1. USING SURVEY MONKEY FOR
AUDIENCE RESEARCH…
Idesigned a survey on Survey Monkey, so that the
audience could tell us exactly what they expected in
a movie of our genre in the trailer, poster and
magazine cover. 53 people responded to the
survey, giving us a wide scope of opinions. I have
created charts to represent the trends, with some
additional comments.

2. What would your initial expectations
be of a crime/thriller movie?
• The trending results were...
• Plenty of action and suspense with an intriguing plot line
• Weapons, drugs, money, police, gangsters, blood and women
• Some comedy involved with a hero character
• Murder and a sense of mystery
• Fast paced action shots and tense soundtracks
• Perhaps a detective questioning the camera/audience to create a
psychological impact on the viewer by intriguing them, making
them think who the murderer/criminal is.
• A dark atmosphere
• Twists, clues, evidence, red herrings, cliff hangers
• Cuts of the logo production company

3. In the trailer would you expect a
narrative voiceover or the actual
characters voices?
Results..
voiceover
characters
both
Additional comments:
-Both but mostly voiceover to not give too much away
-scary narrative voice to set the atmosphere
-narrative continuously speaking with clips of characters
-voice over to explain the story but use character voices
to make it more interesting

4. In the films magazine cover would it
be important to include the whole
cast or just the main characters?
Results
Whole cast
Main characters
Additional Comments:
- Just main characters because the whole cast would take up the
whole page would be overwhelming
-Just the main characters or too much would be given away

5. Should the colour scheme be mainly
dark, gritty colours to match the
genre, or should we break the
stereotypes?
Results;
fit the genre
break
stereotypes
both
Additional comments:
-Use unusual contrasting colours like bright yellows and blood reds
-break the stereotypes so people are more intrigued about something new
-dark for the whole trailer would be bland and unflattering lighting for the actors
-keep it simple so people recognise the genre, similar to Se7en or Usual Suspects
- could use deep reds and blacks or a dirty yellow against the blacks connoting
danger

6. Should the film be set in the present
or the past?
0
10
20
30
Present Past
Results..
Additional Comments:
-Present makes scenery and props easier to obtain, making it easier for amateur
directors with a small budget
-4 people said to set the movie in the future, and then shoot flash backs to make it
more creative
-past would be more creative, as it fits the genre better because technology was not
as advanced. If it's set in the present day it may become more of a sci-fi because of
all the hi-tech stuff
-first 5 minutes past then 20 minutes in, present. So trailer should capture both
-past is cliché and present makes it easy to relate to/realistic for the audience

7. What would you expect to see in a
movie poster?
• Bold, direct font
• Good quality image of the main characters
• Actors, location, time, place/setting
• Production logo, star ratings, movie title
• Age rating
• Guns/props
• Cuts + bruises on the characters with a dark colour
scheme
• Large font and iconic backdrop e.g. New York skyline
• Tagline

8. should we use instrumental music or
a soundtrack made specially for the
trailer?results
soundtrack
instrumental
both
Additional comments:
-Soundtrack so the audience will recognise it and link it to the movie
whenever they hear it
-Soundtrack has to be relevant to the theme
-both, use orchestral instrumentals as it sets the genre perfectly because of
the dark ambient sounds. But also use your own soundtrack, to make it
unique.
-soundtrack would be good but because trailer is only two mins long also use
instrumental that fits to the genre (gritty).

9. what locations would be best for our
genre? e.g. dark alleys, expensive
houses (stereotypical examples)
• Dark alleys
• Expensive houses/mansions for the more
powerful characters
• Run down areas e.g. ‘crack dens’ (use derelict
buildings e.g. factory in Totteridge)
• Warehouses
• Deserted locations for drug deals
• The underground (trains)
• Large houses/blocks of flats (easy to get lost in)

10. Should the trailer show the shots in a sequence that
doesn't give away most of the plot and leaves some
mystery, or should a lot of the plot be given away so
the audience knows what to expect?
• shouldn't give away to much of the plot otherwise you have told
the story and will find it hard to entice audience or impress them so
they will come and watch it at cinema.
• LEAVE SOME MYSTERY (cliff hanger).
• Make it so that they don't know some of the characters, they don't
know how it finishes, small clips of different parts, leaving suspense
• Shots in sequence that don't give it away.
• Make it a MYSTERY! it's more interesting for the audience, as it
keeps them guessing. Crime/thrillers should all me like this, like in
the movie 'Usual Suspect', the person being interrogated was the
killer, yet he tricked the detectives and walked free.
• a lot of the plot be given away so the audience knows what to
expect
• overview plot, but keep plot details and twists for the film, so just a
general idea

11. Should the trailer have a fast or slow pace?
slow being more mysterious and fast pace
fitting more of an action genre?
trailer should be reasonably quick starting with a slow first shot then
having a sequence of fast cross cuts and ending a little slower in the
middle for a couple shots and then the last shots to end fast and
keep the audience enticed
• A teaser trailer would be slow and mysterious, a reveal trailer
would be fast paced and include action.
• I think that it should start off slow and then gradual build up
towards the end and then slow it down and leave it at a mystery.
• make it a slow pace during the beginning, so it builds up the
mystery, then add some fast pacing if there is any chasing or
violence involved in the trailer.
• fast and slow. heart beat cuts and long cuts showing 'the calm
before the storm' of a character.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufUQWpEkbf0 is a good
example of this.