Here's what I'd like to know :

FILM QUESTIONNAIRE

This should take you about 10 minutes to fill in. Thank you for your time and your patience

rayperrez@hotmail.com

1)      How often do you go to see a movie ?

Twice a month   or more
Once every 2-3 months
Once a month
Less often (roughly how often?)

 

2) What are your favourite types of films ? ie. thrillers, comedies, war films, westerns, science fiction, horror, fantasy, melodrama, action, adventure, blockbusters, "arty" films, foreign films, etc. 

Your answer :

 

3) Do you watch videos more often than you go to the movies ?

Yes          No

 

4) This questionnaire concerns mostly science fiction films :

a) Which are your  favourite science fiction movies (no more than 5) ? 
b) Can you give the main reasons why you liked each of those  films ? (you can use the following list as a guide, or add your own reasons)
The story, The look, The characters, The ideology,
The action sequences, The thrills you get (WOW !), The way the unfamiliar is made to look real, The humour, The film made you think, The entertainment value, The special effects, The way the film reflects real issues, The strangeness or alienness, Scientific realism, The sense of wonder  , Technological gadgetry, The actor(s)

Your answers :                                   Any other reason (please specify)

Film  why you liked it

 

5) Similarly, what makes a science fiction film a BAD science fiction film ?

Can you name some ?

 

6) Do you watch SF shows  on TV (Star Trek, Farscape, Deep Space 9, etc) ?

Yes          No

 

7) When the term "science fiction" is mentioned, what are the first words, or even names,  that come to you, and that best seem to describe this kind of films ? 

 

8) What kind of stories do you prefer ? Only tick the ones that really are your favourites (no more than 3 or 4). You prefer stories with / about :

Space adventures Alien contact (good aliens) Monsters / creatures
Apocalypse/disaster (Armageddon) Time travel Post-apocalypse (Mad Max, etc)
Virtual reality Robots, cyborgs, androids Alien invasion
Society in the future Superbeings (Batman, Superman, etc)
Other (please say which below)

 

9) To what extent can SF films genuinely reflect the following concerns and beliefs in the real world :

To a great
extent
To some
extent
Marginally Not at all
Beliefs in :
UFOs
The paranormal
Fears concerning technology
Concerns relating to :
a totalitarian society
social inequalities
people's loss of power over their lives
loss of meaning in people's lives
loss of identity, of a sense of self
Other (please specify) : 

 

10) Do you think SF films portray the following in a mostly optimistic, or pessimistic way :

mostly optimistic mostly pessimistic
Technology
Society
Big business
Government

 

11) Can you think of any SF films which have made you think ?

Some       None

 

12) If so, can you name 2 or 3 ?

 

13) Do you think SF films can influence the way people see the world ?

Yes          No          Perhaps

 

14) Have some SF films influenced your world view ?

Yes          No

 

15) Which one(s), and in what way ?

 

16) Do you agree that the late 20th century has seen the decline of traditional values :

yes no don’t
know
spiritual
religious
political
family
other

 

17) What is your reaction to this ?

 

18) Why, in your opinion, are SF films that portray aliens and/or paranormal activity so popular ?

 

19) Have you been  watching "X Files" on TV ?

Often          Sometimes          Never

 

20) Do you prefer "X Files" episodes that deal with :

The Extra-Terrestrial conspiracy
Weird stories involving the paranormal, the supernatural, etc ?
All types of stories

 

21) Could you comment on this message, which appears on a poster behind agent Mulder's desk : "I want to believe" :

 

22) Do you see a connection between productions like "X Files", or Independence Day (and other films like it), and the fact that many people believe in UFOs, alien abduction, and the paranormal ?

Yes          No          Not sure

 

23) If you answered Yes, what in your eyes is the nature of this connection ?

 

24) Do you believe in UFOs ?

Yes          No          Not sure

 

25) When, and in what circumstances, did this belief take shape ?
(Was it perhaps through a TV show, or a movie, or several movies you've seen, or a book you've read, or talking with other people, or because you've seen a UFO, or another influence ?)

 

26) If you believe in UFOs :

a) Do you think UFOs are spaceships from another planet ?
Yes          No          Not sure

b) Do you think the authorities are trying to cover up the whole thing ?
Yes          No          Not sure

c) Do you think E.T.s come with peaceful intentions ?
Yes          No          Not sure

d) Do you believe they abduct people ?
Yes          No          Not sure

e) If they do, how do you explain this ?

f) If you answered ‘No’ to question ‘a’ above, do you have any other explanation for UFOs ?

 

27) Do you think there are other life forms in the universe ?

Yes          No          Not sure

 

28) Do you believe in paranormal activity ?

Yes          No          Not sure

Could you expand on this ?

 

29) In your eyes, what does the term "paranormal" refer to ? You may tick more than 1 box.

Extra-Sensory Perception, ie. telekinesis, telepathy, etc
The ability to foresee the future
Communication with spirits
Supernatural phenomena

 

30) Do you think "paranormal phenomena" are NATURAL phenomena that the current state of scientific knowledge makes it impossible to explain as yet ?

Yes          No 

Or are they unnatural, or supernatural phenomena ?

Yes          No 

 

Finally, could you give me some information about yourself. You can rest assured that this is strictly confidential, for my eyes only. And thank you very much for taking the time and trouble of filling in this questionnaire. Or, should I say, "merci" !

Age  -  Sex  -   Marital Status

Nationality  -  Any children ?

 Education (ie : qualifications obtained)

Main subjects

Current occupation

World view : are you rather optimistic, or rather pessimistic about the future ?

You may expand on this last question if you feel like it

Are you religious ?             Yes            No

What is your religion ?

Are you politically motivated ?             Yes            No

Are you :            Conservative   -   Middle-of-the-road   -   Liberal

If you have any comments about this questionnaire, or anything which you would like to say about science fiction films in general, feel free to do so :

 Would you be willing to be interviewed about your answers ? (This would either be over the phone, or preferably via an exchange of e-mails). If you would, please indicate you phone number and/or e-mail address, as well as your 1st name below :

  First name :

Telephone number :

E-mail address :

Thanks a lot for taking the time to fill this in. If you wish I'll get in touch after getting your reply so that we can discuss the points you have made in it. I will of course make results available on my website as soon as possible - it will depend on the time it takes to get a sufficient number of replies and sort out the answers given.

Raymond

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I'm the one on the right. As you can see another of my hobbies is playing music.
To find out about my band, click Here