Evaluation (Part 2)

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your film and why?

The film we have made is a low-budget, independent British film. It would probably be made in association with the BBC or Channel 4 – we added “In Association with Film4” in the credits of our film to demonstrate the way this occurs. On their website, Film4 state that “The company develops and co-finances film productions and is known for working with the most innovative talent in the UK, whether new or established.” Working with Film4, we would share the profits in return for their assistance in making and distributing the film.
There have been many similar cases in the past. Probably the most famous is recent hit Slumdog Millionaire, and there are several others coming up and recently released – including The Scouting Book for Boys, Looking for Eric, The Lovely Bones, and many more. Other famous films distributed in this way include About a Boy, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Bridget Jones’ Diary. Without the assistance of Film4, none of these would have been so well-received, and we think that they could do the same for our own film.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

The primary audience of our film would probably be teenage girls and young women – people of a similar age and gender to our main character, Sophie. They would generally be within the same Western culture, although subculture might be less of a significant factor, since Sophie is somewhat a misfit within society. As many people feel like this at times, a wider audience would be attracted as more people would feel identified with her. The most important factor, of course, is genre – this is a melodramatic film, which generally attracts women.
We looked at the BBFC’s classification guidelines and decided that our film would probably be rated 15. Discrimination is not encouraged, drug misuse is shown, but discouraged, and the self-harm is not too detailed or glamorised. Language is not a major issue, and neither is nudity. There would be sexual references later in the film, as Sophie is abused by her father, but it is shown in a negative light and consequently, as the detail would not be explicit, it should be acceptable. Violence is, of course, a major issue, especially considering Sophie’s self-harm and her father’s abuse, but is not dwelt on too long to be acceptable by the standards of the BBFC. These considerations in mind, we are targeting our film at a young adult, over-fifteen, female audience.

5. How did you attract or address your target audience?

To make it most appropriate for our target audience, we considered the conventions of a melodrama. As women have always been the target for this genre, we thought that by using these conventions, we could make it more appealing to the female audience. We used music to enhance the audience’s understanding of the narrative, creating an effect of continuity and consequently suggesting that the events of the sequence are an everyday occurrence, and to establish Sophie’s emotions. We created a situation in which social pressures prevent her from acting on her situation, by placing her within the demanding world of living up to parental, educational and social expectations – this appeals to our audience especially, as it is still felt in some circles that women are not treated equally, and are still expected generally to be involved in the “softer” jobs, such as cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children.
Using these conventions, we were able to create an effective opening sequence which would enable us to attract the audience we would be targeting.
Another way in which we addressed the target audience was by gaining audience feedback and making changes to suit this. We were told that it would be better to remove the first minute, which showed the credits on a background of several shots of Sophie writing in her diary, followed by a scene in which she almost self-harms, but is interrupted. After consideration of these responses, we agreed that the shots of writing did go on for too long, and that the first scene was not an appropriate opening, so we cut it out, thus preventing the drag of the film and getting straight into the story. The audience agreed that this was much better than the original.