Evaluation Post 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

As a group we focused on age and gender

The age range we decided to focus on was 16-24 year olds. We used casting choices, camera and mise-en-scene to help create representations which would appeal to young adults. 

Horror movies give a thrill and excite the young audiences much easier than older ones. The young audiences are also less susceptible to being put off the film by violence or unnatural images which may make older audience feel negative towards the film.

After researching how the different genders were portrayed in successful films, it was clear that the male gender was strongly represented, as shown below.

In terms of wider context, our film centres around a female. because of this we looked at the stereotypes of females and we decided to create a character who directly challenges this. Below is a presentation about female representation, it will be going over stereotypes and how our character challenges them.

Evaluation Post 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The production company that we chose for our film is 'Hammer productions' . We chose them because they produce films that are 'synonymous with horror'. It is arguable that they defined the genre in Britain with classic movies such as Dracula and The Curse of Frankenstein which spawned numerous sequels and remakes. 


The horror themes that were poignant in Hammer productions were explored in our film sequence.  During its most successful years, Hammer dominated the horror film market, enjoying worldwide distribution and considerable financial success. This success was due, in part, to distribution partnerships with major United States studios, such as Warner Bros.

The production budget was based on the fact that Hammer films usually have low budgets, but nonetheless they appeared lavish, as they made use of quality British actors and cleverly designed sets. A small budget would definitely be appropriate for our film sequence as it is a small British Independent film, and one that doesn't exactly require CGI or special visual effects.



Our film would most likely receive funding from the BFI. As they provide funding for production of British films that fit their criteria of a British film. Since our film fits most of these requirements, it would be smart to apply for the funding,


Below is a presentation on production budget, and it will compare two films, one that is high budget and one that is low budget and it relates to our film

The distributor we chose was 'Warner Bros' it is the world's second largest media and entertainment conglomerate in terms of revenue. It is a fully integrated broad based entertainment company, one of the most respected, diversified, successful motion pictures. 

In terms of its marketing strategies, their ultimate success hinges on the quality of its marketing campaign. An average studio movie marketing budget costs around $31 million and the average movie costs $47.7 million. Recent marketing tactics  can go from viral videos, apps to posters and alternate-reality games. these tactics helped to sustain the interest of the audience in the movies.

However, it is very unlikely that this will be the same budget for our film. As it is not a blockbuster or apart of a franchise but a British Independent Film. This means that the budget will be a lot more modest, however more than the budget for paranormal activity.

 An example of a budget from a British production company working with a huge American distributor like Warner Bros would be "Boy in the striped pajamas" which was £12.5 million with the company Miramex owned by Disney and HeyDay Films a British production company. This helped us with the idea of how much the budget for our film would be, we decided it was most probably going to be around £15 million

Evaluation Post 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

The horror/thriller genre is definitely widespread with a lot of different types of fans due to its mass appeal. We made sure to have as many different aspects in terms of themes which could target specific groups, such as 16-24 year olds, fans of the genre and females. The latter part was targeted through the "final girl" concept who is the lead throughout the film allowing for the younger female audience to look up to the character and see someone who resembles them.

I read many different articles in terms of the gender divide in the film industry, some facts were mentioned and they were from wikipedia and the sources below:

Indiewire: Study on Women Directors 2013
Washington Post: Directors 2016

Below is a presentation on audience it will cover fans, different ages, gender and our secondary audience.

Evaluation Post 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

   Using the uses and gratifications theory we could appeal to and attract audiences effectively. Below is a table showcasing how we done this in relation to a case study film, too see it in more detail, click on the picture

       Audience Feedback 

To find out how successful our film opening was we interviewed two boys and two girls. See below to watch the videos.

    

     We chose people who were a part of our target audience in terms of age. Through the interviews we received positive and negative feedback which helped us in terms of what we do better 'next time'

    Positive feedback entailed:

Ø  The cliff hanger at the end of the sequence in terms of its timing and effect - this links to the escapism theory. The fact that the cliff hanger hooked the audience, means that they were immersed in the sequence and therefore it acted as a form of 'escapism'

Ø  The effect on the title which added to the style of film we were going for

Ø  The low-key lighting which added to the mystery of the sequence - this links to the theory about escapism and entertainment, the lighting was a way to showcase the mysterious atmosphere and that came across as it had the audience asking questions, therefore increasing their interaction with the sequence.

    Negative feedback was minimal and it was mainly focused on:

Ø  The acting of the antagonist which could have been more convincing

Ø  That there should be more parts for the antagonist showing him participate and engage with the incident so that it would be clearer - I understand where this came from and it was also something we picked up on as group however we all agreed that "less is more" and that we wanted to keep the audience slightly confused to increase their level of interaction with the sequence.

     The people we interviewed were all fans of the genre, so they fit into our primary audience group, and they all agreed that our film opening had the typical conventions of a thriller/horror film. This was based on the uses and gratification theory, to make sure that we our audience was feeling similar 'emotions' when watching a horror film that is out in cinemas now. In conclusion, the feedback we received from the focus group and our peers proved that we meet the demands of the brief and the aims that we had set for ourselves.