Marketplace Feedback

Purpose: To record the reaction of the audience towards the technical and symbolic aspects of the WHO ARE YOU? opening sequence, as well as how interested are they in the product.

Methodology: Online survey—Google Form

Distribution Methods: individual messages

Objective: Gain 10 responses (4 professional audiences and 6 general audiences) 

Duration: 02.04.2024 - 13.04.2024

Professional Survey

General Survey

General Survey questions

Proffesional Survey questions

Professional Survey Response Data

General Survey Response Data

Takeaways

    The reason why I decided to conduct 2 different surveys for 2 groups of audiences is due to their difference in the way they react to a media product. Professional audiences are the media students, who are more familiar when asked about specific media contexts, such as technical issues like camera work and mise en scene. Therefore they will be able to give more detailed responses to my 2-minute opening sequence.

    General audiences, specifically non-media students have a different survey to fill in, which is shorter with only multiple choice questions, mainly asking about specific scenes and whether they think it works out or not. I also did not include media vocabulary in the questions, ensuring that they could easily answer the questions and give their opinions on the scene. 

Professional Audiences Reaction

   Based on the audience response, I could be confident that the conventions, technical, and symbolic aspects have successfully represented the psychological thriller genre of WHO ARE YOU?. The response that only choosing thriller was also understandable as it is the main genre and that during the 2-minute opening sequence, it might be hard to identify specifically which sub-genre of thriller it is.

    

    I was very happy to receive the response that all the conventions, technical, and symbolic aspects I have used in my product have been noticed by the audience and helped them to identify that the genre is a psychological thriller. The response also pointed out a series of different codes and conventions in my 2-minute opening sequence, including sound effects, flashing light, harsh shadow, glitchy editing, blood, close-up shot, black hoodie, and more. 

    Based on the audience's reaction on what aspect they think works well during the opening sequence. Before carrying out the research, I already had a few aspects that I personally really enjoyed, and think that it came out well. Therefore when asking this question, I wanted to know if the audience had the same thoughts as me or not. Post-production was the stage that I think worked out better than expected, and fortunately, the audience also had the same opinion as me. Besides, I also received a compliment on how well the stabbing scene was executed and I'm also very happy about it.

    After that, I also asked about which aspects would prevent WHO ARE YOU? from being viewed as a professional product. The results this time varied in different aspects, such as the continuity of the sequence, the acting of the actress, or the artificial sound effects. These are also aspects that I was skeptical about during the making of WHO ARE YOU?. However, there was one similarity that I noticed in the response is how the footage is crammed into the 2-minute time limit, and that it is not developed sufficiently enough. I have tried my best to fully convey my ideas without exceeding the time limit, therefore it does feel a bit overwhelming with content.

    

    The next section of the survey was about the technical aspects of the film's opening sequence, such as camerawork, sound effects, mise-en-scene, and editing. The overall feedback was positive and the audience seemed to like the camera work, specifically the murder scene. I also received comments on how I could reduce the use of zooming effects in a few of the shots, to avoid having my product look amateur and basic. 

    

    The sound effect was the stage that I was most proud of but at the same time, I think that it also required the most improvements. Most of the comments revolve around 2 main ideas, the first is how I could lower the high pitch of sound because it is too disturbing. The second aspect is the gossiping voice in the first scene, where I could add in the echoing effects, to create a better connection with the scene. I think this is also similar to what I was worried about and would need to be improved. 

    

    The general response to the editing was positive, even though I also got comments on improving the continuity of the sequence, specifically the transition between scenes of different color grading. I struggle a lot during the continuity editing of the process (mainly due to my computer) so it is understandable that the continuity could be further adjusted to improve the opening sequence. 

    The mise-en-scene surprisingly received positive comments from the audience because I genuinely didn't put too much effort into setting up the scenes or creating the costumes for the characters (compared to the post-production with the editing). However, I did get a comment on how I could be more creative with the appearance of the character and using makeup to enhance the dark circles or add in the scar. I personally think that this is a great idea and would definitely care more about the makeup for the next project.

    

    In the end, I asked them about their experience when watching WHO ARE YOU? and 100% of the audience responded with a positive rating, 4 and 5. Based on the response, I am confident that my product will also be well received by the general public as it has already received positive ratings from professional audiences, who specialize in the field.

    Besides, I also asked them to leave some final notes as a supporting message for me and they all help to feel more positive and optimistic about the results. Overall, I'm happy that my work is appreciated, especially by the professional audiences.

General Audiences Reaction

    In this survey, I only asked 5 questions related to a few specific scenes that I wanted to know if the audience felt like the effect worked out well. In the first question, I asked if the thunderstorms and lightning at the beginning brought in the tension or were distracting. It was a positive response that they all think does add to the tension, however, the majority stated that it is also a bit distracting. Personally, I felt like it was because the sound was too loud and it was a bit artificial, according to how the professional suggested. 

    In the next question, I asked them about the creepy scene in the bathroom, to know whether or not I had achieved the convention of the thriller genre through the use of close-ups and conveying the emotion of the character. The response was positive which I am happy about. However, I think that the main reason why the few stated that it was not that creepy was due to my choice of lighting since I chose high key lighting to create a contrast with the previous scene, which limits the thrilling effect of the scene. 

    

    I also wanted to know the audience's reaction to the use of sound effects in my 2-minute film opening sequence, therefore I asked their opinion about the scene in the bathroom and if they think the glitch sound effects bring in the tension. The majority does think that it brings in the tension and I was happy with their reaction. 

    Besides, I also asked the general audience if they could understand that the protagonist is suffering from a psychological disorder. The response was varied but the majority stated that there are a few hints but it is hard to spot. This was an understandable and expected response since the opening sequence is only 2 minutes and I also did not want to give out too much hint about the mental state that the protagonist is going through.

    

    In the end, I asked 2 questions to know their interest in watching my WHO ARE YOU? film opening sequence and a large portion stated that they are interested. 

    

    

    Furthermore, I asked them to rate on a scale of 5, how enjoyable it is watching the sequence. Despite the majority saying it was enjoyable, there is still a neutral result, which I think I would need to work on to improve the sequence and increase the interest rate of the audience.

    

    

    In conclusion, I think the overall response of the audience (both professional and general) is positive. After conducting these 2 surveys, I felt more optimistic and more confident about my 2-minute opening sequence. I've also learned the importance of marketplace feedback for researching the audience's feelings and thoughts on the product.

    For next time, I believe that it might be better to conduct the marketplace feedback not only at the end but throughout the process as it would help me to maximize engagement with the audience, leading to a better media product that meets the needs and wants of the audience.