Audience Feedback - Miss Georgiou

Audience feedback is important within a production because it allows the people who have created it to get a clear understanding with regards to their strengths and weaknesses, so that when it comes to producing another piece of work, they are able to excel on their strengths and get rid of any weaknesses. Gathering audience feedback allows the people who produced the product to also connect with their audience by a better understanding of their preferences.

I was able to gain some audience feedback from my target audience through carrying out different ways in which I could focus my audience in order to get the best out of them. For example, I created a questionnaire with my group that consisted of both open and closed questions, therefore allowing variety within the answers and enabled my group and I to see what type of thriller the audience would like to see, and what they'd like to see within it. This meant that my group and I were able to follow the many conventions of a thriller and develop a clearer understanding of each element included throughout my opening sequence. I also worked with my group to do a screening of my production followed by a presentation of why I have included certain elements within my opening thriller sequence. From doing this, I was able to be a first hand witness to engage the audience reactions to certain parts of the final product. I was able to see from this that there were areas on which I needed to improve on, and areas where the audience felt my group and my work was creatively and successfully used. I then lead the presentations with the other two members of my group and towards the end I asked if there were any feedback from the audience which resulted in many answers from the audience.

This feedback was beneficial to my production as it allowed my group and I to reflect on previous mistakes and strengths and to proceed onto making improvements. For example, when we screened our rough cut we got a lot of negative feedback which then allowed us to re film these parts and correct the mistakes after taking the constructive criticism that the audience had given my group and I. Audience feedback is also important to the filming industry as it allows improvements for next films so that the variety of audience who have viewed the product grows.

For example, three positive comments from the audience feedback was:

• Characters were approachable and easy to watch
• Follows conventions of thriller successfully, allowing suspense, shock and surprise within the audience.
• Developed understanding of how to apply skills to own opening sequence.

Reflecting on these positive comments has allowed me to see where my strong points where in this film and I was particularly excited that an area of which I worked on (Costume and Make up on the characters) was recognised which helped me to identify my strengths within this production and allowed me to evaluate myself on this. The positive feedback has helped me to gain insight as to what success' my group and I have worked towards and allows us to see that some of our hard work has paid off.

Three negative comments from the audience feedback was:

• Unclear with regards to what the narrative is
• Consistent sound track throughout, but fails to experiment with a wide range of sound
• Some areas were too dark for the audience to understand the events taking place

 

Being able to get the negative feedback from my audience allowed my group and  I to get a clear understanding of the areas that need improving when it comes to producing another thriller opening sequence. I was pleased that I got this negative feedback as this works as constructive criticism for my opening sequence as I feel that if I were to make another thriller production then I would know what areas that I would need to improve on. For example, instead of over exaggerating low key lighting, I would have a slight bit more light so that the audience were able to keep up with the opening sequence and engage even further with an in depth understanding.

Overall I feel that I have followed the aims of my brief by creating my own two minute opening sequence to a thriller. This is because my group and I looked at inspirations from many different thrillers and worked together in order to create a plot of how we would approach creating a two minute opening sequence for a thriller. Our aims were to include many moments of shock, surprise and suspense, cast approachable characters and to follow the conventions of a thriller. I feel my group and I was successful in reaching the aims in our opening sequence because our audience feedback contained many features that were successful that we included. For example, when the character of 'Dave' has returned home to find his dead wife 'Stacey', he panics and attempts to leave the house. During this time, the killer is watching Dave squirm and panic and before he comes into contact with him it creates a tension within the atmosphere and therefore the audience feel a sense of shock, surprise and suspense. Therefore due to this I feel that the aims were met in my opening sequence, and due to creating my product I feel I have got a clear understanding of thrillers.