Pre-Production:

Questionnaire Analysis

Harry Jones

Overview• To gather some research into the desires and

expectations of my target audience, I constructed a questionnaire to acquire some information that I can base my thriller film around.

• My questionnaire contained 9 questions, which I distributed online using social media, specifically Facebook and Twitter. My questionnaire had 28 responses when I began my analysis, which has since increased to 32.

• The questionnaire used closed questions, some of which had multiple options in order to gain a range of opinions. The questions also contained instruction and help text, to fully clarify and explain aspects of the question in order to record accurate and reliable results.

Q1.What do you like to see when watching a

thriller/drama film?The results from the questionnaire show that my target audience are looking for Fast paced action, Strong narrative and Drama/suspense during a thriller film. The most important thing they are looking for is Good characters within the storyline. To provide this, I need to ensure that my storyline is strong and effective, as well as carefully selecting the actors who I choose to have in my film in order to make the characters realistic and believable. I must also find effective ways of building up suspense during the piece.

Q2. What features of Mise-en-Scene

do you expect to see in a

thriller/drama film?The most important aspect of Mise-en-Scene that my target audience want to see is strong believable characters, with 93% of participants selecting this option. Following this, my audience also want to see realistic costumes and a range of locations. To provide these features, I need to carefully build up images of my characters that are effective and informative, as well as find appropriate, engaging locations to film at. I also need to look into acquiring military clothing to build up an sense of realism using Mise-en-Scene.

Q3. Do you think there should be

a recurring “motif” throughout a

film?79% of participants felt as if my film needs a recurring motif running throughout; this will be easy to integrate into my piece effectively, as I can use common military objects, such as Dog tags or photographs, and build up a sense of purpose and meaning around them.

Q4. Which of these common

items/themes do you associate with

the British Military?The most common association that my target audience have with the British Military is the idea of Camouflage uniform. They also had strong associations with Weaponry and Military Vehicles. To provide this to my audience, I need to look at acquiring realistic army uniform, as well as props, such as knives or guns, so that the military theme is apparent throughout. In terms of vehicle, I could look at acquiring sounds and shots of such vehicles to use in my piece.

Q5. What kind of music do you

expect to hear during a thriller

film?The majority of my target audience want to have music in a thriller film that is Suspenseful/Eerie, Loud/Fast Paced and Slow/Tense. This music will be easy to acquire and apply to my piece. My audience are not as interested in the idea of Dramatic/Evoking music, and therefore I will not be including this in my piece.

Q6. Do you expect closure at the end of a

thriller/drama film?

75% of my target audience want to have closure at the end of a thriller film, and therefore I will need to construct my storyline so that there is satisfying ending and conclusion to events.

Q7. Do you like the idea of a plot

twist/unexpected change during a

thriller/drama film?89% of my target audience like the idea of having a plot twist within the narrative of my film. There are a number of ways I can implement this in to my film, such as slowly revealing the fact that the character is suffering from PTSD as well as the sudden death of the character in Afghanistan.

Q8. Do you prefer to see fast paced action

or slow paced action during a thriller/drama

film?The majority of my target audience want to have fast paced action during my film, with some people liking the idea of slow paced. I will need to find of way of seamlessly intertwining both fast and slow paced action, in order to satisfy my audience’s needs as well as build suspense and provide a strong, clear narrative.

Q9. Do you have an

understanding of what Post

Traumatic Stress Disorder is?60% of my target audience have a good understanding of what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is. For those who do not, I can look at implementing elements of the Hypodermic Needle theory to provide information throughout the film about the symptoms and the effects of PTSD.