Evaluation Question 4- Who would be the audience for your media product?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Megan and I both decided that our main audience for our thriller film would be females between the age group of 14-18. Due to us choosing for our film to be rated 12, we wanted a wide range of audiences from different age groups and genders, however, we knew that overall females are more interested in thrillers.

After completing some research on typical thriller audiences, I found out that girls are more likely to enjoy thrillers as they are interested in the psychological aspect of it and are more eager to ponder over possible scenarios regarding the plots. Also, they are more likely to be hooked onto a fierce and heroic male antagonist or protagonist. Therefore, Megan and I discussed that we believed that females would be more inclined to watch our film due to them being interested in a wide variety of features in thrillers. Males are also likely to watch our film as it includes crime and mystery, a concept in which boys enjoy.

We chose to have the age group between 14-18 as the teenagers involved in our opening are also around this age group. This allows the target audience to relate to the characters in the film and therefore enjoy it more if they feel empathy towards them. Due to it being rated 12, we knew that the older generation would probably think of our film as 'young' due to there being a lack of gore and mature scenes. 

We chose not to include any frightening footage in our film due to the fact it could give children nightmares or have them scared for a prolonged amount of time. We also wanted our film to be family friendly, which attracts an even wider variety of people.

Despite this, many thriller films are rated 18 such as Crimson Tide, which contain disturbing footage which could trigger young children if they watched. Other thrillers are sometimes rated 15, such as John Wick, and these are less disturbing however still include slightly graphic scenes and strong language. 

In conclusion, Megan and I decided to have our film as a 12 as our narrative does not include graphic scenes with strong language or excessive violence. In our opening, it is clear that teenagers are included between the ages of 14-18 - our target audiences' age. The main plot is the delivery of the tape and the kidnapping of the protagonist Kathleen. Unlike films such as Momento, which is rated 18 and contains graphic material, our film is more crime orientated such as theft and kidnapping rather than murder, sexual corruption and multiple deaths. We believe that our audience will be engaged from the beginning as in our opening, it includes the journey of the tape and Kathleen being grabbed, however, does not explain what the tape is and why Kathleen is being targeted. This means that our target audience should be hooked onto our film and continue watching if made into a full-length film to see what would happen next. All of these mysteries are typical conventions of a thriller as they add to the interesting narrative. 

Personally, I believe that all genders will be interested in my film as there is no stigma attached and both sexes are involved, therefore allowing men and women to be able to relate to multiple characters. Females would possibly more attracted to the psychological narrative of the play, whereas males would possibly be more interested in the mystery and crime concept in our film.

Thriller Film Facts and Figures/Demographics

I found out that Audience Demographic Audience Psychographic Age is 15 – 40. The BBFC rating dictates the minimum age as 15. This suggests that thriller films are aimed at those much more mature so that they can fully understand the narrative and are able to question it and solve the mystery within it. I then found out that nearly all thriller films have a male protagonist. They also have male photographs on posters with typical male characteristics such as aggression, violence and danger. This would appeal to male audiences due to them being able to relate, however, I also found that females are obliged to watch thriller films as they are usually attracted to the protagonist or relate to other characters with more tender personalities. The protagonists' ethnicity is also primarily white which is a stereotype generalising white males are stronger than black males, females, or black females.
For example, on this thriller poster 'Beneath the Darkness', it involves two white males and a white female. Therefore, it is mainly male dominated which would appeal to male audiences, however, the woman would typically show a much more nurturing attitude which would appeal to female audiences. The fact the male character in the middle of the film is a typical 'man', with a stern face and tense features, it supports the fact that this is a stereotypical convention of thriller films. The other two characters seem to also be rather tense, however, much less than the protagonist which suggests they are much less aggressive and therefore would appeal to females.

The characters on this film poster seem to be in working class background, therefore attracting a working class audience as they would be able to relate to them. However, it could also appeal to audiences with a middle class background with similar professions such as crime-solving and other problem solving jobs. The fact this film could be a crime-solving film would be hinted in the title 'Beneath the Darkness' as this allows the audience to question what actually is beneath the darkness and whether there is something to discover. The photograph underneath the three characters is of an unknown figure (blatantly male) opening up some sort of coffin and finding something which also highlights the mystery convention. 

Due to the BBFC saying that the typical minimal age somebody would watch a thriller film is 15. This is due to there usually being a younger actor or actress in the film which the teenager could relate to. In my film, all of the characters are around this age, therefore highlighting that my age rating would be lower than 15-40, and rather 12-25. Also, typical male children around 15 would be interested in solving crime and mystery films as it allows them to think more and their coming of age. Female children around 15 would be typically idolising strong female characters in films such as my character Mirabell who is seen as fairly independent. The female audience would look up to these characters and perhaps strive to be like them, which also is a reason for the fact 15 year olds are likely to watch thrillers. Young heterosexual females around 15 could possibly be attracted to strong male characters too, such as the two males in 'Beneath the Darkness', and therefore the character 'Larry' in my thriller film. This could also be the reason for females being more likely to enjoy thrillers than males as heterosexual males could possibly want to be more involved with female orientated films they could be attracted to.

Teenagers could also be inclined to watch thrillers due to the convention of rebellion. Teenagers are typically known for types of rebellion and thrillers could be something that they are appealed to because of this. This could also be for young females who are idolising female characters who are anti-stereotypes of thriller films. As I mentioned before, male characters in thrillers are the stereotype as they are strong and independent. However, recent films are now much more female-orientated where a female character is rebelling against said stereotypes and are confronting them. This could attract primarily female audiences who would be idolising the feminism and therefore wanting to rebel, too. Males could also be attracted to this, however a little less than females. In my thriller film, the male is the more dominant character which could appeal to males who admire that, but also females who would be attracted to him. As well as this, the majority of my characters in the film are females who could possibly be rebelling against the male antagonist and are seen as strong and fairly independent, therefore mainly appealing to young women.

The antagonist of thriller films is stereotypically rich. For example, in my thriller, Larry is supposed to be seen as middle class or higher due to his expensive suit and posture. Another example would be in Psycho. This film represents the antagonist as being rich and middle class - upper class. This would appeal to both sexes, however primarily young males who are very money orientated. Young males around the age of 15 would have dreams of becoming rich, therefore enjoying watching the antagonist and perhaps even liking the character. In my film, I found that Larry was a liked character by many males in my class, however, the females were much more fascinated by the stronger female characters who were more working-class and therefore had less money. 

Therefore, young females are more likely to see my thriller film around the age of 12-15 as they prefer to look up to the independent women featured in my film. They would also like the psychological elements and problem-solving. They may also be attracted to the male character if they are heterosexual. Young males may also watch my film for the action and for the strong male character, however, are less likely due to them being uninterested in feminism.