I have analysed which moments our target audience would like in our sequence and why that is. I also explained the distribution/exhibition forms that would take place with our sequence, including a poster:
Our target audience would be the demographic of people ages 16-17, mainly men are they are s- -teriotypically more drawn to violence and there is much violence in our opening. I know this from the use of research and similar data coming from similar products to our film opening. These similar products include Nerve, Saw and Nobody all connected through either mise-en-scene, camera or editing.
I went through my opening title sequence and picked out 6 specific moments that I felt catered to this target audience of 16-17 year old males. The first moment that I felt our audience would really be interested in was the many close ups that had the close connotation of violence and torture which would stereotypically hook the male audience and the short shot duration doesn’t bore the young audience too much. This is as the close ups are of tied hands, cctv cameras, a radio, torture tools and an unknown man walking into frame with a tied and beaten man on a chair. While most of these shots are just of objects there is the insinuation that they are being used for violence, this is due to the dark lighting and use of silence with no non-diegetic soundtrack as they both have the technique of causing suspense therefore losing any innocence they had before. This use of insinuating about an object/place or thing is one that links with the theory of Fitz's connotation and devotion which also includes the freedom in film of communicating a theme or plot to the audience without stating anything. I feel this would interest our audience as it is leading them down a route where there is still mystery so they are hooked on the violent themes boys usually like. The mystery or fear of the unknown is kept up by the use of the barbed wire hands as they suggest that there Is a form of imprisonment and torture while still keeping the identity unknown therefore increasing the worry and suspense, the use of the close up on the cctv camera creates tension as there is an increased amount of tension as they know that there is a higher power watching in leading the audience to believe that this is just a small small part of the bad actions the ‘higher power’ is inflicting. The use of villainizing the unknown ‘evil’ character or group behind the camera supports the main character in getting the teen audience to route for them. There is a strange shot of a radio which highly differs from the other shots shown as music is often a source of joy and therefore clearly doesn’t belong in this sequence, but also creates interest in the audience. The use of diegetic coffee house jazz coming out of the radio caters very well to the young audience as well as it offers something different and unique from similar films.
The next moment I felt would interest the male 16-17 audience would be the point at which the villain in our sequels break the feet of the victim as it really enhances the violence that is wanted in the thriller/action type genre. Another aspect of this moment that would increase the tension and violence of these shots would be the close up of the feet so there is no distraction or way of escaping the violence. The neon green + dark lighting also increases the tension and eerie atmosphere around this action. The use of the digestive sound effect of the foot breaking also feeds the criteria of gore that is needed in order to keep our target audience interested.
Another moment in our sequence I feel the 16-17 year old males would enjoy is the use of only males being shown in the sequence so that they can fully connect and identify with the action in the scene easier. The use of males being the main characters of action/thrillers is often a case as we all have a similar target audience and the audience always want to find some way to connect with the main characters in the sequence. This process of gratifying the audience, their needs and what they feel is called the uses and gratification theory by Blumer and Katz, it states different ways an audience can gain from media, one of those being connection to character. Both men in the sequence being the type of physically strong body type that is often shown in these types of films also helps boys admire the characters more as they see what they want for themselves in the characters. The hero of our sequence in this moment is shown with a slight low angle to enhance the power he has even more creating the typical power dynamic as well as he did just knock out the villain.
This part of our sequence really feeds to the impression of our main character being a hero type, This would be an engaging moment for the audience to either love or look up to or connect with. The use of lighting enhances this moment as the freedom or character has gained is also reflected in the bright light shining through the door and flooding the screen. Our character also gains some characteristics and charisma with his exit as he slowly turns around and smiles indicating that this behaviour is either normal or enjoyable for him. This hero archetype is often liked by thriller/action fans as it doesn’t overcomplicate who we should support and dislike. The male being the hero type also will work with our target audience as they will see a male like themselves be presented as a hero saving the day. This is also the first time we have a stable shot of the character's face fully giving the audience time to connect and have an accurate presentation of his character.
The shots of the money and use of green lighting would also help the influence of materialism in thriller/action and how it hooks the target audience in through another output other than violence. Male interests in film are often presented very intense with money ,sex ,women and violence (stereotypically) and we adhere to this formality in our sequence through our main character grabbing the money when he leaves. The close up on the money as well suggests that it is the only thing on his mind as it takes up the whole frame for a bit. The use of green lighting while creating suspense also has the connotation of greed which adds up when our character leaves with the money. The strong themes of money in the opening sequence hint that the rest of the film will follow a flow of money or something of the sort and this is the sort of content that caters to the wants of our target audience. This links with the theory of Barthe of enigma code as the audience are left wanting to know more about the upcoming plot line and what role money has to play in it.
Another Moment I feel will engage our audience is gore and in our film I definitely feel that we hit that mark as we went all in with makeup and special effects to create the right reaction from our audience. With makeup we wanted it to be detailed and harsh for the victim/hero with bruises and open wounds on his face to create sympathy among the audience but also demonstrate that he has been there a long time and been through a lot. The use of presenting this gore in the opening also prepares the target audience for what the rest of the film is like and flings them into the action which is exactly what ‘teen boys’ want as there is then possibly constant action which is usually the case with most of our similar products.
I then moved on to create a film poster for distribution and awarenesses for our audience. As this poster is considered both old and new media it includes all the necessary information like realise date, a review, the title and main cast and crew and all of the studies and companies that would distribute and produce the film.
I have come to the conclusion that lions gate would be the most likely candidate out of companies that would distribute our film, this assessment being full based on my similar products. The similar products we have chosen all have either a similar them or vibe and either way lions gate was in charge of distribution of many of them. Lions-gate was in charge of production and distribution of many thriller/action films like Saw and Nobody. Lions-gate was made originally 24 years ago in Vancouver and has made their way up to having the global revenue of 3 billion so the choosing distribution with this studio will have large reach and impact.
This company have gained a name for themselves in the industry proving that their distribution has helped many many lower budget and higher budget films, while they go for more of a higher budget the marketing and distribution opportunities they would offer would make up for it and as our film is so close conventions wise mot many of theirs our film would be very welcome. I personally believe the best move distribution wise would be a cinematic realise as our films causalities would be so heightened, like the lighting and sound. With being distributed by lions-gate we gain awareness and an already loyal and trusting fanbase that will watch our film in theatres but also the distribution will reach larger areas than if we were to work with a smaller company. Also as our audience as 16-17 year old boys they are not likely to go and search for this film so a wider realises will be more beneficial when it comes to reaching our own audience to. Another form of distribution i feel would be very successful would be a DVD limited edition realise as we could create a unique feel to ours while benefiting extra profit. When creating a limited edition i would include extra content or artwork for a more interesting offer. I know this would be successful as Nobody made more than 3 million from DVD sales alone. This way we keep receiving income and awareness after theatre dates as well. I would also choose for lions-gate to distribute our film on streaming sites like prime and Netflix so it reaches a larger audience and creates a more regular flow of income through renting and buying.
I really liked the idea of focusing on the security cameras to suggest a higher force that we will meet later on, this poster looks unique and would stand out so with the distribution company mentioned people will be confirmed that is will be good.
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