Here is a link to the survey itself: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7R9TCCG
To get people to notice and answer my short questionnaire, I posted the link onto my Facebook page and also onto my town's local noticeboard Facebook page so I could get a wide range of answers. I was aiming for around 20 answers but outstandingly ended up with 50 which has given me a lot of information to work with.
Analysis of questionnaire answers
From my survey, I have learnt that horror films, action films and comedy films are the top 3 most popular genres. This means that I should consider doing a horror trailer or an action trailer. The reason I wouldn't do a comedy trailer is because they are often hard to pull off as you have to get the jokes and the actors perfectly right so it doesn't come across awfully.
The next question was "Do you prefer trailers that give a lot of information away or little information away and why?". Nearly everyone answered with "little information". Some of the reasons why included "Little information as possible. So when you actually watch the film you actually have surprises. Instead of already seeing all the "best bits" in the trailer", "a little, as i often find, when i watch the film, that ive already seen the best parts in the trailer!" and "Little - if it shows a lot then what's the point in going because you already know most of the film". So the overall consensus was that they want little information so that once they got to see the film, they were able to find out what the plot was there, enjoy all of the film without kind of guessing what is going to happen and having not seen the best parts.
However, some people did say that they liked a lot of information so that they can gage what the film is about, whether it looks enjoyable etc. One person also commented saying they liked to have a lot of information because then they would be able to tell if they were going to like it.. if there was little information he might go see a film he normally would have hated and wasted an extortionate amount on cinema ticket prices. He has a point here as cinema prices have increased dramatically over the years, putting people off of going to the cinema and causing an increase of piracy and illegal downloads.
For the next question, "What do you look for in a film trailer", there was a variety of answers ranging from good graphics, drama, good soundtrack, good actors, suspense, summary of the plot and a preview into who the lead actors are in the film. I will take into consideration all of these things whilst planning, filming and editing my film trailer to make it as effective as possible.
The next question was "If you watched a film trailer, what would make you want to go see the film". The top two answers were the storyline and seeing an actor that you like. In terms of how I can use this for my film trailer planning, it has made me realise I need to think of a very good storyline which is new and fresh. However, the thing I'll be lacking is actors that people like. But, as long as I can find good actors around my area, I can edit my trailer to make out that they are very famous and everyone knows them, (unless I decide to make an indie film trailer).
For my following question, "What is one of your favourite film trailers you have seen and why?", two trailers stuck out for me. One of them is called "Jagten" which is also known as "The Hunt". Screened in 2012, Jagten is about a teacher, played by Mads Mikkelsen, who's life is shattered into a million pieces after one of his students makes up a very, very bad lie about him. The trailer, found at the bottom of this blog post, is very good because the soundtrack is effective, you can get a good idea of what the plot is about without it giving too much away (I have seen this film and the trailer doesn't give a single spoiler away) and it shows us that Mads Mikkelsen is in it. This film is Danish and Mads Mikkelsen is a very famous Danish actor so anyone who watches the trailer and sees that Mads Mikkelsen is in the film will want to watch it. The other trailer that stuck out for me is the trailer for '71. This film is due for release in October 2014 and the trailer feature Jack O'Connell (Cook from the hit UK series Skins) playing an abandoned British soldier in Belfast 1971. The trailer seems to give absolutely no spoilers away and you have no idea how the film is going to end. The soundtrack makes the trailer gripping and full of suspense and the storyline is VERY original. In fact, I don't think I have seen a film like this ever. Here is the IMDB link for '71: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2614684/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
The trailer that stuck out for the most disliked trailer was the trailer for Lucy, a film about a girl who is able to reach a high capacity in her brain. From all of the comments I have read on Youtube and on my survey, the trailer is said to make the film seem a lot better than it really is. Some people have said the trailer is boring and that the cinema released trailer actually gives away the whole storyline. Another comment also said that "the trailer is corny and only shows the action parts of the film" which suggests to me that the film is more than just about the action.
Doing this questionnaire has really helped me get an idea of what audiences like and dislike and it will help me plan my trailer better.
This is the evidence that I posted my survey on my own Facebook page and on The Marlborough Notice Board page. The trailer for Mads Mikkelsen's movie, "The Hunt"
The trailer for the film, "Lucy"
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