My Audience

Target Audience

For my own audience, I think that at first it would be smart to look at how genre will influence my target demographic. I have already stated that the hybridisation of thriller and drama is a decision which allows me to infuse my narrative with dark subject matter as well as deeper characterisation. Consequently I feel like I will have to exclude audiences younger than 15, partly because I think that darker thematic depth will require a level of adult maturity to empathise with, and also because I am not ruling out profanity or violence in my short film, which would be certified as a 15 by UK standards. 

Quoted from the British Board of Film Classification (15)

Violence




Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but the depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and justified by the context. 

Imitable Behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is acceptable will depend on factors such as realism, context and setting. 

Language
There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification. 

These are the guidelines I am aiming to stick to. Out of the top 25 highest grossing R-rated films in America (adjusted for inflation), 5 of them are dramas, including Good Will Hunting and American Sniper. This proves that there is a strong market for thought-provoking films. On a more national level, the popularity of TV shows like Peaky Blinders, Luther, Line of Duty and Happy Valley (which are all at least 15 certifications) demonstrates that British audiences enjoy gritter, darker stories. So I am not confident that young teenagers would respond to the film with the mature outlook I want to evoke.

Therefore 15 and above will be my target audience. I don't think it would be sensible to put an upper limit on the age demographic. Crime thrillers like Harry Brown and Legend will all have a slightly older target audience anyway because Harry Brown focuses on an elderly man's reaction to local crime, and Legend is about the Krays, notorious gangsters who the elderly may remember from when they were younger. So I do not see any benefit to restricting the older target audience, because if I want viewers to respond maturely, who better than the people who've experienced the most?

Furthermore, short films tend to be released digitally, and very view make it to the big screen, unless they're promoted at film festivals. As a result I think that it is wise to consider how many people of older demographics will have access to digital media like YouTube in comparison to the younger generations. So bearing in mind my short film is likely to be released digitally, it would be safer to assume that my audience is going to include more people from the younger demographics than older. 

To summarise, my audience will need to be at least 15 years old, but the short film can also apply to older audiences due to the complex themes of family and loss. However I am aware that it will be viewed more by the adolescent/middle aged demographic (due to digital knowledge) and so I will tailor aspects of my short film more towards them.