W H O A R E YO U R A U D I E N C E & W H AT H AV E YO U L E A R N E D F R O M YO U R A U D I E N C E

F E E D B AC K ?

EVALUATION TASK 4

INTENDED OUTCOME

The intended outcome of our production was to gain the attention of our target audience, through the use of varied shots of both fast and slow pace. Enough is revealed to make the plot clear to them. However, certain aspects of the film are left to the audience’s imagination, creating enigmas and therefore a reason to watch the film.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Our target audience ranges from late teens, through to about mid thirties. They would likely be looking for a change from the typical marquee action film shown at large multiplexes.

It includes the action element

present in such films. However, the plot focuses heavily on the romantic relations of the characters involved. This could likely attract a female audience that wouldn’t usually be present for films such as the ‘Fast and the Furious’ series.

PRODUCTION COMPANY

The production companies we chose are Miramax and Bad Robot

Miramax produced the cult

classics ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs’, which-like our production-could be considered as ‘intelligent’ action films.

Miramax also have links to

Quentin Tarrentino, which is an obvious benefit, as it may attract fans of his work; ‘From the producers of Pulp Fiction’ is likely to be a strong selling point.

Bad Robot have experience with the ‘Mission Impossible’ series that fans of marquee films will be familiar with, making the chances of our film being screened at multiplexes even greater.

BUDGET

Our film is probably similar to Pulp Fiction in that it would be a mid-budget film. We would probably have a less well-known cast like Pulp Fiction does, due to the fact that that kind of a budget doesn’t pay for big Hollywood stars who charge around £50 million per film. That is, unless they took a budget cut as Bruce Willis did for Pulp Fiction.

However, due to the emphasis on the thriller element, we wouldn’t require a substantial sum of money for the large action sequences present in a majority of Hollywood action blockbusters.

AGE CLASSIFICATION

The age classification for our film is 15. This is appropriate for our film because our target audience would partly consist of young adults/ late teens who would be within this age bracket. By avoiding an ‘18’ rating, we have increased our chances of making a profit, as they won’t be excluded from screenings.

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

From class feedback, we were told that lyrics in our soundtrack provided too much of a distraction, and they should be replaced with some kind of voice over. We were able to find a recording of a 999 call which we thought was appropriate, as it establishes a sense of conflict within our production.

We were also advised to use multiple filter effects in order to clearly establish the role of characters e.g. black and white with jump cuts for the antagonist.

Despite posting a link to our production on Twitter, we received nothing more than a couple of retweets.

Feedback from family lacked any real criticism that we could effectively use in the improvement of the trailer.

MEDIA THEORISTS

The work of several media theorists could be applied to our production. Through conforming to them for the most part, we were able to produce something that would be somewhat familiar to the audience, without appearing as a carbon copy of other films from the genre.

BLUMLER AND KATZ

Through the use of situations that wouldn’t be faced by the average audience member on a daily basis, the audience may escape their everyday problems and routine. They may also find it provides an emotional release due to it’s content, as well as the personal identity they may see in it; relationship problems-although not as extreme as in the case of our production-are frequently faced by a number of people. It could also make them realize that their problems and worries aren’t so bad. This relates to the ‘entertainment’ section of Blumler and Katz’s ‘uses and gratifications’.

CHRISTIAN METZ

Christian Metz states that ‘To survive, genres mutate and join with others to form hybrid genres’. Recognition of the elements of each genre will appeal to the audience. However, it would probably be more accurate to say that we our production hasn’t mutated into another genre, more, we’ve just established that it isn’t a police procedural mystery or ‘whodunnit’.

STEVE NEALE

Steve Neale states that pleasure for the audience is derived from ‘repetition and difference’, so we have both adhered to and subverted generic conventions. Through the use of chiaroscuro lighting and melancholic music, we have adhered to a convention of the film noir genre.

ROLAND BARTHES

However, the antagonist’s identity is revealed, somewhat flouting Barthes’ enigma code.

He states that there are multiple ways of reading a text. By including the antagonist’s face, there is no doubt in the audience’s mind that he is the kidnapper. This differs greatly to classic thrillers such as Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’, in which their identity isn’t revealed until the end.

TVZETAN TODOROV

Todorov stated that narrative can be summarised as simply equilibrium, followed a disruption and then a re-established or new equilibrium.

We adhered to this within our production:

Equilibrium: Happily married couple

Disruption: Staged kidnappingNew equilibrium: ‘Kidnapper’

runs away with the man’s wife, leaving him alone

VLADIMIR PROPP

Vladimir Propp suggested recurring character types. Within our production, they are as follows:-

• Hero: Adam Nixon • Villain: Louis Pring/the kidnapper • The false friend: Caitlin

Heaton/the wife• The helper: The police woman on

the phone• The damsel in distress: Caitlin

Heaton/the wife

CLAUDE LEVI-STRAUSS

Within our production, there are clear oppositions, both in the key character roles suggested and in the mise en scene and editing pace.

As previously stated, the antagonist and protagonist are differentiated through the use of different filters, with the formers being considerably more low key high contrast than the latter’s. The increase in editing pace during the kidnapping is juxtaposed with the calm, contemplative nature of the establishing shots.