to decide whether the film calls for a sequel or further productions. Half of the people asked (51%) preferred horror films to have sequels. This may be because usually horror films end on cliff hangers where the villain though thought to have died, actually survives and manages to seemingly kill the last survivor. Therefore sequels are quite popular as it can answer what happened to

certain characters in the original film and continue the story. 34% preferred the horror films to be stand alone, which is only one produced. This could be because it may get too boring if many sequels were made as usually the original is always the best. This is compared to the minority who like trilogies (9%) and Franchise (6%), suggests to me that if we were to make the horror film, it would be better to have a sequel or a stand alone as this is what most people preferred.

21. I asked this question as usually horror films are based at a certain occasion where there are many people, or a small group of people. I wanted to find out which event people most like as then for our horror idea, we could base it at that time. 36% preferred Halloween, as this could provoke all kinds of horror such as the supernatural or psycho killers. Taking this into account however, it may be a bit difficult to set the scene that it is Halloween as we would need many different props such as masks, and pumpkins to portray this, so it may prove to be too costly. Similarly 20%

favoured a road trip, and 22% liked Friday 13th. Friday 13th would be the straightforward to use as any idea can be formed, and used with this date as it signifies bad luck and when conjoined with horror it can signify evil. Therefore from this, it would be better for us to base our horror idea on this particular date as then it could incite the horror to come.