EVALUATION: Q5) HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ ADDRESS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE?- MISS BEGUM

The importance of doing the secondary research into existing products.

Researching into existing thriller products was highly beneficial for developing my micro-element knowledge, own thriller ideas, character representation as well as thriller conventions and what makes a successful product. I needed to know this in order to create a proficient product that would appeal to the right target audience. I also needed to be aware of the factors that create a thriller, whether it is the audience response or the narrative appeal. Simultaneously, knowing what the conventional/ stereotypical thrillers include allowed me to think about subverting these ideas and therefore creating something original that will intrigue the viewer and help me to compete with other productions.

The target audience of thriller films?

Thriller films are widely popular within the younger audiences, which is what I found out from looking at different thrillers and comparing them. I believe that the usual target audience that this genre appeals to is as follows:

·         Age: 15-45

·         Gender: Unisex

·         Occupation: Mainly students/ casual workers

·         Hobbies and interests: Socialising, going out and spending exciting and thrilling time with friends

I believe that this target audience enjoys the suspense and thrill that they receive from watching thrillers. This is because many young people enjoy self-scaring as well as adding fright and suspense to their lives. In addition, the emotions that the viewers are likely to experience are psychological and physiological.

·         Psychological, the way your mind reacts.

·         Physiological, the involuntary body response, such as sweat.

These specific responses are only available to viewers who watch thrillers, which is why this genre is so successful. Additionally, many young people enjoy the adrenaline rush and experiencing something completely different and out of the ordinary.

From this research I have to consider what emotions and responses I would like to draw from my audience, which will help me to choose the right conventions and create an appealing opening. I also have to consider the expectations from my target audience in order to know what will affect them. This research helped me attract my viewers through the intended use of conventions.

My Target Audience.

From my research and group discussion, the target audience for my thriller is as follows:

·         Age: 15+

·         Gender: Unisex

·         Ethnicity: Any

·         Occupation: Casual Students, Students

·         Hobbies and Interest: Any, but particularly fashion lovers.

This decision was also made from looking at the rules of BBFC and the factors that influence the age certificates. This was important as lawfully we could not have a younger audience than the age certificate of our opening. After settling for 15+ we could start and plan our conventions knowing what was appropriate to display. In terms of demographics, we decided on very broad and non-specified range. This allowed for larger audience, therefore a bigger chance of making a successful thriller.

Addressing My Target Audience.

In order to directly address my audience, I have deviced a questionnaire based on my initial idea. The questionnaire was a quick way to interact with the public and ask for their opinion. I handed it out to twenty people who fitted the category of the usual thriller viewers. This allowed for credible and relevant information, knowing it is coming from someone who enjoys thrillers and is willing to watch them. After collecting all the feedback, I have collaborated the data into graphs and charts in order to visually portray the information I received and see what the audience finds appealing. When I was placed into my group, all of us used the graphs and thoroughly compared and evaluated the feedback we received, in order to make a decision for our final idea. This analysis allowed us to create something that will appeal to the target audience and make a successful opening.  This task was crucial because a questionnaire was a base for our conventions and ideas. In addition without a questionnaire we would not be able to decide on what the public wants and could not have a steady target audience. This is how I have addressed my target audience.

Some Key Questions I Asked To Ensure I Was Attracting My Target Audience.

·         From asking this question I was able to identify the audiences’ preferable sub-genre. This was significant information because when you establish your sub-genre you can start deciding on the possible narrative ideas, character portrayal and themes within your opening.  

·         This question allowed me to see whether the audience wanted subverted conventions. This would allow me to create something original and unique. Asking this question was important because without knowing whether the viewers are prepared for something new I was at risk of losing my target audience.

·         From asking this question I was able to see whether my audience is comfortable and mature enough to see a feature touch upon mental health. Knowing this allowed me to create more complex narrative and character representations within my opening.

·         From asking directly how the audience expects to feel from watching my opening I was able to decide on the things that will provoke these responses, thus determining on my conventions, which were crucial to my opening.

I have also asked some open questions, where the participator was able of express him/herself. This was beneficial as the person was not minimalized by the provided answers but could freely write something that would help me to make a choice regarding my opening. These open questions were crucial when I addressed my target audience as I allowed them to put forward their views and receive their exact thought on what will attract them.

One question I asked was:

·         Do you enjoy watching Thrillers? Please Explain.

One of the answers I received was:

·         ‘I enjoy watching thriller movies as they seem unique and original rather than cliché’- Amanda, 18

This answer was useful as clearly Amanda stated that she enjoys originality rather than repetitive narrative ideas. From this I was able to infer that my opening needs to be unique in order to create something successful and appealing. This answer showed me exactly how to attract my target audience.
From this, my group and I have decided to create an opening where our antagonist would be portrayed in an unconventional way in order to subvert conventions and create an original sequence.

Another question I asked was:

·         Why is this sub-genre so effective in your opinion?

One of the answers I received was:

·         ‘Because psychological thrillers always have a great twist at the end’- Joe, 16

This answer is significant as Joe seems to enjoy plot twists and suspense in psychological thrillers. Therefore, I knew that my opening needed a twist in order to engage the viewer as well as have a bigger impact on them. This response allowed me to know exactly how to attract my target audience.
 
My Questionnaire: 

 

 

 

Some of the Graphs which I created after collecting my questionnaire results:

Completing the primary research was highly beneficial because I was able to discover the different factors that affect the target audience, considering the importance of BBFC as well as the overall concept of how to address and attract the right one. Without this information I was at risk of attracting/ addressing the wrong audience which could resolve into a loss during the intake and unhappy viewers, causing bad reputation. This primary information helped me to attract and address my target audience because I was aware of the aspects that are needed in order to find the right audience as well as could be secure about the success of my product and whether it will find its appeal.

 

Audience Feedback.

After completing a rough cut of my feature I held a focus group. A focus group is a small number of people who are brought together to discuss a product before being launched into market. They can critisise as well give positive feedback in order to help you improve. I decided to have a focus group concerning my thriller opening in order to measure my success and see what I can still improve before finalising my opening. I also wanted to check whether I have created a good product and if I have addressed/ attracted the right target audience. The people that I gathered for my focus group were young adults. I have made sure I asked media and film students in order to receive  feedback concerning the technical aspects of my production. These are the images I took during the viewing from my focus group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below is some of the constructive feedback I have gathered form the focus group.

                                                                        

      

Positive feedback: Danielle, 16

"The soundtrack made me very tense as it fit very well with the visuals. The contrapuntal sound added realism to the opening and I liked that."

How did this make you feel in terms of attracting your audience?

This feedback made me feel pleased for my group and myself, knowing that our narrative was different from the norm but still found fans and was able to attract an audience successfully.

Positive feedback: Trang, 17

"Hi, I thought that the thriller opening was really, really good. I really liked the character and how they seemed to be really intriguing and frightening at the same time, because there was so much mystery around who that person was, I thought that was really, really effective. The costume that they were wearing and the body language, it did allow the audience to identify that he was the antagonist of some sort, however what was quite effective about it was at the end it was a male, because it subverted stereotypes, so I though that as really effective."    

How did this make you feel in terms of attracting your audience?

This response made me feel happy that the overall effect was positive and the viewers enjoyed it. It allowed me to realise that targeting a young audience with something unique was beneficial for my product.

Negative Feedback: Helen, 16

"Basically, I thought that the location could've been better because I wasn't really sure where the antagonist was."

How did this make you feel in terms of attracting your audience?

This feedback made me feel conscious about the location we used and the way we have portrayed it through out cinematography. However I think that hiding the location helped to create mystery around the character.

Negative Feedback: Lola, 16

"The antagonist could've worn darker clothes to make it clear that he was the antagonist."


How did this make you feel in terms of attracting your audience?

This feedback made me realise that the antagonist could have a darker attire to create further fear and intimidation around the character. I agree with the statement.

Conclusion.

In closure, attracting and addressing intended target audience was very important before creating a product. This is because without a steady target audience you are risking on making the wrong choices later on, whether choosing your conventions or characters. I think that the questionnaire was a good start to a product as it helped me to address my viewers and hear to what they have to recommend. Simultaneously the focus group was also beneficial to see how successful we were and to receive more feedback in order to improve my product and finalise the feature.