Evaluation Task 3 - Audience Feedback

What have you learnt from Audience Feedback?


Audience feedback is an important aspect when creating any type of product as without any audience, there is no product, therefore the feedback given by the audience is significantly crucial in order to give them what they want. Audience response is an interaction associated with the use of audience response systems which creates an interaction between a business and its audience.
There are various reasons for the use of audience response systems; primarily one of them being a tendency to answer any questions that businesses or people associated with the product want to know.
Having constantly referred back to the comments given by the audience, it enabled us as a group to create an sense of understanding with the audience.

Having established our findings from the questionnaires, as a group we had to clarify our target audience as this would reflect on our scheduling times. Initially, episodes would broadcast at round 18.30 due to other popular soaps such as Eastenders and Coronation Street would be aired after. However, due to further planning when producing storyboards and track shots, we decided to add story lines which included drugs, therefore we have to consider a later time, maybe around 21.00. Without handing out questionnaires, as a group we would not have been able to establish these findings. Producing these questionnaires as the first part of our research was helpful as we first had identify what our audiences wanted. Having done this, we then went on to our focus group questionnaires which again allowed us to gather further research into our soap. With the focus group, we had a deeper understanding with what our audience wanted as they would answer questions directly related to our soap which we were creating or any other existing soap. The idea of creating a focus group is get thoughts and opinions from people outside the group to get a non bias view on our given assignment. Each of the questions, helped us a group to analyse and evaluate our soap and produce it to the best of our ability. 


Having completed the assignment, as a group we have experimented with a variety of different audience feedback methods which have allowed us a group to develop our use of analytical and evaluative skills. Looking back at the feedback given initially by our audience, comparing to the feedback given now after finishing our product, it is evident that we have continued to develop our soap with the comments given to us. 


As a group, we have established a number of ways to carry out audience research as well as learn from the feedback given. 

Louise who is aged 18, has been seen the pre production and post production process of the assignment, therefore giving feedback to us a group and then this would enable us to act upon this. Louise shops very high street; buying clothes from shops like New Look, Republic, JD Sports, Dorothy Perkins and many more. Her taste is simple yet unique as she dresses for the occasion. The choice of music that she listens to reflects this and also her bubbly personality. Artists like James Morrison, Michael Buble, Usher, Chris Brown and Nickel Back. From this, we can see that her choices are very diverse and are therefore relates to various genres. This is also shown in the type of TV programs that she watches; Downtown Abby, Coronation Street, Friends and 2 and a half men. There is a complete contrast between each of programs and there looking back at our own soap, we have certain elements from each of these which come together to make our soap. There is social realism and most importantly, elements from Coronation Street which is already a well established soap. However, our soap will mainly be following teenage lives and the issues and pressures they go through such as pregnancies and drugs which is the main outline for the story. I feel that Louise would like our soap because being a teenager herself, she has seen and been through some of the issues that may be portrayed in a typical teenage life; this could be from exam stress to seeing the effects of bullying and being involved in other problems with school and teenage life. Therefore highlighting the social realism aspect that would appeal to Louise and other people like herself.

Below is an interview that was recorded with Louise at the very beginning of our production process, having acted up some of the comments given by Louise herself. The style of the program, various storylines, use of innovative angles such as the 360 degree and the targeted age that our trailer would appeal to is evidently shown to entertain an audience like Louise who has enabled us a group to establish our own audience who would watch our soap.

From the feedback given by both Helena and Andrew who have also seen the first draft of the soap, they have been able to see the progression we have accomplished as a group. As seen on the video, the storylines are a lot clearer; in particular, at the very beginning when a text message is received relating to the shot of the pregnancy test before, therefore there is more of a purpose to that characters role.

Having been able to refer to our audience feedback, it has enabled us as a group to continuously make our soap bigger and better. 

Below is an annotated version of our soap which underlines the key aspects.

Finished Magazine Cover - This Life

TV Listing Front Cover - Analysis

Just like any other magazine cover, there are particular conventions in which have to be followed in order to portray a sense of house style within the magazine; each piece of detail within a magazine has to be precise and consistent in order to convey this.

Typically there is a large image of one of the soaps in the middle of the page to attract their audience, images are generally bold, colourful and eye catching. However, around the main feature are images of other soaps and the headlines around them. Various stories are highlighted around the page and therefore this attracts a wider audience.

A puff is not conventionally used by all magazines but when used by publications, it enables the audience to get involved and feel a sense of community within the magazine. Puffs are generally competitions in which the readers can win items such as Ipods, Computers and even tickets to a concert or any live shows which are being broad casted at the time such as Britain's Got Talent.

The colours used are generally red, blue and yellow which can be seen as a odd group of colours, however, having established a sense of house style within the soap genre, audiences automatically know a soap magazine when they see one. In addition to this, the main magazine title which is always on the left hand corner of the front cover, it is mostly covered up, again which suggests that the readers already know the magazine and therefore do not need to always show the full extent of the logo.

Fonts are big and bold which attracts the readers to the magazine and emphasises the main story-lines in each of the soaps which is accompanied by a picture.