Questionnaire (draft)

Horror Movie Questionnaire (draft)

In this Questionnaire, you will be asked questions about Supernatural Horror Movies.

1.      How often do you watch Horrors? Please tick one or more of the boxes:
I regularly visit the cinema to watch horror movies []
I sometimes visit the cinema to watch horror movies []
I regularly watch horror movies at home []

2.      Do film trailers and film posters influence your decision to watch the films? Please tick:
All of the time []       
Some of the time[]   
None of the time []

3.      Please circle the movies listed here that you have seen and liked:
The Others                 The Last Exorcism                The Blair Witch Project
Silent Hill                      What Lies Beneath                         Paranormal Activity
The Unborn               The Grudge                            The Ring
                                                                                               

4.      Please  list any other horror films that you have seen and enjoyed which included ‘Ghosts’, ‘Spirits’ or ‘Paranormal’ occurrences:

5.      What kind of Supernatural Horror Movies interests you the most? Please tick one or more of the boxes:
Supernatural Horrors that are modern, set in the present day and involve a psychological twist []
Supernatural Horrors that are old fashioned, set in the past and focus on the haunting of a person []
Supernatural Horrors that integrate traditional gothic horror []

6.      Why do you watch Supernatural Horror movies? Please tick one or more of the boxes:

Because being frightened provides excitement and a rush of adrenaline []
Because I enjoy the sense of escapism that horror movies provide []
Because I like to solve a mystery []
Because they’re entertaining and I have an interest in the Supernatural []

thank you for taking part!

 

The main aims of the questionnaire are to find out more about my Target Audiences attitude towards horror movies. In order to discover their film habits, I asked them how often they watched horrors, giving them the option between regularly or sometimes visiting the cinema and / or watching them at home. In the next question, I want to learn how much of an impact do film trailers and posters play on their decision to watch a movie. This is important in terms of my promotional package; say my TA were not particularly influenced by such media, I would then have to strive twice as hard to create a trailer and poster that would knock them off their seats! The third question presents the TA with a selection of horrors and the fourth question is open-ended giving them the opportunity to list additional films. I want to discover the style of my TA by ensuring that my initial ideas are on the right track. The same logic lies behind the fifth question also. The final question asks the audience what they find so appealing about horror movies, their answers can help me decide what kind of narrative to create. Overall, I think this is a successful draft of my questionnaire that will need very little, if any, alterations!

Target Audience Profile

This post sees the formation of a Target Audience Profile; this is necessary in terms of creating an image and literary account of my potential target market.
I have decided to use the genre of supernatural horror, so I believe that the general age of my TA would range from the late teens to early thirties. I say this because; I can’t see anyone putting an age bracket on a good old fashion ghost story! However I do feel that this specific genre is aimed at an extremely more mature audience than for example, a ‘slasher’ horror would be. The gender of the genre consists of both male and female, yet I would say that perhaps films of a supernatural substance are more directed towards female audiences. Men are better suited to masses of blood, guts and gore, whilst women are more intrigued by sensitive and spiritual subjects such as ghosts, phantoms and paranormal events. 

If I were to describe the most common example of my target audience, they are likely to be intellectuals with a professional status which would be in the ABC1 bracket. They belong to a career that requires creativity, imagination and something with flare.  As for those in their late teens and early twenties, I would say they are in college or university and are likely to achieve such a professional status in the future. I would classify the TA’s marital status as ‘in a relationship’; I can imagine a female audience who uses film to relax and spend time with their boyfriends, taking an opportunity to unwind and escape the stresses and strains of real life, by watching a supernatural horror. 

To depict an image of the TA’s character and personality: They are spiritual beings who are open-minded and perceptive. They believe in the controversial and the contentious. They are the type of individuals who perhaps have had a paranormal experience, if not; they certainly enjoy hearing stories about such things. They are known for their non judgemental, generous and caring spirits. The TA are thrill seekers who thrive on fear, love the suspense of mystery and are seduced by the deliciousness of being scared. The TA would not be considered as avid cinema-goers; they’re more likely to stay in, curl up on the sofa and watch a DVD with their partner.

I can only presume that their favourite supernatural horrors would typically be ‘The Sixth Sense’, ‘The Orphanage’ and ‘The Others’. I believe that they too enjoy films that are both supernatural and psychological, such as ‘What Lies Beneath’. I can see the TA having an admiration for old black and white horrors such as Hitchcock’s’ ‘Psycho’ and ‘The Birds’. I believe the TA take a fancy to gothic horrors such as ‘Gothika’ as well as the Tim Burton classics, ‘Sleepy Hollow’ and ‘Edward Scissor hands’. Whilst we are on the subject of gothic films, I think the audiences would find ‘The Twilight Saga’ a guilty pleasure also. 

I can see the TA listening to music of an alternative/ indie rock genre; bands and artists such as ‘Biffy Clyro’, ‘Mumford and Sons’, ‘Lissie’, ‘Ellie Goulding’, 'Bat For Lashes', 'Lykke Li', 'Laura Marling' ‘The XX’, ‘Kings Of Leon’, ‘Temper Trap’, ‘Two Door Cinema Club’ and ‘She and Him’. Whilst also having an appreciation for much older music, such as The Smiths, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Cash. 

The TA have wide imaginations and so they enjoy reading books such as ‘The Time Travellers Wife’, ‘The Lovely Bones’ and ‘Twenties Girl’ as well as the classics romantic reads of Jane Austen: ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘Emma’. As well as fantasists, the TA are romantics too who love to indulge in the whimsical wonders of life.


Here are just a few images that I feel, portrays the lives of my target audience...

Images courtesy of  http://misswallflower.tumblr.com/

Supernatural Horror in Literature by Howard Phillips Lovecraft

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."

Choosing a genre...

The time has finally come to decide which genre I will be using to create my film trailer. Over the summer, I developed a severe infatuation with horror movies. So much so, that it was genuinely affecting my sleep! Having become so involved in the world of horror, I immediately knew that I wanted to use this inspiration, integrate this new found interest into my work and create something that I can truly be passionate about. However, the challenging part was deciding on a subgenre. I have evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of the four sub genres in order to help me make a worthy and wise decision.

Psychological Horror

These types of films feature a disturbed individual whose mental problems unnerve and frighten audiences. The ‘psycho’ will appear like a ‘normal’ human-being, before revealing their monstrous and sadistic nature. There is less need for masses of death, violence and gore as they scare audiences by reminding them of reality. Psychological horrors give the impression that we may be living amongst danger.

If I decided to use this genre, it would be easier to film as it involves less violence and gore. This could possibly mean that my film trailer would have more chance of appearing professional. Conventionally, there is a clever and complex storyline attached to psychological horrors and it would be intriguing to construct a plot so in-depth and intricate. However, it would be challenging in the sense of producing an authentic storyline for this genre.

Slasher Horror

These types of films include a masked psychopathic killer, who kills a series of victims in a gruesome and gore filled fashion. The weapons commonly used in Slasher films include knives, chainsaws and axes. Usually a lone female will survive; she is known as the ‘Final Female’. As I take this genre into consideration, I find the idea of blood, guts and gore appealing! The advantages include the convention of the killer being masked, with their identity hidden in some way, which I believe adds to the scare factor as we all fear the unknown. From my knowledge of Slasher Horrors, I have learned that the kills (death scenes) are quite graphic, which could be difficult to re-enact as limited resources could result in amateurism.

Supernatural Horror

The inclusion of ghosts and spirits and extra ordinary phenomena e.g. miracles, curses or strange ‘goings on’. I believe the most frightening of genres is supernatural horror because it is the one source of evil that one cannot fight or escape. It would be a challenge to make supernatural-being look believable on camera, without the effect looking cheap. Although, I do feel that producing a storyline for such a genre would be such a thrilling and exciting experience as everyone loves a good ghost story! I could truly channel my creativity into this genre as it is the one that fascinates me the most.

Gothic Horror

Gothic Horrors are traditional in style, harking back to original horror stories, like Frankenstein. Uses of wild landscapes, fog, shrouded towns, woodland, castles, old mansions, graveyards. Uses of ghostly apparitions, phantoms, monstrous demons are common. Often a handsome hero will enter the dark world to save the day. Women are represented as damsels in distress. Of all the horror genres listed, Gothic Horrors are my favourite. This is because I’m an old fashion girl who adores any film set in another era, that’s dark, tragic and compelling. I admire the traditional aspects of gothic horror and would like to combine certain aspects with another subgenre. I would not choose to use this subgenre alone because certain elements wouldn’t be possible to film, for example, old mansions or castles.

To conclude...

I have decided to use the genre of Supernatural Horror! I like the uses of conventions such as creepy Victorian houses, silhouettes in the distance, foggy woodlands, old folk tales or ghostly legends. I feel I can create a trailer so artistic, so mesmerizing, so chilling.

Original Brief

As part of the A2 Media Studies Coursework, I have been set the challenge of creating a promotional package for a new film. I have been contacted to produce a film trailer and complete two ancillary tasks of creating a film magazine front cover that features the film, as well as an advert for the film. I will use this blog to document the entire process of my research and planning as well as show evidence of my reflections and thoughts throughout.

In order to complete this task I will:

- Start by displaying basic ideas, brainstorms and mood boards on my blog.

- Discover who my target audience is by carrying out research such as questionnaires and focus groups.

- Become immersed in the world film trailers, film posters and magazine front covers. As well as study the codes and conventions of these media texts and the genre I wish to work with.

- Work out the narrative for the film/ film trailer.

- Work out the initial ideas for the poster and magazine front cover.

- Present a pitch to peers using a powerpoint presentation and then analyse the feedback.

- Research the historical background of the genre I have chosen.

- Analyse existing media texts.

- Research directors for inspiration for styles and techniques.

- Explore and analyse ideas for costume, hair and make-up/ location ideas/ use of camera and editing/ lighting.

- Carry out and record reconnaissance.

- Carry out and practise shots.

- Consider appropriate actors to perform in the trailer/ pose for the images to be used in the still media pieces.

- Produce shooting schedules and a storyboard for the film trailer.

- Produce mock-ups for the ancillary tasks.

- Carry out a post production questionnaire and focus group.

I feel motivated and inspired to complete my most successful piece of media work yet, and I am confident that I will do so. I intend to achieve professionalism and create a piece that I am both proud of and feel passionate about. I want to channel every aspect of my creativity, artistic ability, imagination and the skills I have developed at AS into this coursework. I also want to be able to learn from this experience and allow these existing qualities to blossom and to grow. I would love to develop and to improve my skills using Adobe Photoshop and become recognisable with other editing programmes such as Adobe Premier Pro. As well as progress in using my digital SLR and video camera. I aim to produce a promotional package that thrills, stuns and satisfies its target audience.