Audience Expectations

Recently, I asked members of my target audience what they expect or would like to have included in my short film, 'Halfbreed'. I asked them the following questions:

- Would you expect a female villain in a fantasy genre short film?

- What do you stereotypically think of about a fantasy villain?

- What would you expect from the hero of a fantasy film?

- Would expect the film to have an anti-hero?

- Does it concern you that I am not planning on using elements of magic in my short film?

Would you expect a female villain in a fantasy genre short film?
In regards to the results of this question I got an answer which was 50/50. Half of the members of my target audience answered that they did not expect to see a female villain in a fantasy film, although one stated that even though they did not expect to see a female villain in a fantasy film it is a new concept that is used in modern day films and it would be an interesting addition to a fantasy film. On the other side, some mentioned that female villains are already part of the fantasy film culture such as the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz and the White Queen (aka Jadis) in the Chronicles of Narnia. Another mentioned that female villains or dark characters are definitely part of fantasy films, mentioning that evil queens and strict female rulers are in many fantasy films. However, they did later mention that most female villains use their sex to do it or to get away with it, such as the Red Woman from the HBO television series Game of Thrones.

What do you stereotypically think of about a fantasy villain?
In regards to a stereotypical fantasy villain many of the answers were very similar. My target audience told me that they would expect an evil wizard, a demon, or an evil orc king (alike to Sauron/Mairon in Lord of the Rings) that wants to rule them all. One stated that she expected a villains with a "really dark, painful or cruel backstory" and another just plainly stated that the villain would be "green" - whether that's in reference to their ruling ability or the fact that they might actually be green. Interestingly it was also mentioned by another that to stereotypically expect something from a fantasy villain depends on their gender. She stated that normally a female villain is regarded as "sexy" and usually uses weapons such as poisons such as the Seele Queen in The Mortal Instruments. However, when she compared it to a male villain she stated that he would be an "evil psychopath" usually with a "master plan and the belief that he infallible".

What would you expect from the hero of a fantasy film?
Again the answers were pretty predictable for a fantasy hero. Some suggest a prince or connection to royalty who makes wrong decisions and learns from his mistakes or a nobody, someone who's pretty useless who happens to stumbled into an adventure (Frodo from Lord of the Rings for instance). But one of my target audience also went very deep into this answer, stating that she expected a white male hero aged between 15 and 30 who uses his authority of being a white male to overcome a "creepy psychopath" before the hero defeats villains and rides valiantly away, or is rewarded by the woman.

Would you expect the film to have an anti-hero?
Similar to the first question I asked my target audience, this question got a 50/50 response. Half answered that they would not expect an anti-hero in a fantasy film but were "willing to see a film with one" and another said that "it would be different". Others were more borderline saying that they might expect to see an anti-hero in films with it becoming a more interesting aspect of modern films such as Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy. Whilst others clearly stated that if there was an anti-hero in the film then that person would have the role as the traitor or a deus ex machina. 

Does it concern you that I am not planning on using elements of magic in my short film?
One of my target audience answered this question in stating that they were "not entirely" concerned that the film would not contain elements of magic. They stated that they liked how the film will be in the fantasy genre and that it "doesn't have the full magical element" which normally overpowers films whilst another stated that magic was implied by using the nymphs as they are mythical creatures. The rest of my target audience answered that not using elements of magic did not concern them at all, with one stating that "not all fantasy is about magic".