Audience feeback on our thriller opening

 Emily's feedback of our thriller opening:

She suggested that we play the background music throughout the sequence up to the dialogue and that we quieten it down gradually.

She also said that in one part of the opening when it fades to black that we shouldn't have it as black for so long to keep it short and dramatic.

Joshua's Feedback

An interview between Melissa and her 20 year old brother, Joshua:

M: So now that you've watched the final piece, was it clear that the flashbacks as the main character was running were flashbacks?

J: Yes, it was clear. The effects you used really separated it from the running scene.

M: And the music we used while she was running, was it too dramatic?

J: No, I don't think so. In films like this, you need it to be dramatic to get the audience feeling tense too.

M: At the end of the film, we wanted to use soft piano music and the titles as a sort of wedding invitation as ironic, did that come across okay?

J: Yeah, it was fine. 

M: And after he lifted up the knife, there was a fade to black and you could hear her fall to the floor. When we started this, we found it rather comical, did you think so?

J: No, I didn't think so.

M: Is there anything you would improve on?

J: The last shot when it tracks up her arm, I wouldn't have moved the camera with the zoom. I would have started with the wound, then revealed her face to create a shock on the audience. I would have also had her entire hand out flat on the floor, even though it's not a very realistic position for a dead body to be in, just to make it really clear to the audience that it was a wedding ring. Films usually tend to give the audience the information straight away instead of having to give them a moment to figure it out for themselves.

Also, at the beginning, instead of having her keep looking back and forth from the knife, I'd have done it once then had shots from the knife and the dead body.

M: So a bit more match on action and a bigger shock at the end, then? Thank you, I think we'll take that on board for next time. Is there anything else you would like to add?

J: I think that maybe you tried to fit a lot of action into 2 minutes. I think if you were to do this again, I would keep it to its most basic elements to give you more chance of fitting in more shots (like establishing shots) instead of having to worry about making sure that you fit in each thing a character does. 

M: Perfect! Thank you so much for your help.