R+P Post 2: Our target audience and how we plan to attract/address them

Our Target Audience

Our TA is fans of crime and thriller films and to appeal to them we have included features conventional of the genre in the opening. An example of this is the emphasis on the building of suspense and anticipation which we have planned to create throughout the opening by the use of a tension filled soundtrack, the quick introduction of the stalker theme, enigma codes and the positioning of the audience so that they know more than the main character. Other films and TV shows our TA would enjoy include Shutter Island, Se7en and The Escape Artist.

TA Age

Crime and thriller films typically have a 15 or 18 certificate due to their mature story lines and themes so for our film we decided that our TA would focus on young adults and adults from the age of 15+. To appeal to this group we have age appropriate characters that have aspirational qualities, lives and jobs as well as mature themes that are challenging and thought-provoking. Examples include the main character being a successful lawyer and the theme of stalking and the film's focus on its effects on those involved. 

TA Gender 

To ensure that our film has as wide an appeal as possible we wanted to equally target both males and females. To specifically target women we decided that our main character would be a woman, who although the object of the stalker's obsession, is shown to be successful, independent and very capable. This means that we have strong female representation throughout the film and therefore appeal. To ensure our film appeals to men we have included plenty of action and realistic violence throughout. Our opening also immediately introduces the stalker element of the film and the anticipation and questions this raises with the audience will appeal to both genders.

To find out how to make our crime/thriller film as successful as possible, we spoke to family and friends within the TA to get their opinion and their likes and dislikes of the genre.

Answers on the genre from out TA

From our research we found that the more puzzling and thought-provoking we can make the film, and opening, the better as most said that for them to become involved in a crime/thriller they need to have something to work out along the way. The issue of feasibility was also brought up as a few of those questioned said that if the plot seemed too far fetched they would be less likely to watch the film. To try and meet these needs of the audience, we have included a red herring in the opening and cliffhanger ending to help build anticipation and keep the plot interesting.
In addition, our research showed that characterisation was very important in ensuring that the audience became invested in the character's struggle and experienced the horror of their life falling apart around them. To ensure our main character fulfilled this, we spent a lot of time going over the specifics of her personality and how we could quickly represent some of these aspects in the opening to engage the audience.