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Questionnaire analysis
The genre that I have chosen is thriller. I have chosen this genre because it is a one that I have
been brought up with throughout my childhood. This genre is extremely familiar with me and I feel
I know thriller films more than any other genre. Thrillers are fast paced and jammed full of action,
designed to keep the viewer on edge and interested in the film. The genre suits my target
audience because thriller films are usually aged 15 which are in the middle of my target audience
range. I asked my target audience which genre they preferred, the most popular response that I
got was thriller.
Spbproducti0ns.blogspot.comThis graph that I have found on the internet shows the age
group of the people who like to watch thriller films in
accordance to the population. We can see that 14-17 year olds
are a small section of the population however a lot of the still
watch thriller films. This shows that 14-17 year olds are still
interested in thriller films which mean that I should have a
target audience of 15-16 male. The graph does not specify
which sex the participants are, however I feel that males are
more suited to thriller films.
My target audience is 15 male. My target audience is male because that is the same sex as me,
furthermore thriller are stereo typically male orientated as they contain fight scenes, action and
killing. Also being 16, I can fully relate to this target audience which in my opinion is crucial on
making a film as suitable to the age rating as possible. A typical 15 rated film includes violence;
however it cannot dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The film rating could contain non sexual
nudity. A 15 rated film is mostly targeted at teenagers 15 and above. Genres that 15 include are,
thriller, horror, romantic comedy and comedy. I can see an obvious gap in the market for my film I
think that the film opening sequence could really take off within my target audience.
Thriller movies are aimed at such a wide
audience that they simply cannot be
suitable for all age ranges. Thrillers
interest young adults as they find the
plots interesting, they like the feeling of
suspense. Most thrillers are aimed at
people between 15 and 21 year olds. I
know this because of the age rating that
most thrillers are. Thrillers ratings range
between 15 and 18 which displays there
target audiences. From this graph on the left hand side you can see that the main age is between
18 and 24. This shows that thrillers are generally aged between 18-24.Thrillers appeal to both
male and female. Males are interested in thriller films because of the action and females like
thriller films because they like to watch something that makes them think. This graph shows that
19-25 year olds is the age ranges that are most likely to watch thriller films.

There are many codes and conventions that are used within thriller films.
A thriller is nearly always a fast paced film that is there to thrill and entertain the viewers often with
fight scenes and car chases. Low key lighting is the first code and convention that is used through

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thrillers. This is to represent the inner darkness with in the characters. It can also add tension and
eeriness and suspense. Shadows are further used to compliment the low key lighting.
Editing is a code and convention that is often used in thriller films. Quick shots and obtrusive
editing are used frequently within thrillers worldwide. This is because it creates the feeling of
suspense and tension the films are always fast paced and full of action like car chases and fights.
Editing is often used during a particularly thrilling scene; this can sometimes create a
disorientation of time and space. They can sometimes achieve this by using montage editing.
Flashbacks also contribute to the disorientation of space and time. This is used to try and confuse
the viewer. It is also a code and convention of a thriller because it can display what has happened
in the past which gives the audience an insight to the characters background and how they were
raised.
The final code and convention that is used is black and white scenes this compliments the
eeriness of the shadow and low key lighting. This builds the atmosphere and excitement for the
reader. Black and white scenes create tension and suspense because it makes the impression to
the viewer that the scene is in the dark this somehow creates the idea that help is not going to
come. Black and white represents the olden days, this creates a flash back. It makes the viewer
feel like they are going back in time it also shows where technology was not around which can
give the impression there is also no help around.
Audio is used effectively in thriller films. The editing of audio in a thriller film is creative and difficult
to master. Audio is placed into the final edits further create tension. Audio can be used to set the
mood and tone by its arrangement and instrumentation. Music is connected to the pace of the edit
for example, if it is a chase scene there will be fast paced music in a major key, and if it is a sad
scene you could expect to see a slow song in a minor key. Musical swells, hits and strings should
be used to scare/surprise the viewer making the feel on edge and thrilled. Audio is used to give
life to lifeless objects on screen.

Part 2.1: My audience

My target audience is aged 15 and above. This is because this is the age of the actors that are
playing in my opening sequence, the target audience would be able to relate to the actors feeling
and emotions because they are feeling the same things. The location for the film is in a sixth form
school which is a location that 15+ year olds can all relate to. The gender that the film will be
aimed at is male. This is because I think that thriller films are generally aimed at the males rather
than females.
I am going to attract my audience to my opening sequence by using characters that they can
relate too. For example my main character is a 16 year old male actor. My target audience can
fully relate to the main character and how he would be feeling at the various sections of the
opening sequence..
I will try and attract the audience to my sequence by using actors that they can relate too. This
makes the viewer feel more involved in the film and makes them enjoy it more than they would of
done and this attract them to the opening sequence throughout the sequence. They will be
represented in the sequence by the scenes of the school and the age of the actors within it. My
main character will first be represented as a weak individual who is bullied and cannot stick up for
himself. Towards the end of the opening sequence however the main character gets stronger
towards the end of the opening sequence.
I am aiming for an age rating of 15. This is because this is my target audience and also the age of
the actors within it. I am choosing 15 because my sequence will not dwell on the infliction of pain

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but I want it to contain moderate violence and bad language. The age rating is not 18 because
there will be no severe language and there is no infliction of pain. But my opening sequence could
not be a 12 because there is too much violence and mild bad language which is why I think that a
15 aged rating would be appropriate.

Part2.2: Questionnaire analysis

I have received survey results from 18 different people which I am going to analyse and discuss
how they will influence my opening sequence.
The first question was what gender are you? From this I can
see that the majority of people who filled my questionnaire in are
males which mean that most of my responses are of males
opinions. This is good because my target audience is males which
means that I am targeting the right people to find information for
opening sequence.

The next question asked how old are you? I have asked this
question to find out the ages of the participants of my survey. The
majority of the people who filled out my survey were between 11
and 16. This means that the questionnaire is most popular to
these ages. This means that the opinions of those of this age
which is good because that is my target audience.

The 3rd question that asked in my questionnaire was, how

often do you visit the cinema? I asked this question to see
how many people visit the cinema on a regular basis. It can be
seen that most people visit the cinema on a monthly basis
which shows that they are regularly visiting the cinema. This
means they wouldnt think twice about going to see my new
film in the cinema.

The 4th question that I asked my survey participants was

what is your favourite film genre? I am asking this question
because I want to know what type of genre my opening
sequence should be. I have decided to choose the genre
thriller as my opening sequence because it was the most
popular amongst the participants. I think it is also suited
perfectly to my target gender which is male; I think males
prefer action and thriller films over any other which means
they will be interested in my opening sequence. This will

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influence my work because I can construct an opening sequence that contains the sub-genre that
my target audience want to see.
The 5th question that I asked my survey participants is, what
is your favourite sub-genre? I have asked this to find out
what sort of thriller films my participants like, this is so I can
include that sub-genre within my opening sequence. The
most popular choice was horror; this means that people
want to have a hint of horror within the thriller films

The 6th question that was asked to my survey participants

was, What is your favourite thriller film from the list? I
asked this question to see what films were popular with
different type of people because this tells me what they
like. The most popular choice is Taken and Scream. I
am going to try and emulate these films by taking elements
of there plots and mould them into my idea.

The 7th question that I have asked my survey participants

was, Do you find it appealing for a film to create tension and
suspense? I have this question because I want to see if
people want to see tension and suspense within my thriller
opening sequence. As you can see the majority of the
responses say that they find it appealing for a film to create
suspense and tension. This will influence my piece because
now I know that people like an opening sequence that creates
tension and suspense I know that that should now be included in my opening sequence.

The 8th question that I asked my survey participants was,

Do you like to be left on a cliff hanger? I am asking this
question to see if it would be a good idea to leave my
opening sequence on a cliff hanger or not. Turns out that
the majority of people
dont want to be left on a cliff hanger which is something I
will try to avoid in my opening sequence.

The 9th question that my participants were asked was, what

do you find the most important element of a thriller film? I
asked this question because I want to find out which precise
part of thriller films my audience would like. This is so I can
emulate these features in my opening sequence to make it
as good as it can be. The plot was seen as the most
important element of a thriller, I have worked hard to create
an interesting plot so that the viewers are interested.

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The 10th and final question I asked to my survey

participants was, how much of a snapshot do you think
a thriller film should portray? I asked this question
because it gives me information on how much of the
plot I should include in my opening sequence. 77.8% of
my participants have said that they only want a little
snap shot of the plot, as a result of this I will try to keep
the viewer guessing what the plot is rather than telling
them straight away in the opening sequence. I believe
that this will make them more interested in the film and will stop them from getting bored.