Successful Rough Cut Screening, Part 2

Welcome to this second round of tips for holding a successful rough cut screening. If you missed it, read Part 1 here: Successful Rough Cut Screening, Part 1  Imagine…your test audience has just watched your rough cut. You have someone other than yourself taking notes so you can stay present. Another helper immediately hands out the questionnaires and pens.

Quickly stand in front of your group, quietly thank them for their attention, and ask them to take 15-20 minutes to give their feedback on the questionnaires. Explain that this is an introspective time and that there will be a group discussion afterwards. If they need to use the restrooms, that’s fine. Keep your announcement brief. Your audience needs to hear their own thoughts, not yours.

Then, throw out an opening question to get things started such as, “What did you guys think of the film?” Now sit back and listen. If you are a first-time filmmaker, listening may be the hardest part of the evening for you. Your instinct will be, understandably, to explain your reasons for doing things, explain the stories behind certain scenes, and most deadly of all, explain what something means (and why your confused viewer shouldn’t be confused).

To help you curb that tendency to justify your rough cut, keep in mind the following key observations. First, if your viewer is confused or if they didn’t like something, they are right. You can’t argue with someone’s taste or lack of understanding.

Say “thank you” and ask for clarification if you’re confused by their comment, and then shut up. Let your notetaker take notes.

Also realize that your test audiences are usually right about what’s not working in the film. But they are rarely right about how to fix it, according to Jon Else, a veteran PBS producer.

So graciously accept their feedback (this is valuable information) and know that later you and your expert post-production team will tackle solving the editorial problems. Don’t take viewers’ fix-it advice too seriously unless your viewers are seasoned filmmaking professionals. But do pay attention to any problem that’s mentioned more than once.

Allow 20-40 minutes for discussion. Half way through announce how much time is left and ask to hear from people who haven’t spoken, especially if a few people have been dominating the discussion.

In that case, thank them and then change the subject. For example, “I’d really like to know what people thought about the pacing. Did the film move along at a good pace? Were there times where you felt bored? If you haven’t spoken yet, I’d love to hear your thoughts.”

After the Guests Leave

No doubt you’re anxious to read viewers’ first impressions but if you can’t find the privacy to do this, then wait until you get home.

Remember as you head into this exciting and vulnerable moment, your viewers are going to stress what’s not working and you as a human being are likely to focus 90% of your attention on the negative comments. Therefore, I suggest reading your questionnaires with a grain of salt and every time someone says something good about your film, read it twice, feel it, circle it, let it sink in, congratulate yourself and then move on.

The purpose of this initial reading is to get an overall sense of the reaction to your film and satisfy your insane curiosity. It’s important to limit the evening’s reading to that. It’s been a long day, likely full of emotional ups and downs.

Bottom line: this is not the time to start solving problems.  Your job is to get a general impression of the state of your film. Tomorrow you will focus on troubleshooting structural issues.