Evaluation Activity 3 - What have you learned from your

audience feedback?

By Martika Dupigny-Williams

Who Are My Target Audience?

The target audience for my film was males and females aged 15-35. This specified age range was chosen to appeal to a wide range of people, in addition to this, it was relevant for viewer discretion as this film may not be suitable for some younger viewers. We conformed to the generic conventions of a drama film, in doing so we were able to meet audience pleasures as drama's display real life situations. This can be related to Blumler and Katz, identifying 4 reasons for using a media text, as audience members may use our film as a form of escapism. We attracted this audience using various forms of social media including Facebook and Twitter. From using these sites it allowed us to interact with our target audience and we were able to reach people from across the globe. Gathering all of this information helped toward the completion of the production and ancillary tasks.

Planning & Research Stage

During the planning and research stage, questionnaires were completed by members of our target audience; this was beneficial as it gave us a clear idea into what they wanted to see. These were posted onto the blog itself and on social media sites which enabled us to reach a wide range of people.Strengths Weaknesses

Creating a brainstorm of multiple ideas at the beginning of the project allowed me to connect more with group members and get a clearer idea of the direction we wanted to go in.

Although creating a brainstorm allowed us to have multiple ideas, choosing a single one was difficult as we had to take different factors into account before the production stage.

After planning an idea and scripting it was my job to write letters the owners of each location filmed at. This was vital as we needed these locations specifically to film our production. In doing so we would have the best possible outcome.

Depending on how well each session went would determine what did and didn’t need to be refilmed. Therefore we didn’t have an estimated time for when the production would start and finish. This could’ve potentially been problematic for the owners of the locations.

Planning & Research Stage

Below are screenshots of the pre questionnaire, this was the main source for gathering feedback prior to the production stage. It is evident that we are appealing the right audience. In addition to this the genre of drama is made apparent meaning our film was clear and it prevented any lack of communication moving forward.

Production Stage

Films that influenced us are Cyberbully, The Chatroom, Perfect Sisters, and The Rules of Attraction. Scenes that were major influences were https://youtu.be/RnvYA9t7m8A and https://youtu.be/3GAwi34vHyQ

These were major influences as we used the idea of a slow build up and attempting an overdose in the bath to convey the distress of Amy to the audience. From feedback gathered from the planning and research stage this ensured that we were meeting the interests of the audience as we took their feedback highly into consideration. In doing so this was beneficial as we would be creating something they’d watch. In addition to this, feedback gathered gave us a broader insight to what the majority liked and disliked so we could add/take out parts to appeal to them more. We decided that using themes of depression and suicidal tendencies would work to our advantage as the bathroom scene would be the pinnacle of our production. The main character Amy Parsons and her mother would be represented as countertypes to their age groups which allowed them to be dominant characters within the production.

Marketing

To market the product I created a poster. When researching into different drama posters each part referenced the film in question to convey different themes to the audience. To replicate this in my own work, I looked at drama film posters for inspiration using different conventions of this genre such as using close ups of the subjects face. Film posters that influenced mine are below. The most useful feedback was from our younger viewers as they were more likely to connect with the characters than our older viewers. This links to Young & Rubicam’s theory of the four consumers as by relating to Amy’s character for example, they will feel a sense of security being placed in the mainstreamers.

Post-Production Stage

The video above was completed using a focus group of 3 people. I used males and females between 15-35 to match our target audience. The film was made accessible on YouTube as it’s a free streaming site available on multiple devices; therefore we thought this would be the best platform to release our video on. Other sites we could’ve used are ones such as Vimeo and Daily Motion. We decided against this as we all were very familiar with YouTube’s functions. Either than using a focus group to gather feedback following the production, a post questionnaire was also created which is another form of feedback. Regarding the ancillary task, feedback was received by word of mouth. The posters created were highly commended as they linked well to themes presented within the film. Although we tried to prevent miscommunication as much as possible, feedback was received that the narrative was hard to understand in some places and the cinematography could’ve been stronger. The strongest parts of the production were said to be the editing and sound. As these two parts were my job roles it’s evident that I completed my role to a high standard. If I were to do this project again the cinematographer may need more support at first to get a better understanding of the camera and be more creative with shots.

Summary

Through the use of questionnaires and social media we were able to contact members of our target audience. This was beneficial in order to improve the production and appeal to as many people as possible. In doing so we had a better outcome than what we initially started with. Although I had no previous experience editing, I spent long, hard hours on this tedious task which showed within the production itself. In addition to this, the marketing material created was successful as it linked nicely to the production, and reviews given were positive. The two film inspirations for the bathroom scene were very beneficial as this was the strongest part of the film. Feedback received from focus groups will allow us as a production to improve if this project was done again. In addition to this, moving forward I will able further my skills taking part in the cinematography, editing, and sound person roles.