Evaluation Question-5

How does your media product attract and address your audience?

The soundtrack we chose to use in our media product is unsettling, a typical convention of any thriller soundtrack. In addition, the sound effects used to add to the build up of tension created throughout the two-minute opening. From the research conducted throughout the creation of our media product, we found that our target audience looks for a soundtrack in keeping with the tone of the film itself. We also looked into other surveys conducted by other people regarding the music industry activities of our chosen demographic. A Voxburner’s survey of 913 16-24-year-old Brits provides some more figures on the familiar trend of YouTube as the music consumption platform for this demographic group. The survey found that 83% of 16-24-year-olds use YouTube to simply listen to music (as opposed to watching videos). Apple’s iTunes and traditional radio were both cited by 56% of respondents as a way they listen to music, with 48% saying Spotify, 32% saying TV and 25% saying Soundcloud. A separate question on how the demographic discover new music found 63% citing radio, 56% streaming services, 49% Facebook, 42% “websites”, 27% Twitter and 25% Soundcloud. Meanwhile, 16% of 16-24 year-olds in the UK buy music at least once a week according to Voxburner’s study, while 65% stream it at least once a week (and 31% every day). From this, we realised that by releasing our soundtrack onto YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud separately after the film had been released, using cross-media convergence we could create synergy between the music and film industry. The genre of music used for our media product is a variation of instrumental, melody and techno. This genre of the soundtrack has worked successfully in other films such as Avatar where the melody is quiet in some areas to fit well with the calm actions within the film (similar to the opening of our media product) and the techno increases tension in the action filled sections within the film. The instrumental infusion within the soundtrack has also worked well with films such as 'If I Stay' a film that was extremely popular with our target audience of 16-24-year-olds and that successfully created synergy as the sales of the motion picture soundtrack was individually successful as well.

The advertisement techniques we used for our media product were chosen to best suit our target demographic of 16-24-year-olds. We found that the best form of advertisement was through social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. All frequently used by our target group, this is the most effective form of advertising due to the international and mass scale audience it will reach. This form of advertisement is also cheaper than bus stop ads and billboard etc. Mass audiences are able to like subscribe and comment on videos, images and other related posts such as upcoming events related to the film and its release. In addition, another favourable method of advertising to 16-24-year-olds would be a trailer. This is used to encourage our target to watch the film once it is released. This would appeal to our target audience because the trailer can be uploaded to a range of social media's in which it can be shared with an even wider audience. The setting and location of the film address' our audience also, this is due to the 'younger generation' feel to the different locations within the film. We chose locations such as this as the film setting to firstly address our audience directly and secondly to keep the settings realistic for the ages of our characters. The graveyard location for the opening sequence of our film is an obscure location to choose in relation to such young character and target audience as graveyards are associated with the older generation. We broke this stereotype to show the progression of the main characters, the film is set in non-chronological order (something that had been received well on the questionnaire from our target demographic) because of this the beginning of the film shows one of the last scenes the film shows the audience, the end of the film will reveal why Lucas is visiting the graveyard and who's grave he is standing over. The location of the opening shows the journey in which the characters have embarked on from a happy relationship through to a completely dysfunctional and ultimately destructive and damaging one. The advising methods we used for our opening are shown bellow on some of our twitter pages and some other advertising forms if our film were to actually be related to the public such as the trailer and someone sharing the trailer with their friends on Facebook as our demographic would.

Finally, we attract our target demographic by using a combination of relatable and aspirational characters within our media product. Lucy's character could be identified by the audience as a goal, The character has a highly paid job (detective) and is depicted as strong and doing what is right. The audience will immediately identify with her as she is the character on the side of the law as compared to Lucas who is a criminal and unstable. We are shown the status of Lucy through the use of mise-en-scene the props used by her such as the crime board show that she is investigating a crime and doing what is right, she is also wearing a diamond ring on her right hand which again shows her status over Lucas and Ellie as throughout the film they are depicted as looking very mundane and ordinary. The costume and makeup of Lucy also shows authority and a higher status, when compared to other characters as (although the makeup of Lucy does not show in the two minute opening it would be shown as sophisticated through the film's duration) the costume worn by Lucy, shows as discusses authority and high status, the top she is shown wearing is a 'royal blue' this represents power. Her hair is down and straight showing that she has taken time and effort when it comes to how she looks and comes across to the general public (as her job is directly involved with the public and her image is important). A niche audience within the target demographic will identify with Lucas, anyone suffering from a mental illness, family members of those people and anyone who wants to further educate themselves on the subject will identify with the character. The costume of this character also addresses the audience as he is depicted wearing casual and mundane clothing which the age group of 16-24 can relate to, also the makeup worn by Lucas in the later shots of him (also in flashbacks) shows that he is tired and struggling to maintain himself, dark coloured makeup was applied under his eyes to achieve this look. A large portion of people within the target demographic will identify with Ellie, mainly females as she is shown to be venerable and in an abusive relationship that is damaging to both parties. Some members of the audience may be able to relate to this as it touches upon domestic abuse which is a topic that links to mental illness, the younger generation including 16-24-year-olds should be educated and learn to speak openly of issues such as these. These topics were included in our film in efforts to aid this. The costume and makeup is worn by this character also address our target demographic as the costume worn by Ellie shows a recent fashion sense which 16-24 year olds will relate too as well as the makeup worn also keeping to recent trends this year.

One favoured theme within the film is a woman who suffers from abuse inflicted by a male partner, while she prevails over her abused state and does not let this misfortune destroy her life, but rather lets it uplift her, resulting in more independence. One may watch films like enough (2002) or Sleep with the Enemy (1991) and consider the lead female characters as heroic and independent women who do not allow their abusive partners to hinder them in life any longer. Our media product, however, does not keep to this theme, our female lead sir comes to her male counterpart in the struggle of fighting his mental illness Ellie's character is killed by her own boyfriend, the film's duration explores the events that led up to this moment in non-chronological order. Lucas' character is similar to Trevor who suffers from an extreme case of insomnia in the film 'The Machinist'. The illness plagues his life and causes his mind to operate poorly in an altered state. Trevor’s insomnia causes a number of problems for him. This links to Lucas' character whose mind also causes problems for him as well as the people who are close to him. Lucy's character links closely to that of Stella Gibson in 'The Fall' A London Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent who arrives in Belfast to conduct a 28-day review into a murder case that had no suspects and is going nowhere. Gibson sets out with total determination and begins to unravel the mystery thanks to her driven, even obsessive nature. This obsessive nature is very similar to that f Lucy's character as she dedicates herself to find young Ellie's killer.