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

Target Audience

The target audience is one of the most important elements to a film. Get it right and it will be a massive success. Market to the wrong audience, however, and the film will make very little money. Certain genre's cater more obviously to target audiences, for instance a female audience is more likely to watch Rom-Com's than a male audience, while more men watch more action films than women.

Thriller films are different. While many genres are easy to cater for, different sub-genre's within the thriller genre are targeted at different ages and genres. Many thrillers are rated at a 16-25 age range while others are aimed at an older audience. It is less the gender than the cultural capital and education levels which also dictate the Target Audience of a thriller. For instance, the middle class or better educated are more likely to watch films with complex stories, like Thrillers.
The classification of films can help determine the target audience in terms of Thrillers. Se7en, an 18, is aimed at a more mature audience while the 12 rated Inception and 15 rated Donnie Darko are aimed at older teenagers/young adults. The content in the film also allows gives an idea of this. Films with lots of violence are often aimed at men, such as Se7en, while adaptations of books, are aimed at fans of the book. Classics in this case, may be aiming for new audiences, such as the recent Sherlock Holmes films, while others are catering to their source materials target audience, the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo containing a lot of the books content, thus getting it rated as an 18 in the UK, in keeping with its adult themes

However, some studios pride themselves on multiple target audiences. Pixar, for instance, appears to be aimed at a younger audience, but will contain themes and jokes for adults as well, catering to all ages. This is extremely difficult to do, however, and if you miss both target audiences, then your film cannot be a success.

I feel that from looking at similar films at other stages, my target audience would be male's between 18 and 24, and would likely be rated at either a 12 or 15 by the BBFC. This is because this market makes up most 'cinema-goer's' and many existing thrillers aimed at this age are rated 12 or 15 (Inception, Memento, the Dark Knight) with only a few, more action orientated thrillers getting 18's (Die Hard, Aliens, Taken). A full Audience Profile can be found here

Linking Texts: Real Examples of films with magazine covers, posters and trailers

All three texts need to link effectively, and so I am looking at real examples, and seeing how effective they are.

The Dark Knight Rises
Poster
Two have so far been released, one the iconic symbols created by falling buildings and the other a broken bat mask with Bane in the background. This corresponds to DKR being Nolan's last Batman film and has led to speculation to a story like "The Man who Broke the Bat". As well as the images, the dark colour scheme reflects the character and the storyline. This will draw fans of the films in, because they will want to see how Nolan's trilogy will end.

  

Trailer

Magazine Cover

All three focus on the falling of Gotham, while the trailer makes reference to Bane, it is the magazine cover which shows Bane completely. All three use the iconic Bat symbol, as this is now recognisable as the Batman logo. In the trailer we see Gordon in hospital, and the new teaser poster is reminiscent of Bane story where he breaks Batman's back. By displaying 'The Ultimate Exclusive' at the top, it means more people will buy the magazine, particularly as the film featured is the sequel to one of the most critically acclaimed films of recent years, and so will pique not only Batman fans interests, but those who love blockbusters and thriller films in general

Scott Pilgrim Vs the World
Film Poster
A collection of posters were released for the film, including character and teaser posters. The character posters focus on Ramona's evil exes.

This is the teaser poster, used on products such as OST's as well as promote interest, and shows Pilgrim creating the title from his guitar playing. This reflects the tone of the film due to the amount of visual elements within it, giving it the representation of the graphic novel, as well as the fact one of the plot points is Scott being in a band.

A 3D motion poster was also released, showing Pilgrim playing the guitar in different poses, and like the original poster shows that music is a big part of the film.

The final international poster features, Pilgrim, Ramona and the Evil Exes, and was also used for the cover of the DVD and Blu-Ray. This introduces the idea of Scott, the 'Guitar Hero' symbol gives the audience a clue as to the amount of cultural references in the film, while Ramona's pose adds to her 'mystery'. The logo on this poster better reflects that used in the comics, and so provides a link there

All the posters focus on the character of Scott and his antagonists, without giving away too much of the story.

Film Trailer

This trailer focuses on introducing the idea of the story and league of evil exes, without ruining too much of the story. This is because the series of books is not as well-known as Spiderman or the X-Men, and so an introduction to the narrative would be needed so that viewers would not be confused by the trailer, and put off seeing the film

Magazine cover

 

The magazine front cover features Pilgrim using the flaming 'Power Of Love' Sword  (the more well known out of the two featured in the film) he uses in the final fight against Gideon Graves and the red motif which is is the main colour for the marketing campaign. At the top of the page is  an 8-bit Scott head, which is used within the film and other merchandise as a '1-up'. The text makes it look like a comic book cover. Red is used through much of the marketing campaign because it is the colour of love, a major theme in the film. As well this, courage is often associated with the colour red, which is something Scott gains through the course of the film. Cult film lovers may also buy the magazine because of the mention of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, due to the connection with the director.

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Star Wars Episode III: REVENGE OF THE SITH
For the final episode of the new trilogy, all the media was focussed on one event: The turning of Anakin Skywalker and the transformation into Darth Vader. This could explain why the villain is centrepiece on EMPIRE magazine's most popular cover:

The trailer focusses on the journey that turns Anakin, and while it contains spoilers, it isn't a surprise to anyone who has seen the original trilogy before the prequels:

It focusses on the action and Anakin becoming Darth Vader because they are the two things most likely to bring back fans after both the Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones were not well received by critics and fans, who said the films were too political compared to the original trilogy, and that elements like Jar-Jar Binks made the core audience more for children. Because of this he is given a very small role in the film and is not featured in the trailer at all. Most of the dialogue relates to the war and Anakin's relationship with Chancellor Palpatine, which makes the film look more exciting to those who haven't seen a Star Wars film.

Two posters were created for the UK release of RotS, the first looking like a 'traditional' Star Wars poster

While the second shows Anakin's future as Darth Vader.
Dark and light are major themes in all Star Wars films, not only because of the space setting but also because the stories are about the struggle between good and evil, and the use of darkness could symbolise death winning in the film: the Sith's revenge of the title.
Like the Dark Knight Rise's Lucas used the idea that this would be the last film, or rather 'complete the circle' and so marketing focussed on that element as well as the 'birth' of Darth Vader.
Another character poster focussed on this idea of Anakin turning, with a picture of him moving, and his cape creating the Dath Vader mask. The red lightsaber also would tempt fans, as showing both the character of Anakin with a 'Sith lightsaber' without the suit would show his 'death' and the 'birth' of Darth Vader within the film itself. (Vader is the name given to Anakin when he becomes part of the Sith, the suit was created as Vader received several injuries fighting his former master Obi-Wan on the planet Mustafa, as shown in the theatrical trailer and poster).

Representation of Different groups

Different films represent different types of people in certain ways. For instance, in American Action films, the protagonist is always a military man or bodybuilder, while the antagonist is foreign, normally a country that America has 'defeated' in previous wars, such as the British, Russians and more recently the Middle East. They are normally portrayed as wanting to destroy the 'American way of life' and the hero always wins without so much as a scratch, showing America to be 'invincible'. Sometimes the protagonist stereotype has been challenged successfully. For instance in Rambo the protagonist is a Vietnam veteran who is on the run from American authorities.

Representation is quite different in Thriller films. For instance although women are often used as the protagonist, it is more likely to be a male as the hero, although modern action thrillers such as 'Salt' have used female protagonists. The adaptations of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo make the female protagonist a genius hacker, and do not conform to stereotypes in terms of her personality, looks or sexuality, although this is mainly due to the source material. There is no set representative group in Thriller films as such, as using obvious character archetypes would not build tension in the same way that going against conventions arguably would. An early example of a thriller that does this is Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho', which initially makes the audience believe that Marion Crane, a female is the main character, when in fact is the titular Psycho, Norman Bates, who we follow after Crane's death, now an infamous scene. Sometimes a well-established character may be explored in new ways, such as the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes films, or even the Steven Moffat TV series, which places Holmes in a modern setting. These versions of Holmes differ considerably, due to their target audience, and the actors playing them. Steven Moffat's Sherlock, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is a lot less unfeeling than Robert Downey Jr's portrayal, although Cumberbatch does warm to Martin Freeman's Watson. This could be due to the medium's which they are being broadcasted, the era's (Moffat's Sherlock is modern day, whereas Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes is a typical Victorian London) or even the writers/directors.

Christopher Nolan is a very interesting case study when it comes to character representation. None of his characters are clear cut, and so we are never 100% sure of their motives. For instance, in Memento, his representation of the protagonist with Anterograde amnesia takes a completely different turn at the end of the film, and while the audience may still feel for him, it is for a different reason (he may have already killed the man he is after, and now others are using his condition for their own gain), and the portrayal is considered one of the most realistic of the conditions sufferers (the way the amnesia works, rather than the narrative works). However, this type of plot twist and revelation would not be as hard hitting for the audience if it wasn't for the non-chronological narrative structure, which is perhaps why Nolan does this, and why this film is so critically acclaimed, because we can empathise more with the protagonist. Nolan's portrayal of the Batman universe is also often applauded, and apart from the Joker, everyone has an agenda. Unlike previous incarnations, the characters are dark and realistic, and is more than likely done to stay close to the source material, but also because the previous Batman instalments (Batman Forever, Batman and Robin) were panned, not only because of their poor story-lines, but also because the characters had no depth and were aiming at children. Comparing the Tommy Lee Jones version of Two Face with Aaron Eckhart's, we know what the latter's motivation is, and what turned him from promising attorney, (Gotham's 'White Knight') into a man who depended on luck to make choices, but the former seems like a slapstick pantomime villain with an unrealistic mask. This character progression is seen in both of Nolan's films (apart from the Joker, but this ties in with his portrayal in the graphic novels), and none of the heroes are 100% good (much of Gotham's Police Department are corrupt) and the villains are not always truely evil (Ra's Al Ghul wants to make the world better, and trained Bruce Wayne, but believes humanity is the cause of its pain).

This type of character, flawed heroes and '3-Dimensional' villains (I.E. not the stereotypical Bond villain who only wants to take over the world) are one of the key conventions in most thrillers and so should be an idea seen in my final product.

Genre Research

One of the most important aspects of marketing a film is knowing the genre of the text and the conventions that go with this. Every genre is different: Comedy, for instance, is a broad genre, but within it the audience expects the film to be funny. Therefore comedy films will do several things to their posters or any magazine covers to show the humour in one image. It might be that the main actors are in a comedic pose (See the poster for Dumb and Dumber, or the The Muppets as examples) or they may use different genre conventions in a different way. For instance, The Waterboy shows the main character in a stadium, like a poster for a sporting drama, but with a bucket in one hand. A Poster for Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy, meanwhile, is a take on many local American news broadcasters, who would advertise their shows in similar ways.

While the conventions of a Comedy is fairly straightforward, as other genres like Action or Sci-Fi, the conventions o a Thriller film is not so clear. I essence they have to 'thrill' the audience, hence the name, but by definition, surely if a film was 'thrilling' the term would apply to any film that audience member found enjoyable or exciting. But in essence, that is all thriller films do: provide excitement in films through suspense, tension and uncertainty. This is why so many Thriller films will have a plot twist or leave enigma's right until the end of the film.
There are also many sub-genres to the thriller genre. Psychological thrillers are designed to show mind-games and the main theme's relate to the mind. A good example of a psychological thriller is Memento, where a man suffering from a special type of amnesia tries to hunt down the man who gave him his condition and killed his wife. To add to the confusion, the narrative of the film is not chronological, jumping back and forth in almost the same way as the main character's condition is described (he only remembers the last few minutes of his life). Another example of this sub-genre is Shutter Island, which feature's Leonardo Di Caprio as a man hunting down an escaped prisoner in a lunatic asylum. Apart from the overlaying theme of the mind, there is no distinct character type, although in this sub-genre the characters may have an unknown or hidden backstory, which and be struggling with their identity.
Other sub-genres of thriller's include 'Crime Thriller's' which include film's like the Departed, or Zodiac, where either the antagonists identity is unclear, or there is double crossing by either one, or both sides, and techno-thriller's, where technology is one of the main causes for the problems face within the film, such as I, Robot . The characters aren't as clear cut as 'hero' and 'villain' which is the same for most thriller films.
Many directors past and present are renowned for their work in this genre. Almost all of Alfred Hitchcock's films are critically acclaimed thrillers, such as Psycho, the Birds and Rear Window, and more recently Christopher Nolan who made Memento and the updated Batman trilogy.
Essentially, Thriller films will place the protagonist in danger, often their past being hidden or false, and many of the enigma codes aren't revealed until the end of the film. None of the characters are completely good or evil, and there may be a social issue as a subtext.