EVALUATION QUESTION 3 What have you learned from your audience feedback?
By Abbi Griggs
POSITIVE FEEDBACK We asked eight people to watch our short film in order to find out what they liked about it and what they thought could either be added or improved on. They all liked that our short film fitted into the drama genre because when we asked them in our questionnaire before we filmed, they wanted our film to be a drama with elements of illness. Whilst we didn’t have any elements of illness, we did have the theme of death, which is a typical ingredient in a drama film.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK Similarly, our audience liked that the main character was fairly young because it fitted our plot better and meant our character was able to be more in touch with their emotions. The majority thought that if we had had an older main character, the film wouldn’t have flowed as well because they’re more reserved and don’t have the same element of innocence. Having a child as the main character meant the audience felt more sympathy towards them because they’re naïve to these sorts of situations. Do you like the age of the main character?
Yes No
POSITIVE FEEDBACK All of our audience loved the flashbacks we included in our film because they felt it really added to the plot twist at the end. One member of our audience said, “I really enjoyed the flashbacks and the fact they were throughout the film. It makes you believe the mum is still alive and makes the twist at the end more exciting�. They all agreed that the flashbacks were clear in that they were flashbacks rather than present-day actions and that it meant they were able to follow the film clearly. Did you enjoy the flashbacks? Enjoyed them Didn't enjoy them
POSITIVE FEEDBACK Most of our audience liked the wide variety of shots we used in our short film because it made it more interesting to watch. They especially liked the fastpaced shots when the main character is running home. We used quick pans and fast edited worms eye view shots and the audience seemed to like these a lot. They also liked the shot from inside the draw in the kitchen because they thought it was unique and different to most shot types. Similarly, they all really liked the added diegetic sound effects of the cutlery and the cupboard door shutting. They said it fitted in well and stood out because most of our film is silent. They all agreed it was effective and made the setting more domestic and believable.
CRITICISM Whilst our audience enjoyed our short film, they did also have some criticisms. The major criticism that they had with our film was that it was too long. In our short film questionnaire our audience wanted our film to be around 2-4 minutes long; however, our short film is around 6 minutes. Our audience feels like this is far too long and would have liked it to be shorter and more concise.
Some of our audience also felt that our short film needed more speech. We had some speech from the main character, his friends and the mother; however, the audience felt that more speech would have made it easier to follow and to understand the main characters thoughts and feelings. Do you think there should be more speech?
Yes No
CRITICISM Similarly, all the audience felt that the mother should have been in it more. Whilst they agreed her being in it made it believable and exciting, they wanted her to be in it more to make the twist more surprising and dramatic.
Lastly, our audience wanted the final letter that the main character wrote to be longer because that way he could have written about his thoughts, feelings and emotions which would have added to film and increased the amount of sympathy given to the main character.
FILM POSTER POSITIVE FEEDBACK We asked the same five people about our ancillary products, starting with our film poster. All of our audience said they liked the photo of the eye, the most which is a very large feature on our poster. They said they liked the brightness, the detailing and how well it was edited together. The majority liked how eyecatching it was and they all agreed it really stood out and made the film poster noticeable. They also said it worked well with our film because the photo of the eye is our two main characters and in a way it suggests a connection between them.
Do you like the images used? yes no
Similarly, most of the audience liked the title on the film poster because it is bold and eye-catching, much like the pictures. They like the color of the font because it stands out against the black background and is easy to see and read. The font is readable and clear which is good if people are looking at it from a distance.
FILM POSTER CRITICISMS Our audience also gave us some constructive criticism for our film poster. They felt like our film poster needed star ratings and quotes from people who liked the film in order for it to be more appealing to the potential audience. If they see that it has good rating, they’re more likely to go and watch it. Also, they disliked the way the director’s names are presented and laid out. They felt that they didn’t really look right there and maybe could have been placed somewhere else, for example, beneath the actors and actresses names for a more clean finish.
They wanted me to change the layout of these names They also wanted me to put star ratings and quotes on our film poster.
RADIO TRAILER POSITIVE FEEDBACK Lastly, we asked our audience to give us feedback on our radio trailer advertising our short film. They thought that the male voice used in our trailer was well suited and made the trailer seem more professional. The tone of voice fitted the genre well and the use of persuasive language made the film sound more appealing and like something people should definitely go and watch. Similarly, they felt the music bed in our radio trailer also fitted the drama genre of our short film and really added a melancholy tone to it. Did you like that I used a male voiceover? yes no
Did you like the music bed? yes no
RADIO TRAILER CRITICISMS Our audience did; however, feel like we needed more sound clips from the short film itself so the radio trailer could give more insight to the plot, its characters and the twist. They also thought that the trailer needed more details about the film. For example, the actors names, the directors names and when it was being released. Do you think the trailer needs more sound clips from our film?
yes no
Do you think our trailer needs more details about the film?
yes no