Evaluation Activity 3 (Part 2)
- 1. EVALUATION ACTIVITY 3 What have you learned from audience feedback? (Part 2)
- 2. Feedback from our target audience was extremely significant to us as it allowed us to make decisions and improvements to our final production and to any future productions. It allows us to be aware of the elements which our target audience enjoyed and which they felt that we could make changes to. We received feedback from our target audience through our pre and post questionnaires, surveys, interviews, over the internet (i.e. YouTube comments) and through word of mouth. I was very pleased to receive the feedback that I wanted and achieve my overall aim of making the audience sympathize with the protagonist as that it one of the main convetions of a drama-genre film. Although, my intention was to make the audience feel emotional I had also hoped that the audience would enjoy our final production.
- 3. This is some of the results we received in our pre-questionnaire from our target audience which, was very useful when we were making final decisions about our production as we were able to consider what majority of our target audience felt would be the best option and therefore ensure that our production would be successful.
- 4. Response to each question in the pre-questionnaire; We had a range of age groups for both males and females ensuring that the data collected would be valid. We demonstrated this further through our interview video. (Part 1) We aimed to provide options within the age group for our pre-questionnaire with the exception of only gaining response from one individual aged between 18-23. After reading our synopsis, we asked the participants to guess the genre of our short film. Majority voted for the correct genre which suggests that our narrative and codes and conventions are clear. However, there were three exceptions as they chose adventure, sci-fi and romantic comedy. This may have been due to the fact that the participant was not fully aware of the elements of these genres or they may have accidentally chosen it. We wanted to ensure that the audience would be able to follow the action and therefore asked the participants to see if the narrative was clear by reading our script. 7/10 agreed that our narrative was coherent, which was positive feedback as the audience’s understanding is vital to the success of our film. However, three participants felt that the narrative was not clear, this feedback allowed us to make improvements to the structure and improve the stage directions to aid the understanding although this could be because the format of the script may have been difficult for the individuals to follow. A high proportion of individuals believed the title of the film was fitting, with the exception of one anomaly, who felt that ‘Dear Mum’ was not a good title.
- 5. This is some of the feedback we received through our post- questionnaire, which overall we were very pleased with and felt that our film was successful. However, we had areas of weakness which we could have improved in order to develop the quality of our short film.
- 6. Response to each question in the post questionnaire; Again, we had a mixture of males and females from ages 12-35, which we have also demonstrated in our interview video attached in part 1. This allows us to collect varied and reliable data which is beneficial to us when doing any future projects. All the participants rated our film 7 and above which we were very pleased with, as it insinuates that majority of our target audience enjoyed our film. Majority of our participants felt that the actors performance was the most successful aspect of our film and felt the cinematography was the weakest aspect and had room for improvement. This helps us understand that we could’ve been a lot more creative and experimented with different shots and angles. 80% of our participants agreed that our film met the codes and conventions of a drama genre. 100% of our participants agreed that the narrative was clear which we were very pleased with, especially because we were worried that he enigma of the title may confuse our audience. 9/10 individuals felt that we conveyed a clear message about terminal illnesses such as cancer, which was our main objective. 100% of our participants said that they would recommend our film to a friend which we were very content about as it insinuates that the audience felt like they could relate and connect with the characters etc.
- 7. As part of my evaluation, I personally surveyed individuals who fit into my target audience that had viewed my production, asking them similar questions to our post questionnaire, strictly for evaluative purposes. I asked them to complete the short survey on their own to avoid influence from peers and to be as honest as possible, ensuring the data collected is reliable.
- 8. 1.Was the genre of our film (drama) easily recognizable? This question was significant to me in relation to the audience understanding the production through the specific drama codes and conventions that we used. I was extremely pleased to find out that everyone was able to identify the genre as it signifies that we managed to achieve a sense of realism through our characters and settings, which the audience would expect. From this, I have learned that the genre is essential when constructing a verisimilitude through codes and conventions as it aids the audience’s understanding of the film. 20 0 Question 1 Yes No
- 9. 2. Could you understand the narrative? 18 2 Question 2 Yes No From this feedback, I was able to identify that a majority of the individuals felt that my production had a clear narrative. However, there were a few who mentioned that if they did not pay full attention to the film they may have missed the significance of the letter and misinterpreted who the letter was meant for, especially as our title was only revealed at the end of our production as we wanted to create an enigma.Therefore, if I were to do this again, I would improve the cinematography to involve more close up shots of the letter which clearly says “Dear Mum” and of the ‘To my daughter’ card, which would allow the audience to establish the relationship between the characters and clear any confusion the audience may feel about whom the letter is for.
- 10. 3. In terms of cinematography, what could have been improved? 10 15 5 Variety of shots Variety of angles Been more creative In our interview video and post questionnaire majority of participants said that they felt the cinematography was the weakest aspect of our production.Therefore I wanted to identify what aspects of cinematography we needed to improve on and whether it was our lack of technical competence or our lack of imagination.
- 11. 4.In terms of editing, what could have been improved? 15 3 2 Transitions Effects Colour Grading From our audience feedback, I discovered that most of my target audience felt that editing was the second weakest aspect of my film and therefore I wanted to research if there was anything specific which my target audience felt that I could improve on in the future.
- 12. Conclusion To conclude, I was pleased with the feedback which I had received from my target audience as it was mainly positive. In relation to the interview video attached I was able to evaluate my production in terms of the feedback I had received. SuccessfulAreas Areas for Improvement Overall, I was happy with the outcome of my production as it was of a high standard. I felt that the lack of creativity in terms of cinematography, meant that our production was not as good as it could have been. My favourite aspect of our film was the sound, as I felt that the non-diegetic voiceover was an integral part to the narrative of my film and aided the audiences understanding greatly. Another aspect which we could have improved within our film was the lighting. In some areas due to the low quality of lighting, it resulted in the footage being grainy.We attempted to re-film the footage in order to improve the quality but struggled to do this due to the lack of time we had. I was very pleased with the performance of my cast as I felt that the acting allowed me to depict the emotion which I wanted and allowed for my film to be relatable and successful. I could’ve incorporated more angles within my cinematography to improve the quality of my work.