How old are you?

Gender? What genre of film do you prefer?

Do you like thriller films?

How often do you watch thriller films in a month?

What was the last thriller film you watched?

What makes you want to watch a thriller film?

In thriller films, what interests you about the opening?

If you had to change anything about the opening of a thriller film, what would it be?

How do you like the characters to appeal to you at the beginning of thriller films?

What’s your preferred setting for a thriller film?

15-18 Male Thriller/mystery Yes 3-4 times Inception Famous actor/actress, the feeling of suspense and tension, the storyline

Depends what thriller it is

A busy city

15-18 Male Action yes 3-4 times Pulp Fiction The feeling of suspense and tension

Making you think

Being funny or weird

A desert

15-18 Male Horror yes 0-2 times Famous actor/actress

15-18 Female Horror yes 0-2 times The Equalizer The feeling of suspense and tension

Introduction to the characters

The length of time before the action

I can relate to them

An abandoned island

15-18 Female Rom-com no 0-2 times Scream Famous actor/actress

Make it more happy

A desert

15-18 Female Rom-com no 0-2 times Famous actor/actress

15-18 Female Horror yes 0-2 times Sinister The feeling of suspense and tension

Get into the storyline quicker

Mysterious Somewhere haunted or abandoned

15-18 Male Adventure yes 0-2 times Mocking Bird The feeling of suspense and tension, the storyline, the setting

The mystery Making it less obvious who the antagonist is by being vague about their details

An abandoned island

15-18 Female Rom-com yes 0-2 times The Maze Runner

The storyline A small lonely town

From these responses, I have learnt that the majority of people preferred the feeling of suspense/tension within a thriller film. Also, people seemed to prefer the setting to be a desert or an abandoned island. This will affect my initial idea as I’ll have to change/alter a few things to suits everyone’s taste in thriller films.

I can try to create suspense/tension by creating a storyline that has mystery and builds up fright within the audience. I can’t actually film my thriller opening in a desert or on an abandoned island, so I’ll have to try to make my setting appear to be an abandoned island. To do this, I’ll have to make the setting appear cold and isolated by making sure there are no extra people in the background of shots and frames.