Survey into target audience

We decided to undertake in a survey into our target audience before deciding on what type of thriller opening we are going to make. This is needed as we must understand what the audience is looking for and wants from a film before starting on research, planing, making and post production. This is the same as the film industry would do as they don't want to spend millions of dollars on creating a film to find that no one will watch it. 


The results of our survey were: 


What is your age? 
Under 10 - 0 
11-15 - 6 
21-25 - 0 
26-30 - 0 
31-35 - 0 
36-40 - 1 
40+ - 2 


What is your gender? 
Male - 4 
Female - 5

What genre of film are you most likely to go and see?
Comedy - 6
Horror - 1
Romance - 3
Science Fiction - 1
Action - 1
Adventure - 1
Crime - 1
Gangster - 0
Drama - 0
Western - 0
Musicals - 0
Other - 0

Would you be interested in seeing a thriller?
Yes - 5
No - 5

What characters would you like to see in a crime gangster thriller?

Criminals - 2
Stalkers - 2
Innocent Victims - 0
Terrorists - 2
Menaced Women - 3

Do you prefer to see a 15 or 18 classification film?
15 - 3
18 - 7

How often do you watch films in the cinema?
Always - 1
Often - 3
Sometimes - 4
Not often - 1
Never - 0


From our survey we think that the sub-genre of Crime/Gangster thriller that is rated a BBFC 18 will be the best option that we have as it is some think that have not been don't for a long time how keeping some of the thing that our audience are used to such as the unknown. We are now going to research into the sub-genre of Crime/Gangster start analysing there opening scenes.

If we did this again I would like to develop the questions more ask them what is it about the genre that makes them want to see it. Get their personal reason for why they have said what they want. Them try to put that into our title sequence. On the whole I think that our survey is good and we have easy been able to undertake and respond to the response that we have been given. 

Research into Thrillers

  Tuesday 27th September 2011

Research Topic

We were put into our coursework group to create the first 2 minutes (with title) of a Thriller film. We first considered what we would need to do and research before starting even before the plot line. This was pretty simple as we created a film idea the week before and learnt from the mistakes that we made.  [Updates] The mistakes we make where that we did not do enough in-depth research, giving up the ability to understand the action on good and informed information. Also our survey did not let the audience rank the hence they most watch or ask question on location, characters, plot or miss-en-sence.   


We now knew what we would have to do in researching into our coursework genre.  We need to research into Thriller, the conventions and code of it. Analyse past thriller openings (feature films and past students films). Research in to BBFC 15 and 18 age ratings. We also decided ,after we researched into those areas, we then need to decide if it would be a hybrid or sud-genre of thriller, then research that, undertake a survey into what the audience would prefer,(asking a broad range of questions) and after that brainstorm ideas for our film.


I feel that this process was very easy to come around to and that everyone has a fair and equals role of research to undertake.


Research Findings into BBFC Classification of "15" and "18" Certificate.


I have learned that for a 15 to be clasified as a 15:


• There must be NO discrimination
• Drugs may be shown BUT not promoted or encouraged
• Horror is permitted HOWEVER if it is sadistic or sexualised then it is not
• Imitable Behaviour should NOT dwell on detail, weapons should not be be shown in a positive light. 
• Frequent use of the word F*** is allowed HOWEVER C*** is only allowed if the context justified the use. Repeated use of this language is NOT allowed.
• Nudity without strong detail is allowed 
• Sex is allowed without strong detail, verbal language may be permitted if the context justifies. Sex works (Sexual arousal or stimulation) is unlikely to be accepted.
• All themes are excepted.
• Violence, if not dwelt on pain or injury is allow.


An 18 allows all that is not permitted at a 15, however they still think that somethings should not be shown and these are:


• Breach of the criminal law
• Risk of harm to individuals
• Illegal drug use
• Sexual or sexualised violence
• Sexual activity which can't be justified by the context
• Sex Work of sexual arousal or stimulation and real sex, strong fetish material, sexually explicit animated images should be only accepted at an R18.


For me this was very easy to find the required information on the BBFC website and the information was very comprehensive to understand.  


Thursday 29th September 2011


Today we assembled in to our group and fed back to each other all the things that we have learnt. Amy informed us that the main elements of thriller are, suspense, tension and excitement. The main sub-genre is psychological thriller. Themes of a thriller are things like terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, romantic triangles leading to murder. Other types of thriller are: conspiracy thriller, crime thriller, erotic thriller, legal thriller and political thriller ect.
Alice researched past thriller intros and reported that they all had black, white or red text, all start with a figure in a black coat and most of them are in a wood or alleyway. [Update] Alice also told us that the title sequences often for tells what is going to happen in the story, there is music that fit the type of genre and build the ambients of the film. The titles that are shown are the names of key actors that are in the film and the key crew members with there titles e.g. editor or director. 


After we fed back to each other we decided that we need to develop our understanding
 of what genre is and what thriller genre is. So we set some tasks for us to do over the next couple of weeks (see above). We are to work on "What is genre?", What is a thriller?, and evaluation questions to make sure that we know what we are doing and need to do.


I chose to undertake the research into genre below are my findings. I feel that the team is working well together and getting on with one another. Also I feel that the roles have been handed out fairly and that there is no one not pulling their weight or with an uneven amount of work to do. 


Research Findings into Films Genres.





At first I did not know what or how to undertake the research task. Do I research all genre in depth or just the one that I think went well with the thriller. After a conversation with my teacher who explained the task. I decide to research all genre but go in-depth to ones that I thought would work well with thrillers. 

Investigating into genre

Reflect on genre.
Genre is the concept of catagorising films, however it is also the foundations for all films giving them their key themes and issues, which, in Media, we call the conventions and this is where all writers, producers and directors take the necessary elements to create a genre.  Genre is influenced by social, economic, political and cultural changes which effect the film studios.  This has forced genre to develop and evolve from the classic Hollywood Studio system with sub-genre to the contemporary hybrid such as a rom-com.


The process of film making.
The process in which film studios have to undertake to create a film is lengthy and time consuming.  They first need to consider the type of genre that they see a gap in the market for and then have to undertake, in a survey, to investigate whether or not the audience would be interested and engaged with this type of genre.  If the survey is positive then the studio starts to create the plot line, characters, setting etc.  If negative the studio returns to the drawing board.  During the creation of the plot the writers and studio must stick to the conventions and build upon past films in the same genre so that the audience is engaged and knows what to expect from the type of film.


What have you learned about genre?
I have learned that the audience requires repetition, variation and familiarity with new films.  This is critical to the film making process as they must keep similar elements within film resonates with the audience, however, they need some variance to keep the audience engaged.  One aspect to film making is regenrification. This is the ability to repackage and rebrand a film if the box office suggests that the film would not be a success if is stays within the genre it is in. This shows that the division between genres is weak and blur into one another with no set standards. 


What can you take from what you have learned?
I have learned that I need to undertake my research with greater detail and more thoroughly and to ask a wide set of question to my audience.  Besides the genre that they may be most interested in.  Things like characters, setting, theme and issues and lighting.  Also I can take my learning of how to investigate in greater detail from the problems that I have faced and where I have gone wrong.


 

Concepts of Genre

© Filmsite.org

Steve Neale has said that the relationship of conventions and their expectations in genre are in a continuous circle, going between the industry, text and subject.


One of the most important things genre needs to have is a familiarity with their audience. That is to say there needs to be something that the audience can relate to and/or that they have seen before. This is very important as if it is so far removed from what they are watching they will not enjoy it or understand. Also there needs to be repetition of key elements or themes with in the same genre. As with repetition comes a sustained ease and comfort to watching or reading any media, we don't want the audience to feel uncomfortable as they want to enjoy or find pleasure in what they are consuming. However we don't just want the films to be consistently the same as each other, so we need some variation - without variation the audience becomes desensitised to what is being shown to them. As well as having variation with films there needs to be variation with what the studios produce. If we only have horror films for the next 5 years we, as the audience, will become desensitised, uninterested and bored of that genre of film.


I believe that the most limiting type of genre is the sub-genre, yes you are building upon other past films with in that genre, however you can't branch out and make the film more than two dimensional. It becomes to repetitive and familiar without variation, which makes it very easy to guess what happens next. An example of this is in a romance, boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl fall out and don't talk and at the end of the film boy and girl get back together, the audience does not even need to go and see the film as they already knows what is going to happen.


When starting to undertake research into thrillers I need to consider what type of thriller genre, if that would be the conspiracy thriller, crime thriller or even political thriller. Then after that I need to research in to the conventions of that sub-genre and analyse other past films of that same sub-genre. What shots do they use? How are these shots different from each other type of sub-genre? What is the music like for each? How does the Mise-en-scéne play its part to create the mood for that sub-genre? [Update] What are the main themes and issues, iconography, character development, and setting in each of the sub-genre films. Also I will need to research into the other type of genre, Hybrids. What are the main element of a hybrid film? What is the Camera, Sound, Editing Mise-en-scene like?


I feel that being given a brief of only doing thriller is a good thing as we have a starting point something to work with. Anyway the film crew is given a brief of what genre they are creating so I don't see that it is limiting to have a set genre but a positive, something to start with.