When deciding who my target audience would be, I thought it would be best and more efficient if I knew my target audience well, that way I know what they like and dislike in a thriller. This is why I have chosen to target the teenage/ young adult age range, so that's 15 to 20 year olds. My questionnaire I feel asks the necessary questions in order to get the relevant feedback to help me with meeting the target audience’s needs. I gave 15 people all aged between 15 and 20 for them to fill out, this is the response I got.

Question one.

What gender do you feel the protagonist should be played by?

 A male          B) A female

The response I got from this question was that 12 out of 15 people thought that a male would be best suited for the role as protagonist. But, the three people that said they would prefer a woman to play the part of the protagonist all said that they would like to see more movies that break the common conventions of a thriller. The common conventions being that the protagonist is played by a male. After receiving this information I decided to cast the role as the protagonist to a male actor. I chose it to be played by a male because I felt that the storyline of my thriller would seem more realistic to an audience if it was played by a male.

Question two.

To create a tense atmosphere, is fast or slow paced music more effective?

A) Slow paced          B) Fast paced          C) A mixture of both

I asked this question because I feel that music plays a big part in the opening to a thriller and I wanted to know from my target audience what they felt the tempo should be to create tension. The response that I got was that two people felt that slow paced music built tension; eight felt that it was faced paced music and five people said that it was a mixture between the two. I was surprised at this result because I felt that there would be a lot more people picking a mixture of both instead of it nearly being equal with fasted paced music.

Question three.

What do you feel makes a thriller opening in effective and why?

I asked this question because as well as wanting to know what works, I need to know what doesn't in order for me to get the best quality opening possible and not something that my target audience feels doesn't work well in thriller openings. One of the most interesting responses that I got was that the person felt that they want to see something new, not just the common use of murder and manipulation. This is something I will definitely take on board and think about when thinking about ideas for my thriller opening.

Question four.

What would be an effective location for a thriller and why?

I asked this as an open question because I wanted to know why certain locations are more effective than others, for example a city or an abandoned warehouse. The most interesting response I got was that  more than half put down that they preferred a thriller to be set in an isolated area or building. Because of this response I have decided to film my thriller in a church.

Question five.

Through what type of media do you usually hear about upcoming films?

      A)     TV          B)  Newspapers          C) The internet          D) Social media

I asked this question because I wanted to know the most effective way of advertising my film to the public. From the response that I got, I intend to release the advert for the thriller on social media and adverts on TV.

Question six.

What are some of the key parts of any film that grab your attention and increase your interest in the film?

The responses that I got from this question were that the audience feel that an emotional connection with the protagonist is needed. They also felt that a weapon of some sort should be included in the thriller, for example a knife or gun. Because of this response, I will include a weapon of some sort in my thriller to increase the protagonist’s venerability and therefore making the audience having an emotional connection with him or her.   

Question seven.

Do you feel that it is better or worse to reveal the identity of a killer in the first scene of a thriller?

A) Yes          B) No

I asked this question because I was thinking about having a killer in my thriller to fit the common conventions. I felt that the killer’s identity shouldn't be revealed until that end in order to create tension for as long as possible. I was surprised at the response because I felt that the majority of people asked would say, no, they didn't want the identity of the killer to be revealed. But in this case the feedback said that seven people said that the killer’s identity should be revealed and eight said that it shouldn't.