Question 4 – Who would be the audience for your

media product?

Isaac Randall

Research - Age

The general target audience for a horror film is 15-25, most commonly as teenagers and young adults enjoy the thrills horror films offer, yet at a low cost.

Many young people are not put off by the graphic images, but are actually drawn towards them. For example, The Human Centipede (2009) is well known and viewed specifically because of the graphic images it contains. However, many audiences may be put of by the graphic content. However, overall (as seen from the statistics on the right) the audience is fairly split between the various demographics, but overall the majority lies within the ‘under 18’ and ‘18-29’ brackets.

Research - GenderAlthough many believe that horror films are stereotypically aimed at a male audience, there is also a high female audience for the genre. Films such as The Human Centipede and The Women in Black have a higher female audience in the brackets ‘Under 18’ and ‘18-29’, as shown in the graphs below. The Human Centipede The Women In Black

Research - InterestsAudiences are also drawn to horror films due to their personal interests. Horror films also may be aimed at those who have have an interests in the supernatural or the unexplained. Also, those who have a liking for illusion or enjoy a sense of mystery may enjoy films in the horror genre, as many of the films withhold information from the audience.

Horror films are also aimed at groups, such as teenagers. This is because they are attracted to the films as it has almost become a social event to get scared together. The Paranormal Activity film series success is possibly due to this.

My Product - AgeMy product is mainly aimed at a young audience aged 15- 25, as this is what the research supports. We have used some graphic images such as specifically using the blood and cuts on the actors face. This conforms to conventions and attracts teenagers as they enjoy the use of graphic images. The age of the protagonist also allows the target audience to relate better, creating a more realistic feeling amongst audience members as they could see themselves in the situation of the protagonist. The protagonist clearly has an interest in photography, supporting the stereotype that teenagers have an interest in technology. It helps the target audience again to relate, as photography and media are subjects many choose to pursue in school/college/university or/and have an interest in outside of education.

My Product - GenderThe gender of my product’s target audience is boys however, as although many films have a large female audience, they generally aim to target the typical ‘teenage boy’ stereotype. Meaning, that they enjoy cheap thrills and actually seek to see, and then discuss the graphic content, such as that featured in The Human Centipede, mentioned previously, Hostel and the Saw franchise.

However, there is a large majority of females that make up the genres audience. My product is also aimed mainly at a male teenage/young adult audience as they are not put off by taboo subjects. The content of the film also is relatable for males, as the protagonist is causing trouble in a location he is not allowed in.

My Product - Interests My product in particular will conform to the genre and will

therefore appeal to existing fans. The use of conventions, such as the young girl, creates an ambiguous introduction, and the use of props immediately creates reactions amongst the audience, such as the rope (indicating the helpless victim) and dolls (suggesting a supernatural theme).

Groups, such as teenagers for example, of friends may view the film in order to get a thrill, as one individual in the audience feedback collected, said that it “[keeps the] audience at the edge of their seat” supporting this. The scene when the CCTV stops working is an example of a thrill. Another individual stated that my product “creates enigma codes within the beginning” suggesting those that enjoy a sense of mystery would enjoy my product.