Task 3 Target Audience Research

Target Audience Research - Thriller Genre

Many thrillers have age restrictions to stop an under age audience, which the film company think are to young, watching the film in the cinema. This can be for a number of different reasons. Thrillers often include lots of physical violence which can be disturbing and cause problems for a younger, less grown up audience. Psychological issues are also apparent in many Thriller genre films which can be disturbing for many younger viewers. When the film is released onto DVD or Blu-Ray there will be a warning on the back of the cover which states why it is rated as a PG, 12, 15 or 18 film. This could be because it contains extreme violence or sexual scenes.

A key appeal for the target audience of Thrillers is character which they can relate to and build a connection with as the film continues. Scream is a really good Thriller example of this. Scream aimed to target a mostly young adult target audience. Through using a mainly teenage cast, each with their own individual story the audience was able to relate to the character therefore they become more interested in the film and what happens to the characters

Most thrillers these days like to have the use of modern day technology in their films. This is so they attract a more modern audience. A thriller convention is for scenes and the plot in the film to be influenced by events that have or could happen in real life. This is why directors always try and add in the latest technology into their Thriller films to look at reaching out the widest range of audience that they can.

A key element within Thrillers is the theme of disguise which creates mystery within the film. The disguise is conventionally used on the antagonist characters so that the audience are unaware of what the character is like. This can be found in Thrillers such as Scream, Purge and The Black Swan which all use disguise to create suspense within the film.

People that have been asked what the conventions are for a Thriller have said that the conventions can be used in our film to. These can include suspense, tension, constant twists, dramatic atmosphere. It should be scary. The audience should be on the edge of their seat for the whole film. The plot should also give constant shocks.

The target audience for my Thriller film opening is males and females aged predominately 15-19 with Hopefully 80% of the people that watch the film opening will be within this age group. However because of the many sub genres within the Thriller genre some of the audience can branch out of this age range. The target audience for the conventional Thriller is that it will appeal to both male and female audiences and a variety of social classes conventionally through the use of relatable characters and themes throughout the film. Overall Thrillers appeal to a wide-audience and the large variety of sub genres means that the Thriller genre can easily relate to a range of audiences.