Qualitative Research analysis

What themes or issues can you see?

In asking this question I aim to show that the audience of my storyboard understand the theme of my intro.

Direct Reference:

‘An issue I see is anxiety as the woman is unable to leave her house and she could possibly have OCD and/or an issue with sitting still as she changes her socks a lot and other things.’

‘The issues I see is a sense of nervousness and anxiety for the woman when trying to go outside. It suggests to me that she has a deep fear of the world which may prevent her from her life.’

Discrete Analysis:

Both interviewees caught on to the theme of mental health and the OCD of the woman in her home.

However, the interviewees explained their points differently for example the ways in which the OCD was shown.

The first interviewee said that OCD is shown through the change of socks and not being able to sit still. Whereas, interviewee two talked of how her deep issues made her fear the world and caused problems in her daily life.

Conclusions:

Both interviewees were able to identify the running theme of OCD and anxiety caused by feeling trapped in her own home. They also both said that the woman had a nervous nature and it affected her life.

Action Statement:

OCD was clearly recognised in the storyboard by the two interviewees, I used mental health as an issue because there are a lot of different mental health sectors and Agoraphobia is not a very well - known one. The storyboard links to the audience understanding because what I tried to convey through my storyboard was clear to the interviewees and they understood the issues I was trying to put across.

Is the Storyline interesting to you?

The aim of this question is to find out how successful my intro would be with my target audience.

Direct Reference:

‘I find the storyboard interesting as the person is unique and different, and it looks as if her daily activities are not the usual boring tasks you usually see’.

‘Yes, from an audience perspective we typically do not fear the outside so seeing the protagonist face this fear is captivating for me’.

‘The storyline seems interesting because I would like some explanation of the protagonists odd behaviours’.

Discrete Analysis:

All participants in my qualitative survey talked of their interest in the storyline of my intro and how they liked the idea because of the odd characteristics and the unusual behaviour.

The interest shown by the participants is seen because what catches their eye is the unique actions, behaviour and idiosyncrasies, and how being stuck in her home makes her actions different to the tasks of people living a normal life.

Conclusions:

In conclusion all participants saw interest for my intro and this meant that I knew my intro would appeal to my target audience.

Action Statement:

I asked this question to my participants because I needed to know how far my intro storyline fit into my target audience age group. Because they all said this storyline interested them this made it easier for me because I knew that when making the intro I could relax a little knowing it would appeal to a larger group of people.

Can you see any Social Realism conventions, if so what are they?

I aim to find out if my audience thinks that my film intro fits into the genre and is a realistic issue that interests them.

Direct Reference:

‘Some conventions of Social Realism can be identified in this storyboard, for example the woman appears to live in a small house suggesting she is working class and the subject matter of mental illness which is not a very talked about issue’.

‘I can see some Social Realism conventions such as the use of location, as it is set in her home, it emphasises on the presented issues and the face of the protagonist is not shown in the first four shots; making the audience intrigued in who she is’.

Discrete Analysis:

All participants in my survey agreed that the location of my intro was conventional and that it emphasises the issues she faces and the class she is categorised into.

The differences between responses were how the shots made up the personality of the character. In one response the participant talks of how the home brings out a part of her personality and tells the audience a bit about the character. Whereas the other participant talks about the mystery in not seeing the characters face and how this  gives the audience a need to carry on watching and figure out her full personality, as by not seeing her face the only connotations we find out are that she is shy and scared.

Conclusions:

In conclusion all participants found at least one convention in my intro and were able to explain why it was conventional to the genre.

Action Statement:

The house was clearly recognised as being conventional of the Social Realism genre through its real location and size creating an image of the working class for the audience. My aim for this question was to find out if my intro was conventional enough to fit into the Social Realism genre and be clear to the audience what was going on in the intro that links to other films of the same genre.

What technical elements are included?

I aim to figure out from the responses what I have used and what I need to include when filming.

Direct Reference:

‘There are different angles and there is a use of shallow focus and other technical codes such as POV shots, an establishing shot and match on action so there is a good use of technical codes’.

‘Different camera angles have been employed to create meaning, as well as the use of mise en scene to emphasise the representation of the main character’.

‘Technical elements such as non – diegetic music, different camera shots e.g. POV shots, jump cuts for editing and interesting mise en scene can all be seen in the storyboard’.

Discrete Analysis:

The participants of my survey were all aware of the shot variety shown in my storyboard and how it brought interest to the audience and how the use of non – diegetic sound was a good use of technical elements.

Some interviewees explained their reasoning of which technical codes are used in the intro and others only explained which areas of technical codes were included but not the specifics of it.

Conclusions:

All of my peers in my survey could see a range of technical elements in my storyboard, mostly in camerawork but also in other areas as well. The participants explained in their different answers that they could see all 4 areas that make up a film, which means I have used a wide range of ideas to create an idea for a project I am excited about.

Action Statement:

It was clear to the interviewees that I wanted to use a range of technical elements and that I wanted to make it as good as possible with the range of things I could use. My aim with the technical elements was to make a product that I could be proud of using what I have been taught throughout the media course, by using a variety of shots in my intro it makes the filming look better, and cutting the match on action in the right place is important because it gives it a more professional look.

Could I have included more issues alongside this one?

I wanted to find out from my audience what other issues could possibly be used to tie in with my storyline and create a better product.

Direct reference:

‘You could have included some darker issues that perhaps more people would be able to relate to/ understand. Perhaps there could have been another character involved to display the protagonist’s ability/ disability to form close relationships’.

‘No, I feel as though if you included more issues, it may take away the focus on the main meaning you’re creating’.

‘You could have included issues such as relationship issues/ family issues between the character and people in her life’.

Discrete analysis:

Most of my interviewees noted that I could add in more issues to my intro to link in to my issue of mental illness and the reasons for it as well as how it can affect a person, perhaps I could have included depression through her being trapped in her own home. Or I could have included family issues as a factor in her Agoraphobia.

There was a disagreement in one response because the participant said that by adding more issues to the intro then it would take away from the main issue of Agoraphobia and that is not something that I want to happen.

Conclusions:

I could have possibly added more issues and made more backstory through those issues, but it may take away from the original storyline and issue of Agoraphobia which is not a very common topic discussed through film and not many people understand what it is or why it is a mental illness.

Action Statement:

Through this question I wanted to find out how the audience thought my film fit into different categories of issues and how I could improve these by adding more issues or whether they thought that it didn’t need any more help to make it better. By asking these questions I was able to gather the opinions of my peers and what issues they thought audiences might enjoy seeing more.