E: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

With the completed edit of my film, I wanted to gain relative feedback to see how an audience would react when consuming the film. I had a few friends and family members view the film and answer some questions concerning what they thought, how it could be better and what was good. I wanted to use a variety of open and closed questions through interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups. The individuals I picked for my audience feedback are from a variety of ages and some match my target audience.
I collated all of their responses from the different methods of gaining feedback and have summarised their responses below:

When initially seeing the opening sequence of my short film, what genre did you think it was?

1. Horror
2. Fantasy
3. Horror
4. Horror
5. Thriller 
6. Unsure initially 

Did the Double Page Spread and Poster support your idea of the genre or did it convey another?

1. Yes
2. No - I then recognised it as a horror
3. Yes
4. Yes
5. No - I saw more horror elements but some aspects still appeared to be a thriller 
6. I now can recognise the movie more as a horror

Would you watch the film from seeing the poster/DPS or just the opening sequence?

1. Yes - I was intrigued by the poster 
2. Yes - the article and poster didn't reveal too much but really sold the film to me 
3. Yes - I am an avid fan of horror and although the poster and DPS were effective, I would watch the film despite it
4. Maybe - the poster and opening sequence is intriguing but the DPS article hinders my decision to continue watching the whole short film
5. Yes - the poster appears really professional and the opening sequence grasped my attention and I want to see how the story unfolds in such a short amount of time 
6. Maybe - I'm not a fan of horror and rarely watch it but if it was a genre you enjoy then I believe many people would want to watch it. 

What was your first impression of the film? In terms of quality of content - mise-en-scene, editing, sound, and camerawork? 

1. I really liked the opening of the film, it really set up the genre with the box in a dark room and the sounds of whispering. It created a lot of tension, especially with the quick cuts from scene to scene, as an audience you didn't know what to expect. The setting I really liked as it was simplistic and didn't need explaining, the shots were nice in showing clearly what was happening in each scene. If I wasn't aware that it was made by a amateur group I would think it was relatively professional. 
2. At first I wasn't really sure what was going on as the plot to begin with leaves a lot unexplained and doesn't reveal anything until the last few scenes. I realise this was intentional to build up suspense but for me it felt like the plot was a bit lacking and I couldn't get into it very much. But the presentation and appearance of this film is satisfying and looks very professional.  
3. The characters seemed like normal people so it was easy to relate with them which I liked; the supernatural demon also appeared believable as the costume and make-up wasn't over the top and in some ways we as humans are our own demons so the presentation of the demon in human form really represented a deeper meaning for me. I really like the use of sound (music) seeing as there wasn't a lot of speech between the characters.
4. In the opening sequence I was really intrigued but I was also skeptical of what to expect from a short film. I was surprised that the plot worked so well and it didn't feel rushed; there looked to be a lot of effort put in to the setting and camera angles so it'd be something I would be proud of it I made it. 
5. The film appears professional like the poster; it appears to be edited well and despite thinking it was a thriller at first the music and clear presentation of the demon made me think otherwise. I really liked the incorporation of the gun also because its a very harmful tool in the real world and so it really brought the plot down to earth rather than having the demon magically kill them both.
6. As I'm not a fan of horror I was skeptical of whether I'd like the film and the plot, I wasn't a fan of the way everything is revealed at the end as I'd prefer something at the beginning to foreshadow the end and get me excited to continue watching. I could tell it wasn't a professional film as sometimes the camera was shaky but it was ok overall. 

What did you like and didn't like? (the best part of the film contrasted to the worst) - Therefore, what can be improved or what would you like to see changed? 

1. I really like the opening with the box and the ending with the sequence. The bit I didn't like so much was maybe the part in the attic. To improve this I think there could've been a longer scene up there, using lighting to really make it look scary but apart from that I was happy watching it.
2. I enjoyed the shot of the demon/ghost's shadow on the ceiling and the flashbacks. There wasn't any specific scenes I didn't like but the lack of dialogue made the plot a bit confusing at times. I would incorporate a short but detailed script that would convey more to the audience the genre and fear in the characters lives. 
3. I liked most of the film, just at times there was no music or dialogue and it just felt like I was watching a home movie. I'd like to see use of sound throughout if there's no dialogue, or if there is intentionally no sound have the sound in the actual scene be more relevant.
4. I didn't like the scene between the couple, it felt rigid and that there relationship wasn't close which made the plot less convincing as you'd expect the boyfriend to be more distraught at his partner's badly changed behaviour with no explainable reason. I would also add in a couple of scenes where both leading characters discuss the pendant and their findings online as well as showing the distraught manner of them both. Although I understand that it is a short film and not everything can be covered as in a full feature length film. 
5. To improve I'd invest in better equipment for sound and image just to ensure a more professional look. Despite that the film is good for the level at which it was made; there were a lot of good transitions between scenes and it was clear that the makers of the film were pushing themselves with angles and shots. 
6. I actually liked this short horror, although it had scary bits and jump scares the overall plot wasn't too bad for myself. In my personal opinion I'd add more thriller elements but that's because as I said before I don't entirely enjoy horror. 

Would you recommend this film to others or even watch it again? 

1. Yes 
2. Yes 
3. Yes 
4. Yes 
5. Maybe - it was good but the quality put me off a bit
6. Maybe - its not something I'll regularly be watching but I wouldn't mind viewing it again

Reflection:

When reflecting on the findings of my audience feedback, despite their being some criticisms, the individuals who matched my TA gave the most positive feedback and so even though taking on-board these criticisms for future projects, I won't be changing anything within my main film and the ancillary tasks of the poster and DPS. I agree with the criticism that dialogue would have added a lot to the plot and deliverance of the film, although I am still happy with the final outcome of the film. There were a couple negotiated readings when it came to genre and what I thought would be effective within the film wasn't enjoyed as much as intended. If the film was a full feature length then I would definitely incorporate more of a backstory and explanation to the demon itself, but as it was only five minutes long I didn't want to make the film too busy and overpowering, that is also why the dialogue wasn't as important in the production. 

If I was able to do it again, I would attempt to add more suspense with jump scares and scenes showing the demon acting out, showing its full power; as well as including more sound effects within the sequence at the end to evoke the trapped soul of the protagonist and her regret at finding the pendant to evoke empathy between the characters and audience.  

Flow of emotion:

Fear: the box with the sound effects at the beginning and the cut to black evokes fear within the audience as it brings in the element of the fear of the unknown straight away. The jump scares in the attic door opening and introduction to the demon through the mirror also increase tension and fear for the audience. The low angle shot of the shadow of the demon also is effective as it makes the audiences feel inferior to the supernatural entity; this also evokes fear as you can not tell what it is or its intentions as it has no script and just attaches itself to the female protagonist.

Flow of meaning:

At what point is the meaning apparent to the viewer?

At the end of the film, the flashback sequence with the present day signifies the moment where the plot is revealed and the meaning is apparent to the audience. From the feedback many mentioned how the ending was a favourite part of the film, mostly because it gave some backstory to the plot, made it more complex and revealed the plot clearly. This flashback sequence signifies the correlation of the pendant, the demon and the house owners and how there is a pattern to it.