The rationale behind my research is to gain information to form a general viewer profile, this will be based on the majority of the results gained from my survey. This in turn will allow me to get an overall idea of who my target audience is, as well as what they want from my horror film. This will help me to plan and think of ways of subverting what they are expecting in the most affective fashion possible. As well as giving me basic starter points to plan my narrative ideas, this research will open my eyes to what others think of horror rather than focusing on my own views and opinions.
Survey monkey is an online tool used to create surveys which can be published online. The website also allows you to publish your survey onto your Facebook page. This is how I got people to take my survey as well as sending people the actual link to my survey on the survey monkey website. The image below shows the link to the survey which I posted on to my Facebook page.
Here are print screens of the questions asked in my survey and the format in which it was displayed:
1. By asking what sex the person taking part falls under, I can pin point the sex of the majority of my target audience. Therefore, I can decide on what sex my viewer profile would be based on to make it as accurate as possible and to aim the features of my horror film to the majority of my potential viewers.
My findings show that the majority of those who took my survey where female. This could represent a growing target audience in the horror market. I would have to take this in to account when planning my narrative and publicising my film so that my product is directed to the specific audience which I am targeting. However, by aiming my film at only females, I would be inevitably cancelling out all males, reducing my potential audience by about half the world population. I must find a balance in which I target my audience to all sexes to improve the likely hood of a larger potential viewing audience.
2. With this question also, I can determine the general age of my viewer and deliberately choose a narrative aimed at my target audiences fears.
My findings show that my potential audience fall within the ages of 16-21. This in turn relates to many theory's. One of which is Paul Wells' study into horror audiences (2000), Wells findings showed that audiences of this age watch horror more regularly, this was found by looking at their most recently watched horror film. Also, I believe that this age group have become desensitised to many things shown in horror narratives as they are regularly exposed to such text. Therefore they seek a thrill from testing their ability to be frightened when new horror texts are released.
3. Here I can connect the majority age group to the majority fear factor to pin point the outline of my narrative as well as giving me an idea of what my audience want in the horror film in terms of being scared by it, which is the main point of horror; To scare.
My findings show that my audience is most afraid of things they cannot see and psychotic behaviour. These two areas can be linked to mental illness and supernatural/demonic horror elements. Such elements can be found in films such as "Drag me to hell", "Psycho" and "Paranormal activity".
My findings show that the majority of my audience recognise Psycho strings as linked with the horror genre. This is due to iconic horror films over time using this sound. However, I think this sound is too mainstream and obvious and I would like to subvert what my audience is expecting when it comes to sound.
5. This question will give me hints on what to use in my trailer to get my audience to recognise that the genre is horror. By doing this, my trailer should be automatically recognisable as horror as well as fulfilling the shocking and scary outcome which horror trailers give.
Blood, shadows and darkness appear to be most popular with my potential audience. These link to the typical iconography of horror narratives. By using these element in my horror trailer I can pull my audiences attention to the fact that the genre is horror and use them effectively to be a scary element in my trailer.
6. This question will give me the sex of my heroin in the narrative. This question then links to the "male gaze" theory as well as the "final girl" theory.
My findings here link strongly to the final girl theory. This will help me to attract both men and women to my narrative as well as following one of the main conventions built up over time in the horror genre.
7. To determine how my film will be released, I have asked where my potential audience are most likely to watch a horror film. This, in turn, will help me to decide on which way is best to advertise my product as well as if the film would potentially be successful on the big screen.
As my audience is most likely to watch my film at home, it makes me wonder whether my film should be released in cinemas or released straight onto DVD. this would have to be decided before promoting to avoid giving the wrong message to my target audience.
Through this finding, I have been given the idea to base my horror film on recent public events so that the audience can easily relate to the narrative. This then links to films such as "psycho", "Texas chainsaw massacre" and "silence of the lambs" as they were all based around a true story involving the murderer Ed Gein.
9. By asking what colours my audience link to the horror genre, I can take on board feedback and look at ways I can use this information in both my trailer and promotional products.
Black and red where found to be the most popular colours for horror within my target audience; followed by maroon and white which could be linked to the human body. Maroon could symbolise oxygenated blood and white could represent bones which are both commonly found in horror films.
10. By asking such a direct question I can get a basic view on what type of narrative my audience would be interested in watching when it comes to the horror genre.
Supernatural haunting appears to be the most common narrative preferred, followed by evil within yourself and the unknown. All of which fall under Aristotle's "basic elements of a narrative" as they highlight on the contrast between order and disorder reflecting on man as a wholes actions as well as their happiness or Unhappiness.
No comments:
Post a Comment