Evaluation question 3
- 1. Evaluation Question3: Whathave you learnedfrom your audience feedback? 00:00:00 Presenter1 (Elise Johansson) What an informative andinterestingprogramme we have all justlistenedto.DannyBoyle gave great insightintothe differencesbetween creatingbothTrainspottingfilmsandhow the elementsof youthculture andidentitywere neededwithinthe films. If you have justjoinedme,Iam Elise Johansson and youare listeningto Surrey FilmRadio. In a few minuteswe willbe hearingfrom Nicky Johansson whoisinterviewingGrace Johansson abouther latestshortfilmTrapped asa part of FilmFanatics.Butnow we are goingto hear from Gosta Johansson whoat 6:00pm will be speaking to directorAmberODell aboutherprogressionin filminthe past year, Gosta Presenter2 (GostaJohansson) At 6 I will be sittingdownwithrisingdirector AmberODell totalkabouther challengeswithin filmingandhow she hasworkedtolearnmore abouttechnology inpreparationforhernew short filmFirstImpressions. Joinme at6:00pm to find out more. Presenter1 (Elise Johansson) Thank You Gosta,now we will hearfrom Nicky Johansson inthe FilmFanaticssegmentof the show. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) Good evening,todaywe have DirectorGrace Johanssononthe show.PreviouslyGrace released an introductionentitledThe Womanwhowas NeverSeenwhichreceivedpraisefromaudiences, she has listenedtoheraudience andthistime aroundhas createda full shortfilmentitled Trappedwhichshe hopeswill getthe same appraisal.Stayafterthissegmentforthe Film HistoriansDavidNolanandSeanMaguire talking aboutLaura MulveysMale Gaze theory. The main reasonGrace ishere withus todayisto talkabout hernewestshortfilm, Trapped. Trappedcarriesthemesandissuesof age,gender, neglectandlonelinessandthe mainplotisthat of Agoraphobiawhichisafear of leavingyourown home.Mackenzie,the Agoraphobicisplayedby AmyBenton,andshe is leftalone inherhome to deal withherfearsuntil she getsa call that may helpherovercome herAgoraphobia. Grace how did youcome to realise yourtarget audience foryourshortfilmandwho theywere?
- 2. Grace Well Ibeganby creatinga quantitative research online surveymonkeyandsendingthe linkaround to all of the people Iknew viasocial mediaandby messagingappsthatI had on myphone.Through thisI got a total of 94 responseswiththe biggest age groupbeing16 24 year oldsmakingup38 out of 94 and a percentage of 40.43%. Alsomy target audience waspredominatelyfemaleas85 out of the 94 participantswere of the female gender. The race of my targetaudience turned out to be majorityWhite/Caucasianwhichwas surprisingasI expectedthere tobe more of a cultural mix inmy survey,andalsomostof the participantsdidlive in SouthEastEnglandmaking up 74.47% of participants. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) How didyourtarget audience researchimpactthe waythat your filmturnedout? Grace Due to the fact thatmy target audience was predominately 16 24 yearsoldand female I wantedtoappeal to that and have somethingthat my audience couldpossiblyimagineinthemselves somehow,soIdesignedmystorylinetobe based arounda teenage girl sothatit wouldfitmytarget audience andshow female poweraswell asa slightlyyoungercharacterthana lotof films. In mysurveythe choice of social group that my audience wantedtosee the mostwasteenagers and youngadultsbecause thatoptionhad61 votesandso from thatI workedwithitand came up witha storyline thatfitinwithyoungage and mental illness.The reasonforchoosingmental illnesswasbecause of whenaskingthe question of whichissuesmyshortfilmshouldshowcasethe top answerwasmental illnesswith49selections, so itwas a sure choice that it shouldbe the focus of myfilm. The reasonI pickedAgoraphobiaafter that wasbecause I heardaboutit brieflyonline and thenlookedintoitdeeperandfoundittobe such an interestingfearbecause itseemstobe quite unusual and rare and a fact of trauma soI wantedtoexplore thatslightlyinmyfilm. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) How didyoupresentyourresearch? Grace I presentedmyfindingsfrommyqualitative researchsurveyina powerpoint document.I chose to do itin thisstyle because thiswayIcould take screenshotsof all the answersIhad been givenandthenwrite outunderneathwhatexactly
- 3. the responseswere inmysurveytomake sure the informationwasclear.Iput2 questionson each slide andmade sure that everythinglookedneat before itwaspresentedonmyblog. The powerpointallowedme toquicklyrefertomy informationwheneverIneededitandall the informationwasaccessible asIcouldjustflick betweenslidestofindoutthe informationI needed. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) From yourquantitative researchwhatwere your nextstepstowardscreatingyourshortfilm? Grace AfterI hadanalysedthe responsesfrommy surveyIlookedupextensivelythe different amountsof mental illnessestherewere thatI coulddo a filmabout,andthenthoughtabout whichoneswouldbe of interesttome and my audience andthatwouldalsofitinwiththe zero budgetandsmall amountof locationsthatI would have.AfterfindingAgoraphobiaIjust rememberedthatIdheardof itbefore andit had alwaysseemedinterestingtome as it wasnot somethingIhadcome across before andhavinga fearof leavingyourownhome wassomethingI wantedtoput across to otherpeople andshow themwhatit wouldbe like tofeel that. I thenwentaboutby findingarticlesabout AgoraphobiasoI couldeducate myself more on the illnessandpublishedthese onmyblogas researchso that I couldreferbackto theminthe future.AfterthisIstarteddraftingmyfirstfew synopsisideasformyfilmsothatI coulddecide how exactlyIwantedto go aboutthe processof creatingmy shortfilm.Ithenwenton todraft my scriptusingCeltX,ascript writingprogramme that has everytype of insertthatyoucouldneedto create a script,I created6 drafts of my script developingiteachtime butstill keepingit surroundingthe theme of Agoraphobiaevery single time,andbythe endof the draftingprocess I was veryhappywiththe waymy storyline had turnedout. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) How didyourquantitative researchhelpyou duringyourdrafts of your scripton CeltX? Grace Usingmy target audience researchIwasable to decide thatI wantedmymaincharacter to be a late female teenagerwithAgoraphobiaasmy mainparticipantsinthe surveywere femaleand agedbetween16and 24 years old.To make the plotline more hopefulandshow progressfrommy worklast yearI usedvoicemailsfromthe main
- 4. character Mackenziesphone thatsignalledan urgentneedforherto leave the house tovisither familyinthe hospital,thiswasareasonto try and overcome herAgoraphobiaandIwantedto show hertryingthat. I stuck to a cast that my audience couldrelate toand alsoan issue thattheywanted to see because itwouldbringmore interest towardsmy filmanditmade more sense tocreate a filmusingwhatmytarget audience hadtoldme rather thangoingagainstit. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) Afterthe filmingof yourshortfilmdidyoudoany furthertargetaudience research? Grace Followingthe creationof myassemblyeditwhich was the firstcut of my filmafterI hadfilmedit,I createda listof 10 questionsforqualitative researchand asked2 of mypeersfortheir feedbackwhichIvoice recordedanduploadedto youtube andthenmyblog.I alsodidqualitative researchto decide whichphotowouldbe bestfor my filmposterwhencreatingit,andsome researchafterI had createdthe firstdraftof my filmreview tosee whatmypeersthoughtabout it. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) What didyou gainfromthis qualitative research? Grace I foundthat the assemblyedit qualitative research was the mosthelpful asitgave me an insightinto the viewsof myaudience andalsoit letme know where theystoodonknowledge of Agoraphobia so that I knew whichdirectiontotake myfilmin. For example,myaudience didnothave a prior knowledge of Agoraphobiabuttheythoughtit was interestingandwantedtoknow more about it soI feltthat I wantedtoincorporate thatinto my filmandeducate themaboutwhat Agoraphobiaisbutalsomake the filminteresting so that audiencesdontgetboredof watching. The audience believedthe highestpointof tensionwaswhenMackenzie wasabouttoleave the house and strugglingtogetout the frontdoor, thiswas helpful forme asitwas whatI was hopingthe audience wouldunderstandandthat theywouldsee Mackenzie hastwosidesinher headone is tellinghertostaywhere she issafe inside herownhouse butthe otherissayingshe needstobe withher familyandface herfearsor she will nevergetoverherAgoraphobia. Ialso askedparticipantswhattheythoughtaboutmy firstinitial endingbecause Iwasnotsure about it and I askedthempossible waystheywould change it and theysaidthattheywouldaddin
- 5. more flowingshotsthatwenttogetherwiththe hospital shottomake it lessstaticas inthe assemblyedititwentfromhandholdingrightto the hospital andit didnotflow well atall. Withmy posterqualitative researchIhadtakena bunchof photosthat I hadas possible optionsfor my posterandI put them up as a blogpost.I then compiledalistof 12 questionswhichhelpedme to gathera general consensusastowhichphoto the audience likedbetter.Iaskedmyparticipants whatthemestheycouldsee inmyphotosand theyansweredbysuggestingisolation, abandonment,innocence,internalconflictand mental health,all of whichwere whatIwastrying to show in Trappedand in myposteras Mackenzie isleftalone andneglected,butshe isa childsoshe isinnocentanddoesnotknow much aboutthe worldoutside asshe isAgoraphobicand hermental healthissuescreate aninternal conflictthatleavesherconstantlystrugglingon whichdecisionsshe shouldmake inherlife and how theywill affecther.The audience members whotook part inmy surveysaidthat the photosof Mackenzie facingthe outside withherface slightly hiddenbythe doorwere theirfavouritesbecause they show everythingthe clearest andalso because theyhadmore potential tobecome a posterbecause there wasmore space aroundthe image. Theirleastfavouriteswere the firsttwo imageswhichwere takenbehindthe frontdoor inside the house because theylookedlessnatural and theywere quite dark. My filmreview qualitative researchwasusedto determine whataboutithadadheredto conventionsandwhatneededtobe changed aboutit. Speakingof conventionsandpage architecture one of myparticipantsstatedthatmy review doesadhere toconventionsof filmreviews as the columnstructure is verysimilarto magazinessuchas TimeOutand SightandSound.I askedmyaudience whattheirfirstimpressions were aboutmy review andtheysaidthatitlooked professionalbutitwasa little bittoolongand gave away toomuch of the storyline inthe review. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) You saidthat youraudience didnotknow about Agoraphobiabefore watchingyourshort,didyou feel thatyouhad to informtheminyourfilmof whatit was sotheyknew aboutthe issue? Grace I suppose Ialmostdidfeel thatwaybecause if it
- 6. came to itand a personwascompletelyclueless aboutsomethingsuchas Agoraphobiatheycould become reallyinsensitive tothe issue andsothey needtoknow as much as possible sothat theycan see the effectsithas. I wantedtotry and create the emotionof someone withAgoraphobiaso that my audience couldlearnwhattheygo throughand how a personcan overcome sucha struggle andlearnto cope witha phobiathey have had all theirlife. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) Didyou have any problemswiththe castingof your filmwhenitcame topreparingforit? Grace I had a slightproblemwhenitcame tofindinga personto playCaroline the younggirl whomeets Mackenzie onherway to the hospital,asI could not hire someone withoutabudgetandI didnot know any youngchildrenof thatage at all so it was difficulttofindsomeone todoitfor me.In the endI endedupusingAmysyoungersister Sophie asCaroline because she looksdifferent enoughfromAmythat she can playanother character that isnot relatedin the same film. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) Withinyourfilm, didyoumanage tostick to the goalsyou setoutfor yourself afterreceivingthe resultsof yourfirstquantitative research? Grace AfterI hadreceivedthe resultsfrommy quantitative researchIplannedmysynopsiswith an ideaof how I wantedmyfilmtobe and who and whatI wantedinit,I knew I wantedthatto include Agoraphobiaandaftera while of thinking aboutit and debating whetheritwouldworkwell enoughIdecidedthatI wantedtouse younger actors as the main featuresinmycast as well,as theywouldrelate more withmyaudience membersandcatch the eye of audiencesmore.So I setout by writingmyscriptwithan all-female youngcast starringin a filmcentringaroundthe issue of Agoraphobia,andthroughoutthe scriptwritingprocessIalwayskeptinmymindthe fact that the mainstory wasabout Agoraphobia and that wasnot goingto change,soneitherdid my storyline reallystrayfromthatapart from the fact that towardsthe endit became more hopeful and light. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) Whencreatingyourfilmandposterdidyou adhere tothe conventions andwas itnoticeable to youraudience members? Grace WhenI was creatingmyfilmI did try to focuson havingareasof representation,whichwere age and gender,Ihad a narrative structure althoughit subvertsfromwhatTodorovsays because myfilm
- 7. doesnotbeginwitha state of equilibriumitstarts withdisequilibriumandgoesontowardsthe end to endup ina state of new equilibriumwhen Mackenzie overcomesherphobiaatthe endof the film. IfollowedProppscharactertheorywith Mackenzie beingthe protagonistof the filmand findingherownwayin the filmandCaroline being the damsel indistressbecause althoughitmay seemlike Mackenzie ishelpinghershe makes Mackenzie forgetaboutherownfearsand also helpsherto getto the hospital inthe end. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) Were there anydifficultieswhentryingtostickto your researchandthe plansyou hadmade? Grace It was difficultsometimestodecide whattomake the level of intelligence inmyfilm, whatImeanby that is24 of the participantsinmysurveysaidthat they were filmliterateand45 saidthey were somewhatfilmliterate,thisdoesnothelpme in knowinghow muchtheyknow aboutfilmsso whencreatingmyfilmIdontknow what level of creativitytheyll wanttosee orknow about so that wasa challenge forme. The social groups questionwasachallenge tostickto because I allowedthe participantstopickmore thanone optionandso theycouldchoose anyamount whichmeantpickinganoverall winnerwasalmost a difficultybutinthe endteenagerswonoutand so that iswhat I wentwithforthe mainfocusof my film. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) What specificallyrelatesyourfilmtothe topicof Agoraphobia? Grace A lotof the shotsI have usedshow Mackenzie confinedtoa cornerof the sofain the house,not movingandlookingaroundwide eyedasif she is scared.I alsohave a continuousshotof her struggle toleave the house where she goestothe door looksout,turnsaway,leansagainstthe wall, pressesherhandsagainstthe doorand thentakes a longwhile toactuallyleave andall these stepsin turn buildupa physical andemotional representationof whatAgoraphobialookslike or couldlooklike fromone pointof view. The difference betweenmypreviousworkandthis piece of workisthat there ismore focuson hope inTrapped,as she is goingmore towards overcomingherfearthanhow much she is confinedtoone space by herAgoraphobia. Presenter3 (NickyJohansson) Goingback to your posterqualitativeresearch,did youfollow youraudience research? Grace Yes I didfollow the audience feedbackIreceived, I usedone of the lastfew imagesoutof the
- 8. selectionIhadbecause Ididagree that theyinthe enddidlookmore natural and lessposedwhen creatinga posterand creatingthe emotion of Agoraphobia.One of myparticipantssaidthey couldsee ability/disabilityinmyphotosformy postersandI wantedto almostincorporate that intomy filmaswell because itsthe twosidesof hermind,herabilitytoleave the house butalso the mental illnessthathasbeencreatedthathas hermindtellingherthatshe iscompletely incapable of leavingthe house outof sheerfear. My audience saidthatshe lookedscaredinthe photosand I wantedtokeepthatas a theme of the posterso whenIwas editingit,Itooktheir commentsinmindandI made the colourof the postercoolerandmore of a bluishhue sothat it lookedmore spookyandaddedabrokenglass fontfor the title tocreate a sense of what Mackenziesmindislike. Presenter3 (Nicky Johansson) Well Grace ithas beensointerestingtohearfrom youtoday and we are so grateful youcouldcome and talkto us aboutyour new filmandyour audience research. Thankyouforcomingto join me here at FilmFanaticsand I hope tosee you againsoon. Grace It was noproblemitwasa pleasure toshare informationaboutmynew filmandIdlove to come back again.