G321 Evaluation Question 4 Who would be the audience for your media product?
■ For my thriller opening the target audience would be young people aged from around 1121. This targets teenagers and young adults which is very similar to the ages of the people in my group/those who appeared in the film. A target audience with similar age ranges to those who appear in the film is good as these age ranges and peers will support and promote the production to help it be successful. ■ The topic of cyber bulling is very relevant for this age range since it is in school that bullying is most likely to occur. Cyberbullying is a new and increasing thing that is happening since technology has advanced a large amount in the last 10 years. Since it happens to so many people it is an easily identifiable and relatable topic. This creates appeal since the audience feel as though they can put themselves in the characters shoes. Our thriller film also touches on the topics of mental health and suicide portrayed by Chloe’s character, Lilly. This could potentially inspire young people who are considering committing suicide to not go along with it as it delivers the message that the people around you are affected. ■ The drama-thriller film called ‘UWantMe2KillHim?’ is a reflection of this since it also focusses on the topic of cyberbullying and aims its target audiences at the same target audience of young adults. This is portrayed in ways similar to my thriller opening, for example, two teenage boys are casted as main characters.
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From using young actors, e.g. Harriett playing Rhiannon, the young adults are able to connect with the feeling of being under pressure and fearful of those around them. In our film this is shown as Rhiannon is in danger of Charley, this is relatable to teenagers who may have problems similar to this and have people they do not get along with. Teenagers may find it a little more difficult to understand the ideas trying to be given out by our thriller however, they are able to take key messages such as the potential effects of bullying. This would then be a deterrent for them and they would be less likely to bully someone.
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The costume used by each of the characters also helps the target audience to relate. The costumes used are clothing that would primarily be seen to be worn on teenagers and young adults, therefore it reflects realism which you may not get in other thrillers. For example, in Once Upon a Time in America, she is wearing a very elegant dress which younger audiences may find difficult to relate to. In my thriller opening, the costume is very casual which makes the target audience feel more comfortable with watching the thriller and as through it is directed at their age.
(My production)
(OUATIA)
■ The thriller opening is very quick and fast-paced which is good for drawing attention to a younger viewing audience, this is similar to thrillers such as ‘Se7en’ which works to engage the audience. This is an important feature for our thriller since younger target audiences are less likely to focus for a long period of time since they get distracted doing other things. With a relatively short opening and the quick edit it means there is always something new to be watching throughout the whole film. ■ The soundtrack we used also helps to build a lot of tension within the audience, this helps attract a young viewing audience since it is likely to make them excited about what is happening. The soundtrack also stays at a similar pitch and steady pace throughout which gives a certain level of uncertainty. This is similar to the soundtrack used in the opening of Michael Clayton. In this opening features, such as the narrative, speed up however the soundtrack stays the same. This relates to mine since the speed of the edit speeds up whilst the soundtrack stays at a consistent pace. ■ My film explores aspects of contemporary moral anxieties, for example stalking. Audiences, especially younger, get a vicarious thrill from watching terrible events from the safety of their cinema seats. This again attracts the younger audience to watching our thriller film.
■ I believe the audience demographic will predominantly be female for our thriller opening, this is because the films cast is all female and therefore it is most relatable for females to watch. ■ The film is based loosely around mental health problems. This also is more appealing to a female audience as it is proven that in England, women are more likely than men to have a common mental health problem. This gives females more to relate to and therefore gives them more of a reason to watch the film. Along with this women are seen to like more heart-warming, deep and sensitive films that focus on topics such as these which makes it more appealing. In contrast, men are more likely to enjoy a dramatic film about less pressing issues such as a film on superheroes. ■ Our film contains characters that are all female, independent and powerful, this again makes it more likely to appeal to a female audience since more and more women become this way each day rather than relying on men before. Promotion of women being equal is a very relevant part of today’s society so therefore by including an aspect of this within our film it makes it more popular with females in today’s generation. ■ On the other hand, there is a chance it could appeal to a male audience. One reason for this is that thrillers are more popular in general and more likely to be watched by males. Therefore, the film being in the thriller genre itself creates a chance of it being seen by males. Similar to the film ‘Se7en’, the story told in this thriller opening is very dark. Se7ven had a primarily male target audience. In 2013, 6,233 suicides were recorded in the UK for people aged 15 and older: 78% were male and 22% were female. Focussing directly on suicide figures, there may be more chance of a male wanting to watch this film over a female as males are faced with this issue more often.
■I believe our film would be aimed at a middle class audience, as reflected through the characters casted in this film. We can see from the school location that is used, that these girls all attend a public school. This is a common and expected thing for middle class. Since middle class is a very common social class and the middle ground, it means that people are most likely to be able to relate to certain aspects of this, even if viewers are in a different class to this. The characters are aimed to be portrayed as middle-class through the use of having clothing that is clean and wellpresented and being able to afford devices such as mobile phones. The bedroom also shows what a typical teenage, middle class girl’s bedroom is likely to look like, which makes it relatable to this social class. Since the audience can relate to certain aspects of the film, e.g. the characters, this means they are able to become more engaged with the film and what is going on, resulting in them enjoying the film more.
■ This film is targeted at a primary nationality of white-British individuals. This is due to the cast of the film all having this ethnicity. This therefore makes it easier for the audience to identify and relate to these characters. It is clear that in my thriller opening, ethnicity is not largely represented unlike in other thriller films such as ‘Pulp Fiction’. ■ The location is another chance for people to relate to the white-British targeted nationality. Since the whole film was filmed in Norfolk, England, it means people who live in England and also more directly those who live or have visited Norfolk, will be able to relate with this film. This is because the audience will be able to imagine they were there and put themselves in the character’s situation, therefore the audience are able to get more into the film. Those who live in England will also be able to indicate what the weather/temperature is likely to be at this time since people are used to it changing all of the time. Audiences from other nations, such as America, may find it more difficult relating to the film as they may not understand certain British mannerisms. ■ Since there is no dialogue in my thriller opening it means anyone, from anywhere is able to easily watch the film and understand it. This is good as it means it could widely impact a number of different people and spread awareness that cyberbullying should not happen.