PLANNING: MY TARGET AUDIENCE & HOW I ENGAGED THEM

From the Future learn course I'm following (Distribution: Connecting Films with Audiences), I have learnt that all products are targeted at specific audiences, known as a target audience. This allows me to understand who I'm producing my production for and therefore what's appropriate and will be the most successful to include.

 I needed to plan how I'd determine my target audience. Therefore I had to identify who they are (factors relevant include age, gender, ethnicity and social class), what their desires were (so my production would be successful and fit their needs), and how I could reach them (to market my film). I also needed to show how my research impacted and influenced my planning.

I began by investigating how brands define certain audiences, in preparation for creating my own audience profile for my AS Foundation Production. An example of this is when I noticed how Bauer Media, NME and Sky defined audiences. This assisted me when profiling my audience. 

From making this poster (by using the app Pic Collage) I was able to show a visual brain storm of the types of interests my target audience have, such as including their most used apps (Snapchat, Instagram..) as well as popular companies (The North Face, Netflix..). This visual representation is useful as understanding their interests influenced me to decide on a genre. 

PLANNING: OUR COMP LIST

This movie fills the audience with both interest and tension due to the main character, Holly, played by Bella Thorne, who acts as a crazy obsessed teenager, desperate for the love of the other main character, Tyler, played by Taylor John Smith. The plot 

Today we carried out similar research, watching Kezia Williams' presentation for the FDA, and learning about how the distributors identify their target audiences. 

Kezia Williams, who's part of Entertainment One UK on the FutureLearn Film Distribution, informs her audience on how film distributors build a comp list- comparable films which our targeted audience may enjoy. By watching her presentation we gain a deeper understanding of a comp list and it's functions, considering the best elements our target audience would be interested in. 

 She draws attention to the importance of knowing and understanding your target audience. Learning their interests and what motivates them is key in  enabling the creation and development of ideas which furthermore can be more appealing and suitable, creating a more successful production. She asks questions such as "What encourages them to visit the cinema?" and "What are some of their personal interests?". She also explains how distributors will compare data of films that are similar in their genre, selling points and story. The comparison of previous films allows a greater consideration of details like what type of audience did it attract more, such as male or female. The target audience and budget is formulated from what box office take was like with previous films and the types of audience that saw those films. The target audience can be analysed and investigated to find the suitable gender gap, and discover which cinemas the target audience may use the most frequently. 

PLANNING: MY AUDIENCE QUESTIONAIRE

I am using Google forms to construct a questionnaire for my targeted audience and send it to people who are likely to watch our film. My questions will refer to age, gender, what types of films they prefer to watch, what influences them to watch a film and where they prefer to watch it. Our production team want to make a film that would appeal to young people aged 15-35 (target audience). This will be significantly useful to ensure the genre is appealing to our desired audience. Google Forms will ensure I gain my required data.

                            

These are the type of questions I ideally intend to ask:

(Opening message) I would be grateful if you could complete this short survey on films and you're preferences.

1.  What's your gender?

- Male/Female/Prefer not to say

2.  What age category do you fit into?

-16+

3. What's your preferred film genre?

-Comedy/Romance/Horror/Thriller 

4.  What was the last film you watched?

-Type in answer

5.  What platform would you most likely use to watch a film?

-Television/Netflix/Theatre/Cinema

6.  What platform do you use to find out about films?

-Social Media/News

7.  What is the most likely reason you would watch a new film?

-Type in answer 

(Ending message) Thank you for completing this form!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdE3z3htU0AcxrEv-XyG9kQ1PPU1DqArtmu8tC_kIp5YafvIg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Responses and findings:

The results were presented on google forms as pie charts, making it simple and easy to read and gain the results of preferences, contributing to understanding my target audience. Here are the responses: 

1.  What's your gender?

- 50%: Male

- 50%: Female 

2.  What age category do you fit into?

- 100%: 15-24 

3. What's your preferred film genre?

- 60%: Thriller 

-40%: Romance 

4.  What was the last film you watched?

- Sinister

-The Purge

-Rush Hour

5.  What platform would you most likely use to watch a film?

- 100%: Netflix

6.  What platform do you use to find out about films?

- 100%: Social Media 

7.  What is the most likely reason you would watch a new film?

- To keep up with trends 

- Genre/Actors 

- Interests/Actors 

Overall, from my Google Forms quiz I was able to identify my target audience and their interests, which will enable me when creating my film opening to produce something suitable and wanted by my audience. 

PLANNING: INITIAL FILM TREATMENT

A Treatment will usually include a: 

TITLE: Usually a good title is used to present a solid central idea

LOGLINE: A one/two sentence stating an idea proposal 

SYNOPSIS: Outlines the key idea in more detail (300-500 words)

CHARACTERS: outline each main character with a short description and introduction 

TOPLINE: an 'elegant sentence which sums up the action' 

BIG QUESTION: What is the enigma which will unfold? 

NEXT:

•  After writing the treatment, you create a STORYBOARD (hand drawn on sheets we are given) which presents a brief visual idea of a storyline 
• and a SHOTLIST

BRAINSTORMING IDEAS: 

We initially brainstormed multiple different ideas and genres . We have access to a boat house, and therefore thought planning something which involves that location would be successful as well as using contrasting lighting to create certain moods within the audience. 

FILM IDEAS: 

Props: 

• Pin Board
• Documents
• Pictures
• Files
• Doctors notes 

Plot:

• Genius girl with access to the whole/majority of her brain, is being stalked (IQ-166)

Effects:

• Clips from YouTube
• Titles
• Background music/sounds
• Filters

Suggested Locations for Shots:

• The Mansion corridors 
• Isolated places 
• Woods
• Empty car park
• Walking down an empty dark road
• Flats near my house 
• Elevator 
• London

Crime board-black shot-hand over mouth-blackout

TITLE: Abnormal, The Exception, Nature of Human Mind, Unsettled, Extraction

CHARACTERS: The doctor, the stalker, the girl who's being stalked (main)

PLANNING: TOPLINE AND BIG QUESTION

I watched a presentation by Frank Ash, who is a creative consultant. I learned from the presentation how important it was to focus on the audience and what would interest them, as well as how does the film intrigue them and want them desire more.

For Frank Ash, film makers need to think of what the top line and the big question are. He calls the top line 'one elegant sentence' which sums up the story to its viewers. He then explains we must leave the audience wanting to discover more, which he calls 'the big question'. 

Having learnt from Frank Ash's post on Future Learn, I decided to sign up for Future Learn's Film Distribution: Connecting Films with Audiences. The course promises to cover how our favourite films make it to our local cinema or television screens through the film distribution process. 

TABLE TOP EXERCISES

Table Top exercise:

This week, we made practice film openings using the idea of 'table top' filming. Our brief was to film in one continuous take and to include a short live action clip at the start of the opening. We watched three examples of opening sequences filmed in a similar table top style to her inspire our own ideas. Using Art of the Title, we watched Delicatessen and observed how its inventive camerawork tells a story and sets the theme. Another excellent title sequence was that of To Kill A Mockingbird. This displayed it's playful theme and influenced us in the way the camera moved and camera angles which we decided to incorporate into our own production. We then used these openings as influence to create an original title sequence in groups by setting up the mise-en-scène using props from our props collection. Our table included props such as fake money with blood stains, news paper articles, a pin board and more.

PLANNING

Before filming started, we laid out all the props that were elements of our film narrative's mise-en-scène on the table, to help us decide an appropriate route for the camera to follow and to tell a story

We also researched and discussed music tracks for the soundtrack. We chose Laughing on the outside and crying on the inside - Bernadette Carrol as our sound track

RESEARCH: FILM OPENING ANALYSIS: AE FOND KISS

There are nine titles throughout the opening of 'Ae Fond Kiss' which are all written in a plain font to help create clear titles and ensure it's not too distracting from the filming going on in the background. Each title has been included by the director to help inform viewers about different aspects such as the producers and writers, as well as including the production company name, in this case, a 'Sixteen Films Production'. This information can help attract viewers as they may recognise the company name from Ken Loach's previous successful films watched and therefore make them want to watch this one. The producers have also included names of the members of the cast which may have been done to highlight actors/actresses who are well known or starred in multiple films and therefore may draw in viewers. I noticed that there was institutional information about a range of co producers which is typical in the modern film industry. 

We are initially introduced to a party scene which connotes a positive atmosphere with happy youths from multiple different ethnic backgrounds enjoying themselves, listening to loud Bhangra music. After this, a pan camera shot of the landscape is used to set the scene as well as the back ground Bhangra music playing over this view helps include the idea of the modern day version of: Glasgow, and how we should now view place. It is now a multicultural city that includes people of Glaswegian origin as well as people who have immigrated to live in Glasgow with their families. "I'm a dazzling mixture and I'm proud of it." -This is a comment made by one of the female actresses whilst making a speech to her school peers. It indicates the current version of Glasgow and emphasises how it's a multicultural city.  The back drop in the party also includes a traditional romance Bollywood clip which is informative to their 'no touch' tradition. 

The bulldog used in the opening scene connotes strong British values and symbolises the British due to this specific breed of dog can be seen as an icon of Britain. We gain an understanding of the generational differences and conflicts between them whilst seeing the contrast between the initial party scene with youths, and then at the shop. 

The producers have used multiple strategies to attract its target audience and ensure its appealing to viewers. The opening scenes offer both conflict and romance because they introduce a clash of cultural identities. As well as this, the immediate use of loud music and the initial party scene may attract younger audiences who may have an interest in that type of atmosphere, and so therefore make viewers want to continue watching to find out what's going on.

The producers have used multiple camera angles and editing techniques to engage the audience and make scenes more interesting and realistic, such as over the shoulder shots and long shots to present the whole scene. Furthermore, in the scene of the music room, the singing from the girl continues as the location changes from the school to the house of religious family. This edit is effective as it transitions and connects two scenes together.