Target Audience Questionnaire Analysis

Target Audience Questionnaire Analysis We asked three males and three females from a range of ages (1250+) to answer our questionnaire relating to the types of film they watch. Through this research we can gain a valuable insight into the demographic that would watch our film, enabling us to change and improve our work accordingly. Our questionnaire makes used both open and closed questions so that we could gain both qualitative and quantitative data for analysis. All the participants we questioned were different ages, sexes and had different professions and interests. The majority of participants said that they do or have watched Horror films. From this we can draw that there does not seem to be an ‘average Horror film viewer’ which is particularly good news for our piece as our intention is to convey the feeling that no one is safe, to matter who you are. The majority of participants who took our questionnaire considered Horror films to be aimed primarily at 18-25 year olds; with a few feeling it could be younger (around 15+). This could be due to the fact that many individuals under the age rating for a film will watch it when it is released on DVD. When producing our film we should consider that fact that even if we give our film a 15 rating for example, there is a strong possibility that it could appeal to a younger audience than we intend. Most participants of our questionnaire said that they watched 15 rated films the majority of the time, even if they were over 18. From this we can draw that 15 seems to be a respectable rating for our film as it will allow us to reach the target audience we intend whilst preventing younger individuals of whom the film may not be suitable for from viewing it. As the Psychological sub-genre is not as graphic as other sub-genres of Horror the rating needn’t be raised to 18. If we were to do this, we risk cutting out a large proportion of individuals between the ages of 15 and 18 who would go and watch the film. If we were producing our film commercially, we would have to look into how best to promote and advertise our film to our target audience. Through our questionnaire we found that all participants questioned regularly watch TV and most look to websites for information. As these seem to be the most popular forms of other media consumption, it would be best to advertise the film through these media works. However, we would have to take into consideration the scheduling of TV adverts as our film is to be rated 15. It would probably be best to advertise after 9 o’clock, both to reach our target audience and to again prevent younger individuals from viewing a film that may be unsuitable for them. As our film is aimed at ‘tribe wired’ individuals, website advertising will probably

be one of the most effective and modern methods of advertising and promotion. Only two participants of our survey had seen a Psychological Horror film meaning there could currently be a gap in the market for our genre. Two participants had never watched a Horror film so I feel we have a good cross-section of participants. By looking closely at the answers to ‘expectations of a Horror film’ question from those who had never watched one, we can find out which factors would contribute to encouraging them to watch a Horror film. The two participants who had never watched a Horror film stated they would expect: ‘To be scared and not know what is coming.’ and the generic, ‘To be frightened ’ This leads to conclusions that perhaps these participants find Horror films ‘too scary’ causing them to be reluctant to watch them. This could be lead by the assumption that all Horror films are gory. Hopefully through our Psychological Horror film we can convey the conventions of the Horror genre through less explicit and more mentality frightening methods encouraging more individuals to watch it. As expected, participants who had watched Horror films previously had a more well-rounded view of the genre and therefore more detailed and specific expectations of it. These expectations included: ‘Suspense, scary music, blood, death, mutilation.’ ‘A clever storyline with no clichés.’ ‘Predictability, gore and ‘jumpy’ parts.’ Many of these expectations seem to link to the Slasher and Splatter sub-genres of Horror. It seems that these sub-genres have almost become synonymous with the whole Horror genre and could be why the participants who had not watched a Horror film felt reluctant to do so. Hopefully with our piece we can help to eliminate this misconception. Horror films that participants said they had watched previously included: • Dawn of the Dead • Texas Chainsaw Massacre • The Grudge • Saw • The Ring It would be useful to research these films in depth as they are obviously films of the Horror genre that our target audience feel are successful particularly Dawn of the Dead as half of our participants stated they had seen the film. Research into these

films, the techniques they use, their specific target audiences etc. will enable us to draw on aspects that work well and include them within our own work.