Research into Target Audience

Research into Target Audience


It is important to research into the target audience because you have to know who you are aiming your film towards. It is useless not aiming your opening sequence to a specific audience as the audience themselves will not know who it is targeted towards.

I have asked 40 people a questionnaire that my group have come up with, containing 7 closed questions which requires one word answers, or to tick an option. I have also included 3 open questions which allows the participant to expand on their explanation. We asked questions along the basis of what they like and expect in thriller films and the reason behind their answer. The results that are collected from the 40 participants enable us to have an insight into what makes a successful thriller film so we have an idea of what to include when it comes to making our own opening thriller sequence. 

The questionnaire shown below is a list of questions that we asked the 40 participants with questions involving films from the thriller genre.

 What is your age?

From asking the question "What is your age?" I have found that the most popular age range that like to watch thriller films is people aged 16-20 as 43% of the people questioned watched thrillers aged 16-20. This could be mostly down to the fact that most thriller films are rated 15 by the BBFC so a lower age range may find it difficult to view a thriller film. In addition to this, people in the age range of 16-20 may find it easier to understand the physiological narrative and find it thrilling and exciting to watch. Whereas somebody within a higher age range may find watching a different film category interests them more. This was helpful to my groups research as it is evident that our target audience should range from 12 years onward. 

Are you male or female?

My second pie chart, titled "Are you male of female?" from these results I have found that more women prefer to watch thriller films rather than men. I have concluded this as the chart shows that 58% of the people asked are women and 42% of the people asked where male. I think that females prefer thriller films because it is a change from the typical cliche love story. Whereas men stereotypically watch action adventure films which are similar to thriller films because of the action, weapons and death are all included, so they may prefer to watch something completely different for a change. However, the results that I have collected could be an unreliable source of data as this is data from 40 people and different people may have a different perspective.

Do you like thriller films?

82% of the people questioned like thriller films. I think this is because thriller films are completely different to other genres of films. Thriller create enigma throughout the whole film, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats making them want to watch on until the narrative is revealed at the end of the film. This gives us a good insight that most people who are watching our opening thriller sequence like the thriller genre, so if they do not like our film or have any criticisms they are truthful.

What music do you like in thriller films?

From the question "What music do you like in thriller films?" with 37% the people questioned preferred tense music, I think this is because it begins to build an atmosphere and to create suspense and tension for the audience as it leads up to a significant point in the narrative. Furthermore 27% of the participants that we asked like to hear eerie music when they are watching a thriller film, this is for the same reasons as before as it subconsciously begins to build tension for the audience, making it interesting to watch. This has helped towards research for our opening thriller sequence as we will include music and sound effects that are both eerie and tense, to engage the audience.

Do you like the killer to be identified or not?

53% of people answered no to the question "Do you like the killer to be identified or not?" I think this is because it creates a sense of enigma for the audience as they are wondering who is the killer and if the killer is wearing a mask, who is behind that mask. This keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as they begin to wonder who is the killer, if they know there victim and their reasons for killing the victim. If the killer was identified, the narrative would become clear and not leave any surprises for the audience. Having a unidentified antagonist/killer is conventional to the thriller genre as this helps to create a sense of enigma and builds tension throughout the film, this therefore keeps the audience engaged in the film.

What is your favourite thriller setting?

I gave options all very similar, based around the idea of an isolated setting. This is because all thriller films are stereo typically set in some sort of isolated setting, so I varied the options to do with an isolated setting to get a more accurate result. The most popular choice with 33% is a general isolated location followed closely by a haunted house with 32%. I think these were the two most popular answers because within a haunted house this creates more suspense and tension as there are things living inside such as devils and demons which possibly may make the narrative more interesting. An isolated setting is conventional of the thriller genre as this creates a sense of foreboding for every character within the scene as it is unknown to the audience if they will be able to escape to safety or not, it also keeps the audience wanting to continue to watch on as they watch desperately to see if the character they have built a relationship with is able to escape from the killer or danger that he/she is in.

Do you think a female victim works well?

77% of people answered yes, as they agree that a female victim works well. I think this is the most popular answer as it would not give the same effect if there was a male victim, as a male could be seen as more dominant in the situation and less fearful so would create less tension for the audience. The female victim is  conventional to the thriller genre as they are portrayed as vulnerable and defenseless leaving the audience questioning the safety of the protagonist, making them continue to watch on until the end as they do not want to see the character they have built a relationship with harmed in anyway.

What do you like about thriller films?

The results were very close in my next question of "What do you like about thriller films?" However the highest result came out as the audience like the film to create suspense. I believe that this came out as the highest result as without suspense created the narrative would be boring and not interesting for the audience to watch.

What conventions do you like, why?

From the pie chart results about the open question asked, "What conventions do you like, and why?" it is clear that the convention which the audience like most is the music used. I think this is because the music in the thriller genre can vary, creating different atmospheres, and always keeping the audience on the edge of their seat. For example, the music can begin eerie and slow, as it gradually builds up tension then as the fighting scene or as the narrative becomes more violent the music will begin to increase its pace creating suspense and tension all the way throughout.

What weapons do you think work well? why?

My last pie chart questioning "What weapons do you think work well and why?" shows that the people who answered my questionnaire think that a knife works well in a thriller film. I think this is because knives are more personal than a gun or ax and it does not require to see the killer. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates a sense of enigma throughout the scene making the audience want to continue to watch on as they wonder who is using the weapon to harm the innocent and vulnerable victim.

Vox Pops

 

By completing this task, and creating vox pops this has given me an additional and further insight as to what type of people like thriller films and what they like about thriller films. This has helped as when I come to prepare for producing my opening thriller sequence, I can use this information that I have collected to make the sequence appealing to my target audience, keeping them interested and wanting to watch on throughout the whole sequence.