What have you learnt from your audience’s feedback?

The feedback from our target audience was crucial to us for both before the production and after the production. The pre-production research we carried out was to see how we can achieve our objectives, which was to create a relatable spectacle and to convey a message about young people with depression. We asked people from different genders and age ranges, and this enabled us to identify what our target audience would be so we could cater for that category. We attended a focus group of 20 people and asked them to fill out our questionnaire pre-production, and returned later to give them post production feedback, and they gave insightful views.

The feedback that we received from the post questionnaire was exactly what we wanted because it enabled us to understand whether we had achieved our objective. From the feedback we obtained we could gain the understanding that we succeeded in doing what we wanted to do as the audience felt as though they could relate to Natalie and they could sympathize. We carried out both our pre and post production research through questionnaires that we handed out to some people in our target audience and also through word of mouth.

The pre questionnaire and post questionnaire were both done on survey monkey so anybody that wanted to participate in doing the questionnaire all they needed to do was visit our blog and it would be accessible.

http://www.greenlightstudio7.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/pre-questionnare.html

Above is the pre questionnaire we created, to gain feedback from our potential target audience, before we created the film.

Feedback from the Pre Questionnaire:

What is your gender?

For this question we saw a variation, both genders participated in our questionnaire, and both said it could be an idea that appeals to their tastes.65% were men and 35% were women.

Age ranges?

There were people participating in the questionnaire across all age ranges, but the standout age category was the youngest band, 15-21 so from this we were instantly able to identify what our target audience would be, teenagers/young adults both genders.

From our synopsis what genre would you consider our film to be?

From people reading our synopsis all the people who participated in our pre questionnaire was able to identify what our genre was ( drama ) this was good for us as it tells us the storyline we created is one that audiences will relate to and engage in.

After reading our synopsis do you think the title ‘behind the true image’ is suitable for our film?

The feedback we got in regards to the title of our film was generally quite positive. Most of the people we asked if the title we had in mind was suitable as it reflects the storyline and it’s also something that intrigues the target audience, so we decided to keep with it.

Do you believe the storyline will appeal to younger or older age groups?

Again like the age group questions this enabled us to gain an understanding as to whether the film should be aimed at the older or younger age categories. From this we understood it would be young adults in which the film would appeal to, due to the character Natalie being a teenager and it being easy to relate to her.

Would you prefer the main character in our film to be a male or female?

The majority of the people we asked said that they would prefer to have a female as a main character, as maybe they could convey the message on depression better, due to the stereotypes on women being weaker than men they may be able to obtain more sympathy.

After reading our script is the narrative clear?

After the participants in the questionnaire read the script most of them said that the narrative was clear, however some people were not too sure as to what was going on throughout, from the first draft of the script so we did make some changes to it.

What do you consider to be the strongest aspect of your script?

The strongest aspect of our script in the potential audience’s eyes was the character, her monologues and what she says throughout the play was considered to be very powerful and it really encouraged the audience to sympathise with her.

What do you consider to be the weakest aspect of your script?

The weakest aspect of the script in the potential audience’s opinion was the narrative, although the majority of the people we asked said that they knew where the film was going and what the message was trying to convey throughout, some people on the other hand found it confusing and didn’t quite understand what was going on.

Would you watch our film in the cinema or any other medium?

2 of the people we asked said they wouldn’t watch it based on the confusing narrative, however a large majority said they would watch it.

Post Questionnaire response:

Would the name behind the true image still be suitable for the film after you watched the film?

Majority of people said that the title of the film was still suitable however some people did think that there was nesacarily a hidden dimension to her personality. From this feedback we were relatively confident that we chose the right name, and a name that reflects the storyline and the character.

What was the strongest aspect of our production?

As part of the production team it was essential that we knew whether we had succeeded in creating a good spectacle, and also more specifically as cinematographer whether I had succeeded in my role. The majority of people said that the strongest aspect of our production after watching the production would have either been the character that we had creative, as they felt that her overall story was quite powerful, or they thought that sound and cinematography was the strongest, but this was the view of around 25%, having had positive feedback on my job personally I see it as a positive, but as it isn’t the best aspect there is still room for improvement.

What was the weakest element in our production?

The weakest element in the production in mots peoples view were the narrative, as some people thought that in some parts continuity was lacking, and it was just her walking around for long parts, only till the final monologue did some people understand the film. As part of the production team who had a hand in writing the script, this is something I would definitely look to improve upon next time. I would look to ensure the narrative was clear and it wasn’t disjointed, it was important we found out weaknesses so we can eliminate them next time.

What genre does the film behind the true image suit?

Everyone that watched the film, said that it matched with the drama genre, which was good for us, as it meant that we were successful in creating something that mirrors what people go through in real life, and we made something that people can relate to. It was an important question to ask our target audience because if they had said the genre was Action for example, it would illustrate failure In trying to convey our message to the audience, as they said drama it meant the conventions were followed and we were able to put across the message we wanted.

Do you feel that you were able to relate to the main character Natalie?

Everyone that participated in this survey said they understood Natalie’s story and sympathised with her, however a few people said that it was only due to the power of her monologue in the end that they could relate to her story, and therefore felt sympathetic. This was important for us to find out, as research prior to doing this film stated that audiences get pleasure from being able to relate to characters, the fact that the audiences could relate, and escape into her character shows that it appealed.

Did the narrative make sense throughout the film?

There was balanced feedback on this as people said that yes it made sense, however some people stated that some parts really did lack continuity, which means for the next time we do this, we should incorporate some of the missing parts that meant it lacked in continuity.

Did the sound during the production amplify Natalie’s depression?

Everyone said that sound was instrumental in creating a production that conveyed a powerful message, and said that if it wasn’t for the sound, the film wouldn’t be anywhere near as memorable or powerful. From this we understand that the sound made our film and if it was just the visual element it may not have made sense, meaning that it is something we can improve on next time.

Do you feel that our film is suitable for people in our target age group of 15-35?

Everyone said yes it was suitable for people in this age range, as they thought that Natalie the main character was actually 17 which is in this age group, additionally they thought that this type of story would appeal to teenagers and young adults as they can sympathize as maybe they had just been through depression or remembered what it was like to be a rebel smoking and drinking. Additionally no one had any qualms about the language in the film.

How was the audience’s feedback on social media?

From the social media on twitter we got extremely positive feedback on the film. We received compliments for the sound, which was pleasing as this was our main focus throughout, as we knew this would make or break the film. Additionally as we wanted to convey a message packed with emotion, to know that we had done this successfully according to the

feedback again was extremely satisfying.

Was the feedback from the audience useful in shaping the production and also post production?

Overall I was happy with the feedback I received in both the pre questionnaire and post questionnaire, the original feedback I received was constructive and it enabled us to improve our idea and make it better, and that was shown in the people’s perceptions of the film after they watched it. However from the feedback in the post questionnaire it was evident that there was still improvements to be made in regards to the narrative, and how at times it’s a bit unclear as to what the storyline is supposed to be, and this was brought to my attention in the feedback. Cinematography was also something people felt could have been improved, although a lot of people felt they could relate to the character and the sound was good throughout. What the feedback did was help me analyse the production myself, and from this I was able to see what improvements could be made for next time.