Evaluation: Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

In order to attract and address our audience, we used a variety of different techniques. 

Firstly, we ensured to use characters in our piece that our target audience would find relatable. As our target market are teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19, we included characters of this age so that they could connect with them and the challenges that they may face in this time of their lives. Hannah, Josh and I all fit within this age bracket, and this is the reason that we acted in the film, as it makes the film seem more realistic. Our audience would also be able to relate to the emotions that the characters face, and that would make them engage with the narrative more.

In our film, the range of character personalities we have used means that nearly everyone will be able to relate to one character, or relate one of the characters to someone in their life. Whether it be Jazz, the vulnerable female, Josh, the dominant male, or Hannah, the unstereotypical, head strong female. Using a diverse set of characters, that are both stereotypical and non-stereotypical, keeps the piece interesting, and ensures that it is as close to real life as possible.

Jazz - The Vulnerable Female

Josh - The Dominant Male

Hannah - The Head Strong Female

The narrative of our piece is designed to be interesting and relatable for our audience, by including themes and issues that are commonly faced by teens between the ages of 16 and 19. As is told by the title, the main theme of our piece is jealousy. Jealousy is a common emotion encountered by teenagers, whether it be about possessions, friendships or relationships, and we felt this would mean that the audience would be able to relate to the narrative. 

The title screen of our film, displaying the title 'Jealousy', which represents the theme of the narrative

The theme of friendship in our piece is something that all teens will experience. Friendship is portrayed heavily by the use of a photo montage in the start of our opening sequence, that show snapshots of the characters lives, and portrays their friendship. As Josh, Hannah and I were the ones acting in the film, and we are all close friends outside of our media group, the photos we have used are all photos that we have taken when we are out together as friends. This makes the friendships seem more real, as the photos are not faked, and capture true happiness. When Hannah’s emotions are manipulated by Josh, she turns against Jazz under his influence. This is something that happens all too much in teenage friendship groups, as this is the stage in life at which people are changing most. Also, like Hannah in our piece, teenagers often feel like they need to change their views and the way they act in order to please other people, especially o the subject of romantic relationships. In our piece, when Hannah then realises that her friendship with Jazz is more important than what Josh thinks of her, she tries to help, but it is too late. This reflects how, often, teens realise that they have been acting out of order, and go to apologise to their friend for treating them badly, but it is too late for them to be forgiven, as they have already destroyed the trust and hurt their friend. By raising this issue we hope to show ur target audience that they should not change what they are like, and who they are friends with, just to please someone, as it is more than likely that they will regret it but they will be unable to revoke the hurt that they have already caused.

In our piece, we have included the topical issue of controlling relationships, as these are something that our target audience may face. During the ages between 16 and 19, individuals are vulnerable to influence by and pressure put upon them by people they care about. Putting this issue in our narrative serves to educate our target audience that they should remain resilient to pressures put upon them, and should only do things because they want to, not because someone wants them to. Additionally, they should not let others control their social life, etc, as this is entirely unhealthy and will becoming damaging in the long run. We hope that raising these issues will help to prevent people succumbing to a controlling relationship. 

In our narrative, we have a strong focus on the theme of murder. We used this as a way to attract our target audience, as when I conducted a survey during the research for this project, I found that the narrative theme that was favoured by people was murder. Additionally, when speaking to our peers, we found that they agreed with this, and they are the same age as our target audience. This prompted us to include the theme in our narrative as we know that it will entice our target audience to watch the film, and will keep them engaged and interested in it. 

The use of cinematography in our piece was designed to attract our audience, as we used a range of different camera shots and angles. The variety of camera shots and angles used ensures that our piece is interesting and that will make sure that our target audience are interested. By using alternative and unique techniques, such as the 360° pan to make the cinematography of our piece alternative to what you would typically see in a thriller, which would add to its appeal for our audience. 

360° pan:

The use of editing in our film ensures that it will attract our target audience, as we use a variety of techniques, such as fades, jump cuts and editing of speed of footage. We used jump cuts and fast paced editing, which are both stereotypical features of thriller films, in order to build tension and to excite the audience and make them anticipate what will happen next. We used fades to switch between shots to add a sense of suspicion, and to make the audience feel anxious as to what will happen next. The use of editing the speed of footage allowed us to make in more intense. 

Example of fade:

During the 360° pan shot, we increased the speed of the original footage by 100%, as this made it catch the attention of the audience, and make them pay attention as to what was happening on screen. 

Original Speed:

x100 Speed:

Finally, the use of both stereotypical and non-stereotypical music for thriller films makes our piece interesting to the audience. The non-diegetic rock ballad, ‘Jealousy’ by Frankie Miller, that we begin the piece with is not stereotypical to the thriller genre. This unusual feature does not fit with the typical conventions of a thriller, as it is neither eerie or sinister. We found that the lyrics of the song fitted extremely well to our narrative, and would give our audience an insight into what the film would be about, without directly stating anything. Additionally, using a piece of music that links to the narrative will plant enigma codes for the audience, and make them question what will happen in this film, hence keeping them wanting to watch as to find our the answers to the questions. 

The stereotypical non-diegetic instrumental music that we used, ‘G321 - Thriller Opening Music’, acted as a direct contrast our other track. This conventional piece of thriller music had a high pitch, in order to make the audience uncomfortable, and to make them feel a sense of anxiety and suspense, as we only played this track accompanied by shots related to Jazz’s death. This highlighted a connection to danger whenever the audience heard the piece and would make them anticipate something bad would happen, or be shown on screen. As was highlighted by Hannah when we chose the two tracks, the contrast between them reflects the contrast between life and death, due to the change in tempo and pitch. Despite the first track being about jealousy, the music that accompanies the lyrics is upbeat and full of life. The other track is a total antithesis to this, as it is lifeless and haunting.