AS G321: Focus Group Feedback

Masked: Focus Group Feedback

Throughout the post-production, Sophie & I experienced many uncertainties with our edited footage. There were certain aspects we found effective but, we needed to ask our third audience what they thought and how we could incorporate more eerie features to reflect the horror genre. 

First edited footage

We first met with our actress and focus group member, Francesca. Sophie & I wanted to know what she thought of the opening up to this point. We had a short interview with her where we asked a series of questions that would help lead us to improvement.

What do you like about it? 
In this first edit I particularly like the camera positions, angles and shots. It demonstrates continuity and looks very professional to an audience. I have been told that the camera was placed in the stalkers perspective and that was evident when the camera app opened in front of Ava. So overall, I like the camera techniques and placement as I can tell a lot of thought and planning has gone into it.

Does the lighting reflect the setting?

The lighting is very warm and yellow toned which works well with the setting however, not for the horror genre. The Woman and Black for example, uses many cool tones such as grey, blue, purples to create more mystery. So, if there should be an improvement in lighting I would say, alter the tone by making it more cool rather than warm.

Does the audio need to be louder in any areas?

I really like the thunder and rain in the last scene where Ava is walking down the platform because it emphasizes the genre as being loud, unsettling and misty. So you can make the diegetic sound louder to create an eerie atmosphere. Also, the ambient sound in the coffee shop is fairly loud and can take the attention away from what is actually happening in the scene. For this reason, you could maybe mute the background sound and put a soundtrack on top to make the final edited footage look professional.

What do you think of the typeface?

The typeface for 'Masked' looks very effective as its shade contrasts with the black background. The font is very sharp and clean cut which looks simple but works well with the credit typeface. I like how the colour of the credits are kept the same (white) as this makes it easy for the audience to notice compared to having a dark colour on a dark background.

Does the production reflect the horror genre?

We then had a short interview with Rebecca where we asked her the same questions, so that we could receive constructive feedback which we would take on board in order to improve our final production.

What do you like about it?

I really like the quality of the first edit as it looks very professional and well filmed. The way the stalker is shown in the production is very creepy and alarming and certainly had an unsettling effect on me as the audience. Overall,  the first edit looks good but there are still areas of improvement.

Does the lighting reflect the setting?

I personally like the tone of lighting mainly because I think it contrasts well with what the stalkers doing. Also, having a dark light source or a shadow may not fit in well with the setting as coffee shops are usually bright and warm. If you wanted to improve the lighting or colour of the scene, you could make it more rich by changing the saturation and contrast just so that the features of the scene really stand out.

Does the audio need to be louder in any areas?

I think the audio already is loud therefore, you don't need to increase the volume. However, in certain areas the sound could be decreased such as the background sound of the coffee shop. This is because, it doesn't add professionalism due to the contrast between the quality of the scene and the shaky audio. Therefore, instead you could add a suspenseful soundtrack on top to really emphasize the horrific scene.

What do you dislike about the production?

The main thing I dislike about the production is the end. I don't really understand the scene where Ava is walking down a platform as straight after is cuts to the title. If you still want to add the scene where she's at the train station then you can make it longer so that the audience have time to confer with one another about what they think is going to happen next. This will be effective because it will get the audience involved from the start.

What do you think of the typeface?
I think the typeface looks very neat and simple which can be effective in various ways.  The white shade looks bold on a black background which helps focus the audiences attention on the title. Maybe to improve with the typeface, you could make it more mysterious by relating it back to the theme of horror. This could be by adding visual effects to make it look more professional. 

Does the production reflect the horror genre?

I think the production is very creepy and alarming as the audience can see that Ava is being stalked by someone she probably doesn't know. This theme reflects the horror genre as 'strangers' are a common fear. With a few improvements with colour and effects, the final edit will look very effective.

Second edited footage

We then met Francesca for the second time to see what she thought of the improvements we made within our production. We asked her one overall question so that we could make quick changes in order to meet our deadline. 

Are the improvements effective? Is there anything else Sophie & I need to include?
I am really liking the improvements made to the first edited production as there is a clear change in areas to enhance the colour and lighting. If you and Sophie were to improve aspects of the production, maybe you could try adding an extra scene of footage at the end so the audience can fully understand that Ava is being stalked. This is because, from what is shown at the moment, we don't have enough information to conclude there being a stalker.

Sophie & I lastly interviewed Amy Murphy where we showed her the first edited footage compared to the second. We did this so we could see Amy's initial thoughts on the changes as if she was a first time viewer. This is because Francesca and Rebecca were helping out on the filming day. 

What are the initial differences you notice between each edited opening? 
I can see that the second production has a longer running time than the first which is good because the audience can spend a bit longer understanding the plot so far. Another significant change is the speed of the actresses actions when the credits appear. They look slowed down which works well with the creepy suspenseful music. I like these difference and I'm sure it would appeal to your target audience. 

Final production

When Sophie & I were pleased with the horror film opening we met with our focus group for the final time to make sure it looked professional and mysterious before we exported it. This wasn't a scripted interview.