Steven Spielberg likes to be alone when he previews the movies people have made for him. "So I was pacing up and down the corridor," says "American Beauty" director Sam Mendes. "And finally I got word, Steven's finished the movie."
"I went in and he stood up, he had tears in his eyes and he said 'You've made a classic movie.' "
If it were only Steven Spielberg you had to show your film to, it'd be nerve-wracking enough. But not a major film goes by that isn't also shown to test audiences. "You've gotta do it," complains Terry Gilliam.
Test screenings used to be secret. Now market researchers approach people in supermarkets who fit certain criteria, such as being a teenager if the film is aimed at that age group. Anyone selected is invited to a free screening of a film.
Often you are never told what the film is to be - or at least, if you are, it's a lie. Journalist Paula Parisi reports that audiences expecting to see "Great Expectations", for instance, got "Titanic" instead. "The lights went down in the theatre and the Fox logo appeared... A giant ship filled the screen... A roar filled the theatre."
Typically, before the film starts, you're welcomed, thanked, and briefed. You'll be told that the film isn't finished, for instance: the "Titanic" test print ran ten minutes longer than the final cut, and "The Art of War" is just one of many films made with two endings.
Then you get the film - and the true test. Everyone has an extremely detailed and carefully worked out questionnaire to complete. It's based on one standard questionnaire but the studio and the director may have added or altered specific questions to elicit what they want to find out, for example, 'Is the plot confusing?'
A sample of the audience, perhaps 20 people, will also be asked to stay behind for a discussion where more questions are put to them for a show of hands.
At every stage, what the studio is looking for is whether the film works and whether enough people like it. If they do, great. If not, there's trouble and it may be that the film will be drastically altered.
Go to Factory Line - Part 7 sidebar: Do They Hate the Film We've Made?
Got to Factory Line Part 8: Coping With Your Test Scores
Go to Factory Line - Part 6: You've Done the Filming, Now Do the Work
Factory Line Introduction
Factory Line Glossary
Sources:
"Look Closer: the making of American Beauty", "American Beauty" DVD - The Awards Edition, Universal (Region 1), 2000
"Future Noir: the Making of Blade Runner", Paul M Sammon, Orion Media, 1996, ISBN 0-75280-740-4
"Five Screenplays", William Goldman, Applause Books, 1997, ISBN 1-55783-266-8
"Men in Black" DVD, Barry Sonnenfeld director's commentary, Columbia TriStar Home Video, 2000
"The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys" documentary, "Twelve Monkeys" DVD, Universal Pictures Video, 1999.
