RE-DRAFT: How did you attract/address your audience?

Introduction

Before starting my production I had to take several factors into consideration, target audience, cost, location, props, and research.

Research

In my research for producing Innocence Seized, I looked at clips from several films. A variety of formats of thriller genera, giving ideas for music shots, and story line. These were:

Body of lies, based on Washington Post columnist David Ignatius’ 2007 novel about a CIA operative,  who uncovers a lead on a major terrorist leader suspected to be operating out of Jordan.

Olympus has fallen, is a 2013 American action thriller film based on an attack on the White House., as is Attack on the White House.

Strangers, Lock the doors. Assume you're safe. The horrifying events that took place in the Hoyt family's vacation home.   

This was set in a home that gave me the inspiration for part of my setting in my production.

Shutter Island, Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane about two US marshals who are assigned to investigate the disappearance of a woman from a mental hospital for the criminally insane on a remote island

Man On the Ledge, As a police psychologist works to talk down an ex-con who is threatening to jump from a Manhattan hotel rooftop, the biggest diamond heist ever committed is in motion.

World War Z, an ex-UN investigator sent to seek out the source of an undead plague that has ravaged the Earth, causing the warm-blooded to scuttle to sea, or flee to the remote wilds of Nova Scotia.

Zombie Acolpolips. Months after a zombie plague has wiped out 90 percent of the American population, a small group of survivors fight their way cross-country to a rumored refuge on the island of Catalina.

Target Audience

One of the main considerations for any production is your target audience.

On deciding the target audience for my production, I carried out an on line questionnaire on Facebook. 

From the thirty-eight people that responded to my questionnaire I found that 80% of respondents were female. The largest single group of respondents at 67% were aged twelve – seventeen years old and 10% aged eighteen –twenty four years old.

Based on these findings, I chose to target the audience of female 15 to 24 year olds.

Though the larger group of respondents were in the twelve –seventeen year olds, I decided that there would be more flexibility on the content of my production if the lower age range fell out of the band that would restrict the content to give the film a twelve rating.

Story line

I also found from conducting my primary research that 73.68% of respondents said that they enjoyed watching movies because of the "story line".

This was helpful as I could then focus on creating a griping storyline.  My intention was to draw the viewer in as quickly as possible creating drama and suspense. Leaving the viewer wanting to watch more.

Sound track

Over a third of respondents 39.47% felt that the sound track enhanced the experience of watching a movie.

Based on this knowledge I chose the music for the opening titles and opening sequence with great care.

I wanted the music I created on Garage Band to reflect the feeling of drama, suspense and tension adding to the dramatic feel of the thriller opening.

The music I created in the first forty seconds started of on a quitter low tempo becoming faster and louder, echoing the runner. I wanted the effect of the viewer feeling that their own heartbeat was increasing alongside the runners.

In the next section the music is slower almost as slow as the runners as she speaks to her mother, this is to emphasize the weight of the words spoken.

The use of the well-known nursery rhyme was used to add sinister effect to the plot and a sense of familiarity but with a deadly bite.

Characters

I wanted to show the main character as an independent woman who was capable and self-reliant.

I hoped by choosing a female runner, who though aged seventeen could be mistaken for someone slightly older, my target audience would have a main character to whom they could relate on a personal level.

Time period

I wanted my audience to feel empathy for the main character so used a time period that would be meaningful to them. Hence I chose the time as “today,” 2014.

Clothes

The clothes used by all the characters are casual and relevant for this time period, this adds to the sense of everyday normality.

Setting

The setting is a wooded lake area. A lone female jogging on her own, in its self this is not sinister or disturbing, but when you throw in the disquieting music and shots of the runner thinking someone is there, is she, or isn’t she on her own? It stirs the viewer’s imagination and automatically makes the viewer think that a series of disastrous events is about to explode.

People can relate to the well-known tale of Little Red Riding Hood. A lone girl walking innocently through a wooded area on an everyday errand, when approached by a sinister character.

Shots

At the beginning of my thriller opening, there is a point of view shot, the audience is being asked to put them selves in the shoes of the main character, Charlie. This was an attempt to help the audience, especially the female-targeted audience, connect with the character and pay more attention to her actions.

By creating a sense of isolation it evokes feelings of fear and suspense, with the viewer, this impacts the opening and the audiences reaction. It leaves the audience wanting to know more.

Back at Charlie’s home there is a part in the thriller where the viewer sees the ‘badie’ looking through the window at the family.

This could be quite scary for young children as the night vision and mask of the ‘badie’ do look quite scary. This is why I chose the age group of fifteen -twenty-four.

I think there is enough suspense to keep people between these ages interested without scaring them.

Conclusion

If you have a target audience in mind when producing a product, you will be able to make the product more appealing to that target audience.

From the content of your film to age of characters to costumes, location, props mise un scene, and music.

The cost of a production is always a factor. In having a target audience it will help minimize these costs, such as unnecessary expenditure.

Merchandise is a big money spinner; so as to maximize any spin of merchandise from a production knowing your target audience is a great benefit. A prime example of this is The Twilight Saga. This was targeted specifically towards teenagers. Advertisements were placed in places teenagers would be, magazines television channels and radio, all hoping to promote ticket and merchandise sales, which include jewelry, mugs, t-shirts and bags.