I decided to set up a focus group of sixth form students aged between 17-18, both male and female. I did this because it aloud me to gain qualitative date which would contain more detail and depth and would later be helpful when creating my trailer. The reason i asked these specific questions is because they cover elements in which i feel i need further knowledge on and more of an insight into before i start planning my trailer. I targeted the focus group at teenagers, as i believe they will be my main consumers as they are typically associated with the thriller genre as they are experimenting with different genres and the fear factor typically lures them in. I am going to analyze the answers to each question in order to come to a conclusion with elements i should include or even leave out of my trailer.
Question One; What do you expect to see in a thriller trailer?
I thought this question was crucial to ask as i really wanted to understand other peoples expectation of a thriller trailer. I liked the idea of enigma codes, as they makes thrillers more interesting and sinister as it allow things to catch you of guard. The group all said they like it when they don't know what to expect as it creates thrill and suspense, which is one of my main aims of my trailer. Another interesting point was high pitch music, you would usually expect to hear deep heavy beats as they are more creepy, however contrasting that idea completely can have the same effect. Sounds such as screeching are unpleasant to hear and are likely to make the audience feel uncomfortable, which increases the thrill. Another good point which was mentioned was low key lighting, i think this is the most commonly used convention, thrillers thrive of darkness and 'the fear of the unknown'. When there is no light, anything could happen, it also makes events scarier than what they would be in the light as we pay more attention to the sound. I will definitely include a lot of nighttime or dim light shots in order to create and uncomfortable atmosphere.
Question Two; Do you prefer to see a story outline or best bits?
I asked this question as after watching many trailers i realized that this element plays a huge effects. Some trailers focus mainly on telling the audience what the film is going to be about, maybe in not much detail, however they are still trying to reel the audience in by giving them a good indication. On the other hand some give you little of the story line and predominantly thrilling shots which are from some of the best bits, this obviously catches the audience attention. My focus group were at first in dispute, as half thought that the answers obvious, you need the best bits to make the audience want to watch it and if you reveal the story line then whats the point of watching it? On the other hand someone else said tat the story line is vital in telling the consumers what the film is going to entail and if you just include best bits then the film wont be as good. In the end they came to a conclusion that for a good trailer, you need elements of both. You should give a brief outline of the story, giving away informaton that wont ruin the film when they come to watch it, combined with shots from the most intence moments in the film, so therefor you have the best of both worlds.
Question Three; What is favorite thriller film, or thriller trailer?
I thought this question was beneficial as it allowed me to be able to see with my own eyes what people like, not just random ideas. This would give me the opportunity to look at the trailers or watch the film and evaluate what i like and don't like about them so then when creating my final product i can personalize some aspects and maybe include them. Both films my focus group came up with were psychological thrillers though for very different reasons. The black swan was chosen because they liked how you were unaware it was even a psychological thriller until the end. This shows that clues were cleverly dispatched and that it focused more on the psyche than blood and gore. In my trailer i want to use these misleading techniques, so its especially captivating for my audience. The other film my focus group liked was that from the trailer of Gone girl, it is clear that the man is the victim and the woman was dominating, they liked the reversal in gender roles as it caught there eye and made them think. I believe that only following stereotypes can create a very generic trailer so therefore i hope to go against the norm and create something a bit quirkier
Question Four; Which sub genre most appeals to you and why?
There are so many hybrids of thriller films it is very difficult to narrow it down to one. However i do think it is effective to have a sub genre as it allows you to play around more with numerous codes and conventions and it is also a lot less restricting. Therefore i wanted to see what people wanted to see and what is popular nowadays. Every member of my focus group said psychological, this didn't surprise me as the most famous thriller films of this decade seem to either be action or psychological for instance, inception and shutter island. My focus group likes the way it messes with your mind and anything can happen its enticing and makes you want to watch it over and over in order to pick things out you may of not before. This has definitely made me more tempted to do a psychological thriller as the narrative is more complex and there is so much you can do with the sub genre
In conclusion this task has really given me a greater scope into what people want and therefore has given me different ideas that i wish to include in my trailer. I no longer have an unanswered question and i hope together with the survey my trailer will not just be the representative of only what i want, yet the consumers to.
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