Researching the Target Audience

Please click on this image in the view window so that it opens full screen and you will be able to read it. This was a mindmap of initial thoughts around target audience when I began researching this topic.

I think that the target audience for my trailer is the traditional target audience of 15-35 years old. This covers the key demographic for our film and also hits the most popular media audience as these are often assumed to be people who consume a lot of media and have money to spend on it. I think our audience belongs in this younger age bracket because generally, this is the group that the thriller genre seems to appeal to. This article is about horror, but I feel many of the points are relevant to psychological thriller too:

http://constructinghorror.com/index.php?id=60

This says that people like feeling scared because it's like the appeal of the forbidden. I think our genre works like this too. We are all scared of going mad / having nobody believe us and this is why we like films that show people going to dark places in their minds. This suggests that we are scared enough of this to pay for solutions:

http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/fears-phobias/going-crazy

When I tried to research "who watches psychological thrillers?" I noticed that no articles came up identifying a target audience, but lots came up saying what poeple's favourite psychological thriller was:

The fact that there are so many of these suggest that they are very popular films. Having looked at some of these lists, the majority of films included are from 2000s , so this backs up the idea that these films are popular with a young audience.

My film is non-gender specific as it has an appeal for both genders. Male viewers may enjoy the action and suspense sequences and female viewers may enjoy the psychological drama. There is often a strong female character in these dramas to help this appeal.

This article by a film writer / producer explains his target audience for his film he is writing and says that the female audiene is important:

 

Reasearching the Target Audience

These are my handwritten notes researching the target audience for our film. I have been looking at ratings categories, demographics, the appeal of our film and my opinion of the target audience we have identified as a group (promarily 16 - 34 age range, male and female).

We think we can target both genders because our film is a thriller rather than a striaght forward horror. This article reports that men enjoy horror films more and have a less extreme reaction to them, which is what you would guess before researching:

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1830207240848270959#editor/target=post;postID=4060975617851473082

However the researchers note that women are drawn to the psychological aspect with greater use of the words 'disturbed' and 'uneasy' and this might explain why there is a wider audience for psychological thriller as the genre taps into the tendency to focus on the mental state of the main character, a vulnerable female in our case.

Film Industry Research

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Research into Film Industry

Production

The main stages of a film production include: 

1.      Development – A producer picks a story; whether it is going to be an adaptation from a book (fiction and/or non-fiction), play, musical, another film or a story they may have created on their own. The producer then works with writers to develop the story and outline. The writers focus mainly on the context, mood and character developments. They then work with screenwriters, who then write screenplays. They focus mainly on how things would look like on-screen i.e. visually – they would focus on how the actors will act, how the actors would be dressed, add stage directions and add dialogues. Sometimes, some companies only hire a writer to act as both the writer and the screenwriter. The producer and writer then ‘pitch’ their idea to sponsors. If their pitch has been accepted, then the upcoming film is ‘green-lit’ – meaning that the producers are financially secured by sponsors.  A deal will be made and the companies involved sign a contract. The film now is set to go to the pre-production stage. We have replicated this stage in our development of the film outline and 'pitching' some of our ideas to the class.
2.       Pre-production – A production company is then created (usually is led by the producer or director). The film is then ‘storyboarded’ by illustrators and concept artists. The production budget is also being taken into account at this stage.  A production company depends on the type of film – e.g. blockbusters hire a large number of cast and crew whilst independent films only have no more than 20 (including cast).  These are some of the jobs in a production company:
   >Director:  In charge of telling how each departments should work and makes the decisions (what makes in the final cut). Helps the actors – how they would want them to act.
   >Unit Production Manager: Manages production budget and production schedule. Reports on behalf of the production company to the sponsors.
   >Assistant Director (AD): mainly manages the shooting schedule.Casting Director:  responsible for picking the right actor for the right role.
   >Location Manager: finds suitable locations for the film – sometimes it’s in the studio or in a specific location.
   >Director of Photography (DP): takes care of the photography of the whole film.
   >Director of Audiography (DA): (sound designer/supervising sound editor) takes care of the audiography (sound) of the whole film.
   >Production Sound Mixer: head of sound during filmmaking. They record audio on set – dialogue and sound effects. They work with the director, first AD, DA,DP and the boom operator.
   >Composer: Composes original score for the film. (usually not until post-production)
   >Production Designer: works concerned in visual matters works with art directors.
   >Art Director: in charge of the art department – makes production sets.
   >Costume Designer
   >Makeup and Hair Designer
   >Choreographer: helps and instructs with movement and/or dance. Fight choreographers and stunt co-ordinators help make a fight scene believable by training the actors in combat. We have replicated this stage through our storybvoarding and our organisation of the cast, locations, props etc.
3. Production – This is the stage where the all the film shooting takes place.  The cast and crew have their own ‘call times’. A call time is the time when the cast or crew is supposed to turn up for shooting in a specific set/location. Set construction, costume and lighting are usually set up in advance as they take many hours or days. Whilst the crew prepare their equipment, actors get ready by going to the costume, makeup and hair department. The actors then rehearse their script and ‘blocking’ with the director and practice with the camera and crew before taking the shot. The director shouts ‘cut’ and the camera and sound stops recording. If the director is not satisfied with the take, they may take as many shots as they want. When the whole production stage is completed, the production company usually arranges a wrap party to thank the cast and crew for their hard work. We have replicated this stage through our filming - apart from the wrap party...
4. Post-production  – This is where most of the editing takes place. Clips are put together, dialogues/narrations are added, score/music is added, special effects – CG work if needed, additional videos (archival footage or others that was not shot by the company). We will use various editing packages to put together our film.
5. Distribution – A distribution company has the say on how the film is distributed and can turn down production companies’ work if they don’t think the film will be a huge success. They work to get the films distributed in the cinemas (mostly blockbusters) or the Internet (independent films – paid or unpaid). After a few months, the film is then released into DVDs with special features such as commentary, behind-the-scenes or a gag reel to garner the attention of the moviegoers. If a specific film belongs to a series i.e. Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Thor all belong to The Avengers they may be released into a box set edition, usually with a limited edition packaging or a special edition item. A distribution company is also responsible for the creation of advertising the film to attract a large audience. They usually create posters, magazine and newspaper adverts and trailers (on TV and in cinemas) etc.
6. Marketing – Audience research can usually add up to $1 million for each film. These areas are involved in audience research (source: Wikipedia)
   >Positioning studies versus other films that will premiere at the same time
   >Test screenings of finished or nearly finished films – this is the most well known
   >Testing of audience response to advertising materials
   >Tracking surveys of audience awareness of a film starting six weeks before premiere
   >Exit surveys questioning film goers about their demographic makeup and effectiveness of marketing >Title testing in an early stage
   >Concept testing that would occur in development phase of a film before it is produced.

Each blockbuster film may have its own website. On this, fans loyal to an adaptation of the film or the stars can explore the film via games, trivia, competitions, some clips in the film and several versions of the theatrical trailers.

Advertisements of such films include: trailers (on TV and in cinemas); posters; games and trivia on advertising banners on websites; standees; 

merchandising such as action figures, 

books tied-in with the film,

replicas of props and printed images of the film on various everyday objects e.g. lunchboxes, notebooks, mousepads etc.; interviews/talkshows with the director/producer/main actors; 

viral campaign – ‘leaks’ of some clips of the film or building up a fanbase. Sequels or spin-offs may be green-lit if the film’s box office was successful.

Mr. Nobody
Produced by: Philippe Godeau
Distributed by: Wild Bunch
Budget: $47 million

Thor
Produced by: Kevin Feige
Distributed by: Parmount Pictures
Budget: $150 million

X-Men: First Class
Produced by: Gregory Goodman, Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donner and Bryan Singer
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Budget: $140-160 million

Researching the Film Industry

Production

A production company essentially helps to create the film. It is directly responsible for the major tasks for making a film. An example would be the funding of the production itself which involves fundraising to attract investors.  Production companies manage the filming from the film screenplay to the release. Its main focuses are on the budget of the film and the supervision of all legal concerns.

A film producer has the overall control on all the aspects of the films production. Their most important job is to create an environment where each talent of the crew and cast members can flourish meaning that they the credit for the success of the film. 

For our coursework, we are effectively the production company and have had to undertake all their key tasks.
 

The job of the producer includes: 

Job aspects	Description
Development	Start the initial idea for the film Have to select -the screenwriter -story editing team As well as raise the necessary funds to create the best film possible We have had to outline our film, storyboard the first two minutes, write scripts and edit as we went along
Pre-Production	Select and bring together the key members of the creative team i.e. the Director, Cinematographer and Production Designer Producers also approve of the chosen locations, studio hire, final script, schedule and budget We had to find cast and locations and check we had access to the equipment
Production	Producers are responsible for the smooth day to day operation of filming Producers approve of all script changes We had to organise everybody's timetables and sort out transport etc and also have Plan Bs for if things went wrong
Post-production and marketing	Expected to communicate with the Director and post-production departments which includes the editing of both picture and sound The producer will also deal with the finance and distribution companies in the marketing and distribution planning for the finished film. We had to liaise with our teacher to see if we could use taxis etc. We have also had to think ahead to the editing and film accordingly.

Production Companies

Warner Brother

Founded in 1918, Warner Brother’s is one of the most iconic production companies in the world. It is most recognised for its production of Harry Potter.

Warner Brother’s highest grossing films are:

Film	Release Date	Budget	Box Office	Ranking
The Dark Knight Rises	2008	$185 million	$1,004,558,444	1st
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone	2001	$125 million	$974,755,371	2nd
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	2007	$150 million	$939,885,929	3rd
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	2005	$150 million	$896,911,078	4th
The Matrix Reloaded	2003	$150 million	$742,128,461	5th

Eon Productions
 

Founded in 1961, Eon Productions are known for producing the iconic James Bond film series. The company have produced every Bond Film from Dr. No (1962) to most recently Skyfall (2012)

The highest grossing Bond films are:

Film	Release Date	Budget	Box Office	Ranking
Skyfall	2012	$200 million	$805,136,889	1
Casino Royale	2006	$150 million	$599,045,960	2
Quantum Of Solace	2008	$200 million	$586,090,727	3

These are hugely successful companies and if we want our film to be a success, we are likely to need backing from a company of this kind.

The film Taken is an example of a film which is similar to what we are filming. Taken is based around a father trying to find his daughter who has been caught up in a human trafficking ring, this is similar to our film’s plot as the younger sister will search for her older sister whom she witness being abducted from their front door. Released in 2008, Taken brought in $226,830,568 and had a budget of $25 million. This shows that our kind of film can be very successful.

This film was produced by an individual (Luc Beeson) but 8 separate studios are associated with the product (Europa Corp, M6 Films, Grive Productions, Canal +, TPS Star, M6, All Pictures Media, Wintergreen Productions). This shows that you can go down a smaller route but still need a lot of backing - this is just shared amongst a lot of smaller companies rather than provided by one big company.

Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan is a well-known director/ producer/ screenwriter from his success with films such as The Dark Knight Rises and Inception. Nolan’s work would fit our chosen genre as Inception plays around the psychological thought of sharing dreams through the unconscious mind. With our film we hoped to include some sort of psychological twist which could help with the search for the main characters sister. Nolan has been nominated for many awards and I would chose him as our ideal producer as his knowledge of the industry would allow for our film to receive the right audience as all his films all hit the box office in most countries. 

Film Distribution

Film distribution is the process which a film is made available to be watched by an audience by the work of a film distributor. This can be done by allowing the film to be made available on DVD/ Blu-ray. It is there job to decide when the film should be realised to the public in cinemas.

For distributors to get the film into the cinema, they either have to bid against other films or offer a percentage of the revenue to the cinema which they would make from the ticket sales.

Promotion

The Product (Film)	The film needs to be clearly in the genre for marketing. This needs to be presented to the audience so that they will choose to watch the film ie actors, special effects
Releasing	The film itself needs to have a perfect release date eg Christmas month for a Christmas film. It also requires correct date placing as the film could end up competing against another big action film as this would half the box office revenue.  A better option would be to release a film that would contrast another eg. A romantic comedy against a horror
Promotion	The promotion of films -Trailers which are screened at the cinema or on TV -Print advertising on posters and in adverts in newspapers/magazines -Merchandise such as novel the film was based on, movie soundtrack and video games
Publicity	The publicity side of a film can lie highly on the actors that were featured in the film. These actors would take part in interviews that would in affect promote the film. Magazines would also

Examples of Empire a British film magazine front covers. (Publicity) 

Research Into the Film Industry

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Animatic

We made this animatic by photographing each shot of our storyboard and then importing the images to Final Cut Express. In the editing package we were able to vary the length of our shots and experiment with the way they ran together. We were able to get a more precise idea of how close we are running to two minutes with our storyboard ideas so far. We also started experimenting with Livetype, working out which fonts and effects work best for our title and credits.