Audience Reaction Analysis: Film

Figure 1 James Blake’s My Willing Heart music clip. Note from James Blake’s Video. (https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2017/03/20/520842585/a-pregnant-natalie-portman-stars-in-james-blakes-video-for-my-willing-heart). Copyright 2016 by James Blake.

It’s been really interesting comparing these two surveys after applying my lessons from the first two assessments – concentrating on emotion, making concepts simpler, all while applying Joseph Campbell’s Hero Journey theory.

Your Participant Recruitment Statement

In the end, because I was using Facebook, WhatsApp and my yoga mailing list to do the call out, I decided (again) to keep my statement casual and to the point.

Hello yogis, last one! It would mean the world to me if you can do these surveys! It is for my final assessment this term.

Your Participation Request Communication

1. Watch film A: https://vimeo.com/martineallars/testa?share=copy

2. Then do survey A: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CYTD368

3. Watch film B: https://vimeo.com/martineallars/test?share=copy

4. Then do survey B: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CY95CNY

It should take about five to six minutes in total to complete it all. Many thanks in advance!

Details of Your Survey Data

I followed the survey instructions to the letter.

Test A

Link: https://vimeo.com/martineallars/testa?share=copy

Test B

Link: https://vimeo.com/martineallars/test?share=copy

Details of Your Quantitative and Qualitative Analyses

I wanted to get as many participants as possible, so I could have comprehensive data from which to make the best key findings. In the end I had 31participants for Test A and 27 for Test B.

This was a large drop from the 48 for test A, and the 42 for test B that I had for my first survey. I think this was because, in part, the first videos were quite boring and my audience wasn’t keen for a repeat. On reflection, I should have said that is was a film rather than and animation, which may have helped the numbers stay high(er).

Quantitative

Test A

The majority or 90.32% believed that the film told a story, a huge increase on my first assessment pieces.

70.97% of the group said that the film was interesting to watch, it’s OK but not great.

83.87% believed that film A communicated a message.

Thankfully, this assessment, 77.42% of viewers believed the film evoked an emotion.

This result was really interesting, reflective won out with 54.84% and inspired came in second with 12.90%. Frustration and sadness, came in equal third.

Test B

The answer here is clear, with 92.59% believing that the film does tell a story.

Really pleased with this response, 96.3% said that yes, it was interesting to watch.

Same result, 96.3% believed that the film B communicated a message.

I am really happy with this result, because it was important to me that these films did create and emotional response, 92.59%

It’s an interesting split here, an almost even split between reflective and joy, with happiness and inspired in a near equal second.

Reviewing these results, I am really pleased because I did want to have these films move people. Test A did evoke reflection and feelings of frustration and sadness. Test B evoked feelings too, and stronger ones, showing reflection and joy in close to equal measure with happiness and inspired coming in second.

Qualitative

For me, these answers were the most useful in reflecting on how to make the final version, and gave me lots to consider.

Test A

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. “A life path – from birth to adulthood.”

2. “A life starting to happen and the reflection of how people are living it, wasting it or living it meaningfully?”

3. “Beautiful poem and imagery of birth and children only to watch them turn into lifeless corporate.”

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. “Live your life, take every opportunity to achieve everything you can don’t waste this opportunity.”

2. “Something like ‘life is a treadmill’.”

3. “Choose what you love or else you may regret it at the end of your life.”

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. “To make you think about the point of living.”

2. “Questioning whether there is meaning in what we do or are we going through the motions.”

3. “To make you think about what does success mean for you?”

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1.”The progression from child to career man seemed to skip a few steps, maybe required a longer transition?”

2.”Better flow towards the end.”

3.”It’s poignant as it is.”

Test B

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1.”Very similar to previous film – the female version but more optimistic.”

2.”Life beginning. Life connected, meaningful.”

3.”A child is born and the world is open to choose what she wants to do. She chooses nature, adventures, things that make her feel happy and connected.”

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. “Live your life.”

2. “Choose what you love and joy will be in your life. You won’t have any regrets.”

3. “Living with meaning.”

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. “To get you to think about the journey of life and take every opportunity and if you do this your life is worthwhile.”

2. “To prompt someone to ask whether they found meaning in life.”

3. “Wake you up to knowing that love and nature is more important than work.”

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. “Perhaps the transience of life so have old person as part of story.”

2. “Maybe the voice could be more uplifting like the color, images.”

3. “The film makes sense and is more uplifting than the first one.”

The viewers again linked test A and test B as two parts, they also really wanted the cycle to be completed – the group preferred B to A.

Your Key Findings

1.The viewers preferred the uplifting story of test B – they found that it flowed better and made them reflect on their own life choices.

2. Using footage of people for the tests, helped viewers make quicker and clearer connections. Instead of seeing an individual the audience saw the deeper meaning of the film – what kind of life do you want to live?

3. People are very literal – several viewers brought up the grasshopper and wanting to either see one or have it represented more clearly in the piece, proving that the words are just as powerful as visuals.

4. Projection – people do see themselves, and their own stories in the film. Viewers gave insights about the drudgery and misery of work, corporate evil and the need to work to pay for life.

5. Picking an emotion at the outset of a project, really helps to develop stronger content. With the animations I made viewers had neutral responses, during these tests, viewers are having real emotional responses and adding deeper meaning to the content too.

Your Comparative Report

So how did I go in the end? Let’s look at what I hoped that the viewers would see:

1. For A, a child growing up and choosing work. For B, a child growing up and choosing adventure / life.

2. For A, that work takes its toll on us. For B, that exploring and being in nature, gives us a more meaningful life.

3. For A, that you can choose a mechanical existence or for B, a natural one.

4.That life is short, and that work isn’t all there is.

5. Consider how they are spending the time in their own lives.

These test films were much more successful than the animations.

1. They saw the choice of a corporate life in A, vs the choice of life in B.

2. Yes, the large majority viewers saw the choice between work and a more meaningful path with nature.

3. There were limited mentions of mechanical and machine for A, but test B consistently returned natural and life options.

4. There were repeated mentions in the qualitative feedback on the meaning, shortness and preciousness of life.

5. Reflection performed well in best in A, 54.84% and 33.33% in B.

Making content that succeeds in delivering chosen outcomes is multi-faced, requires a great deal of thought and planning, and, even then testing is essential to give you the insights to make your work better.

How did I go?

On the whole, I think both films were successful.

Test A, did make viewers reflect on the work life balance and left the audience in a reflective state about life choices, and (many) frustrated.

Test B, was better enjoyed by the audiences but still left them wanting closure, they wanted to see the hero get old or start the cycle again.

When I made my revised piece I chose test B, the one that made the audience feel more optimistic, and I made it sharper with the clear life cycle – birth to child, to worker... I then did a Sliding Doors sequence between the choice of work and life.

I then ended the story where we started, with the hero preparing to be a mother herself.

Leaving, I hope, viewers to contemplate their own future stories and choices.

Revised film(C)

Presentation

References

Beacon Press. (2012). Mary Oliver reads “The Summer Day” (aka “The Grasshopper”)

[Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16CL6bKVbJQ&list=PLxTVcub72ptDe-

LrU_xgNXoDRbCKDMQkw&index=2&t=3s

Channel Mum. (2017). MRI Scan Video of Baby Moving in Womb | Channel Mum

[Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0N8JDXk5CY

Danilyuk, P. (n.d.). Woman talking on phone [Video]. Pexels.

https://www.pexels.com/video/woman-talking-on-the-phone-8344229/

Envato Elements. (n.d.) A little girl goes to school through the Park along the path [Video].

Envato Elements.

https://elements.envato.com/a-little-girl-goes-to-school-through-the-park-alon-

AHAPDDV

Envato Elements. Opening laptop and typing on laptop [Video]. (n.d.). Envato Elements.

https://elements.envato.com/opening-laptop-and-typing-on-laptop-M6SUHZ4

Envato Elements. (n.d.). Slow motion of a young happy woman dancing in the summer rain on a road in the forest [Video]. Envato Elements.

https://elements.envato.com/slow-motion-of-a-young-happy-woman-dancing-in-

the--9JZR7LH

Envato Elements. (n.d.). Waterfall [Video].

https://elements.envato.com/waterfall-XFSJGJH

Fisher. (2022). GENTLE HOMEBIRTH *feels good* & surprise gender[Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBC2hZ9jN1A

Frictionless Commerce. (2023). How many ads a day do we see? [Article].

https://frictionless-commerce.com/blog/how-many-ads-do-we-see-in-a-day/#:~:

text=—%20This%20means%20the%20average%20person,ads%20per%20per

son%20per%20day.

Holmer, A. R. (n.d.). James Blake’s My Willing Heart [Video].

Https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2017/03/20/520842585/a-pregnant-natalie-

portman-stars-in-james-blakes-video-for-my-willing-heart

Lantern Festival. (n.d.). The Lights Festival [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuZ-0LaMdag

Miroshnichenko, T. (n.d.). Girl walking with laptop [Video]. Just a moment...

https://www.pexels.com/video/a-woman-walking-outside-holding-a-laptop-and-

coffee-5716913/

Pressmaster. (n.d.). Mother teaching her baby to walk [Video].

https://www.pexels.com/video/a-mother-teaching-her-baby-to-walk-3196464/

Shuraev, Y. (n.d.). Woman walking outdoors [Video]. Pexels .

https://www.pexels.com/video/a-woman-walking-outdoors-5418113/

Shuraev, Y. (n.d.). Woman walking under the water falls. [Video].

https://www.pexels.com/video/woman-walking-under-the-water-falls-4762777/

Spicer, J. (n.d.). David Attenborough [Photograph]. Getty Images.

https://t1.gstatic.com/licensed-image?q=tbn:ANd9GcQjnS7jqmi3ziafwwslB_qfg-

2WRNJ_huEmyqI Gh5EOQj5K2xEiEzwVBtL9FVnK1i05OuRTTW6kjL3poO4

Ultrasound Ireland: Medical, Pregnancy Scans & IVF Fertility Scans. (2015).

40 Weeks In The Womb by Ultrasound Dimensions [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YEyA8e5S5k

EMOTIONAL RECOGNITION EXPERIMENT: VIDEO

Figure 1 Joseph Campbell quote. Note. From Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/128423026866698964/), by J.Campbell. Copyright n.d. by J.Campbell

Media Psychology Theory Research

This term has made me really look at all moving content differently, and definitely more critically.

Is everything made – and if it isn’t, what is the point of it anyway– to illicit a response?

Simply – yes, I think everything is.

From a Magnum commercial trying to get us to buy their ice creams, to a Netflix rom com, aiming to use our human obsession with love to get as many viewers as possible, to Bluey who seeks to entertain and educate preschoolers.

The scale of success is variable, but I think the intent is always there to have us react and respond to what we watch.

Psychology is used intentionally in many ways in the content that we see everyday.

According to Think TV, we watch 51 hours and 14 minutes a month watching television in Australia, or nearly two hours each day (Think TV, 2023).

And that is just TV, on the internet we will see 356 banner ads (Frictionless Commerce) a day too.

That is a lot of time in which to influence us and use our own psychology against us — thanks, Gestalt.

On the upside, it also means that I can use those same techniques to make content too.

Figure 2 Joseph Campbell quote. Note. From Steve Hoffman Music Forums. (https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-power-of-myth-joseph-campbell.710269/), by J.Campbell. Copyright n.d. by J.Campbell.

How is this different to abstract animation?

1. It’s more complex.

In abstract animation, the viewer is essentially applying their own biases to the story they are seeing. In my feedback from last assignment it quickly became clear that a portion of the audience is very literal, seeing triangles move from one shape to another, where others personalised the shapes (or pareidolia) and attached relatable stories to them.

2. Making a connection should (hopefully) be easier.

Using footage of real people and places should make it easier for the viewers to both identify themselves in the story, and follow what is happening. If they see a sad face, then should then feel that the emotion being evoked is sadness or at least on that spectrum. I have perhaps made the task harder for myself, by wanting them to take one more step and to identify themselves in the story... am I working too much, do I need to live more?

3. The options are nearly endless.

Being able to use essentially any tool — sound effects, music, words, video — means I now have free scope to create my test videos, which is both wonderful and overwhelming at the same time. Having less options forces you to drill down into what you really want to do with what you have. While having more options can, if you aren’t careful, leave you simply making unwanted and useless noise.

4. You’re forced, very early on in the process to make key decisions.

I quickly realised as I began this process that editing with live footage is much less forgiving then moving sticks around a screen. I had to decide on my story, the emotion I wanted to evoke, the psychology I wanted to use behind my choices and then — perhaps the hardest task — deliver on all of that in the final edit.

5. The time needed to source good material.

One of the hardest aspects for me, was trying to find video and sound that delivered the story I wanted without it looking like stock. If I am honest, I would keep looking if there was no deadline to be met. I find that typical stock images are so generic that they don’t emote anything — so I spent a lot of time finding, flipping and adapting what I found to work with what I wanted to create.

6. Walking away is harder.

One of the hardest parts when making any content is drawing the line and saying that you are done. I felt less attached to the animation piece because it felt less important to me than this project. I think this is because we make what we like, and for me it felt much more personal because of that. It mattered more to me that it was right.

Figure 3 Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth | Ep. 1: ‘The Hero’s Adventure’ documentary. Note. From YouTube Kino Lorber (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE8ciMkayVM&list=PLiYnNom7SVRMjsi2WSpIGBlo1UDhlXyvz&index=1), by Kino Lorber. Copyright 1988 by PBS.

I ended up a dark and deep rabbit hole exploring Joseph Campbell’s theories.

And, that is likely a understatement.

During my research Joseph Campbell’s concept of a spiritual hero, really struck and stuck with me.

I think in our own way each of us are trying to carve out a path and find a purpose and meaning for our lives. But, in the too-loud world we live in, how do we even begin to do that?

In the documentary series, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth | Ep. 1: The Hero’s Adventure, Joseph Campbell says in essence that everyone is born a primary hero, and that the experience of being born is a transformative experience — where we go from one life (being in the womb) to a new life (of being an infant).

His theory that we are all the hero of our own story, and that we relate this hero story arc to everything around us, including what we watch, rings true for me.

In particular, how we are all seeking to find our ‘sauce’ that will drive us throughout our lives.

Or, as Joseph Campbell says so aptly in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces,

“Follow your bliss.”

My chosen media psychology theory

There are two key concepts by Joseph Campbell that really struck a cord with me.

1. Follow your bliss.

What will we sacrifice to follow our bliss, or will we present ourself as the sacrifice to the rat race... doing what we think that the world expects of us instead of what brings us bliss?

2. What it takes to be a hero (or how to get to this bliss).

Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, from his 1949 book, A Hero has a Thousand Faces, dictates the 10 steps that must be taken to become a true hero.

1. Ordinary World– where we begin.

2. Call to Adventure – the spark of change.

3. Refusal of the Call – we’re scared, we’re not sure.

4. Meeting our Mentor / allies – guidance and help comes.

5. Preparing – mustering our courage and skills.

6. Crossing the Threshold – we take our first step.

7. Road of trials – nothing good comes easy.

8. Ordeal – we have to face our fears / death / transformation.

9. Transformed – by conquering our fears we are remade, better.

10. The Road Back – now that we are changed, so is everything.

11. Resurrection – our last battle must be faced.

12. The Return – wiser, ready share what we have learned.

Humans are a living contradiction.

In first world countries, we seek bliss like pleasure-seeking gluttons. We can have food 24/7, we can stream what we want to watch at will, we consume fashion like we’re perpetually naked and this constant cycle of gratification has become a modern addiction.

In our desire to not feel pain, we have become the ultimate consumers.

On the flip side, our mental and physical health is deteriorating, because we are losing our connections with ourselves and others and are less active from being on screens, both causing us actual pain.

Unless we can, as the hero of our own story, cross the threshold.

I chose Joseph Campbell’s theories, because, I believe the hero’s journey is something we all identify with, because real life can be, a lot of the time, a battle.

And to make life simpler for us to navigate, we all turn people into heroes or anti-heroes, from deciding Putin is pure evil (which, you know, he probably is) to making the Barbie a modern hero who we want to emulate.

Figure 4

Dr Cooper’s Post. Note. From Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/drspringc), by Dr Cooper. Copyright 2023 by Dr Cooper.

Enter the Barbie hero filter you can use on your social media channels.

Perhaps, or course, not as grand as when Darth Vader’s saves Luke in Return of the Jedi, enacting his own road back to redemption.

These hero storylines are not new either, it’s in our oldest stories too.

Case in point, the story of the bible, where Jesus, an orphan, rises up from his poor beginnings through much adversity to sacrifice himself for literally everyone.

Admittedly in real life, our own transformations might not be as earth-shattering, but resigning from a job that is making us miserable to do something that brings us more happiness, still makes us our own hero.

In the end I decided to make the central theme of my piece, paraphrasing Joesph Campbell’s message follow your bliss to — are you following your bliss?

How might you test this theory out on an audience?

I didn’t want to over complicate what I was doing, because adding live footage would already mean that the audience would have their preconceived notions of what things meant — after all, both nature and nurture influences each of us differently in how we see everything in the world.

I wanted my videos to ask the audience to consider as they watch the video — do you

spend it working (Test A) or do you spend it living (Test B)?

After a lot of consideration, I decided the best way to deliver this question was to tell the story of a child who was born into the world, with one choosing work (Test A) and the other choosing life (Test B).

What kind of live-action elements can you use to test the theory?

In order to deliver this key question to the viewers, I have kept the video concepts deliberately simple.

Figure 5 Mary Oliver photograph. Note. From New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/obituaries/mary-oliver-dead.html), by Angel Valentin. Copyright 2019 by Angel Valentin.

I overlaid the video against Mary Oliver’s reading of her poem The Summer’s Day, to have the viewers contemplate their own life experience and choices against it.

To create different emotional effects I both timed and jarred several elements in the video with her words — reinforcing the living of life when Mary Oliver says “she thoroughly washes her face” with the girl washing her face in the waterfall, and then repeating the edit of the endless work cycle when she asks “what will you do with your one precious and wild life?”

I also specifically chose to use a man in Test A when Mary Oliver refers to the character in the poem as a female, to further emphasise the incongruity with an unnatural existence (working like a machine for your life in man-made structures) against Test B, which is not only a female but also one that is completely outside in nature after the character learns to walk.

To communicate the life story effectively I used Joseph Campbell’s hero journey concepts of (1) ordinary world, (2) called to action, (3) refusing the call (4) meeting your mentors, (6) crossing the threshold and (9) being transformed for my videos, to give the viewer clear universal themes to quickly recognise and identify with.

Figure 6 MRI Scan Video of Baby Moving in Womb. Note. From Channel Mum (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0N8JDXk5CY), by Channel Mum. Copyright 2017 by Channel Mum.

Ordinary world (both videos) Both videos begin with the juxtaposition of the ordinary and extraordinary conception. I wanted the viewers to feel optimistic and hopeful at the beginning of the story.

It is the starting point for all our own life journeys, where in Joseph Campbell’s language

we can become our own heroes.

Called to action (both videos)

Arriving into a whole new and confronting place where you have to interact and face challenges, illustrated with the baby being born.

Meeting your mentors (both videos)

Your family, and in particular your parents as the mentor in your life, represented in the videos with the parent teaching and encouraging the child to walk.

Refusing the call (Test A)

Moving straight from going to school, to going to work, and then more work, juxtapositioned against the poem’s natural and life affirming descriptions.

Answering the call (Test B)

Going to nature, paddling down rivers, visiting far-away places and daydreaming in fields, timed to the poem.

Crossing the threshold (both videos)

Test A ‘chooses’ work, the unrelenting slog of this life choice emphasied by the repeating edit of the press-the-button / lift sequence at the end of the video. While Test B ‘chooses’ life, and living through rolling clips of the character outside.

Figure 7 Prayer wheels. Note. From Envato Elements (https://elements.envato.com/spinning-metal-wheels-3BLTHR9). Copyright n.d. by Envato Elements.

Sound effects (both videos)

Continuing to reinforce the opposite themes of work (machine) and life (nature) with sound, I’ve used typing, traffic, and computer sounds in Test A, while waterfalls, birds, and wind feature in Test B.

Colour effects (both videos)

To further drill my concept in, I used black and white for Test A to indicate a life literally without out life, and colour for Test B to highlight the vibrance of fully experiencing life.

Figure 8

Joseph Campbell quote. Note. From Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/2181499806180661/. Copyright n.d. Joseph Campbell.

Media Psychology Theory Hypothesis

My hypothesis based on my media psychology theory.

I believe that my viewers will recognise the stories being told.

Within these stories I think they will see these elements. 1. For A, a child growing up and choosing work. For B, a child growing up and choosing adventure / life. 2. For A, that work takes its toll on us. For B, that exploring and being in nature, gives us a more meaningful life.

3. For A, that you can choose a mechanical existence or for B, a natural one.

4.That life is short, and that work isn’t all there is.

5. Consider how they are spending the time in their own lives.

Explain how you think your audience will react when they watch

your film.

I think that it will make them consider and reflect on their own lives, and the choices they have made so far, and whether their own balance of work and whether their life is one of joy or not (at least most of the time).

Their comments will likely reflect their own choices, internal battles and also a fair bit of projecting their own stories onto the videos as well.

Watching A and then B, will also provide a sharp contrast, similar to the premise of the movie Sliding Doors... to consider for themselves, which one is the better choice, or in the end the better life, not just for the fictional character presented, but for themselves.

How I predict the audience will react.

As with the first assessment, I think that there will be diverse reactions, based on how they feel they are travelling in their own lives with this battle of needing to work to pay bills, but also the need to fully live and be happy.

I think their responses will show connection and sadness on the part of the person in Test A, and then with B, a sense of freedom and an opportunity to question their own choices, and how it might affect their current thinking.

What emotions I am focusing on.

Both videos should illicit strong reactions of reflection, but Test A should bring up feelings of frustration and resentment, while Test B should make viewers feel joy and perhaps even vindicated in choosing their own life over work, on taking holidays and spending time with their families and in nature.

In summary the key emotions that should come up are:

1. Hope

2. Sadness

3. Frustration

4. Resentment

5. Envy

6. Joy

7. Inspired

How I hope to elicit an emotional response through my

live-action editing.

Though both videos start essentially the same, they have been edited towards different outcomes.

I think the editing of Test A, with the mechanical / unnatural sounds of machines, the monochrome colouring, the young boy turning into a worker in the rat race, will all bring about feelings of being trapped and brought down by societal expectations.

Test B on the other hand, with colour, sounds of nature and a free ‘hero’ allowed to do what brings her joy, will bring about feelings of happiness, envy, and of wanting to do the same, and escape work and to follow your own bliss.

Test A

Test B

Presentation Video

References

Beacon Press. (2012). Mary Oliver reads “The Summer Day” (aka “The Grasshopper”) [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16CL6bKVbJQ&list=PLxTVcub72ptDe-

LrU_xgNXoDRbCKDMQkw&index=2&t=3s

Campbell, J. (2018, October 9). Follow your bliss | Words, inspirational words, inspirational

quotes. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/2181499806180661/

Campbell, J. (n.d.). The power of myth, Joseph Campbell. Steve Hoffman Music

Forums.

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-power-of-myth-joseph-camp

bell.710269/

Campbell, J. (n.d.). Quote, Joseph Campbell. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/128423026866698964/

Channel Mum. (2017). MRI Scan Video of Baby Moving in Womb | Channel Mum

[Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0N8JDXk5CY

Cooper, S. [@springasaurs]. (2023, April 9). Facebook [Image]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/drspringc

CTV News. (2023, April 27). Trump, in New Hampshire speech, turns focus to Biden rematch.

CTVNews.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/trump-in-new-hampshire-speech-turns-focus-to-biden-

rematch-1.6374762

Envato Elements. (n.d.). Beautiful woman laying on grass in a Park [Video].

https://elements.envato.com/beautiful-woman-laying-on-grass-in-a-park-SCQK

MAN

Envato Elements. (n.d.). Body fall on grass [Video].

https://elements.envato.com/body-fall-on-grass-KBR9P5T

Envato Elements. (n.d.). Caucasian man working at night [Video].

https://elements.envato.com/caucasian-man-working-at-night-2WJTT2K

Envato Elements. (n.d.). Charming toddler is walking in Autumn forest, running over dry

foliage and having fun, picturesque [Vid

https://elements.envato.com/charming-toddler-is-walking-in-autumn-forest-runni-

2LW6A6D

Envato Elements. (n.d.). Crowd crosswalk side view [Video].

https://elements.envato.com/crowd-crosswalk-side-view-X3H5YGE

Envato Elements. (n.d.). Crowd of people on street of city. Pedestrians. world’s

population [Video].

https://elements.envato.com/crowd-of-people-on-street-of-city-pedestrians-worl-

PER9Y83

Envato Elements. (n.d.). Digital clock radio alarm [Sound Effect].

https://elements.envato.com/digital-clock-radio-alarm-6J2RPH3

Envato Elements. (n.d.). Elevator ride ambience [Sound Effect].

https://elements.envato.com/elevator-ride-ambience-HWTRE4B

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Audience Reaction Analysis: Animation

It has been a really fascinating task, sourcing the people to do the survey and then using the data to make better choices.

Your Participant Recruitment Statement

In the end, because I was using Facebook, WhatsApp and my yoga mailing list to do the call out, I decided to keep my statement casual and to the point.

I have a big favour to ask, it will take five minutes max. Think of it as a birthday present!

I would love to get LOTS of you involved.

Your Participation Request Communication

I decided to keep my request simple so kept the instructions as short as possible.

Can you please watch Test A and then do survey A, and then watch Test B and then do survey B. Animations are about 30 seconds each.

There are no wrong answers – really – it is for a uni assignment and you'll also get an insight into the way that I think.

Details of Your Survey Data

I followed the survey instructions to the letter.

Test A

Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3BHWPKP

Test B

Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VBLH8Q2

Details of Your Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses

My main focus was to get as many participants as I could so that I would have as much data as possible to make the best key findings I could. In the end I had 46 participants for Test A and 41 for Test B.

Attrition of numbers was also visible in the tests, with some answers being skipped, but interestingly, sporadically.

I also had feedback from two participants who struggled with technology.

Quantitative

The breakdown of the numbers, really helped to clarify for me that what I see, and, more importantly what people do see can be wildly different.

Test A

The majority or 46.67% believed that the animation told a story.

60.87% of the group said that the animation was interesting to watch.

This answer showed that that most weren't sure (45.65%), neither agreeing or disagreeing –with another large group or 30.43% saying that no, it didn't.

This is almost a perfect third across the board, meaning to me, that animation didn't succeed in evoking any emotion.

Quite a strong response to this answer, an almost exact split between evoking the feeling of anticipation and calm.

Test B

The answer here is stronger than in Test A, with 56% believing that the animation does tell a story.

A reasonable response for Test B, coming in at 51.22%

This one shows that though the group agrees mostly there was a story being told, they don't know what it's message actually is.

Looking at these results, I feel like I could have done more to evoke emotion in the story. I was so focused on the story that I didn't put enough thought into what I wanted to make the audience feel beyond the connection of a mother and child or partner and their spouse.

Another result showing that by not focusing on more than a connection, I missed an opportunity to have the audience feel something.

Qualitative

For me, these answers were the most useful in reflecting on how to better plan content and on what I should consider when making it.

I really enjoyed reading the answers that came through even though a lot were unsure about what was actually happening in the animations.

Test A

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. "The little dots and big dots are joined and they move out from their pod and the little dots go off to form a new shape together, and it feels like a happy story."

2. "Dots go along a series of lines and become ‘trapped’ and organised in a triangle."

3. "Too long to explain, but there are dots moving around and then something that looks like a laptop in front of them, which then turns out not to be a laptop."

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. "The child has grown up and left the home and disappeared. the parent goes back to the home."

2. "A parent letting go of a child into a new environment eg. going to school."

3. "Some choose to stay in their old habitat, some have a more pioneering spirit."

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. "It's ok to let go - everyone does it and that's how they grow/evolve."

2. "Shows what happens to the dots."

3. "Show a normal day."

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1."I knew what the objective was."

2."Some more excitment on getting together."

3."The two sides worked together more."

On the whole, there were glimmers of understanding in the confusion. A parent, school and child was identified, the viewers largely saw that the dots were moving toward something. There was also a small emotive response from half the group, who felt that there was a journey taking place.

Test B

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. "The dots escape the structure of the left but then enclosed again. The jiggling suggests that the dots do not object to the capture."

2. "Seems like it’s very unified and regimented - kids leaving home and being ‘drilled’ in some uniform structured way."

3. "Some dots leave their homes and enter a square where they end up being all together."

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. "Repetitiveness of daily life."

2. "The romance has ended and the circle has gone to a new home and had kids."

3. "Moving in a new environment and being treated equally."

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. "To evidence that as humans we seek to find meaning in everything."

2. "Describes daily life."

3. "Exploring themes around imprisonment and control."

Here are a few selected responses from this section:

1. "Sounds and words to support meaning."

2. "If the graph contained words describing what symbols represent."

3. "Captions. Or music for evoking emotion."

The part that was most interesting for me here, is how some of the viewers interweaved the Test A story with the Test B story. There is still though lots of confusion and not a clear understanding of what is happening in the animation.

Your Key Findings

I've had a lot of learnings from this task, among them and likely the most important for me, is that just because I think other's will understand does not mean that they will.

1. Viewers want the story to make sense – and by that I mean they want a beginning, middle and end, which I didn't give them.

2. Watching two videos together, one after another makes viewers link them together as two halves of one whole. So quite a few thought that the kids had grown up in the second clip.

3. If you don't give viewers a story, they will make up their own – case in point, the viewers who decided that they were creating Pink Floyd's album cover.

4. Similarity and size – do make people believe that (a) objects are related and (b) one is an adult / parent.

5. Knowing the emotive response you want is important at the outset, and key to plan for. I did not think about this enough in my first video other than to have the mother and kids / or the couple close together (proximity) to indicate a relationship.

Your Comparative Report

So how did I go in the end?

Let's look at what I hoped that the viewers would see:

1. There is a house / home – the later implies, at least for me, a place of comfort of safety.

2. In the house there are two subjects that have a relationship.

3. There is a commute to a second place.

4. Note that there is a secondary building / structure.

5. Notice there is a subject in charge at the second structure.

On the whole, I would say I had a reasonable success rate, with a large proportion of the qualitative data showing that they saw some of the story I had planned for Test A. Unfortunately Test B was not as successful with viewers struggling to identify the story and characters.

Let's break it down further, by each point:

1. A large proportion of the group recognised that there was a place, and some even called a home.

2. About half the group named the parent and child, but no one saw the couple when I made the sizes the same and the shapes different.

3. In this, I succeeded, nearly all of the viewers identified movement from one place or structure to the next.

4. Again, here, about 75% of the group saw the second structure as separate from the first.

5. About 15% of the group noticed their was a subject in charge at the second place, none identified a teacher or boss, but one said that it looked like a leader was emerging.

In end, I have learned that I have a lot still left to learn, and that planning what you want someone to feel and takeaway from what you make is far more important than I ever thought before.

Did I do well?

I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, but I did learn a lot. I definitely want to plan more and especially consider how I want to make people feel. Though the participants had some idea of what I was trying to do, it didn’t make them feel something, and at the end of the day that is something that I want to do.

In remaking the video, I wanted to have more of a sense of conclusion, have the parent linger at the gate, then return to collect the child and bring them home.

Revised Animation (C)

Presentation Video