We asked a class of 22 students aged 16-17 how they used
film. We asked various questions to find out. The first question we asked was how often they went to the
cinema in a year. 3 people answered that they went 0-5 times. 8 people answered
5-10 times. And the remaining 11 answered 10+. The main reasons I think the majority of
people went 10+ times was because young people use the cinema as a social
place, they may choose to go there for a number of reasons. For example just to
do something with a friend, they may also be interested in the film and go
specifically to see it.
We also asked whether they buy popcorn and drinks at the
cinema. Only 5 said yes and 18 said no. most likely reason for this is due to
the cost. Not everyone can afford to buy the overpriced food/drinks available. This
is especially relevant to the age group this survey was aimed at as many still don’t
have jobs and those who do are only part-time and unable to afford many
luxuries.
We also discovered that the majority of people watch Hollywood
films, rather than independent and they are more likely to watch films online
than DVD. More people tend to opt for Hollywood films rather than independent because
they are stereotypically more exciting, and is a topic to discuss within social
groups. They also tend to be better advertised and people are drawn to them if
they have well-known actors or directors, which the majority do.
59% of the class admitted to downloading/streaming films
illegally. This is also because of cost, if they can’t afford to purchase the
film legally many will just download them illegally, not helped by the fact it’s
made easy to do.
100% said that they were influenced by posters, trailers, TV
spots and interviews. A few were also influenced by film ratings and reviews. It
is usual for people to be influenced by the media, as its aim is to do so, by
capturing the audience’s interest and making it seem interesting and worthwhile
to spend their money on.
None of the participants involved in the survey post their
own films on the internet. Although no one in this particular survey posts
their own films, many young aspiring directors post their personal films on
websites such as You Tube. 