Wednesday 31 August 2011

Primary Audience Research



From interviewing Steph i found out what she associates with thriller films and what she likes and dislikes. She said that thriller films create an eery, mysterious atmosphere and often feature murders or chases. Other films of this genre are Let The Right One In and Shutter Island. For the costumes she suggested i dress my actors in black clothing to emphasise the eery effect, some of the clothing shouldn't reveal the full identity of the character in order to create suspense. Locations that would suit this genre are the woods at night and dark alley ways. In the two print pieces Steph said that her eye is caught by the colour scheme, the red connotes the danger but also the passion of the film. She said that the buildings in the background hint that the film will have something to do with the city and she likes the fact it continues through the poster and magazine creating a strong link. One thing i can do that is different is to include more characters in my print pieces and for my trailer if i create something that not the mainstream dream cliche which means the audience have to use their imagination.


Charlotte said that she enjoys thriller films as they play with you mind and create suspense that leaves you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Other films that relate to this genre is Adjustment Bureau and many crime thrillers from a hybrid genre. She said that there are usually a lot of locations used in these films such as houses - inside and outside and lots of outdoor environment scenes such as the woods and alleys. In thrillers she would expect to see weapons and a feeling of conspiracy such as smart costumes like suits. From the print work she said that the continuos background is really effective and links the two pieces together. This background image also works with the whole magazine page, the sell lines follow the gradient towards the centre. She said the the most attracting aspect of the print work is the face of the main character, he looks like he's up to something and is very focussed. The tagline 'your mind is the scene of the crime' is very strong and sells the film well. She thinks there is nothing to be done that could improve this as it looks really good, but various posters showing other characters could work well also.


Beth enjoys thriller films because they have a suspicious story line that can be quite scary but exciting,. She likes unexpected twists that make her jump. Other films she has seen of this genre are The Sixth Sense and Shutter Island. Iconography of thriller films would be dark mysterious costumes, they would be set in various locations such as eery streets, buildings and houses. Of the print products Beth thinks the large dominant images of the main characters are effective and that the buildings embossed in the background as this connotes power of a large area. However she thinks although the large red font is eye-catching and traditional of the genre, it could also mean blood, danger and a warning. She also things the sell lines displaying other films are a good selling point. After explaining my idea of film to beth she thinks that using a woman as the main dominant character is a good, challenging idea and would make it different from all the other thriller films that use men as the strong main characters.


From thriller films Steph looks for excitement and action within the storyline. She would expect thriller films to use eery locations and the characters would act sophisticated making them respectable to the audience yet mysterious. From the print products she thinks that the images used are really strong and the colour scheme is conventional of the genre. The cityscape that is used on the background is also really effective and attractive to the audience. The bold title used on both pieces stand out the most making it one of the main selling points. However she doesn't like the slanted sell lines used on the front cover of the magazine as it makes it harder to read at a quick glance. She also enjoyed my idea of a stalker film that could feature a mysterious storyline, perhaps a killing.

Oliver is the only male audience member i interviewed about thriller films, he said the he would associate thriller films with an adrenaline rush and an exciting storyline full of action. Iconic locations would be in the city and often guns are used as props to connote power and action. He likes the fact that the text used on the print products is bold but simple making it eye catching and attractive. The bright red font stands out from the audience against the darker background, also the dominant image is really powerful and promotes the film well. He dislikes the slanted sell lines too, so keeping the sell lines straight will be more attractive to my audience. For my own trailer i could use obsession to create the thrilling effect but also a history of bullying to set the scene and background of the storyline.

Becca enjoys a good, exciting storyline from thriller films. She thinks that films of this genre are often dark such as the location and costume. This makes you wonder what is around the corner and whether that person is who you really think it is. Using just one image on both of the print products makes it much more powerful, especially with the concerned facial expression. The bright bold text is also a really  attractive point that draws in your attention to the product. For a storyline of my own she said i should make it really mysterious. 

Twists in storylines are what entices Rachel into watching thriller films, she enjoys a mysterious storyline and various shocks throughout the film. She suggested a range of locations such as countrysides and fields but also dark empty rooms to create fear factor. The costumes she would expect to see are dark but smart. She likes the 3D text as it stands out from the page and also the cityscape background adds to that effect. The colours are eye catching and connote the chosen genre well. From the poster she thinks the close up head shot is really effective, and the mysterious facial expression is conventional but attractive. However she suggested that the text used is quite boring and plain, so i will look at more interesting fonts. For a storyline of my own she suggested unknown stalkers and ghosts within a new house.

Audience Conclusion


Secondary Audience Research

The genre of my trailer is a thriller, this appeals to a mainstream audience as they like to be kept on the edge and not knowing what it going to happen next. Films such as Inception and Shutter Island are recent films that fit this genre, they have been huge hits with the audience. This could suggest that if my film is constantly keeping the audience on the edge of their seats and follows the traditional conventions set by previous thriller films it could reach a mainstream audience. 

VIEWER PROFILES: (screen shots taken from the business section of pearlanddean)

Inception:

This film was my main piece of inspiration for the genre i have chosen. The trailer gives no clue as to what the film is about which i think makes it most interesting and mysterious for the audience and they story line will come as a total shock to them when they watch the film. It falls into three genre categories suggesting it has a very large target audience. As my trailer fits the genre of a thriller the target audience will be considerably less if it were to be professional. However the vague, mysterious trailer is something i'd like to consider as it doesn't hint at the story line in anyway but still makes the film look interesting and leaves the imagination of the audience to guess what is happening.



The film Inception has been given a certificate 12A suggesting its suitable for everybody (under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult). The poster used also leaves the audience to use their imagination, it suggests that the film is set in the city where something drastic happens - this is shown by the skyscraper buildings and characters all at different angles. The range of characters used in the image tells us that there are more than one main character but the depth of field shows Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the foreground which means he is the most important in the film. Females have been used which challenges conventions of feminism and men being the 'almighty'. 

The audience of the film is graded at A-, which is fairly upper to the higher range of middle class people. The rating of 12A means that everybody can watch this, this appeals to the target audience, they are most likely to have families and they can all go and see this film. The rating also suggests there is minimal violence and  scenes that children may not be allowed to see alone.



A similar film is Memento which was released 10 years earlier in 2000, it was written by the same director, Christopher Nolan. This film is a physiological thriller which follows similar conventions to Inception. With almost half of the people surveyed falling into the age category of 15-24 it confirms that this is the target audience. My own film campaign will have a similar target audience because I think it is easiest to cater for people of my own age range as i know what attracts them most. As this film has a certificate of 15 it means that all audience members must be above this age to watch the film, this could suggest there is violence or scenes that are unsuitable for children.

The gender of the audience is exactly half and half between make and female. The comparable statistics suggest that the audience of Inception is the same therefore the narrative structure of the film uses conventions that appeal to both men and women. I believe that because there are female protagonists in the film women are more attracted to the film instead of watching yet another male dominated film.

The profile confirms that this film of a similar genre still reaches out to upper and middle class people rather than the lower-middle class and working class. This means that my audience will be around about the same, to achieve this i need to make sure my own film looks professional as this an amateur would be the first thing to unattract people of higher classes.




Dark Knight Rises:

This film is also directed by Christopher Nolan. The trailer is very dark and contains no hints to the story line. A shot of a character lying in a hospital bed struggling with his breath keeps the audience on the edge of their seats for the health of this character, this is the brightest scene in the trailer which suggests life however the shot could suggest the complete opposite. The rest of the shots are in darkness with shadows cast over the characters, the colour black, connotes mystery, thrills and evilness. This film also falls into three genre categories suggesting there is a wide range of audience. The name of the film isn't shown until the end which is a very common convention of trailers for every genre. However the iconic Batman logo can be seen in the buildings, as Batman is a well known sequel this trailer plays on the nostalgia effect and people will see this film because they know the previous films have been a huge success.


The film's certificate is yet to be confirmed but as the previous Dark Knight film is rated at a 12 A i would expect this film to also be the same. Like Inception this also means that it's suitable for everybody as long as under 12's are with an adult. The poster used also features the iconic symbol which is the first thing that people notice. The darkness of the image is created using skyscrapers and buildings which hints at the city location that will be used in the film, the dark, blackness of these buildings could connote that evil has 'invaded' the city. It also feels as if the audience looking at the poster is trapped at the bottom because they are looking up towards the bright white sky.

The audience of the film is also graded at A-. Therefore the potential rating of 12A would appeal to an upper class audience who are most likely to have a family. The rating also means there won't be any inappropriate scenes.
Pearl and Dean have given The Dark Knight as the comparable film, as this if the first and original film in The Dark Knight series the audience will be pretty much the same for both films. The two films are the same genre and the story line will either be similar or follow on from the previous film. Yet again the majority of the audience were aged 15-24, closely followed by the ages 25-34. This tells us that this film is suited to a wider range of audiences. 9% of the audience were under the age of 12 meaning that although they were accompanied by an adult the scenes should still be appropriate for their viewing.

The gender of the audience is almost two thirds male to one third female. This leads me to believe that the audience of The Dark Knight Rises will be similar. The narrative structures of this film appeal mainly to the male audience which could be down to the hybrid genre of crime.

The socioeconomic class that this film is aimed at tends to be C1 which is the higher sector of middle class. This could be more suited to my own film campaign instead of aiming towards the most upper class because my film trailer will be made using a low budget which could make it look unprofessional, regarding this i will do all i can to make sure my trailer looks as professional as possible. 


Shutter Island:


The trailer uses a consistent editing pace that's relatively slow, it shows shots to set the scene such as the island and the woman wearing hand cuffs but no obvious message about the story line is hinted at. It falls into hybrid genre of drama-thriller meaning it will appeal to a large range of people. The heightened scream and gun been slid across the floor by feet creates a suspicious feeling but the audience don't know what to expect yet. The shots often fade to black inbetween editing which creates a dark, thrilling mood about the film. Many of the shots are grey/black/blue which is a common convention of thriller films as they are leaving things mysteriously in the dark for them to be worked out. As the trailer nears the end the editing pace quickens are various things happen creating fear for the main character, fire is shown which links to the flame in the film poster.



The film Shutter Island has been given a certificate 15 which means the film is unsuitable for people under this age due to explicit scenes such as violence. The poster used on this profile is mainly black and white, the protagonists facial expressions show he is serious and focused on something important. Underneath is a dark, black image of an Island which the audience assumes is Shutter Island. On the right hand side of the image is a lit match, this connote evil but also damage and destruction. The conventional colour scheme of black white and red is once  again used on this poster, I think this would be the appropriate choice of colours for my own poster as it is iconic to the thriller genre.

The audience of the film is graded at B+, which would target upper to middle class citizens. The rating of 15 is to protect younger children who may be scared by the story line, this appeals to the target audience as it is more likely to contain tragic, exciting action. 



A comparable film to Shutter Island is The Departed, this film has the same director which means they might be similar and will appeal to the same range of people. However this film is a crime-thriller rather than a drama-thriller. 15-24 year olds are the highest percentage of the audience yet again, this is very closely followed by 25-34 year olds with a difference of 1%, this means to me that with a wide target audience of the ages 15-34 there are many different conventions in this film that appeal to people of a wider age range.

The gender of the audience is predominantly male with just over a third being female. This means that the narrative structures in Shutter Island appeal mainly to the male audience which could be down to the hybrid genre of crime, this was also noticed in the reader profile of Dark Knight.

The socioeconomic class that this film is mainly aimed towards C1 which is higher-middle class. This will probably be the top of my target audience too if i was to professionally release my film due to the low budget and the fact it will be a British film.


Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark:

The trailer begins with a dark screen, we can hear a whispering voice which instantly makes afraid, ironically this is the opposite of the film title. Out of the silence a loud 'clanging' sound effect and the first word of the title is seen, this part of the trailer made me jump, i'm not sure if i want to make my audience afraid and jumpy as i don't know if this technique will keep them interested. To find out whether this is what my audience like i will ask them this. Behind the word 'Don't' is an eye, we feel watched and uneasy which is a common convention of a horror-thriller. As more of the film is introduced we see someone being strangled, this keeps the audience intrigued as they begin to wonder what could have happened, assumingly something happened in the dark. There aren't many shots in this trailer which i think could be effective as it leaves you wondering but it could also make the film look boring. I think this trailer is the opposite of how i want mine to be as i don't think it looks as exciting and interesting as my film will be. 



Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark is currently uncertified because it hasn't been released yet. The poster used on this profile follows the generic conventions of thriller films by using the colours black, white and red. The background of the image is black with a red and black a young girl shown in the centre, she is holding a camera this could connote her fear and aim to capture said fears on camera. Underneath her are numerous silohettes of hands reaching up as if they were to grab the girl. 

The audience of the film is graded at C, which would target middle class people. The potential certificate rating of 15 is to protect younger children from violence and inappropriate scenes, this appeals to the target audience as the story line will be more mature and suited to the likes of older people. 


Orphan is the comparable film to Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark. Like all of the films i have looked at on Pearl and Dean 15-24 year olds hold the highest percentage of the audience. Over half of the audience fall into this age range which means that i should be aiming my film towards people of this age.

The gender of the audience is almost half and half with a slightly higher percentage of females, this connotes that the narrative structures in Shutter Island appeals generally to a mixed audience. The main character in the film is female which challenges the conventions that men are more superior, this could suggest the reason that the audience has more females.

Orphan is aimed towards the class of C1 which is middle class, this may be because people of these classes find it easier to relate with the main character as they are more exposed to what happens in other familes that upper class citizens.


Abduction:

The trailer instantly begins with a colourful father-son scene, i think this is very appealing, especially to the female audience, as it brings across an idea of love and family. As the inter-titles display a small hint about the film we automatically connect with the main character and sympathize with him. The word 'lie' stays on the screen for a split second longer than the rest of the text to emphasize the hurt that this word means. After this the colourful shots we previously saw all fade to darker scenes which is where we discover the secrets that have been hidden in the dark for a long time. The editing pace quickens dramatically when the glass window smashes, we see people carrying guns which is a generic conventions of action films as it suggests power. The volume and pace of the music increases to fit the scene, this also keeps the audience in suspense and they wonder what is going to happen next. The transition between shots is fuzzy rather than a straight cut, i think this is effective as it adds to the action that's happening on screen. There are many close ups of the main character to create instant recognition and extra sympathy from the audience.








Abduction is currently unrated because the film is yet to be released. The poster used on this profile is black and white, the protagonists facial expressions show his seriousness and determination. The actors eyes grab the audiences attention as they are bright and shiny which is always attractive. Black, white and red is the colour scheme used, yet again, for this poster. The title of the film is written in bold capital letters underneath one of the eyes, it is unusual for the title not to be centred and large but i still think this looks effective on the black and white background.

The audience of the film is graded at C+, which would target a middle class audience. If this film were to be aimed to upper class people it would need a higher marketing budget in order to make the film look 'upper class' and attract their attention differently.  


A comparable film to Orphan is Eagle Eye. This film fits the thriller genre rather than action-thriller like Orphan. 15-24 year olds take up almost half of the viewing audience, as the film is rated at 12A it can't contain any overly violent and explicit scenes that would be unsuitable. 

The gender of the audience is almost even, with a 12% difference between men and women. This means that the narrative structures appeal to both genders like most of the other films i have researched.

Almost half of the audience fall into the socio-economic class of C1. My film will also be aimed more towards this class because i will be set on a low budget with not much equipment.


Paranormal Activity 3:

The trailer is set out like a home video which is think is very 'hit or miss' it either works effectively, or it can look very amateur. We know its a home video because of the hand held shots and conventional date and time written in the bottom corner. All the action happens in the dark, night scenes. The heightened scream creates shock and fear for the audience and the sudden dragging across the floor for the character leaves the viewer confused as to what just happened. Inbetween shots the screen goes fuzzy grey which connotes the passing of time between the scenes. The non-diegetic evil laughter creates fear for the characters and the audience feels protective over the young children. The use of young characters and babies makes films even scarier and is a common convention to create fear.




Paranormal Activity 3 is currently uncertified but seeing as the previous to films are rated 15 i would expect the 3rd film to be the same, this could be due to frightening scenes that are shown in the film. The poster uses an image of a person and their young child, instantly we as the audience feel the need to protect the baby from the harm that we would expect to see in the film. Most thriller films only feature one character on the front cover but this shows two faces which suggests they are in this together. We are unable to make out whether the older character is male or female as we see hardly any of their face, this leaves us feeling curious about there identity yet suspicious as to why they have not been shown in full. 

The audience of the film is graded at C, which means it is aimed to middle class people. This rating may be due to the fact that the film is set to look like a home video, upper class people may not find this appealing to them as they would prefer professional looking films.
Paranormal Activity is used as the comparable profile to this film because it is the first film made for the Paranormal Activity series. Almost four fifths of the audience are aged between 15 and 24, i think this is mainly down to the fact the film is set out as a home film which doesn't appeal to older generations of people. However i don't think this will be an effective way for me to film my trailer as it may put people off and make it look to amateur.

The gender of the audience is almost half and half to male and female, meaning that the mixed audience both find the narrative structures effective and appealing.

The social class that this film is aimed towards is DE which is the lowest, working class band, i think that this is also due to the home style filming which makes the film look very unprofessional. I think this is not an effective way to film for top film companies as it doesn't look attractive and could be made on a very low budget.





Here are pie charts of my average findings over the 6 films:
The pie charts show the percentage of each aspect of the audience including age, gender and class. To find the average i added all the information together and divided it by 6. I have found that the target audience of my type of film would be predominantly people of the ages 15 to 24, as i fall into this category i think this will make it easier for me to make a film trailer that would attract people of my age range as i know what interests them and catches their attention. The films i researched on Pearl and Dean varied between male and female audiences, the average comes out almost half and half, as a result of this i will make my trailer to suit both the needs of male and female audiences. The social class of the majority of the audience is C2, closely followed by AB, this means that i shall tailor my film to attract the attention of more upper class people than lower class. This would also affect where i was to advertise my film in order to attract the attention of the appropriate audience.


READER PROFILES (screen shots taken from mediauk and nrs)

I also looked at the two main magazines i have researched on mediauk to find out their target audiences and see how it relates to my results from the trailers.











Empire magazine has a total of 763,000 adults per week, with 76% of the readers being male many of them fall into the main category set by the thriller films. Readers of Empire magazine are described as 'smart, sophisticated, opinion leading consumers' using this i will ensure that my film trailer fits this description and interests the audience. Although Total Film has slightly less readers with 527, 000 a week it is still a highly popular magazine that features the mainstream films. 

I also used NRS to find out more information about the readers of the magazines, i found that out of the population of 50,080,000 people over the age of 15 Total Film brings in,
class AB/C1: 301000 readers
class C2/DE:220000 readers
age 15-44: 482000 readers
age 45+: 40000 readers
a week

And Empire magazine brings in,
class AB/C1: 546000 readers
class C2/DE: 235000 readers
age 15-44: 675000 readers
age 45+: 106000 readers
a week

Both of these magazines are read by over half a million people a week, putting them in the top 15 monthly magazines. Given that my film trailer will be made on a low budget, it will look independent and British, therefore it is highly unlikely that it would be shown in a mainstream magazine such as Empire or Total Film. My film would be more likely to be shown by an indie movie magazine such as Little White Lies, a magazine like this will bring in much less readers  and be more likely to feature the film that i produce because it will look independent.

Stalker Film Trailer Analysis


The first 4 seconds of the trailer is the green screen which informs the audience of the certificate given to this film. The shot fades to black and then cuts to the producer and film logos, in this shot the dialogue starts with a sound bridge. The logo then fades into the first shot that sets the scene in a dark seaside where a group of teenagers are having a campfire. The lighting is dark with only the faces lit up by the blazing fire, this instantly connotes the mystery of the film. In the background the waves are crashing, this is known as pathetic fallacy where the whether suggests the mood of the shot. There is no soundtrack at the beginning, but when a shot changes there is a scraping sound effect that accompanies the editing and adds to the mysterious effect. After 24 seconds of calm, soft editing the pace immediately picks up in the car scene, sound effects are also added to heighten the action. The headlights are shown, then we see the headlights from a long shot on a cliff, this allows the audience to feel on edge for the characters as they are not sure what is going to happen next but they know it will be bad. The characters are screaming at each other in fear, we as the audience aren't sure what has happened between the beach scene and the car scene but sympathise with the characters and feel terrified for them. The shot then cuts to a black screen, this connotes danger, evil and badness the skidding sound effect makes us believe that they have crashed or hit something, or someone. With the characters all crowded around a body and the dialogue 'He's dead' the story becomes clearer to the audience. The body is immediately flung into a lake with out revealing it's identity, this promotes curiousness about the storyline, who is this person? what are they going to do? are they really dead?


Again the screen fades to a black shot and we hear the sound effect of a splash in water. After this shot the trailer becomes noticeably brighter and in daylight. The characters are all shown in a close up separately in different locations, their facial expressions show their worry and trauma over the incident. A voice over starts to explain important parts of the story that reflect what is happening on screen. The close up of the letter received by one of the characters injects yet more fear into the story line. The car headlights shown later on in the trailer remind us of the beginning, it sets a kind of 'deja vu' feel and brings back all the memories. The editing pace picks up again as the action continues, something happens to each of the characters that reminds them of what they did last summer. A shot back to the lake where the body is suspected to be encourages the audience to use their imagination. Could it be possible that a 'dead' body can come back and haunt them?


The iconic blood on mirror scene is a generic convention of horror-thriller genres, it connotes that somebody has invaded their personal property to cause distress and fear. Background music fits in with the scenes towards the end of the trailer, and the inter-titles jump out of the screen. The inter-titles are bold red writing, the colour red connotes danger, fear and warning. The word 'someone' leaves the identity of the stalker hidden which creates added mystery as it leaves the audience curious about the stalker. The editing pace at the this point is very fast, switching from close up to close up of the actors faces and features, their body language connotes the fear and the heightened screams tell us how scared they are. The final inter-title is the film title, it is spoken out loud by a eery, scary voice that sends chills down the spine. The shot cuts to a female character gasping and then leaves the trailer on a cliff hanger by cutting to the credits.

Test Photographs

This is a shot of the location i took some images in to set the scene. The sky is getting dark which connotes the mysterious things that may take place.


A shot of a girl in the car relates back to the shot from Inception where Dom Cobb is shown flying away in a helicopter. A car connotes the power held by the protagonist. In my trailer i will challenge this power by letting the stalker into the car without the character knowing.






The character is stood in a corner of the carpark, alone, in the dark. The audience should sympathise with the character and feel her vulnerabilty. The corner acts as a dead end meaning there is nowhere for her to go.




A shot from the back connotes the feeling of being followed, the fact that teh character is unaware of this makes the film more thrilling and exciting, the audiences is constantly thinking about what could happen next.

Here the character looks scared, looking around after hearing a noise. The body language also connote her fear and need to protect herself.



The park swings are a normal activity, the character being stalked during her normal daily routine such as going to the park creates tension and fear as her privacy has been invaded for some reason.

One of the actors i will use in my film trailer will be Ashleigh Jones, to try out some shots we went to the multi-storey car-park in our town and an empty park. We waited until 8 o'clock at night as I thought that the lighting would be suitable for the genre of my film, however i think i will try this again earlier in the night where it is slightly lighter. I took photographs to try out some poses that could be used in my trailer. The costume is things that we already own between us but I think it fits the smart, classic look that would be seen in thriller films. I used a torch to light up Ashleigh but next time i think i will use more torches and ask people to help by lighting her from different angles.

Initial Ideas





I used images found in magazines for my moodboards. For the costume i stuck to dark, smart clothing as this is what you are most likely to see in a thriller film. The props that will be used in my film trailer will be gadgets such as ipods and mobile phones and also cars. I also found possible make up i could use on female actors, this is also dark but effective as it makes them look more suspicious and questionable. I also described what my film will be like using words such as 'smart' which is how the actors will be dressed and how they act, this suggests that they will be respectable and can be relied on. The image used on the second moodboard shows a girl smartly dressed but slightly hidden by shadows, this image is what i want my trailer to be like - you can't see everything which leaves the audience guessing.


You have 1 lesson to complete blog post 7. Here you should create a moodboard and initial sketches that outlines ideas following your genre and textual research. This could be split in the following way; 

1. A Mood board (cut and stick & hand drawn) of costume, prop, location, character type ideas - fully utilising the genres repertoire and findings from your textual research. 
2. A short paragraph to support your mood board. 
3. A timeline of the entire film outlining what happens in the beginning, middle and end. This could be handdrawn and scanned in with a short synopsis underneath (paragraph). The timeline will enable you to select sections of the film that can be showcased in your teaser trailer. Remember the trailer will in no way give away any form of plot ending!! 

This should only take an hour of lesson time and an hour of homework time.