A2 Evaluation

1.       In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My main product uses and develops thriller trailer conventions. One of the ways it does this is to show the protagonist, and not the main antagonist (secondary antagonists are shown to provide enigma codes). The protagonist is shown to be extraordinary, through the events shown in the trailer (investigating murders, fighting off people almost twice her size). Because it is a thriller trailer, there are not any ‘scares’ and comedic moments, which helps set the films tone as something serious and to an extent realistic, which is what most thriller's tend to do with their narratives, unless it uses future technology or ideas. As well as this, the trailer gives information about the film, such as release date, title and tagline. Although some of my feedback believe that 'too much' of the story, much of this is in the beginning of the narrative, taking place before much of the main plot, and so does not challenge trailer conventions.
My narrative sticks to the conventions of a thriller film, particularly the conspiracy Thriller sub-genre. The conspiracy is the main part of the trailer, but is not spoiled (the audience knows there is a conspiracy but does not know why).The main reason for this is because of spoilers: trailers do not give away the ending of a film, otherwise the audience would not see the film. This is a convention I have definitely used, and the trailer does not use any part of the end narrative, much of it being either early on in the film or flashbacks to explain character.
 If I were to redo this trailer, I would change the opening sequences to show more of an introduction to Alex (the main character), which is more in keeping with certain trailers, which means that my end product challenges certain conventions. This introduction to Alex could have been clips of her doing investigations, and at award ceremonies etc, although it would not have been feasible to stage all of this

The ancillary tasks also used and developed conventions. The magazine cover features the protagonist in a specially shot pose for the cover. Although my cover shows her looking at some evidence, on a single coloured background, there are variations, in mainstream magazines, such as the character staring out of the page, or the background being a scene from the film. The colour was chosen because grey is a fairly moody/serious colour, but it also makes foreground objects stand out more than black. A red or yellow background would have made the film seem more light-hearted, and so the use of grey shows that the film is meant to be serious. The pose where a character is looking at a prop is one of the most common, however. As well as this, there is a top banner advertising another magazine feature, as well as other films featured in the magazine. All the main product details, such as issue, date and price are on the cover, and also use typical conventions, as the title of almost every magazine is near the top, below either a banner of part of the background image. This is done so that the title stands out in newspaper shelves and so would make little sense to challenge this convention. The title chosen uses the convention of being related to the subject it covers, as a spotlight is often used on stage or by actors, and also 'putting the spotlight on something' means looking at it in more depth, which is what most magazines do to the cover film/feature.
If I were to change anything, I would either have Alex in a different pose, or add in a secondary character (likely the editor) and have a secondary cover featuring different characters, which aren't the main villains. While some films use magazine covers to 'reveal' their villain/hero's look (many of the EMPIRE ones, such as Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Dark Knight and Rises), although that is because these characters are cultural icons, while the identity of the Message's villain is one of the key enigma codes. 


The Poster could be seen as a typical character poster, detailing a sole character, on a single coloured background, with something to describe them. While some posters use a quote, many (including my poster) use a description of the character, in this case 'A Brilliant Mind', which is a convention I decided to use, as it helped the audience to understand the character more. Like many character posters/banners, it is quite minimalist, and so works to intrigue the audience without giving the plot (ie key location, narrative detail) away. The colour was chosen because it is a serious colour, and shows the film is not light-hearted, as well as giving a link to the magazine front cover. The name and release date is given, which is one of the main features of a poster, as it is used to advertise a film close to its release date or during its theatrical run, especially character posters.
If I were to do this again, I would use images of other major characters, such as the two police officers and the editor, as well as Alex, or create other character posters to symbolise their relationships with each other. However, I would not put any of the villains on the cover, as that is one of the films enigma codes.

2.       How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?

There are many ways in which the Message trailer is linked to the magazine cover and poster.

Firstly all three feature Charli (as Alex Davidson) and she is the sole character in the magazine and poster, although the poses are different.

All three feature the title, and the poster and the trailer use similar font for it, which was done to show that the film being marketed is the same, and to keep consistency through marketing tools. The font is also reminiscent of a type-writer which is often associated with thrillers and conspiracies, due to their use before computers were publicly available. The magazine would have a house style and so would not use the same logo, however, but the title font on it is still similar to that on the trailer/poster. The remaining text on the trailer is used to describe Charli's character, as the words a 'brilliant mind' appear on both, as character posters normally have a description or short quote about the character, and quote demonstrates how her character is seen or portrayed in the film, and is not seen differently to different people. The effectiveness would not be as great if the same character was described in different ways, as this may confuse the audience. The date and film studio appear in both the trailer and on the poster, while the date of the magazine is earlier in the year. This is however very common, and films will normally have a cover a few months before release, either new information or the big reveal. It also means that the promotional trailer and poster would be released at the same time, as release dates may change, or the information may not be known. However, it may also be that this one element is simple to edit, and is also something which is key, as different dates would confuse an audience, lower it's effectiveness and therefore how many people would watch the film. The background colour's on the magazine cover and the poster are the same, which provides another link, as well as emphasising the tone (light hearted or comedies would have lighter backgrounds. Thrillers tend to be dark). This was mainly done to show the tone, but also because of recognisability, as certain colours may be associated with films (AVATAR and blue, The Expendable's and yellow for instance), and so using a grey colour that wasn't metallic would likely stick in the mind of the target audience (for instance grey was also used for marketing 'Taken' another thriller)

While all three share common links, they can all be viewed as individual products, rather than just Photoshopping a still from the trailer, new specially shot images are used.
From the feedback I have gained on all three products, I would say that the combination is effective.

3.       What have you learned from your audience feedback?

One of the things that I made sure I did was get feedback from my target audience throughout the production stage. For instance, once I had created my first version I asked for feedback and then made changes based upon it. For instance, in the first cut some felt that the death scenes were either too long or too short, depending on the character, and so these scenes were edited accordingly. As well as this, some felt that James' character was not explained properly, and so extra text was added. As well as this, more title screens were added, and an extra scene shot, which took care of any other complaints. 
After creating the second version my audience feedback became more positive, although some constructive criticisms had also been given.

A short comment, only saying that their favourite part was James' speech as Prime Minister

This user also enjoyed the trailer, and stated they would  see the film for the story shown in the trailer

This user has more knowledge in the field, having taken a media course already. While she enjoyed the piece and commented on the good use of editing, she was also able to give some constructive criticisms.

This next user liked the piece but commented on the actors smiling during takes

   

This was the comment left by James, who played the PM. He enjoyed the piece but also commented on some shots and other parts which may not have been perfect.

As well as Facebook, I put the link on Twitter to get more feedback. One of these users, @ITFCAston did give some positive feedback, as well as some constructive criticism's.








These are just a few examples of the feedback received, with the rest being similar to these examples. From this I have found that the trailer was well received but some of the camera shots were not straight, and some felt that there was too much of the story revealed, through the deaths of the five people. However, they would take place before the main narrative and would not be considered spoilers. If remade that part of the trailer could be made clearer. As well as this YouTube allows users to view statistics on their video's

My audience profile listed the main viewer between 18 and 25, and more likely male, which is what these statistics appear to show. 
From both pieces of feedback I have learned that not everything works with all people, for instance, some knew why James' PM was included, most didn't, which is why extra information was added. I also found that my audience research allowed me to create a film that appealed a lot more than it would have done if I had just drafted a story, which shows its importance. I didn't realise how much narrative and back-story was needed until my first set of feedback, which meant that I could adjust the trailer accordingly, without giving away spoilers. Finally, while not everyone gave the same feedback, much of it was similar, and included things which I had not thought of (title cards for back-story), which shows that the audience know what they want, and my target audience wants to understand the characters and their motives, even in the trailers.

4.       How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Different types of technology have been used at all stages of the coursework piece, from planning and research to construction and evaluation. For instance, I have used both Mac’s and Windows 7 PC’s to create my media pieces. The Mac was used primarily to create my main product (trailer) using Final Cut Pro. This enabled me to use layering, add in audio and edit pieces non-destructively. Special effects can also be used. For instance, one scene in the trailer is a news conference with the Prime Minister. To achieve the look, I created a banner in Photoshop and used it as an overlay. After this I removed the background of the actor speaking (it was filmed behind a ‘blue screen’ to make this process easier), and replaced it with a still image of 10 Downing Street. Once all the layers were sorted out it was only a case for moving them into the correct position. This allowed me to make the scene look more realistic than it would have been on a plain background, and make's the sequence look more real in another way: it looks like it is being shown on a TV news network, which is how that kind of shot would be shown. While the picture is static, this does not detract from the effect created, as the viewer would be focussing on James rather than the banner.
As well as this, I could mix in different audio and edit sound levels, which meant that if I had to replace audio, or create a voice-over (which occurred during the flashback shots) it meant that I could line both the audio and video to a frame.

Photoshop was also used to create my ancillary tasks. They were achieved by using the magnetic lasso tool to cut out the main character, before moving this image to a separate layer. Then, I used the background colour tool to change the background. This meant that the object of the cover/poster was the character, and the locations did not give away plot details, and that unwanted parts of the photo could be taken away easily. Then I used Office software to add in any text needed for the poster and magazine cover. By using Microsoft Publisher, rather than Photoshop itself, I could move text more easily, as well as use the 'template's' options which meant that mastheads and other information would automatically be in the correct place, and would not be accidentally be overwritten due to the layers.

Other software used includes ‘Oxelon’ which allowed me to convert my footage to a Final Cut friendly format. This was done as the other alternative was to use a 'director's box' and import using iMovie, which often led to varying results (unwanted visuals such as menu screens or battery meter) 


The internet played a big part in the research and planning stages. For instance, using YouTube to view existing trailers, Blogger was used as a way of creating the coursework portfolio and social networks like Twitter and Facebook to get audience feedback, which was one of major parts of the evaluation stages. YouTube was also used to upload my final trailer. This site was used because it is part of Google, like Blogger, and is the world's biggest streaming site. As well as this, part of the research involved going onto different film magazine websites, like Total Film and EMPIRE, to get past magazine covers, although TF did not have them in a separate section, which is why the post mainly consists of examples from Empire

The Message Bloopers

The final trailer for my coursework 'The Message' went up yesterday. As well as this I also uploaded a collection of out-takes that happened while filming. Some of the locations changed based on either feedback or practicality, as did some of the actors, for the same reasons

Second Version of The Message Trailer

In the second version I made some changes based upon the feedback I received. Firstly I changed the background on James' speech to 10 Downing Street, making it look more 'official'. While this worked in a similar way to adding the news channel banner (layering on Final Cut Pro), something happened during the beginning causing some movement and the top of James' head to disappear momentarily. However, the effect was achieved by cropping James and filtering out the background.
Other changes to this version were: using a different actor to portray Robert King, as I found the scene too dark, and some felt that he was the one mugging Chloe's character in a previous scene. As he had other commitments, a new actor was found, a different location used, and I made sure the clothing worn was different.
Text was added to give more depth to the victims, and some of the title graphics were added/moved, depending on feedback. Finally a new scene was added, naming (or at least partly) the organisation behind it as 'The Order', which could be seen as adding to the enigma of the trailer

The Message: Linking Texts

There are many ways in which the Message trailer is linked to the magazine cover and poster.

Firstly all three feature Charli (as Alex Davidson) and she is the sole character in the magazine and poster, although the poses are different.

All three feature the title, and the poster and the trailer use similar font for it, which was done to show that the film being marketed is the same, and to keep consistency through marketing tools. The font is also reminiscent of a type-writer which is often associated with thrillers and conspiracies, due to their use before computers were publicly available. The magazine would have a house style and so would not use the same logo, however, but the title font on it is still similar to that on the trailer/poster. The remaining text on the trailer is used to describe Charli's character, as the words a 'brilliant mind' appear on both, as character posters normally have a description or short quote about the character, and quote demonstrates how her character is seen or portrayed in the film, and is not seen differently to different people. The effectiveness would not be as great if the same character was described in different ways, as this may confuse the audience. The date and film studio appear in both the trailer and on the poster, while the date of the magazine is earlier in the year. This is however very common, and films will normally have a cover a few months before release, either new information or the big reveal. It also means that the promotional trailer and poster would be released at the same time, as release dates may change, or the information may not be known. However, it may also be that this one element is simple to edit, and is also something which is key, as different dates would confuse an audience, lower it's effectiveness and therefore how many people would watch the film. The background colour's on the magazine cover and the poster are the same, which provides another link, as well as emphasising the tone (light hearted or comedies would have lighter backgrounds. Thrillers tend to be dark). This was mainly done to show the tone, but also because of recognisability, as certain colours may be associated with films (AVATAR and blue, The Expendable's and yellow for instance), and so using a grey colour that wasn't metallic would likely stick in the mind of the target audience (for instance grey was also used for marketing 'Taken' another thriller)

While all three share common links, they can all be viewed as individual products, rather than just Photoshopping a still from the trailer, new specially shot images are used.
From the feedback I have gained on all three products, I would say that the combination is effective.

Ancillary Tasks: Completed Poster and Magazine

These are the first versions of the Message Poster and the cover of a magazine titled 'Spotlight' where The Message is the cover film:
MAGAZINE COVER

This is very similar to the original draft of the cover.
It uses the conventions of magazines (name related to topic, at the top of the page), while the barcode and text for the extra features means this would be a retail version (many subscription covers will feature only the cover image and title, sometimes the cover image will be different for subscribers, especially if multiple covers are available for that issue). 

POSTER

While many aspects of this poster are similar to the draft, there is no longer any pictures of the five victims, and the text at the top of the poster is different (now a description of the character), making this now a character poster. Using my research on posters, I noticed that very few of the character posters had the Actor's names, unless they were Blockbuster action films, and so this is omitted on the final poster.

Like my main product, this has got a positive reception, with many saying that the poster looks better than some posters for real films, while other's said that they could imagine the magazine cover being on the shelf of a newsagents.

First Version of the Message Trailer.

This is the first version of the main product: the trailer. From the feedback I have gained already I am going to add in extra titles and have quicker cuts in some sections.

Any Extra feedback on this version is welcome

The Message: Fake Stories

The opening shots of The Message trailer are some stories showing Alex's work, awards she has won etc, printed in 'her' paper, titled 'The Daily Gazette'. The secondary stories relate to events by some of the victims. From a review of Robin McCarthy's new book, to the announcement of a new medicine (relating to Robert King), and a story about how Kurt Allen helped England win the Hockey World Cup. Apart from the first paragraph, the writing is stock due to the audience not seeing the text clearly. A mistake picked up later on in production was found: 2 articles had the same article text, but again this is not really noticeable.
These are the covers and certificates:

Certificate for Alex winning the 'Reporter of the Year' at the NJA's (National Journalist Awards), a fictional awards ceremony also mentioned in one of the reports.

A report where Alex's newspaper wins 5 press awards, of which Alex wins 2. The secondary headline is an exclusive review of Robin McCarthy's book 'Almost Midnight'. Robin is the 2nd victim, who is poisoned while writing the follow-up to this.

This relates to the certificate, where Alex wins Journalist of the Year, for the 4th time. The secondary article is about the miracle medicine keeping Robert King alive, although this is more subtle, as the article makes no mention of King, nor do we see King take the wrong medicine.

This is the final article, showing which reports Alex winning 3 BAFTA's for a current affairs show presented by her. The secondary story is on Kurt Allen captaining England in a 4-0 win at the Hockey World Cup.

The Message Cast List

This is the cast list for the characters within 'The Message' and notes on the role they are playing. Credits appear in order of appearance

Charli Bedford: Alex Davidson, a top journalist who uncovers a link between a series of unresolved deaths after a tip-off from an anonymous source, and must uncover the conspiracy before more people are killed.

Tom Foster: The Source, the one who gives Alex the information leading to the discovery of the 5th victim. While important to the plot, very little is known about him, and his face is never seen onscreen, wearing a hood in the trailer

Sam French: Jacob West, an art curator who is shot in mysterious circumstances before an exhibition starts. He is seen to be running away, and stumbles down the stairs, shot by a silenced pistol.

Emma Turner: Robin McCarthy, an author who's drink is poisoned while she writes her latest novel in a cafe.

Chloe Cronin: Angela Smith, A rights activist who dies after a 'mugging'. The mugger is played by Abi Eaton, who was originally going to be playing Robin.

Jay Hoggett: Robert King, a man who has been the public face of a new medical campaign that saved his life, dies from a heart attack after his medicine is switched. While this is not shown, this would be expanded in the full film, although a POV shot of the 'medicine' being taken is in the trailer. A report in the opening pan shows the 'miracle medicine' relating back to King.

Sam Driver: Kurt Allen, a famous Hockey player, found by Alex by the side of his training court. In real life, Sam does play hockey in goal for both Copleston High School, and Ipswich East Suffolk 4th.

Dan Widdowson: James Murphy, a journalist working for the same company as Alex, and the only person she trusts with the information. If this was a full film, Murphy would be a romantic interest to Alex, and would likely die or get severely injured towards the end of the film

James Parnell: The Prime Minister, the sixth target, who is going to be signing 'a historic bill' (the connection between the other victims) and the person who Alex must save.

Kaya Corbett: Janet Smith, a police officer who is working on the Kurt Allen case. Does not believe that Alex is guilty of killing him, and tries to help her when possible. Seen as part of a 'good cop, bad cop' routine in the trailer.

Matt Finch: Shawn Howard, a no nonsense officer who believes that Alex killed Kurt Allen, due to her ID being found at the scene. Similar character to the one Matt played in my AS coursework: DCI Howard. Although not the same character, they could be related.

Curtis Garrett: The Assassin, one of the people who is sent to kill Alex as she tries to work out who is behind the conspiracy, ultimately failing. Although not dressed as a 'typical' assassin, this reflects that anything could happen at any time, and that wearing normal clothing stops him from sticking out of the crowd.

The Message Ancillary tasks: Draft Poster and Magazine Cover

This is a post for the ancillary tasks for the Message: A magazine Front Cover and Poster.

1. Text 'UK Directors Special' gives magazine a feature to advertise, and relates to cover film as it would be a  British Film.
2.SPOTLIGHT!: Magazine Name and is related to films, implying type of magazine without specifying.
3.Date, Price and Web Information. Magazines are normally a month ahead (March issue released in February etc.)
4. Alex looking at document sets films tone and while similar is not the same image as the poster, implying it was taken specifically for the magazine. On a darker background, also setting films tone.
5.Other film stories relating to recent or upcoming films: Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers/Avengers Assemble (the latter is the new UK name), James Bond: Skyfall, The Muppets, Star Trek 2 and The Hobbit
6. Word Exclusive helps sell copies as the readers can't get the information elsewhere. Also ties in with the cover photo (shot for magazine) and message underneath
7. 'The only magazine on set' ties in to the word Exclusive
8.Small box with interviews, all relating to top banner (1.) and features British Actors and Directors from New and Upcoming films: Edgar Wright, Noel Clarke, Chris Nolan, Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Craig and more.
9. Publisher name and barcode, found on all retail copies but not necessarily subscriber ones.

1. Actor's name's appear at the top of the poster
2. Grey background to set tone of the film (also background of the magazine cover)
3. Alex stood facing the camera. Expression is curious to show mystery.
4. Shots of the five victims to show wider implications of the conspiracy
5. TITLE: The Message. 'Message' is a larger font than 'the', showing that it is the main part of the title. In a report style font.
6.COMING SOON: No release date but posters aim to raise film awareness
7.Studio Logos, most likely revise 'BlackJack Films', fictional production studio from AS coursework

The Message Storyboard

These are the original storyboards for 'The Message'. Note footage may change.

1.Studio Logos
2.Pan Across the reports and certificates Alex has earned, showing she is a top reporter.
3. Mid-shot of Alex, looking through report
4. Close-up of Alex, answering the phone
5. Close-up of the source, but we do not see his face
6. Shots of how the four victims died, in quick succession over a voice-over of their names from the source.
7. Long Shot of Alex looking for the fifth victim
8.Close-up of the fifth victim
9. Mid-shot of Alex looking through files again
10. Director Title Card
11. Two Shot of Alex and another Journalist speaking
12. Close-up of Journalist speaking

13. Mid-shot of victim 6, the Prime Minister, on a News Channel
14. Cut back to Alex at the table
15. Cut to Insert/Extreme Close-up of wallet/ID being picked up
16. Two shot of Police Officers knocking on a door
17.Shot Reverse Shot conversation between Alex and Police Officers
18. Actor Name Title Card
19. Two Shot of Alex fighting Assassin
20. Close-up of Assassin speaking
21.The Message Title Card
22.Release Date Title Card

The Message Script

This is the script for my coursework piece. Names may change, and I have decided on naming the protagonist Alex as it could represent either gender. This is due to only having cast a few parts at time of writing.

THE MESSAGE TRAILER SCRIPT. PLEASE NOTE NAMES AND LOCATIONS MAY CHANGE

INT. OFFICE. NIGHT
Pan across wall, where we see several certificates and news covers.

Cut to ALEX sitting on a desk, looking over sources. The main light source is a lamp in shot.

CLOSE-UP of Alex talking to THE SOURCE. Cross-cutting is used in the conversation.

ALEX

Hello.

SOURCE
I have some information for you. You remember the deaths of Jacob West, Robin McCarthy, Angela Smith and Robert King?

As the names are spoken we see a flash of each person, clearly dead, in various locations.

SOURCE (CONTD.)

Well I have information on a fifth.

EXT.ALLEYWAY DAY

As the source is talking of the fifth victim we cut to Alex searching for something. We see Alex’s reaction and then cut to a close-up of the fifth victim.

INT. OFFICE. NIGHT

Alex is sitting at the desk again, with extra/new sources. It cuts to records of the five victims, all stamped accident. The top record is the latest victim Kurt Allen.

TITLE CARD – FROM WILL DRIVER, THE DIRECTOR OF PSYCHOSIS (comma represents new line)

INT. MEETING ROOM. DAY

Alex is sat at a table with another journalist. They are talking about what the source has been saying.

JOURNALIST 2

So what you’re saying is that not only weren’t these an accident, but there’s a huge conspiracy? You need to be careful around people like these.

ALEX

I just need to find the link, maybe I can stop them before the next person is killed

J2

And do you know the name?

ALEX

Only that it’s somebody high up

Cut to PM James Johnson standing at a podium making a speech. This is seen through a news channel, with a rolling headline ‘PM to decide on controversial bill’, although we do not see the entire message in the trailer.

Cut back to Extreme close-up of a dropped wallet at the Kurt Allen scene.

EXT. HOUSE. DAY

Two POLICE OFFICERS are stood outside of a door. It opens to reveal Alex on the other side.

OFFICER 1

Excuse me, Mr/Miss Davidson, but we would like to ask you a few questions about the Kurt Allen case

Alex

I don’t know what you mean

OFFICER 2

Then why was your ID found at the scene?

TITLE CARD – Actors name(s) will appear

EXT. ABANDONED AREA. DAY

Alex is seen fighting  an unknown ASSAILANT. We then cut to a close-up of the assailant, covered in blood, as Alex grabs them, but they are almost laughing at their defeat.

ASSAILANT

You cannot win. We have been fighting this war for centuries.All manner of man has tried to stop us, and failed.

Alex punches the assailant who falls to the ground.

TITLE CARD – THE MESSAGE

TITLE CARD – COMING SOON

Planning: Initial Ideas

After Carrying out audience research I have decided on a few storyline premises to go on for the film.

1. A journalist uncovers a link between a series of stories which is leading to a further crime which only they can stop.
2. A Police Officer finds a link between a series of unsolved cases and tries to stop further attacks.
3. Man in an accident tries to figure out what happened, while avoiding a mystery gang. Events preluding the accident would be told in flashbacks.
4. A member of a secret organisation tries to overthrow their corrupt leaders after being framed for killing their fellow men.

Of these 3 of the 4 are involving a conspiracy of some kind, while the fourth (idea number 3) looks more into the mind, in a Memento style. Idea's 1, 2 and 4 could be mixed, for instance it could be a Journalist who finds the link between the unsolved cases, which leads of the secret organisation. These fit in with the findings from all aspects of my audience research, as Conspiracy Thrillers are one of the more popular sub-genre's, and often feature protagonists/characters with a hidden past (one of the things from my audience research), and would focus on the narrative. There may be hints of action, but little to no Special Effects, as this is what my audience expect from Thriller films.

Survey Results

Part of the research stage is doing audience research, meaning that you can create something they want. To do this I created a questionnaire which asked:

Do you watch films often?
Favourite genres?
Last Thriller Seen?
Favourite Thrillers?
What should be in a thriller?
Most important aspect of a film?
Protagonist associated with Thrillers?

The people I asked were part of the Audience Profile (see earlier post) and so were male (and female) between the age of 16 and 25.

The results of this went with the research I had done earlier, with everyone I asked saying they watched at least 3 films a week, and that the 3 most watched genres are Thriller, Comedy and Action. The last thriller watched varied but was either ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ (recently released in the cinema), ‘Inception’ (one of the highest rated thrillers of the last few years) and some of the older surveyed stated the last thriller they had seen was ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ (also recently released in cinemas). Inception and the Chris Nolan Batman films were some of the most popular thrillers, along with Sherlock Holmes: aGoS and some more action orientated thrillers like Law Abiding Citizen, V For Vendetta and The Departed.

Those surveyed all felt that the main parts of a thriller are twists, suspense and thrills. They also feel that story and character are the most important aspects of a film, which is what a trailer needs to communicate successfully. The characters in a thriller could be a number of things, but lots of people felt that there needs to be a conspiracy, and that the hero should be a professional, a soldier or police officer etc. The characters also need to be mysterious and to a point relate-able.


From this I know what type of story I could do for my target audience, and what elements to include for it to be seen by my target audience. 

Audience Profile

After doing some research into audiences for Thriller films, I have come up with an audience profile. This was done after looking at the BBFC guidelines, and ratings of similar films on websites like IMDb. 

The majority of thrillers do not go into graphic detail in any violent scenes or themes, and so are unlikely to be rated higher than a 15 by the BBFC. As well as this, mainly popular thrillers are rated at 12. By being 12 rated a film:

Must not be endorse discrimination
Can have infrequent drug use, which must not endorse the drug
Can have moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained.
Strong language must be infrequent.
Mature themes must be suitable for young teenagers
Violence cannot dwell on details.

Full details on the BBFC guidelines for 12/12A films can be found here
Meanwhile, 15 films will be more lenient (language, theme, horror) if given in context and deemed 'acceptable' for 15 year olds.
The full BBFC guidelines for 15 films can be found here

From the trailer alone it is often difficult to judge the tone, as scenes are edited to be suitable for more audiences.

A typical audience for a thriller does depend on the age of the film, but the 12/15 ratings often get the highest views, possibly because the teenage/ young adult market spends the most time at the cinema.

Some genre's are simple to create an audience profile when it comes to gender. For instance, men are more likely to watch action films, while women tend to prefer rom-com's. Some genre's like Drama and Thriller can appeal to both sexes, especially modern examples. Take Salt, for instance. Men would watch for the action and because it starred Angelina Jolie, while women would watch because the main character is female, and so it appeals to the 'feminist' viewpoint.

While my main character is also female, I feel that the story would also appeal to males, therefore my typical audience member would be a male aged between 16 and 25 or a female in the same age range. They would see a film for the story and character rather than the actor's and don't mind if the film they see is a major blockbuster or not. This is not far off what I had originally said when beginning to research Target Audience