Evaluation Part 4
- 1. EVALUATION: PART FOUR BY AIDAN KEENAN
- 2. Our audience feedback highlighted several positive elements of our trailer and also generated a few criticisms. Positives aspects highlighted included the effectiveness of the make-up effects on the zombies, which was almost universally praised by the class, the music, which many people found humorous or dramatic, and the narrative, which was praised as highly original, as it featured a character, the butcher, who has never really been present in a horror film. Criticisms brought up focussed on the lack of close-ups, saying that more should have been present to increase the tension. The text was also brought up as a problem, with half the class saying they didn’t like it and the other half either praising it or not commenting on it. Another aspect brought up by a few people was the lack of a jump scare at the end, saying that without it “…the trailer wasn’t overly scary, but instead mainly just creepy and a bit funny.” Overall, we received and average score of 7.5 out of 10, with seven people giving it 7, four people giving it 8 and one person giving it a 9. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
- 3. We focused on making the trailer longer, as initially it was too short. We also focussed on making the gore effects more obvious and prevalent in the trailer, with a few being more comedic, adding to the comedy side of our trailer. This way, our trailer will be able to be enjoyed by a larger audience. What last minute changes did you make to your trailer after the evaluation screening?
- 4. When I initially started this project, I was very adverse to the idea of creating a zombie film. Many zombie films are terrible movies with a weak plot and their only feature being a ton of overly gross gore effects. However, after working on this project and seeing the finished result, I am very pleased with our work. I believe we have successfully constructed a zombie movie with an original storyline and an adequate level of gore. It also holds a laughable comedic element over it, allowing the viewer to laugh while at the same time being scared or grossed out by the gore. I believe that if our film was to actually be made, it would be as popular as the films that inspired it, like Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Zombieland (2009) I believe our wide target audience would be appealed to successfully as we have managed to create an equal balance of gore and comedy. Therefore, we would be able to attract both Individuals and Reformers as well as Mainstreamers. My favourite aspect of the trailer would have to be the music. I think it adds an excellent dose of drama and tension to the trailer, highlighting the horror in key points, while also providing comic relief by being overly dramatic in certain sections The music, in my opinion, is the key factor in making our trailer a horror-comedy instead of just a horror. Are you happy with your finished trailer? Do you think it would appeal to your target audience? What is your favourite aspect of your trailer and why?