Audience research: discussion of findings

I handed out my questionnaire to 20 people with a variety of different ages. 

From my results i can tell that my target audience generally prefer mainstream thriller to independent. Therefore we have included mainstream thriller aspects in our thriller opening, for instance the gripping, almost exaggerated plot. 

Most people also prefer less stereotypical characters. I think my audience chose this answer because less stereotypical characters almost shock the audience. They create more suspense and curiosity. Therefore our murderer character is someone that perhaps the audience wouldn't suspect as being the murderer. Someone that the victim of the murder trusts. 

Most of our audience chose to have both loud and quiet music. I think the reason behind this is that if the temper and volume changes it creates more thrill and draws the audience into the thriller. Therefore we have chosen a music piece that we hope will grip the audience. We have also chosen to have just diegetic sound at some points in our thriller, this is so that it creates suspense and puts the viewers on edge. It also meets the expectations of the rest of the audience. 

I had a variety of different answers when asking about sub-genres. Most people chose horror. I think the reason being that the two genres tie in together a lot and are generally very similar. Our thriller includes a few horror aspects such as the gruesome murder and the overall 'creepiness' of the killer. Other sub-genres that were also popular include crime and drama. Therefore we when developing our plot we made it quite dramatic, including a crime that will meet the expectations of the audience that chose those sub-genres. 

Overall the audience expectations include:

- A interesting, gripping plot that will draw the audience in to the film.

- A gripping character that will involve the audience. 

- Music that will create a suspense across the audience, adding to the thrill of the plot.

- Horror aspects, as well as a few aspects from crime and drama thrillers. This is to interest the audience and make the plot more exciting.