I had seen from my audience research that the gender and age of the protagonist had a direct impact on the target audience. Therefore, to appeal to my young, female target audience I have a an 18 year old, female protagonist. This was my first step in appealing to my audience.
The general audiences for crime thrillers are very varied in age and gender ranging from 40-54 year old men to 18-24 year old women. Therefore I will have to use specific codes in order to attract my intended target audience.
One thing I would do in my film would be to use age appropriate intertextuality e.g. having my protagonist listening to relevant music or referring to popular TV shows in conversation. This will help my target audience relate to the characters more and consequently make them more likely to go and see the film, enjoy it and recommend it to others in their social circles. Including issues relevant to those to whom the film is aimed at will help engage them in the story and the characters, therefore appealing to them effectively.
Another way I would appeal to my target audience would be to involve a love interest with my protagonist. This is a feature of film which massively appeals to the age and gender of those in my target audience. Therefore including a subplot involving a love story makes them much more likely to want to watch the film. It is an area of life that, in this life stage in particular, is glorified and exaggerated to the extreme in the media because it's what sparks people's interest. So, instead of fighting it, I am embracing this undoubtably popular selling point to attract my target audience to my film.
I will also keep the film relevant to my target audience by referencing things that are important in my target audience's life such as school, friends, relationships, siblings, struggles with parents etc. This means I am constantly bringing the target audience into the film, inviting them to engage with my characters and, consequently, their story no matter how different it may be from their everyday life. As long as I make them feel as though they're understood and fairly represented, they should appreciate and enjoy the film and it's story.
Finally I will ensure that my editing is fast paced and interesting to ensure my audience is engaged and interested in what's going on. A younger target audience will be quick on the uptake of plot lines and can therefore keep up with a more rapid plot development with the inclusion of narrative enigmas. This will all keep them on their toes, constantly paying attention to the film and maintaining their interest rather than having dull, slow moving bits of narrative. This will mean that my target audience are more likely to enjoy the action and be surprised by plot twists and a complex narrative.
However, I am also aware that I must appeal to my secondary target audience as well. Therefore there will be certain things I will include in the film to ensure they are attracted to it as well.
I will involve slightly older characters that my more mature target audience can relate to and understand such as the chief police investigator later on in the film who becomes a maternal figure to Emma. This brings an older generation into the film as well as the younger ones by having the two age groups interact and engage during the film.
Also, the involvement of a younger character such as Emma's younger sister evokes sympathy in my secondary target audience, especially women aged 26-39 who may have children of their own. This engages them not only through being able to relate to the characters but through their emotional connection to them as well.
The complex, intelligent plot line of my film will also appeal to my secondary target audience because there will be lots of plot twists and narrative enigmas to keep them interested and engaged in the story, ensuring it isn't too immature for their tastes.
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