Target Audience Research Results

Chris Wotton

How old are you?The data received from our questionnaire below shows us that the large majority of respondents (54.55%) were aged between 17-18. While the age range of 15-16 is very similar at which (40.26%) were placed. A very important factor of the information has to be the age as our TA, and as you can see the information above Is of the correct age group, which makes the data a lot more valuable. While a very small minority of the questionnaires were filled out by those 19+ which could be classed as un-useful data.

What is your gender?The responses that we received are mainly from the female gender (57.46%), therefore making the data received less valuable. While the male audience is (36.36%) of the responses and therefore our TA don’t make up the largest majority of the responses which could potentially affect the accuracy of our results. While any other genders made up a small minority of (6.5%) which doesn't have a big implication to the results we gathered.

On average, how often do you watch thriller films in a

month?This data shows us that 77.92% of people watch a thriller film at least once a month; this shows us that a large majority of the responses are from people who are interested in thriller films. However I can also see that within that (77.92%) only (6%) of the people watch thriller films on a very frequent basis, and therefore the audience that answered are questionnaires could be interested in other genres more than thrillers.

Is there anything you particularly like to see in

thriller films.These responses are very broad due to the question being open to more elaborate responses. The data we received quite clearly shows us however that the audience like to be interested in the film whether that be from mystery, action or a compelling narrative. So therefore the responses we have received can be implemented into our own thriller film to make it the most intriguing for the audience.

Is there anything you particularly dislike to see in

thriller films.The responses from this are like the last question and they are very broad. However a few frequent occurrences the candidates said they wouldn’t like to see in thriller films are bad acting or a too slop paced narrative; this is very understanding as without these elements it would be very hard to stay engaged with the film.However some of the other responses are open to opinion such as no gore or love; which are themes certain audience members may not enjoy watching. From this data we can tailor our film to our target audience by making sure the audience stay engaged by using high quality editing techniques & camera-work as well as very relatable characters.

Do you prefer films with a simple or complex storyline?The data on the right clearly shows us that the audience prefer a complex storyline/narrative as 80% of respondents selected that option while only 20% of respondents preferred a simple narrative.This data is useful as we can let it influence our narrative in a complex way so that it is the most compelling to the audience watching it.

How long after a film starts do you know if you want to continue watching it?

This data is very valid to the part of the film we are producing; that is the opening sequence. From the data gathered I can see that the largest majority of people decide to stop the film/continue watching between 6-10 minutes and this therefore suggests that we need to make our opening sequence very persuasive and intriguing for the viewer so that they stay focussed on the film.

What makes a character in a film stand out to you? What makes them interesting?

From the data gathered I can see that the audience are interested in characters that have a good background as this makes it engaging and much easier to watch the film. A key aim of our film was to allow audience identification of the characters to be simple and quick to associate with. If the audience can easily relate to the audience they are likely to be more interested; this can be achieved by using techniques such as binary opposites of men and women, which is a well known stereotype and viewers can relate to it. We plan on showing the audience the opposite effect of binary opposites where the man is shown to be in need of help, while the women is caring and stronger than the man; this should catch the viewers attention as this Is a unique technique to include in our film.

What makes a character in a film stand out to you? What makes them interesting?

From the data gathered I can see that the audience are interested in characters that have a good background as this makes it engaging and much easier to watch the film. A key aim of our film was to allow audience identification of the characters to be simple and quick to associate with. If the audience can easily relate to the audience they are likely to be more interested; this can be achieved by using techniques such as binary opposites of men and women, which is a well known stereotype and viewers can relate to it. We plan on showing the audience the opposite effect of binary opposites where the man is shown to be in need of help, while the women is caring and stronger than the man; this should catch the viewers attention as this Is a unique technique to include in our film.

If you have one, what is your favourite thriller film and why?

This question ties in with the previous responses we have already received, but seems to be pretty clear from our target audience responses that they like to see the implementation of unconventional narrative, as they cannot predict what will happen in the film very easily. So therefore we should include unique aspects in our film such as a plot twist to increase engagement/interest in the film.

What type of themes do you like to see in a thriller film, if any? Please place the themes in order 1-6 (1

being most desirable 6 being least desirable)From the results below I can see that the candidates that filled out our questionnaire are interested in a large variety of themes. Therefore it could be concluded that we should include a variety of different themes in our film it should appeal to a larger target audience. Crime received the lowest rating with only (5.56%) of respondents rating this as their favourite theme. While Drama received the highest rating of (27.78%). The most popular theme ‘mystery’ can be associated with the barthes’ enigma code, as well as the other conventions of thriller being tense and suspenseful. Therefore we should include a variety of themes in our thriller film opening sequence.