AS Evaluation Question 4

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

A target audience is important to the success or failure of a film, because if the film does not contain representations that interest the ‘targeted’ audience then the film would gain no money nor attention. Target audiences can be broken down into different groups, this is called audience segmentation. You can segment audiences by age, race, gender, social class, how much education they have, where they live, what sort of interests they have or the subculture they identify with. The target audience of my opening sequence was people aged 15+ of a mixed gender who are interested in thriller films. Thrillers are typically certificated a 15 or an 18 due to the content being unsuitable and disturbing for children or teenagers under those ages therefore we decided on a 15. My thriller film appeals to an audience as our narrative is unique, unlike cliché thriller/horror films where you know what to expect. My narrative also includes an unexpected twist and cliffhanger which would catch the attention of the audience and draw them into the film more. The audience must be able to identify with the characters and settings in a film by seeing something of themselves in them – or sometimes by wishing, perhaps subconsciously, to be like them. The relationship between the characters are siblings, most people have siblings therefore the audience are able to relate to the characters relationship in my sequence and can familiarize themselves in the situation. The soundtrack I included within the film is an intense piano, piano is a typical sound used in thrillers as the pace changes and tone can make a big impact. By using a piano soundtrack I intended to make the audience feel comfortable, by giving a promise of satisfaction, by establishing tone and style that are familiar to them. The mise-en-scene of my film is also intended for the audience to relate or connect to; the costumes are casual everyday clothing which adds a sense of realism. The facial expressions and body language of the little girl are dull, sad and lonely making the audience to build a relationship with her, connect with her and empathize for her. Also, the positioning of the little girl is done in a way to draw the audiences attention to her as when walking through the forest, the little girl is central and so is dominant in the picture, however, she looks misplaced as though she does not belong or meant to be in the forest making the audience worry for her. I also appealed to the audience through the camera shots, we used many close-ups of the little girl enabling the audience to connect to her emotionally as they are able to see the emotion on her face. POV shots we included also give the chance for the audience to put themselves inside the film and current situation allowing them to attach themselves to the film.