Describe your target audience. (their cinema and film habits, including other thrillers they’d enjoy/not enjoy; psychographics and demographics)
The target audience of the film would most likely be 16-24 year olds in the C1, C2 and D demographic classifications. They would go to the cinema occasionally and usually in friend groups. Recent major films they have probably seen include, The Dark Knight, I Am Legend, Kidulthood and Adulthood. They would be from a middle to working class background with an average amount of disposable income. This disposable income would mostly be spent on mainstream goods, such as fashionable clothing and popular music. The lower band of the audience would be less likely to spend as much money but would still try to make themselves look as wealthy.
What pleasures does you thriller offer your audience? Make references to thrillers, and use the 9 types of pleasures we looked at in class.
The thriller offers a variety of pleasures to the audience. For example, there is a narrative pleasure due to the cliff hanger left at the end of the opening. It may also offer a psychological pleasure to those who feel they can connect with the characters. A third pleasure is intellectual pleasure. The mystery pertaining to why the father attacks his daughter is key to this pleasure. The social pleasures gained from relating to the characters may also occur in some.
Is your thriller an indie or a mainstream thriller? Who would exhibit your thriller – indies or chains? Make reference to other thrillers and their exhibitions.
The thriller would be more likely to be released in indie cinemas rather than major chains due to the nature of the film. Due to its unusual genre, it would have a hard time attracting viewers if it were released in a major cinema, like Vue. Instead, it relies on an audience willing to watch something new. However, despite its unusual genre, it may also appeal to the audiences gained by indie hit films Kidulthood and Adulthood, due to similar themes and backgrounds.
Who would produce your thriller – indies or majors? Make reference to other thrillers and their production companies. Would your film seek funding from the UKFC.BFI/FilmFour?
The thriller would be more of an indie production based on the production and distribution companies involved with Kidulthood and Adulthood. As it shows a glimpse of real life, the locations are very down-to-earth; we would probably be able to get funding from the UK Film Council or FilmFour.
Discuss your thriller in terms of genre. Is it a genre film? Is it a hybrid genre? Is it a sub-genre? Use the quotes about genre to support your ideas and to discuss your film.Our thriller is a Psycho-Realist Thriller. Nicholas Abercrombie says that “boundaries between genres are shifting and becoming more permeable.” Our thriller is a good example of that as it combines aspects of several different sub-genres of thriller, including Mystery, Psychological and Realistic. This combination allows for a wide thriller audience to enjoy the film.
The film plays to the thriller genre very well as the opening contains a significant amount of mystery, i.e. the audience want to know why the father attacked his daughter, and therefore keeps the audience interested.
