TUWOPS - Test Screening Results!

So let me set the tone for the screening first and foremost. It was a shitty night. It was cold. It was raining. We started late. In fact you might think that part of it was a social experiment to try to get people in the foulest possible mood before screening the film.

We held the screening at the University of Toronto in, what I believe to be, a classrooms/screening room. Holds several dozen seats and has a projector (of questionable quality). I gave a little introduction, explained the status of where the film is at and then let everyone know that a questionnaire needed to be filled out afterwards.

So here’s the details. Our audience was made up of 51% females and 49% males. In terms of age groups 6% were 12-24, 63% were 25-39, and 31% were 40-60.

The questionnaire was two pages and had some generic and some more specific questions. Obviously there’s no point in relating the specific information here since it will spoil moments of the film, so I’ll just give you some of the highlights.

The big question, of course, was how do people base their enjoyment of the film on a scale of one to ten – ten being the highest. Without boring you with all the numbers, I can tell you that the average over-all was a score of 8 out of 10. On top of that, when asked if they could see themselves recommending our film to friends or family 88% said ‘yes’, 12% said ‘maybe’ and absolutely no one said ‘no’. This, combined with the enjoyment rating, is a success to me. A film like ours is going to live or die based on strong word of mouth. We couldn’t have asked for more encouraging results. This isn’t to say that there weren’t some constructive criticisms that we’ll be addressing, there were, but by and large any issues that came up are fixable. As a director who also edits his own stuff I can’t say how crucial it was to me to have this screening. The biggest thank you to all that came out on a cold, rainy night. You guys rock!

I’ll leave you with some of my favorite comments from the feedback forms:
“I have friends who could relate to the characters, the movie wasn’t predictable, and it had a great ending. It’s hard to find a good ending.”
“It was intelligent, witty, funny, and moving. A great story. Everything you want in a rom-com”
“The intimacy was effective in conveying discomfort and a sense of dread. It affected me deeply.”
“I thought it was a unique way to present the idea of love and relationships as the film pointed to ideas and situations which felt more real that the typical "romantic comedy".”
“Everyone can relate to this movie in one aspect or another. Its intellectual without pontificating, and it’s not dumbed down – it was entertaining and funny. Also comforting to know that we’re not alone.”
“It was funny yet serious/dramatic. It was a great portrayal of life and relationships and dared to ask questions and explore ideas that most people tend to avoid.”
“Well written, well acted, funny, solid story, relevant, creative, different, and meaningful.”