Focus Group (9/03/12)

After the success of my initial focus group (9/01/2013), in which I asked four friends to comment on my mock up posters, I decided it would be a beneficial idea to do the same with my three piece coursework draft. I asked four people to take part in a 20 minutes session in which I would give them a few relevant topics to discuss regarding my project. The aim of this focus group is to confirm the strengths and weaknesses within my teaser poster, official poster and DVD cover and to discuss whether or not I have been successful in satisfying my target audience as well as fulfilling the codes and conventions of the horror genre. I asked them to be as critical as possible as I find constructive criticism a healthy way of improving the standard of my work. The people taking part in the focus group (Chloe 17, Craig 18, Sam 21 and Steph 24) are all young adults and, therefore, their feedback will be valuable because the target audience for my campaign is young adults.

Interviewer (Me): What are your initial reactions to the teaser poster?

Chloe: I like the colours of the poster and the way you’ve created a dirty background. The cracks look sinister and creepy. I like the ‘fish eye’ effect that you’ve created through the use of lighting and shadow.

Craig: The typography looks professional and I like how it has been placed over a bright, light colour because it makes the text more bold and eye-catching.

Sam: The box of red looks a little out of place… The colour red is blood relevant but I don’t think it matches the colour palette of the rest of the poster. Perhaps if you used more red it would look less shocking. Other than that, I like how you faded the tree branches into the background because they look like cracks and blend really well.

Steph: The first thing that I noticed about the poster was the tagline, I like it because it sounds like a gothic children’s story. Anything that involves children is automatically scary. 

Interviewer (Me): What elements of the teaser poster do you think let it down and why?

Steph: I agree with Sam in thinking the red box looks a little odd because you have used only light, sepia tones. I think if you blended the edges of the harsh colour, it would look like a more consistent component of the poster. I like the touch of blood-red so please don’t scrap the idea all together!

Craig: Although I like the originality of the typography, I think the poster, overall, could benefit if the text was larger. Due to the fact there aren’t many images, the main focus should be the title of the film and therefore I think it should be bigger and more ‘in your face’.

Sam: There isn’t too much going on in the poster, therefore there isn’t too much of an indication towards the narrative. Perhaps you could add an image or two to help bulk the poster up.

Chloe: I disagree with Sam because the idea of a teaser poster is to not give too much away, right? In my opinion, the teaser poster should have a great title and tagline and those are the most important things.

Interviewer (Me): What do you like about the teaser poster?

Craig: I think the background looks really good with all the cracks and dirty dripping marks. The way some cracks are darker than others creates a cool effect and, overall, it looks quite realistic and not overly edited.

Sam: My favourite thing about your teaser poster is the typography. I like how you’ve created a dripping effect, and linking to Craig’s point about the dripping marks in the background, everything seems to go well together. It looks well thought out.

Chloe: I like how you have incorporated an image of a tree but turned it into a subtle element. Nothing about the poster is too over powering and I like that.  I also like the tag line and I think it’s clever the way you’ve based it on a childhood fairy tale with an evil twist.

Steph: I really like the tone of the poster, overall. I like the colour palette that you’ve chosen. The dull, eerie sepia tones seem to really compliment your title, ‘The Curse’.

Interviewer (Me): What are you initial reactions to the official poster?

Chloe: The typography looks really good, a little out of focus though. I like how you’ve used cracks and blood red colours on the title. I also think it contrasts quite a bit to the previous teaser poster because it’s more darkly coloured.

Sam: The tagline, ‘The horror lies within’ is good. It’s placed in a central position which is why it was the first thing to catch my eye. The layout of the poster looks quite professional however the pictures are a little unclear.

NOTE: I had to point out that the images that I used were: an old shed and a dying tree. This is a clear indication that my photographs were not suitable enough for a distinct narrative and this will be improved for my final piece.

Craig: I first noticed the typography and I think it looks good. The colours are all very relevant to the horror genre.

Steph: I like how the background has murky dripping marks of dirt and blood- it creates a creepy atmosphere. 

Interviewer (Me): What could I do to improve this poster?

Steph: I think the poster could benefit from the addition of images. You haven’t used many and it is quite difficult to grasp the storyline from them. The official poster should be more informative than the teaser poster, and so far I think they are too similar.

Sam: Both the title and the images look a little blurry and out of focus. I think the poster could benefit from sharpening these and making them more distinct. The poster would then look clearer.

Craig: I agree with what has already been stated; more pictures and less blurriness. So far, the narrative is a bit scrambled and unclear.

Chloe: The overall tone of the poster is quite dark, and it’s an effort to distinguish the images. Have you considered using a similar colour palette to your teaser poster? I think it would look more professional, as a campaign, if the posters had colour consistency. 

Interviewer (Me): What do you think are some of my strengths of the DVD cover?

Steph: I like the sepia colours that you’ve used and how you’ve blended cracks into the edges. I think it looks good how you’ve created a darker edge- it looks quite professional.

Craig: The typography is good and you can see the link between the lettering of the DVD cover and the official poster.

Sam: The blurb is good. Brief but enough to hook the audience in- just what a blurb should be. I also like how you’ve created ‘stills’ as they are a realistic element of a DVD cover.

Chloe: I like the consistency between colours and background of the teaser poster and the DVD background. I like the ‘fish eye’ effect. I also like how you’ve created blood marks on the spine of the DVD- subtle, but effective.

Interviewer (Me): How could I improve the DVD cover? Is there anything lacking?

Chloe: Although the central image is good, I think the cover would look better if the edges of the image were blended or faded out. I think it currently looks too harsh.

Sam: The tagline is great but it needs to be bigger and perhaps more central- I nearly didn’t see it.

Steph: The blurb is a little difficult to read because it is against a dark background. I think the cover would benefit from either a lighter font, or a lighter background so the writing is more easily read.

Craig: Some of the components of the DVD cover are slightly blurry and pixalated, such as the bar code and age restriction logo’s. I think the DVD cover would look more professional if these elements were sharp and clear. I also agree with the point made about the tagline needing to be larger and more focal.

Interviewer (Me): Thanks so much for your time, everyone! I appreciate your feedback and your comments will be taken on board.