Vox Pop evaluation

Producing the Vox Pop has broadened my knowledge of my target audiences expectations and helped me decide what conventions I will need to include in my film opening in order for it to fit the brief and satisfy the viewers. In this evaluation I will analyse the answers I have received from each question and explain what I will do with this information.

1.) What attracts you to a film opening? As this question was so general, we were supplied with a huge range of answers. This is good however because it will allow us to experiment and research into all of these ideas. I was particularly drawn to the idea of mystery appearing in our film opening. It is a key convention in most horror films therefore I think it would suit our film opening. Unsolved questions was an answer from one of our target audience members. I think that using this in our film opening will entice the audience and make them want to watch more to find the answer to the questions. Mystery could be portrayed through absent or uncertain characters this idea could be developed into our film opening.

2.) Do you prefer film openings to be fast paced or slow paced? The answers to this question were divided into opposite opinions. Half of the people we asked said that they prefer fast pace purely because of the excitement and adrenaline it can create for the audience. On the other hand, the others suggested that slow pace featured in film openings helps build tension and makes the audience feel almost relaxed until a sudden loud noise appears. One person introduced us to the idea of giving the film opening potential, suggesting that certain bad things could happen but instead they dont. This creates a sense of unease for the audience but also keeps them gripped. It could also link to the suggestion of foreshadowing or the idea of a dream. I think that from this information, we have decided to use mainly slow paced editing in our film opening but possibly include some sudden fast pace shots where bad things could happen.

3.) Is music important in a film opening? Every member of our target audience answered with Yes to this question. This shows how vital it is that we include some kind of music in our film opening. It could be sinister background music which appears when a scary scene is about to happen. As one person answered, music can set both the scene and the mood of an opening therefore we must use music that fits with a uncertain, creepy atmosphere.

Vox Pop evaluation

4.) What is your favourite horror film and how does the opening entice you? A couple of people mentioned the use of foreshadowing. For example in the film The Ring the film opening foreshadows other scenes in the film. Orphan was another film mentioned, which uses a characters dream in the film opening to almost foreshadow an event which occurs later on. Although foreshadowing is clearly a very commonly used technique, it could give too much away about the rest of the film. It has made me question the use of this technique in our own film opening and I will now research into films which use foreshadowing in order to see whether it is a disadvantage to the film.

5.) Why do you like to watch horror films? The majority of people we asked said that they watch horror films because they like to scare themselves. Also due to the feeling of relief that they get as they know that they are not in the situation of the characters. One person mentioned the use of Point Of View shots being a reason why people may want to watch horror films. POV shots help create perspective of an unknown character and make the viewer feel as if they are part of the film. This could be a convention we include in our film opening to reinforce the idea of a mysterious character.

6.) Do you like film openings to introduce characters? Most of the answers involved the use of introducing most characters but not the entire cast as this can give the plot away. I think in our film opening we will give a rough idea about each main character but keep the mysterious character completely invisible.

7.) Do you prefer watching films which star characters of your age? It is made clear through the responses to this question that in most cases age doesnt matter and is irrelevant. However, some people said that the use of similar age characters can attract the target audience (16 to 18 year olds) because it allows them to relate to them and feel more involved with the storyline.