(37) Ancillary Task 2 // Audience Research

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Audience Research: Posters
I conducted a research video in which I asked a select group of people questions regarding film posters. This research will help me complete my own film poster for my ancillary task, as it provides me with an insight into to what exactly the general public expect from film posters. I can apply my findings to my own work to enhance the effect of my own poster. 

I asked the following questions: 
  1. Are there any particular film posters that you remember? For what reason do you remember these?
  2. How important is a poster to you deciding whether to go see the film? Why?
  3. In your opinion what makes a good poster?
  4. How much space should the film name and performers name take up?
  5. Should the image be of a scene, a character or a piece of design/art work? Does this depend on genre Can it be a mixture of 2 or 3 of these?
  6. Do you like to see a quote and/or star rating?
  7. Should the films social media accounts and/or a hashtag appear on the poster somewhere?
  8. Should the release date and ways of purchasing appear somewhere?
  9. Is the choice of font and text colour important? Why?
  10. In your opinion why are some film posters more iconic than others?

What Were Your Findings?
It's important to consider the reliability of my results. Firstly, I only asked a select group of people. This means that my sample size isn't representative of a large scale. Secondly, most of my sample were of a similar age and gender, this means that it is not representative of all kinds of people. Similarloy, it's not representative of the entire public's opinions because all of my interviewees were from a similar region and of a similar class. However, I still have gathered a conclusion from my research.

  1. The posters that people seemed to remember were effective because they are simple and have eye catching designs, with the appropriate use of colour. 
  2. Most people agreed that, while a film poster is important, it is not the deciding factor regarding going to see a film. However, posters often prompt people to research the film. 
  3. Most people seemed to agree that a good poster must suit the film but also be eye catching in some way. 
  4. Most people agreed that the film name should be clearly seen, however, an image should be the most prominent part of a film poster.
  5. Most people said that a film poster can be of anything, even a mixture of things.
  6. Everybody agreed that they like to see either a quote or star rating. Most people seemed to prefer a star rating. 
  7. People seemed to like the idea of the film's social media appearing on the poster somewhere, but agreed that it is not necessary. 
  8. Everybody agreed that the release date should appear on the poster, however, methods of viewing isn't necessary. 
  9. Most people agreed that font and text colour is important because it helps catch the eye of the viewer. 
  10. Most people seemed to agree that how iconic a film poster is depends on how iconic the actual film is. 

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