Short Film Poster Focus Group

I showed a group of 11-17 boys and girls 2 posters advertising short films. All the people who took part had knowledge of the media-related concepts. I asked them what they liked and didn't like about each one and asked them to come to a decision on which one they preferred.

 Poster 1:Terminated

For this poster, the girls liked the special effects that were used to create the background. They said that it looked very professional and like something they would expect to see for films. The boys liked the colours that were used and it made it look more scary and threatening. They liked how the crosword idea had been used for the film title. They also liked how the character was facing the otherway as it reflected the mood of the film. The thing that the girls didn't like so much was that they thought it appealed more to a male audience because of the colour and the main character being a male, and that they probably wouldn't go and watch it because they didn't find it very exciting.

  Poster 2: Beating Hearts

The girls said that this poster appealed more to them as there is a girl on the poster. They said they could relate more to a character if they were the same gender as them. The colour red they said they liked as it stood out to them and has connotations of love and friendship. The boys said that the poster didn't really appeal to them. They said that they preferred something with a bit of action and excitement and  that this poster didn't have that. They said that it looked like it was an emotional film and that it appealed more to girls.

In conclusion, the boys chose the Terminated and the girls chose the Beating Hearts poster, so there was a divided opinion among the group. This shows that people tend to vote for the one that appeals to their own gender,with the main character being the same gender as them. My own short film is targeted mainly for females so I will use colours such purple, pink and blue so it appeals to them more.

 

I have looked what people think of these 2 posters in order to get an idea of the kind of thing I should include in my own poster. I will use colours that appeal to my target audience and also a picture that represents what my film is about.