EVALUATION: PART 4

By Cara Watling

Q. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM YOUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK?

During the focus group screening there were several positive points made by the majority of the class. Many enjoyed the throat cut with one person stating that it was “realistic” which was great as we were concerned that it may look comedic. The majority also agreed the narrative was “unique” and “interesting”. This led to one mark of 10/10 from one of my fellow students. Others liked the amount of close ups that were included whereas nearly everyone on their comments sheet enjoyed the psychiatric shots.

Negative points that I strongly agree with are that the trailer was too long (at around 2.40 in this cut) with emphasis on the needing to build tension more quickly, then kicking into the action. The music was also flawed with it being slightly out of sync towards the jump scare where, also, frame transitions could be smoother.

The mean average came to 8/10 which I was very happy with as we still had time to make small changes. The “focus group” was actually very heartening as we were worried the slower pace of our trailer would put off audiences. Fortunately they seemed to understand we wanted to create a slower scene trailer (such as the ones for Cloverfield [youtube.com/watch?v=IqQzvfn_s30] and The Grudge [youtube.com/watch?v=foZ6aKuf4gU]) that would lead into a main film featuring three psychopaths.

To make these last minute changes we began by editing the length of the trailer to make it a lot shorter, especially the beginning which became less concerned with continuity and more about a pacy montage reminiscent of the trailer for REC [youtube.com/watch?v=YGJ_jPKOj1c]. We also ensured that the shots flowed correctly, however, and used sound to focus the attention on Anna having the “fit” and myself and Sophie taking the experimental pills.

To deal with these problems, we used Adobe Premiere which is also how we edited the music score to correct syncing issues. We also shot some more close ups and shots that would help the action of the trailer, as well as avoid any jolty movements. An example of one of these close ups is a reactionary extreme close up of Anna’s face as she gets dragged away. I believe these little changes were very effective and solved all the little problems mentioned during the focus group training.

Here is a still image from a class evaluation screening video on YouTube:

I was very happy with the feedback we got from the evaluation screening. Many of my peers left the “to be improved” section of the feedback sheet empty as they could not think of anything. The few that did just commented that the beginning montage could be quicker with one stating that that was if they “had to mention something”.

I believe that my trailer would appeal to my target audience as it hasn’t got too much gore. As a psychological horror genre trailer it would be right to assume that the majority of the audience will be female. Body horror (and gory horror films in general such as Saw or Cabin Fever) appeal to a mainly male audience. By including the throat slit in the trailer we have appealed to the male audience also creating a more even balance. Also, because the characters are teenagers and it begins in a college setting younger (mid-teen-late twenty) audiences would find the characters and the context (drug culture rising and cheap, faulty versions of drugs often sold to teens which sometimes results in hospitalisation or death) relatable.

My favourite aspect of the trailer is the quick montage and how the trailer has a double jump scare right at the end, which many people may not expect. This ensures the trailer is memorable. A few trailers for 30 Days of Night also included two jump scares. Although our two jump scares weren’t placed so close together it was still effective.