Audience Expectations Questionnaire

In order to gauge what an audience would want from a coming of age drama film, I have devised a questionnaire. I am going to target the questionnaire primarily at people within the age group of 15-25 who come from a variety of different backgrounds. This will mean that I will be able to compare what people from across the socio-demographic spectrum would expect to see in a coming of age film, in order to include as many of these elements as possible in my own film.

I asked the questions to 15 people, although if I decide to add to this amount later then I will update the graphs. 

Question 1. How many protagonists/antagonists do you expect to see included within the opening 2 minutes of a coming of age film?

The results from the survey show that most people would like to see a few of the main characters in the opening, but not all of them. As I plan to feature 4 or 5 protagonists in my film, the stories of whom all end up joining together coincidently, asking this question has shown me that it may appear to be unrealistic if the protagonists are all shown in the opening 2 minutes or so.

Question 2. What sort of props would you expect to see in a coming of age film?

I expected this answer from the question, as it is often the fashion choices of the protagonists which bring them together as part of the same subculture. An example of this is in This Is England, which despite not strictly being a coming of age drama, shows a group of people who are bound together because of their mutual interest in skinhead fashions. I am keen to use an idea like this in the opening of my film.

Question 3. Which time period would a film have to be set in in order to interest you the most?

The response to this question surprised me a bit. I thought that there would be an overwhelming majority vote for a film which is set in the present day, although it appears that the majority of people would rather watch a film which is set in the 20th century, more specifically in the 1960s/1970s. This could be an idea which works well, as an audience would prefer to see how people grew up in times before theirs, rather than watching a film which is set in the time which they grew up in.

Question 4. Would you rather watch a film which is set in a notable location in the UK or one which is set abroad?


I was expecting this answer, because films which are set in the UK often appeal to a UK audience much more than films which are set in, say, America. It also means that we will be able to film it more easily and won't have to bother with American actors (or dodgy American accents), so setting the film in the UK, probably in a notable place in London, would be a much wiser move in terms of finances and keeping the audience happy.

Question 5. Would you rather watch a protagonist who is around your age, older, or younger?


The response to this question surprised me, as I prefer watching films with a protagonist who is older than me, yet the majority of the people who I surveyed said that they would rather see a protagonist who is around their age. This fits in conveniently as I am unlikely to be able to find actors who are much older than me (adults are unlikely to want to star in a piece of A level coursework), so by having a protagonist who is between 16 and 20, I will be able to meet the wants of the audience without having to look too far into casting the actor. 

Question 6. Would you rather watch a film which is light hearted or serious about a certain subject matter?

I was hoping for a response like this to this question, because I have always believed that films which are light hearted about something will please audiences more than films which take it seriously. This is because a section of the audience are likely to have had to experience the subject matter in real life, so presenting it in a light hearted way will make them see a more humorous side to the subject, which will then mean that they enjoy the film even more.





Question 7.  Which of these coming of age films appeals to you the most?

The response to this question was not surprising considering the answer to the previous question, as the majority of people who took the questionnaire preferred the coming of age film which contained a comedic aspect. I hope to include a bit of subtle comedy in my coming of age drama, although if the comedy gets overboard, it can completely change the genre of the film.

Question 8. Do you prefer films where the main protagonist is male or female?

The answer to this question was surprising, because I asked 8 girls compared to 7 boys, so I thought the results would be almost equal, if not in favour of a female protagonist. However, it appears that a male protagonist is preferred by both sexes, as it usually seems that male characters can recover from the things which happen to them in a film better than female ones can. This is important in a film which has as turbulent subject matter as a coming of age drama does.




Question 9. Would you agree that the soundtrack of a film opening is important as the action on screen in a film opening?

I was surprised about the response to this question, because I personally believe that a film opening requires careful attention to both the soundtrack and the on screen action in order to work well. However, it has shown that the majority of audience members pay more attention to what they can see than what they can hear, which means I should plan out what is going to be on the screen more than I should plan out the accompanying soundtrack.






Question 10. Do you agree that the opening title sequence of a film will either engage you, or put you off from, the rest of the film?

I completely agree with the majority response to this question - the opening to a film is what will either make it or break it in the eyes of the audience. Films seldom recover from a poor opening, which is why I need to ensure my opening is of the highest quality, so that if I was to go on and make the rest of the film, the audience would have the best idea possible about what they should expect from it.






Below is the table which shows the results from each of the questions. Doing this questionnaire has been possibly the most helpful piece of research which I have completed as part of the planning for my film opening, as it has answered all of the questions which I had in my mind that I couldn't answer from researching on the internet.

Question	Answer 1	Answer 2	Answer 3	Answer 4	Answer 5
1. How many protagonists/antagonists do you expect to see included within the opening 2 minutes of a coming of age film?	None/one	Two to three	All of the protagonists of the film	N/A	N/A
Answers:	3	7	5
2. What sort of props would you expect to see in a coming of age film?	Drugs/Alcohol/Cigarettes	Weapons	Certain fashion choices to reflect the period	N/A	N/A
Answers:	6	2	7
3. Which time period would a film have to be set in, in order to interest you the most?	Pre 1930s	1930s-1950s	1960s & 1970s	1980s-1990s	Present day
Answers:	1	3	5	2	4
4. Would you rather watch a film which is set in a notable location in the UK or one which is set abroad?	UK	Abroad	Not sure	N/A	N/A
Answers:	9	4	2
5. Would you rather watch a protagonist who is around your age, older, or younger?	Around your age	Younger	Older	N/A	N/A
Answers:	8	2	5
6. Would you rather watch a film which is light hearted or serious about a certain subject matter?	Light hearted	Serious	Not sure	N/A	N/A
Answers:	7	5	3	N/A	N/A
7. Which of these coming of age films appeals to you the most?	Submarine	Easy A	American Graffiti	Dazed and Confused	Mischief
Answers:	4	5	3	1	2
8. Do you prefer films where the main protagonist is male or female?	Male	Female	Not sure	N/A	N/A
Answers:	9	4	2
9. Would you agree that the soundtrack of a film opening is important as the action on screen in a film opening?	Yes, it is important	No, the action on screen is much more important	Not sure	N/A	N/A
Answers:	6	8	1
10. Do you agree that the opening title sequence of a film will either engage you, or put you off from, the rest of the film?	Yes	No	Not sure	N/A	N/A
Answers:	12	3	0