Analysis/Evaluation of Questionnaires

I conducted market research to see what type of people were most interested in the

thriller genre. I created a questionnaire to ask people about the thriller genre and their expectations in order for me to gain more information about what is required for my thriller opening sequence. I gave out the

questionnaire to people to find out what age group I should aim my opening to and

perhaps which gender should play the role of protagonist and antagonist.

By Tasnya Chowdhury

Age and Gender Representation

What gender are you?

Male

Female

What age group do you find yourself in?

10 to 15

16 to 20

21 to 25

25+

When was the last time you watched a thriller movie?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

About a week ago

Two weeks ago

Between two weeksand a month

More than a monthago

As shown in the graph, it is evident that the majority of the participants that took part in my questionnaire last watched a thriller movie more than a month ago. Which suggests that this age group may not be as

interested in the thriller genre, however the other three options

were not far behind which suggests that teenagers watch thriller movies

quite often.

What’s the first thing that draws your attention in a thriller opening?

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2

4

6

8

10

12

Actors

Lighting

Sound Effects

Sountrack

Most of the participants agreed that the actors play a crucial part in drawing their attention in the

opening of a thriller, however I think that the sound effects are more

enticing. This may be not be evident to the audience and they may not be

aware that the sound effects with the acting, creates a successful

opening.

What thriller subgenre do you find most interesting?

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1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Psychological

Action

Spy

Horror

Conspiracy

Psychological and conspiracy were the most popular thriller subgenres. The reason for this may be because most of the participants were male and teenagers. This tells me that I

should consider using a psychological theme within my opening sequence

as it would apply to the market.

What type of music would you expect to hear in a thriller movie?

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2

4

6

8

10

12

Nursery Rhymes

Classical

Rock

R&B

The graph shows that most people would expect to hear R&B music in a

thriller however I don’t think this would be as suitable as using nursery

rhymes. In my opinion nursery rhymes would provide a more

enticing experience. In my opening sequence I would much rather use

classical or nursery rhymes but as the majority of the participants preferred

R&B, I will include this in some scenes.

What is your favourite thriller movie?

• The most popular thriller movie by the participants was ‘inception’, directed by Christopher Nolan. This film is psychological and investigates the ideas of dreams and the mind. As this was a very popular with 14/30 people naming it, I will consider using elements and ideas from this movie in my thriller opening sequence. For example the camera shots used and sound effects

• Another popular movie was ‘the conjuring’ which is a horror thriller, and this could give ideas for the narrative

Which gender would you prefer to see play the protagonist in a thriller

movie?

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2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Male

Female

The graph shows that most people would like to see a male protagonist in a thriller movie therefore I will try

to ensure that the protagonist is male to keep my market entertained.

I also feel that a male protagonist would be effective as they could

show power through physical appearance whereas a female may show this emotionally or mentally.

Which gender would you prefer to see play the antagonist in a thriller movie?

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2

4

6

8

10

12

Male

Female

Most people would like to see a male antagonist in a thriller movie although I think that a female

antagonist would be more effective. In my thriller opening I will ensure

there is a female antagonist to show mental power over the male

protagonist that shows physical strength.

What do you think makes a good thriller movie?

• ‘Add scary elements without giving away the whole narrative’

• ‘A range of suspense and acting’

• ‘Good acting and soundtrack to match’

In order to do this, you need to ensure there is an enigmatic theme to it but also use low key lighting to

make it look scary.

To build suspense I will use sound effects such as a timer in the

background of footsteps

The soundtrack will include R&B and nursery rhymes to match

different points of the narrative so that it creates a mysterious

environment.