Movie Producer Graham King and the Courage to Trust the Audience in Filmmaking
Lessons from Hollywood's Test Screenings
There's a moment in the making of any film—if you're lucky—when everything clicks. The lights go down, the credits roll, and for a brief, electric stretch of time, the audience feels what you hoped they would. The laughter lands, the silences deepen, and the room vibrates with shared emotion.
That's the moment filmmakers chase. And it's the moment Graham King, Academy Award-winning producer, says you need to recognize—and protect.
"I was still fighting with someone at the studio who wanted to make changes after we scored 96," King revealed to Kevin Goetz on the popular podcast Don't Kill the Messenger, "And I thought, what are we doing here?"
That question—what are we doing here?—isn't just about a specific film or a single executive. It's about the courage it takes to stand by something when the evidence is clear. When the audience tells you, unmistakably, you got it right.
For filmmakers, producers, and students learning the craft, this moment of clarity is everything. And Graham King's experience offers one of the most valuable and overlooked lessons in the industry: when the audience tells you it works, stop second-guessing it. Know when you've hit your mark. And then, stand by it.
The Power of a Room That Loves Your Movie
Before the marketing budgets and the award campaigns, before the press junkets and red carpets, there's the test screening. A dark room. A fresh crowd. A fragile, unpolished version of your film on the screen. And then—an eruption of applause…or deafening silence, or something in between.
Kevin Goetz, a veteran executive who has tested over 5,000 films, recalls the visceral energy when a film connects with viewers.
"When a film truly resonates with a test audience, you can feel it in the room," Goetz explained. "It's electric—and the data backs it up."
But even with near-perfect scores, King reveals he often has to fight off changes. Changes based not on data, but on instinct, bias, or fear.
He doesn’t cave.
Why? Because he knows what it feels like to see a movie land, and to watch the audience rise to their feet and clap through the credits.
Learning When to Stop Tinkering
King's approach to audience testing was shaped early in his career by Martin Scorsese. "In one of my first meetings with him, Marty said he loves to preview movies and hear what an audience has to say," King shared. This surprised the young producer, who hadn't considered audience feedback so seriously before.
Scorsese's advice was direct: "Kid, everyone in our world will either placate you or they're out for you. If you really want the truth, you've got to show the guys on the street."
This lesson became a cornerstone of King's approach, and he acknowledges the paradox that makes testing difficult: "By the time it comes to previewing, you're so married to that story on the screen. You've seen it so many times that it's really hard not to get insecure about the film."
This is precisely where experience matters. When audience data confirmed what his gut suspected, that a film worked. King learned not to second-guess it. The seasoned producer developed the confidence to trust positive feedback and resist unnecessary changes, even when others pushed for them.
"It's Not Just the Cards. It's the Air in the Room."
Test screenings are often reduced to numbers: top-two box scores, recommendation percentages, demographic breakdowns. But King doesn't see it that way. He values those numbers, yes. But he also reads the room.
"You can feel the energy just leave the room... or you can feel the air come in," King observed in his conversation with Goetz. "It's like being at a party and someone says something out of turn and the music stops."
That instinct for audience reaction is hard-won. It's why King values being present at screenings rather than just reading reports. It's also why he follows Scorsese's strategy: screen early, screen often, and leave your comfort zone when possible.
King also revealed Scorsese's strategic approach to testing: screen early, screen often, and occasionally leave your comfort zone. The producer discovered that audiences in Scorsese's home territory were reluctant to criticize the legendary director. "No one ever gave a negative comment about Martin Scorsese in New York or New Jersey," King laughed during the podcast. "But when we went to Chicago... that was different."
The Courage to Say, "It's Working"
When something connects, you feel it. But feeling it isn't always enough in an industry full of opinions. You have to defend it.
King's stories about standing firm against studio pressure illustrate this kind of courage. With audience scores breaking records, some executives still pushed for changes. The safer path might have been to nod and go along. But King chose the harder one.
"You need the courage to stand by the audience," he insisted during the podcast interview.
That thought alone should be required reading in every film school.
Because here's the truth: Not every film gets that magic moment. Many get polite applause, or an "it's fine" shrug. But when you do hit the bullseye, when the room tells you you've nailed it—that's the moment you don't keep tinkering.
You protect it.
Filmmakers, Take Note
This conversation isn't just a walk down memory lane. It's a wake-up call.
For emerging filmmakers and students, King's message is direct: respect the audience, trust the process, and know when to stop fixing something that works.
"If a filmmaker can't embrace that," he stated plainly, "then they shouldn't be in this business."
It's a bold statement. But it comes from experience. King isn't saying compromise your vision. He's saying: recognize when your vision has landed—and don't let insecurity or outside noise unravel it.
The Real Reward
For all his success—multiple Oscar nominations and a big win, box office records, critical acclaim—King says the moment that meant the most to him wasn't any of those.
It was a private screening in London with the sister of a real-life figure portrayed in one of his biographical films.
The greatest single moment of the experience of Bohemian Rhapsody was undoubtedly when I showed it to Freddie's only living family member, his sister. On a Sunday morning in London, I screened her a movie and I was petrified because I wanted that seal of approval before I cared about the audience seal of approval... And once she looked, she gave me a hug at the end, she was praying. And she said, “Thank you so much for respecting my brother and my mom and dad and my family.”
That's the mark he wanted to hit. And he knew, long before the Academy did, that he had.
The Producer's Job Is Clarity
Graham King's story is more than an insider anecdote. It's a philosophy.
A great producer needs passion, yes. And vision. And taste. But also: clarity.
Clarity to feel the pulse of the room. Clarity to read the data without overreacting. Clarity to recognize when something is done. And above all, the courage to trust the audience when they tell you: You nailed it.
In an industry obsessed with chasing notes, Graham King reminds us that sometimes, the smartest move is simply to listen—and let the applause be the answer.
The full conversation between Graham King and Kevin Goetz on "Don't Kill the Messenger" offers an even deeper dive into the producer's philosophy and experiences with audience research. For filmmakers, film students, and anyone interested in the inner workings of Hollywood, it provides a masterclass in how audience research shapes the films we love—and how one producer's courage to trust that research has repeatedly led to success.