Peer Pitch & Concept Refinement Chart

 When I presented the pitch for my film, I received a lot of constructive criticism from my peers that I considered when altering my plot. I was very unprepared when I presented because I did not think about the plot in a very detailed manner, I was mostly focusing on what the introduction would be because that what would be turned in. Some of the feedback received was on who the killer should be in my comedy/horror film, many people thought it would be shocking if the most beloved character was the culprit. I have altered the plot to conform to this feedback. My new killer is not what is expected, it is the class clown and universal friend to the whole group.  

Making the most beloved character the antagonist would make the viewers feel betrayed in a sense, which would trigger a sort of sadness aspect which is very popular in the film industry. Drama and sadness in a film tend to be most remembered because it triggers empathy in the viewer are and causes the audience to dwell on the film and create a lasting impression, therefore leaving the viewers thinking about the film longer after its end. The science and media phycology behind viewers' attention span and entertainment, “suggests that in addition to viewing films for purposes of pleasure, individuals view films for purposes of experiencing meaning. The experience of eudemonic feelings of appreciation is not conceptualized as being opposite to that of hedonic pleasure, but rather as representing an additional dimension of cinematic experience.”, (Oliver & Hartman, “Exploring the role of meaningful experiences in users’ appreciation of “good movies”.). This “experiencing meaning” comes from the sad aspects of film that help the viewers cope with similar aspects in their life. This article supports my concept because I have added these necessary plot points in my film that “trigger empathy” and that the viewer will appreciate.  

My genre ‘comedy/horror’ has a very high percentile for popularity in all age groups. In Horror the percentage of popular genre for ages 18-44 ranges from 68%-66%, whereas comedy ranges from 91%-87% in ages from 18 to ages of 65 and over, (“Most popular movie genres among adults in the United States as of December 2018, by age group). The reason being as to why horror is ranked significantly lower is because people do not like pure horror because it evokes stress, for the viewer when the purpose of film is to entertain, relax, and escape for daily normatives. This will not be as much of an issue because my film is horror but not stress full because of the comedic relief that is brought along throughout the movie. A film that is similar to my movie genre concept its Stephen Kings movie adaptation ‘It: Chapter 2’ was ranked #23 in 2019 for Electronic Sell Through, (‘2019 Theme Report’). When these films are done right, they are very successful in the box office.