#9 - Audience Testing with Stephen Hornyak - Pt 1
Episode
50 min
Read time
2 min
Topics
Productivity, Marketing, Product & Tech Trends
AI-Generated Summary
Key Takeaways
- ✓Testing methodology: Studios recruit 300 demographically representative viewers, then select 20 for focus groups to identify story problems before expensive reshoots. This process shaped Get Out's ending when audiences rejected the original prison conclusion, prompting Jordan Peele to rewrite it.
- ✓High concept premises: Successful pitches distill to compelling questions audiences debate immediately, like Indecent Proposal's core dilemma about accepting money for infidelity. This water cooler test drives both greenlight decisions and marketing effectiveness across all audience touchpoints before production begins.
- ✓Script testing alternative: Screen Engine ASI now conducts dial tests with 48 people watching live actor readings of screenplays, tracking real-time engagement via electronic dials. One test saved filmmakers from shooting an unsatisfying ending about holding a baby, replacing it with a restaurant scene audiences preferred.
- ✓Green Book precedent: The film scored 100 out of 100, a perfect score achieved only twice in 30 years of testing. This rare result confirmed broad audience appeal and guided marketing spend toward upscale NPR listeners who matched the demographic profile of enthusiastic test viewers.
What It Covers
Steven Hornyak, who moderated focus groups on over 400 films including Deadpool and Spider-Verse, explains how Hollywood uses audience testing with 300-person screenings to shape films, marketing strategies, and prevent costly mistakes before release.
Key Questions Answered
- •Testing methodology: Studios recruit 300 demographically representative viewers, then select 20 for focus groups to identify story problems before expensive reshoots. This process shaped Get Out's ending when audiences rejected the original prison conclusion, prompting Jordan Peele to rewrite it.
- •High concept premises: Successful pitches distill to compelling questions audiences debate immediately, like Indecent Proposal's core dilemma about accepting money for infidelity. This water cooler test drives both greenlight decisions and marketing effectiveness across all audience touchpoints before production begins.
- •Script testing alternative: Screen Engine ASI now conducts dial tests with 48 people watching live actor readings of screenplays, tracking real-time engagement via electronic dials. One test saved filmmakers from shooting an unsatisfying ending about holding a baby, replacing it with a restaurant scene audiences preferred.
- •Green Book precedent: The film scored 100 out of 100, a perfect score achieved only twice in 30 years of testing. This rare result confirmed broad audience appeal and guided marketing spend toward upscale NPR listeners who matched the demographic profile of enthusiastic test viewers.
Notable Moment
When Sylvester Stallone appeared before a Creed focus group, participants became so starstruck they stopped providing honest feedback, demonstrating why filmmakers and stars must remain hidden during testing to preserve authentic audience responses that drive meaningful story improvements.
Episode Transcript
The holidays mean more travel, more shopping, more time online, and more personal info in more places that could expose you more to identity theft. But LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second. If your identity is stolen, our US based restoration specialists will fix it guaranteed or your money back. Don't face drained accounts, fraudulent loans, or financial losses alone. Get more holiday fun and less holiday worry with LifeLock. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com/podcast. Terms apply. You can find and subscribe to the premium episodes of this podcast @pitch.supportingcast.fm. This week's premium episode features Liana Ashton's feature script, The Nightingale Inn, and a Noel Jackson's feature script, Rainfall. Make sure to check that out. Hi, and welcome to another episode of Pitch, connecting storytellers with the world. Today, we have a very special guest with us, Steven Horniak, and I'm going to read this very impressive bio that he gave to me. So Steven has worked in the movie business for over twenty five years as an actor, writer, and producer. On television, Steve has guest starred on many shows including one of our favorites that we talked about, the x files. Yes. The The X Files. Southland scandal, Boston legal, the shield, and the practice. Recently produced movies include twisted twin and deadly reunion for Lifetime television, as well as a Hallmark movie entitled Five Star Christmas, as well as the horror thriller film, It Crawls Beneath, which I saw, which we saw. Oh, yeah. So Steve has worked in movie and television research for over ten years and has moderated focus groups on over 400 films including Deadpool one and two, Red Sparrow, Assassination Nation, Sicario, Soldado, Underwater, Spider Man, Into the Spider Verse, just just to name a few. Just to name a few. Wow. I don't think you're gonna read that whole thing. I thought you're gonna kind of improv it. But Oh, no. I Yeah. Leah goes hard in the intro. I I wanna be thorough. Thanks for coming out, out, man. No worries. I'm happy to be here. Yeah. Yeah. So we we know each other recently, but the two of you know each other We go way back. Way back. We do. Yeah. We haven't seen each other in years really until the last year or so, but we were in a play together at a at a, acting studio. Twenty years ago now. Twenty twenty one years ago. Twenty years ago. It's twenty one years ago. I can't believe you admitted that. Which is weird to say. It was a it was terrific in this. It was a version of Noises Off. Noises Off. Yeah. You played the direct the sexy director. You played Selznick? I played the old man. Selznick? It's hilarious. Yeah. The hilarious Selznick. Yes. Right. I didn't remember his name. Yeah. Yeah. I did I send you the picture? I've I found a picture on the old on a 22 year …
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