Questionnaire AnalysisAn analysis of the questionnaire in order to research demographical trends

Errol Anderson

Introduction• In order to maximise the appeal of both my trailer and

magazine front cover, I compiled a questionnaire• This questionnaire was handed out to a varied demographic

so that I could then pinpoint my target audience• Here, I aim to spot key trends using both quantitative and

qualitative methods of analysis• My sample contained 18 individuals

QuantitativeInformation from closed questions that provides numerical data

GenderAre you male or female?• 10 males, 8 females• On evaluation, I reckon that I should have

possibly asked an equal amount of each gender in order to get a more accurate overview

Age GroupWhat age group do you fall between?• The majority of the sample were aged

between 16-24, with just a small amount being over 35 (3)

Ethnic OriginHow would you describe your ethnic

origin?• All of the people questioned were of British

ethnicity, the majority of which were Black British (8)

Industry Sector

Which industry sector do you work within?• In correspondence to the amount of 16-24

candidates, there were a similar amount of unemployed people

• A large amount of those asked were students• Interestingly, the high ranked professionals I

asked did not like films, and so were not included in the questionnaire

Film GenreWhat genre of film do you prefer to watch?• Horror and romance movies were the most

popular choice of genre• Not many people enjoy watching drama,

historical or adventure movies• Therefore, choosing a genre such as these

would not appeal to a large amount of people

Social RealismWould you be attracted by a social realist

approach to teenage romance?• ⅔ of the sample would be interested in

seeing a social realist take on the romance genre

• I will take this into consideration when formulating the rest of my ideas

Preferred Marketing MethodWhat marketing method do you believe is

most effective in providing information for the public?

• Posters were generally the most effective marketing method

• Trailers were also very popular within the 16-24 age bracket – bearing in mind this will probably become the target audience, I must take this statistic into consideration

Early Cinema GoersHow often do you deliberately reach the

cinema early to view trailers from upcoming movies?

• Not many of the sample felt the need to go to cinemas early for new trailers

• Only 17% would deliberately go to the cinema earlier

Effect of Famous CastHow much further would you be attracted by the

involvement of a recognized actor/director?• Surprisingly, the involvement of recognized cast had

little or no effect on the attraction to the film itself• This is ideal because the cast for our trailer will not

feature high-profile actors• I assume that the quality of the film is much more

important than the cast itself

Film MagazinesHow often do you purchase film

magazines?• 50% of the sample never bought film

magazines, with a further 16.7% reading them on rare occasions only

• This may severely affect the success of this type of marketing; meaning a lot depends on the aesthetic appeal of the poster and trailer

Magazine Front Cover Organisation

Do you prefer magazine front covers that include lots of information (option 1) or those that focus on the main film, with little information (option 2)?

• Only 9 people answered this question due to the amount of people that actually read film magazines

• The majority of people preferred a simple magazine front cover design, which ultimately has an effect on my choice of layout

• The idea for option 1 may have been less because a busy layout takes the focus away from the main film

QualitativeInformation from open-ended questions that provides a detailed description of a situation

Qualitative Questions• Do you enjoy watching teenage romance comedies? If so, what do you enjoy about them?• Please state what you enjoy about trailers made in this genre.• What do you expect to see in a teenage romance comedy?• If so, which ones do you read? (in terms of magazine)

• Although a few respondents did not nominate anything they liked about the genre, the most common reply that participants mentioned was the element of comedy. They felt that a major part of the trailer/film would have to be humorous as well as romantic. Other things participants noted included the inclusion of an on-screen kiss, a young couple and the inevitability of a happy ending.

• Again, the importance of comedy within the trailer was consistent in many responses. It is then paramount that some sort of humour is evident along with some familiar conventions of the trailer genre that also appeared in the sample, including: dramatic music, a specifically British voiceover, interspersed dialogue and a range of locations.

• As noted before, only 50% of the sample actually read magazines. On examination, few of the 16-24 age range read established film magazines, opting instead for the monthly Sky magazine, or Metro reviews. Of the older age groups, more liked Empire and Sight & Sound.

ConclusionIn conclusion, the sample elicited the following information:• Horror and romance are the most popular genresI will therefore choose one of these genres in order to attract a larger audience. I will have to research them in more detail in order

to both conform and subvert their genre conventions appropriately.

• A social realist approach to a teen rom-com would be embracedThis aspect could definitely act as a USP in terms of the film/trailer itself – such a twist would possibly attract a younger

audience because of their ability to relate with the themes and dialogue of the narrative.

• Posters were generally the most effective marketing methodI will have to consider this in my poster design, as this may again be most effective. I will have to research engaging

conventions of the poster.

• Trailers were popular amongst the unemployed (student) demographicBearing in mind this will probably become the target audience, I must take this statistic into consideration and modify

the trailer itself in order to cater to this demographic.

• Only a small percentage of people actually go to the cinema early for trailers alone• The involvement of recognized cast had little or no effect on the attraction to the film itselfThis is ideal because the cast for our trailer will not feature high-profile actors due to our budget.

• Few of the 16-24 age range read established film magazinesThis could assist me in my plan to make my own magazine, which with further analysis could specifically target this younger

audience in terms of house style, featured models etc.

• People preferred a simple layout for the front coverI will ultimately then choose such a layout for my front cover in order to attract a larger readership.

Evaluation• Although I felt that the questionnaire was a constructive choice of analysis,

I could have improved my data by:

• Using a larger sample – this would have given me a more accurate overview of the intended audience

• Asking an equal amount of people from each gender

• Refining some of my quantitative questions – by being more detailed, my responses could have been more specific