What have you learned from you audience feedback?

Throughout my process I have relied on Audience Research and Feedback

to shape my final productions into texts that are enjoyed and widely
received by my targeted audience. In most cases I have used stratified
samples in order to collect accurate results that reflect the habits and
opinions of my targeted audiences only, this way I was able to define
these opinions in analysing the results and take inspiration that reflected
these views. Whereas, my audience feedback reflected the highlights of
my final productions as well as the points that my targeted audience felt
that more could have been done to communicate the narrative effectively.
I have learnt a lot from my audience research, the main lesson being that
my targeted audience enjoy more physical than verbal comedy. This was
an intriguing find for me as I was planning to construct a silent satirical
comedy that would rely on the use of exaggerated body language and
facial expressions as well as aspects of Mise En Scene such as Music and
Lighting in order to represent emotion. This meant then that after I
conducted my Vox Pops and discovered that my stratified sample had
enjoyed the use of Physical and movement comedy in the short Lifted by
Disney, I decided to incorporate use movement such as this in my own
short. As a result then this decision affected my process when casting my
actors. My blog post on this process explains how I had to look more
specifically for an actor with exaggerated features to play John, someone
who could naturally emphasize movement so that the gap left by a lack of
dialogue could be filled. This led to me casting James Grey as his height
made it easy for him to over-exaggerate movement. Also then when
designing my shot list and storyboard I ensured that movement was
emphasized so that my actor could clearly see how emotion was to be
represented.
My audience research also explained more about the consumption habits
of my targeted audience. Making it easier for me to decide on the
institutions that would be best to produce and distribute both my main
product and ancillary texts. My first both of my Audience Research
Questionnaires for my ancillary texts reflected the radio stations and
travel habits of both my primary and secondary targeted audiences. My
Radio Trailer Questionnaire reflecting a split in preferences between my
primary audience listening to pop stations such as Capital and Kiss and
my secondary targeted audience listening to stations such as those
broadcasted by the BBC. This split therefore helping me to recognise the
change in cultures between the two audiences and the ways in which I
could target them both effectively. Consequently then my Audience
Research Questionnaire for my Poster provided me with results that
reflected the high numbers of my targeted audience that travel to and

from work by Public Transport. These results then showing me how I could
target my audience using platforms such as Bus Stops and Tube Stations.
This led to my decision to use JCDecaux to distribute my film poster if my
film was to be produced for a mass market.
Overall then my products and decisions that I have made throughout my
process were moulded around the findings of my primary audience
research. This only contributed to the making of a more effective and
accurate texts as I reached the stage of construction, a contribution that
can be proved following my final survey on audience feedback.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of my final products I conducted one

last survey to provide me with audience feedback. This survey was sent to
a stratified sample of my targeted audience who had all been exposed to
both ancillery texts as well as my
short film Underdog.
This first question aimed to tell me
how much overall that my audience
enjoyed my film. The results show
that 60% of my targeted audience
would rate Underdog 7-8 out of 10.
Although this does not necessarily
mean that they would recommend
the film the result still reflects how
they thoroughly enjoyed it proving
that many of the conventions that I aimed to include in my film were
recognised by and therefore appealed to my audience. As a result then I
feel that my film was a success amongst both my primary and secondary
targeted audiences who were evenly stratified for this sample.

With this question, I hoped to discover more about the specific aspects of
my main text that my audience enjoyed. The results taught me that overexaggerated movement and ridiculous sound were the two conventions
most highly appreciated by my targeted audience. Making me recognise
then how if I was to do this project again I would most definitely focus
more on these conventions in order to improve my product and encourage
more people to rate my film higher. I feel that these results highlight the
significance of the editing and casting processes. Where editing
contributes to the effect of sound, casting can affect the quality of the
acting and in this case the movement that had to be so accurately
captured. If the casting had not been accurate then I would have

struggled to represent emotion with a lack of scripted dialogue. This

question was designed to reveal the effectiveness of representing
conventions that repeat themselves throughout the comedy genre and I
can see that the results certainly pick up on this.

I wanted to find out whether I had effectively portrayed the implicit

ideology of my narrative without the use of dialogue, a challenge that
required me to find other ways of representing emotion such as
movement, sound and settings. These results have reflected the
percentages found in the first question and therefore suggest to me that
those who didnt understand the implicit themes were less likely to enjoy
the film. The majority of the results however reflect a general
understanding of how John can be seen as a victim at the end of the
narrative. Some answers have included an explanation of how the
corporate hoax made John poor and others have simply stated how easy
the narrative was to follow, reflecting how the combination of conventions
I used to make up for the lack of dialogue was effective. However those
who did not understand the narrative so well have answers suggesting the
issues with the general structure of the film. One individual has
commented on the structure of
Scene 13 where John is visited by his
Landlady. This confusion is again
reflected in another respondents
answer as they comment on the
time frame of the film. In order to
create a short film I had to condense
my narrative to conform to the
general expectation that a short
should last approximately 5 minutes.
This meant that in doing so the
timeline of events within my
narrative would appear conveniently
distorted with the Landlady
demanding rent exactly after John
had spent his money. I feel that these results have taught me how I could
have created more of a build up of tension between the two characters in
order to explain in detail Johns situation to my audience. Adding an
additional scene for example could have meant having John receive
Notices for Re-possession or having the main character meet with a Bank
manager. This then would have created more of an effect when Johns
Landlady confronts him. As a result then if I was to complete the project
again I would most definitely look at introducing an additional scene to

develop the narratives time scale. These results then have taught me the
significance of time frame and how if not applied correctly they can
confuse an audience.

One of my main aims of this film was to

make my target audience recognise how
John could be considered a symbolic
representation of whole markets of
consumers. Considering that my narrative
was an over dramatisation of a real event I
felt that in order to give the film its satirical
aspect my targeted audience must
understand how John could be a
representation of themselves. This question
then was designed to provoke my audience
to express how they now see John after
watching the end of my film. The majority of
answers had promise as to what I expected
showing how John could be seen as normal or even relatable. Answers
such as the one below have taught me that by using such a dramatic turn
of aspects I have achieved communicating my implicit narrative
effectively.

The few answers that lean from my expectations stem from a misunderstanding of the narrative overall that I have discussed before and
therefore I am less so effected by comments that deter from the
narratives intentions.

Here I wanted to take the

time to compare the
success of my two
ancillary texts and look
more specifically into the
aspects that really
appealed to my targeted
audience. I felt that this
taught me more about
the aspects that my
audience appreciated
most and why that was.
For example those who
preferred my Promotional
Poster commented
suggesting how the use
of Social Networks and
main image were two
factors that appealed to my targeted audiences. This has taught me how
audiences like to feel involved, more particularly when it comes to media
texts that could provoke social action. These results have also taught me
the significance of the main image in any media text. Some results have
suggested how the poster was eye-catching and this is why it was their
favourite, as a result then suggesting how a bright image when it comes
to comedy can have a positive impact on the opinion of the audience. For
those who chose my Radio Trailer as their preference I can see that the
use of sound was found particularly appealing. Creating an overexaggerated effect proved important in engaging my targeting audience
and communicating my films comedic theme. I feel that these results
have made me recognise that if I was to complete the project again I
would focus on giving more weight to the radio trailer, perhaps using
unseen conventions in order to shock my targeted audience more to get
them involved rather than relying so much on the use of soundtrack and
voiceover.

Finally, this last question

directly approached the
issue of anything missing
that my targeted audience
would have liked to see in
my ancillary texts. The
answers were mainly No
suggesting that the
experience that my
audience had taken from
both texts was extremely
positive. However some
respondents had
commented suggesting
how certain conventions
such as the release date
on my poster could have
been made bigger. Overall
however I feel satisfied in
learning that my targeted audience found both of my ancillary texts
effective.