Focus Groups & Target Audiences 1

In light of the results of our survey, I interviewed members of our target audience in order to get a better idea in terms of qualitative data what it is about a film that gets people watching. Three boys were interviewed and one girl, all seventeen.
Fitting our assumptions, two of the boys were into the action and thriller genre, and they were attracted to it because of the promise of excitement and adrenalin, although it was mentioned that violence should not be overtly gratuitous and should be done right. The girl agreed that action films are watched for the purpose of entertainment and do not need to develop on any other elements of plot, yet interestingly this was reason that our male interviewee did not like action films. He expressed that he enjoyed drama, romance and comedy because they included an "emotional connection" between the characters that was involving, and particularly that character development is a rewarding process. This view is at odds with the other male interviewees, one of whom stating that human interest stories were not really of interest of him because he only watched films for entertainment and escapism, not as a mirror to real life.
Thus, documentaries were not high on the watchlist of the the action-and-thriller boys, but all the participants agreed that a big factor in making a documentary interesting is presenting a subject that is unfamiliar to the viewer, so learning about a completely new topic is a rewarding experience. Popular criteria for a watchable documentary is that they be somehow relevant, maybe containing 'current affairs', or 'trashy' in the style of Channel 4, with human interest being a strong factor as long as it is entertaining. One of the boys mentioned that he only watched geographical/wildlife elements, but yet it was still the aforementioned element of discovering the unknown, and not "stuff form day to day life" that appealed to him.
In terms of the 'gritty' urban thriller genre, there was a general agreement that its portrayal is often heavy-handed and cliched, and so stereotypes must be avoided in order for a film to gain credibility, and perhaps incorporation a plot twist to keep the genre exciting. As our female interviewee said, once you have seen one generic urban thriller "you have seen them all".
Viral media such as Youtube was the most effective form of getting mass publicity for a film, but the most valuable of exposure was recommendation from a friend. Thus it is important for our film to strike a chord with a certain demographic for it to get good reviews, but attempting to reach as many markets as possible because 'human interest' stories have a fairly universal appeal. Furthermore, the trailer should showcase accurately the vague premise of the film without giving too much away so that the viewer has a notion of what to expect from the genre.

SL.

Trailer Theory Prezi

http://prezi.com/nnkzx56lxpmw/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy 

 SL.

Market Research Survey Analysis

Our surveys results show a widely younger response (primarily that of the age 17 to 20). Although this shows this age group as slightly more ‘conscious’, it does not necessarily mean that our primary audience is of that age group.

 The results show a balanced response from men and women as were to be expected.

Of these people, a wide range of mediums with which to receive the films they watched was roughly balanced between the categories of TV, on demand (Netflix, Lovefilm), illegal streaming and DVD, although admittedly people seemed to be more inclined to watch films illegally on the internet.

Those answering the survey said that they were most likely to learn about films through word of mouth, the Internet and YouTube. We are becoming more and more aware of the use of Internet as a vital advertising tool.

 A large portion of our survey group showed a preference of comedies and drama, with very few actually choosing documentaries. This information helped us narrow down our audience to a fairly niche one that is not primarily composed of the group that answered our survey (young, technologically minded people).

 To further this, our survey group nominated actors as the primary reason for wanting to see a film, whereas actors are not actually used in documentaries.

Most of our survey group viewed films in Picture House cinemas, which is a positive thing as documentaries are commonly screened in this chain of cinemas, as would be the case with our film.

The niche audience our film would attract would be of people interested in cinema, and so would follow film magazines, although the human interest our film delivers would help to attract a more general audience.

 The survey shows that although around half of our are ‘interested in film’, very few of them follow film magazines (20 people skipped the aforementioned question). Of our whole survey group over half of the subjects said that they were interested in film festivals, showing a degree of interest in film which is backed up by the amount of our survey group that purported to watch a film at least one film a week (19 out of 29).

CS. 

Market Research Survey Graphs

SL & CS.

Market Research Survey

We carried out a survey in order to understand our target audience. Very broad questions were asked with the intention of gathering an idea of the specific information we would like ask a focus group.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CW9MVWL

SL & CS.

Uses, Gratification and the Unique Selling Point of Documentaries.

 Mystery is a large factor in drawing in audiences to watch a documentary, considering that the purpose of this film is to dig deeper and illuminate an issue. A documentary appeals because it is the highest form of an in depth case study in media, with the potential to cover any concievable issue, and so will always find an audience with curious viewers with a thirst for knowledge However the Uses and Gratifiation Theory questions why people choose to watch specific media, supporting the conclusion that the audience actively seek out things that fill a 'need'.


Apparently, there are four basic needs to be fulfilled; diversion, personal relationships, personal identity and surveillance. With diversion, the audience wants to relax and switch off from real life, often turning to escapist media such as fantasy. Furthermore, this could tie in with the appeal of mysteries in documentaries, as the audience may enjoy actively solving a puzzle presented to them, and recieving gratification at the end if it is solved.

However people many people watch 'human interest' stories, as a way of feeling part of a social group, thus forming personal relationships through media. They may do it feel companionship, or instead invest emotion into a story that they feel it is their duty to empathize with, such as the social problems presented in many urban thrillers. In this case it seems that our documentary fulfills this need, as it depicts a struggling urban community warring through sport.

On the other hand, many fulfill personal identity needs, in which the audiences watches things that they feel reflect them, or perhaps they feel a close connection with and enjoy being able to relate to it. This factor can apply to many different forms of media, as everyone's personal experience is so unique there are so many ways represent it. Luckily this means that our documentary will be able to appeal not just to aforementioned 'social fixers', but also their opposite demographics, entirely broadening our audience range.

Finally, there is surveillance. in which the audience likes to know what is going on around them. Yet again this applies heavily to documentaries since their purpose is to explore every issue imaginable in the world around us. Knowledge is power, and so the wealth of facts and details covered in a quality documentary is rewarding for viewers.

SL. 

Certification

The BBFC classifies that films containing: strong violence, frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity, brief scenes/references to sexual violence, discriminatory language/behaviour and drug use. Due to the content and nature of our film, it would be classified as a 15.








In order to have our trailer reach wider audiences, the more explicit content from the film will be excluded, dropping the trailer rating down to a 12.





CS.

Conventions of a Documentary Film Trailer

Explore the genre and conventions of your chosen media text. How do you plan to adhere to or develop these conventions?

  Documentary films serve as the most realistic way of bringing people closer to an issue, and are often highly engaging and heartfelt. Therefore it is up to the trailer to entice viewers, with suitable structure, lighting, sound and pace reflecting the nature of the documentary.  

  Documentaries rely heavily on the people in them to present the themes. Thus the opening shots of the trailer must propel the 'stars' of the film to the foreground, but more importantly this will lead onto the narrative. Constant editing and cut away to individuals talking are important in establishing the kinds of 'characters' the viewers will meet in the documentary, or perhaps whether the structure of the film will be interview-based or otherwise. 

  Often, in the interest of attracting attention, the trailer creates an unexplained plot point at the very beginning, setting up a mystery element that they can only understand if they watch the documentary itself. In addition to this, the pace of the trailer is usually meant to speed up the tempo as it progresses with increasingly rapid editing, building up to an exciting finale. The "Catfish" trailer starts off with the seemingly light-hearted tale of a man looking for companionship on the internet, with slow paced editing focused on the characters, establishing context, and a mise-en-scene centred on the man's home life to allude to the idea that everything is comfortable and familiar. However, as the trailer takes a darker turn, it uses less dialogue than before over scenes, leaving them unexplained, sometimes with a hand held camera, creating a feeling unease and instability; fitting since this is a documentary about the perils of the anonymous internet. "Catfish" and "West of Memphis" both use black outs to dramatically emphasise the previous scene and create tension. Yet trailers for films like "Grizzly Man" are based on found footage, and since the viewer is aware of the outcome of the film from the start, it gives the trailer time to introduce the character of Timothy Treadwell with extended shots of him the Alaskan wilderness, his adopted home. The use of wide angle shots and open frame alludes to the fact that Treadwell fled to nature to find tranquillity and calm.

  Although most trailers have the familiar structure of starting off at an even pace intended to introduce the characters and premise of the film, the convention is reversed for the trailer of the documentary short "The Real Life Ukrainian Barbie", where they start off with a confusing and bizarre flurry of TV clips overlayed with manic sound bites that build extraordinary tension, before changing the feel completely and showing a long and relatively calmer segment of a woman meditating. Thus the subversion of traditional trailer editing gives it the aforementioned mysterious element that should hopefully spark viewers' interest enough to watch it. The use of multi-media is also demonstrated in "West of Memphis" with TV footage of the trial and shots of newspaper clippings, as well as recent close-up interviews of people who were involved, all in an effort to immerse the viewer in all forms of media the case was publicly presented in at the time. As the viewer is experiencing the documentary in a realistic and relatable format they are able to identify more with the issues covered.

  In terms of mise-en-scene, the lighting is important in conveying tone, with "The Real Life Ukrainian Barbie" has themes  of space and so uses an ambient glow. "West of Memphis" is a prison documentary and thus is shot with blue and grey tones to enhance the feeling of despair. "Grizzly Man" juxtaposes green lush landscapes, creating an airy and light mood, with the fact that the viewer knows the documentary will have a grisly ending. 

  Music and sound used in the trailer often tie closely into the theme of the documentary. For example, "Searching for Sugar Man" is about a musician, and so it only makes sense to soundtrack the trailer with his music, especially as it can add a bit of context for viewers who may no be familiar with his work. The only exception is the moment when they discuss his suicide, where 'tense' music is added for a melancholy effect. However many mix music with diegetic sound to add realism, such as "West of Memphis" ending with a 'gritty' rock number - it is about a court case centred around three teenage boys - but starting off with windy sounds and sinister bells as the murder is described. 

  All trailers must include graphics and titles displaying the names of either the studio, director and producer who made the picture, trying to gain viewers with the lure of a well-known or respected name. Often text will be added to explain the premise of the story in the absence of voiceover. In addition, any film awards or positive critics reviewed are showcased, acting on the notion that a piece of media is only as good as it is judged to be, and thus any proof of prestige is valuable in attracting audiences. 

To conclude, in my own piece of work I would like to replicate the use of mixed multi-media in order to pique viewers' interest, offering more answers up towards the end, yet ultimately not put the entire plot up on a plate so that all mystery is lost. Since my film is based around an urban issue, sometimes incorporating violence, it will be suited to rapid editing, grey colour tones and music that is relevant to the characters in the documentary. Yet I do like the idea of using juxtaposition of tone and sound to subtly enhance the point that is being made, thus creating a trailer that is not a one dimensional 'urban drama' representation. In my opinion, a good trailer is one that has many levels of meaning to be explained, although they may not be obvious on the initial viewing. 

SL.