Focus Group Results

When showing the three trailers of the films, Keeping Mum, Severance, and Shaun Of The Dead, we found out what people of the lower end of our target audience age thought about the comedy horror genre.

• The general conclusion of the group on the subject of comedy and horror as a combine genre was that good films should strike a relatively equal balance between the elements. The group also generally liked a combination of physical/slapstick comedy and verbal humour. We noted that they responded better to the trailers for Shaun of the Dead and Severance- they felt that Keeping Mum concentrated more on the comedy and was perhaps too lighthearted.
• The group also agreed that gore, when done either well or in a comedy, over the top way, was an essential element in horror films and that it helped fit the conventions of the horror genre.
• The group thought that protagonists should be likeable, compelling and possibly physically attractive to add to their appeal. They also in general seemed to prefer human villains but possibly with some problem-a disfigurement or psychopathic tendancies. However they also told us that for a comedy horror, a particularly inept or stupid villain provided humourous elements.
• We also asked the group on their opinions for comedy horror soundtracks- they particularly liked the music in the Severance trailer- they thought the rock music set the pace and mood needed. They concluded that in some parts, the music should fit the genre and action onscreen and sometimes it should contrast in order to fit the conventions of both genres.
• Members of the group also responded well to the editing in the trailer for Shaun of the Dead- they felt the quick transitions between shots set the pace and made the sequence more gripping.

The group listened to our description of our opening sequence and felt that it had the potential to fit the genre well and be a suitable opening sequence for the comedy horror genre. We took general suggestions for what elements we could add to the sequence- the group felt that romace elements would add to the comedy considering it would contrast even more with the horror elements, and also that added action would compliment the horror to make the sequence even more enthralling.

Thankyou to- Jake, Annie, Luke and Charlotte!!!!!!!