Audience research: What do the audience really want?

What do the audience want to see in a opening sequence to a Thriller?

After deciding that our first idea wouldn't maximise our chances of achieving a high grade, nor did it completely fit the brief, my group and I narrowed down our choices and so I produced a qualitative survey to obtain information about what is essential to be included in our opening sequence. This will help establish our new narrative, and should provide us with a opening thriller sequence that the audience will approve of.

 

Here are the statistics for each question: (sample of 20 people)

 

Question 1- Would you prefer the narrative to be set in a house, a park, or a garage?

This piece of data shows that 80% of people asked said their preferred location would be in a house. This could be because the audience would feel as though a character is safe in their own home, and so this adds to the narrative enigma. I will therefore set my narrative in a house.

 

Question 2- Do you think the antagonist should be male or female?

This clearly shows that the audience would prefer to see a male antagonist. Including a male antagonist in a thriller is a typical convention of this genre, and therefore I will include this aspect in my opening sequence.

 

Question 3- How many characters should be in the opening sequence, 1, 2 or 3?



The favourite number of characters which should be shown in the opening sequence is two. I agree with this number, as this will add suspense and tension to the narrative, where as three characters may become too much for the audience to follow, but I do believe one character could be just as effective. However, we will produce our narrative based on my audience research.

 

Question 4- Should the narrative contain a chase or an eerie/chilling plot?

This data shows that an eerie plot is favoured over a chase. This supports the guidance our teacher gave us about avoiding a chase. An eerie plot should contain more of a narrative enigma, adding suspense and tension for the audience.

 

Question 5- Should there be any non-diegetic music for added effect?

Non-diegetic music will be used due to this data. I agree with the outcome, as the right genre of music can really emphasise the tension in the narrative.

 

Question 6- Should the narrative be set at night or during the day?



 



These results are extremely close, however day time was preferred by 2 more of the people surveyed. I personally think that day time will be better for filming, because the lighting will be better and so we will avoid producing grainy or poorly lit footage. A night time scene would be affective, however the cameras don't film particularly well in the dark and so this should be avoided.

 

How these survey results will affect production:

 

My survey results will affect production and planning because the audience are the people we need to please, and so we should go with what they have suggested, but adapt these results if needed by applying our own knowledge of the media industry, as well as thorough research into the thriller industry. My group and I should therefore produce a high quality opening thriller sequence.