Q4: What would be the audience for your media product?

Audience member profile:
Age: 15-30+
Gender: Male or Female

To gather research on our audience we made a questionnaire and handed it out to 10 people so we could see what type of thriller film they like or sub-genre they like. I aimed to hand them out to many different people of age etc so we could get a good range and also turn our results into statistics and graphs. We asked closed questions as well as multiple choice so they could give mixed feedback. Unfortunately as we only asked 10 people you get very small results, and also if we put in on social media and the internet then I think we would have got more varied results. Our audience is important as they will watch the film and will help spread it out. They are also important as by giving our audience what they want they are more likely to watch it.

Our media production is aged for 15-30 year olds as it has got some scary themes in it that could upset children but is too simplistic for 30+ year olds. Also our questionnaire feedback shows that half of the people I asked were 10-19 (15-16) so that’s another reason why our media production is aged for 15-30yrs.  The gender of our audience I think would be both but possibly more females as its very female-orientated.  I think that males and females would like it though as it has got a female victim but a male protagonists which is very typical and relatable.

Our feedback showed as well that they enjoyed good plots (e.g. mystery, murder and confusion) and enjoyed asking questions so we made sure we didn’t give the whole story away in our opening and left in quite open to interpretation. They also said they liked when tension is built either through music or through editing. We also asked what they expect from a thriller and many said an unusual outcome which is what we aimed for.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) watch films throughout and decide on which age its appropriate for. They are the legal classification in Britain. They go as follows U – suitable for all, PG – parental guidance, 12A- cinema release suitable for 12 and over, 12 – video release suitable for 12 and over, 15 – suitable for 15 and over, 18 – only suitable for adults and R18 – adult work licensed only so not very suitable for cinema etc. I think our age rating would be 12A as it shows a dead body but doesn’t dwell on it or show a lot of it. Also there is blood but no gore. The blood is only brief and discreet and there is no swearing. This makes it available to our target audience and means they can see it. Other 12A thrillers include The Adjustment Bureau & Contagion.