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Test screenings are a pivotal part of the filmmaking process. They involve showing an unfinished version of a film to a selected audience with the purpose of gathering feedback before the movie’s final cut and public release. Filmmakers use this feedback to make improvements.
Jun 14, 2022 · The idea of a test screening is to get some fresh eyeballs on the project and ask for input from a select group of people who aren’t as emotionally attached to the film as I am. In this article, I wanted to share how I’ve used test screenings so far during my career and how they’ve helped me eventually create better results. Table of ...
Learn how to use test screenings and focus groups to get feedback and improve your film. Find out how to select participants, prepare questions, conduct screenings, analyze data, and make changes.
Jul 6, 2015 · The test screening is a preview into whether the market for the new "business" exists, whether they will flock to it and if they won't, what can be changed, added or deleted to make them come. Before the movie is made, marketers rely on past releases to predict how a film with certain elements similar to a past film (story, director, star ...
- Give Context and Set Expectations
- Specific Feedback Over General
- Try Different Online Test Screenings
- Take Notes Throughout
- Let People Be Honest
Now let’s dive into some actual tricks for handling your test audience screenings. First and foremost, while it might be fun to just have friends over and show them a film, if you really want to get feedback and data from them to help inform your editing decisions, then you need to provide context and set expectations. This means being clear before...
From there, the name of the game is specific. Trust me, no one benefits from broad statements or wide-ranging feedback. For example, “I thought it felt uneven and too loud at times,” is really hard to work with. However, “I thought the scene where we introduce our protagonist felt forced,” and “the sound effects were too loud in the train scene,” a...
While hosting an in-person test screening of your film might always be ideal for receiving real-time and direct feedback about a project, there are of course many instances where IRL screenings aren’t an option. However, thanks to the wonders of online video, there are plenty of virtual test screening options available to you. Many of them can actu...
In all honesty, using an online screening app that allows for real-time time-stamped notes might be as good as it gets for receiving hyper-specific feedback that you can actually use. If you’re in a situation where you can’t receive these timestamp-specific notes (like in an IRL group screening, for example), you should definitely encourage viewers...
Finally, regardless of your screening format, your number one goal for any test screening or review process is to let people be honest. Sure, it feels great to get encouragement and glowing feedback, but ultimately that’s not what’s going to help you and your project. No one wants negativity, but if you can open yourself up to hearing (sometimes ha...
Jul 6, 2017 · Six Tips for a Successful Test Screening. An editor spends a lot of time staring at an edit. At some point, the beats merge together, the dialogue drones on, and jokes that you once laughed at loudly fall flat. At around 3-5 weeks into an edit, you start losing perspective on the work. Questions arise.
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Jul 13, 2015 · A test screening is a preview screening of a film or television show before its general release in order to gauge audience reaction. Preview audiences are selected from a cross-section of the ...