Results from my questionnaire

In order to have a variation of feedback for my short story project, it was important to not only view existing material but also to gain resourceful information from the general public.

In order to find out information about my chosen genre (short films), I asked 9 questions so that I could gain an overall understanding as to what people thought about watching short films and how they were presented in modern-day society.

1. How old are you?

It was important for my understanding that I targeted the questionnaire at a wide range of people. Therefore I asked people from the ages of 10- 60+, through doing this it meant that I could gain a wider knowledge on who I should be targeting.

2. Do you like watching short films?

Out of the thirty people in which I asked, 17 of them said that they liked watching short films and 13 of them said that they did not like watching them. From looking at the previous question, it became apparent that younger audiences in the range of 10- 29 watched and had a preferance of short films. This maybe the result of the younger generation being more intuned with the internet. Thus, showing that they are able to find things on the internet- i.e. short films- that older audiences would not be able to find as easy. Not only this, but the social networks like Facebook, Bebo and Myspace tend to be used by those of a younger generation. Thus, meaning that information is passed on quicker and short film companies can advertise through this particular medium.

3. If answer to question 2 is no, then why do you choose not to watch short films?

With the people that said "no" to not watching short films, it was vital to gain an understanding as to why they don't. Most people said that they preferred watching longer films, thus showing that people are more intuned with a film when they can connect with the characters from beginning to end. Therefore, showing that within my short story I will need to focus my main protagonist more so that it is evident-
to people that watch short films- who has good intentions and who doesn't. Furthermore, people also said that they preferred giong to the cinema. Thus, showing that people like the idea of actually going outside of their homes to watch a film. Furthermore, a selection of people said that they got easily bored of watching short films, the reason behind this maybe the fact that the audience members know that they are not to become to interested in the text as it will end after a short amount of time.

4. If answer to question 2 is yes, then what would you expect from a short film extract?
People that said "yes" to watching short films gave some form of response as to why they watch them. Half of the people that said yes said that they would like to see lots of characters, nevertheless the other half of people that said yes said that they would want to see fewer characters. Therefore, in order to try and satisfy the needs of more than one market segment I will include one main protagonist with minor characters to help build and develop the narrative to make it as realistic as possible.

Not only this, but most people said that they would expect a voice-over and a relatable narrative with lots of music instead of spoken dialouge. Thus, showing that people want the typical features that they would expect from a large cinema film. Therefore I will include techniques like voiceover to create a larger effect on the audience but also allow them to become more intuned with the protagonist and their thoughts and feelings. Therefore, helping to satisfy the needs and wants people wanting to watch the short story.

5. Which type of short film genre do you prefer?

After asking people what they would expect from a short film extract, it was important to gain information about the type of genre that would be a preferance. Most people said that they would like to see a fictional piece or documentation, thus meaning that people are wanting a realistic approach to film instead of the usual "hollywood" texts that are generically scene in cinemas or on the television. As there is quite a niche want for this type of film -i.e. short films are less attractive to most consumers than a large box office film- I will closely identify with all of the aspects of my feedback so that I can continually insure that I meet with the demands and suggestions that are being made. Nevertheless, as well as the genres of fiction and documentations, people also said that they liked non-fiction, romantic and comedy. As most people ticked more than one box for this question, it shows that they don't neccessarily want the generic codes and conventions that would be expected from one particular genre. Instead, they wish to see a variety of conventions that resemble diverse aspects of the chosen narrative.

6. Do you feel more engaged whilst sound is used throughout the short film, if yes then why?

After asking people this question, 22 people said that they felt more engaged upon sound being used. This is good for the development of my short story because it means that I can focus on sound as one of the key elements of the narrative presentation. Therefore, I can use sound throughout the whole of the text to create different effects not just on the characters, but on the audience members watching it. Therefore, through parts of the text I can try and reinforce feelings of sadness, sympathy, happiness and joy through the use of sound within the text.


7. Where do you tend to watch short films?

As mentioned in question 1 and 2, it became apparent that there was a relationship between the younger audience and the likeness upon watching a short film. This again is reinforced in the following question as many people tended to say that they watched short story's on the internet on websites like the BBC and Youtube. Consequently, showing that I should reinforce the advance in technology within my short story and try and link this within the narrative. Through, showing this modern era it will again encourage a younger audience to view the text as it is evident that short stories are not that appealing to an older generation.

8. How could Short films be most effectively promoted?

Most people said that as Short stories are already dominating the internet, it would be effective to promote on other alternative medias.Most people said that magazines and billboards would be the most effective as they target a large variety of people and are big enough promotional techniques to be recognised by a wider selection of market segments. Nevertheless, using television to promote short stories would not be effective as it aquires a large investment without the promise of a large response from audiences.


9. Do you find short films?

- Realistic
- Entertaining
- Informative
- Fictional

The large majority of people said they thought that short films were realistic, entertaining and informative. Thus, showing that they are wishing for a collaboration of ideas and conventions. This is good to know from the early stages of production because it means that alterations can be specifically made in order to meet with these demands made by the majority of people that responded in this way. Most people said that they didn't think short films were fictional, thus showing that as the film is over a short period of time it is important to choose a topic or area that is most effective from the very early stages of the film. Therefore a relatable subject works best for this to be correctly achieved.