Audience questionnaire and interviews about thrillers

Media questions 

1. What do you like about watching thrillers?
2. What sub-genre of thriller are you most drawn to?
3. What would you expect to see in a thriller?
4. What makes thrillers appeal to you?
5. What is your favourite thriller film and why?
6. What do you think builds suspense in a film?
7. In the opening of a thriller how much of the plot should be shown?
8. Where do you like to watch movies the most? Why?

Interviews:

Interviewe 1:

1. The anticipation that u don’t always know where the storyline will go, in other genres you can usually tell where it is going to go.
2. Crime, psychological , and spy
3. Tension, good vs evil element, makes you think and raises ur blood pressure 
4. Escapism: different from real life, 
5. Girl on the train, it plays wit your perceptions of the characters and a big awakening which shifts the beliefs you had a bout the characters.
6. The sound, lighting, the camera angles and way it is shot(hand held angles where it is shaky)
7. Enough for it to incise you but you don’t want to be able to guess the full plot line, (if the ending can be guessed in the first 5 mins, its disappointing instead of trying to figure it out and it be revealed at the end)
8. In the living room at home with curtains shut but with the tv box near by, if its too tense, in my own space can have any type of reaction to the film without feeling judged 

Interviewe 2:

1. They are exciting and they can make your heart race in certain parts of the film.
2. Crime thriller
3. Tension between characters, usually the main or more important ones.
4. The action they present and they way it makes you think.
5. Joker, it was made to feel very realistic and showed us an insight into a psychopaths brain.
6. The storyline and how it can take a turn at any moment.
7. Not much but enough for it to make you want to watch more.
8. In my bed watching Netflix, I can have my own space and pause it whenever I want. I also don’t have to focus all my attention on a film and I can change the film if I don’t like it.

Interviewe 3:

1. The suspense and how in depth the characters can be, it can be exciting 
2. Crime thriller/ sci-fi thriller
3. Tension between characters and in the plot, constant ambiguity 
4. How exciting they are and how there’s usually not many boring moments
5. Taxi driver, in depth analysis of someones mind and how far someone is willing to the edge
6. Ambiguity involving the plot, as well as key music
7. Not too much, only enough to entice you.
8. In the cinema, the surround sound a great big picture. Also the atmosphere and zero distraction.

Interviewe 4:

1. The  adrenaline it can give you.
2. Sci-fi thriller
3. Depending on the sub-genre, the possibility of death and also tension between characters.
4. The action 
5. A quite place
6. The music as depending on the tone it can make you feel different things.
7. Not a lot 
8. At home so then I can eat my own food and be able to pause it and rewatch parts of it, its also cheaper to watch films at home.

Interviewe 5:

1. They’re scary and give an adrenaline rush
2. Crime thriller
3. Clowns blood gore
4. That they’re scary 
5. Gone girl, the way the characters are presented at the start isn’t who they are at the end 
6. Not knowing the plot straight way 
7. Not a lot 
8. in the cinema so I can enjoy the film without being tempted to go on my phone or talk to others and miss bits of it.

Interviewe 6:

1. It can give you an adrenaline rush
2. Mystery 
3. Psychos and the  tension between characters
4. The fact that in engages the audience
5. The joker - encourages audience to think for themselves instead of being lead in the move
6. Cliffhangers 
7. Very little should be present 
8. in the cinema because the experience is always good

Interviewe 7:

1. The excitement and tension that the film can give you.
2. Psychological thriller
3. The Plot twists that can shock you and sometimes make you feel uncomfortable.
4. They make you think give you time to escape from there real world and just focus on the film.
5. Black swan - because its dark and it makes you think.
6. The Silence 
7. Not very much such be shown
8. in the cinema so I can experience the good quality and sound that comes with it, also then I can eat the cinema popcorn

Interviewe 8:

1. They’re exciting and can make your heart race
2. Psychos thriller 
3. Suspension and mystery
4. They’re isn’t a boring moment and they have a mix of different main genres
5. Hush because it’s scary and a unique idea , films that could happen In real life are exciting to watch.
6. Not knowing what going to happen having certain options about different characters
7. Not a lot because it would ruin the film if more was shown
8. on my bed so I can have the comfort of my own space and feel 'safe' to have my own reaction.

Conclusion:

In conclusion I have found out that for a thriller, you need to only show a small part of the plot, but enough for the audience members to be intrigued by the small portion you have shown. It has shown me that you need to portray the themes of suspension, mystery and anxiety. You also need to make it exciting and potentially give the viewer an adrenaline rush to keep them interested.