1. Evaluation: Who is the audience of
our production and how did we
attract/ address them
Sam Freebody

2. Research
• To define our target audience we conducted
research to find out what people liked in
terms of films.
• We made a talking heads video for some in-
depth information whilst handing out a
questionnaire to a bigger group of people for
a wider range of information.

3. Audience Theories
• We also studied various audience theories like
Blumier & Katz’s Uses and Gratifications
Model, Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs Model
and Dyer’s Utopian Theory.
• We used these to decide what target audience
best fit the type of film we wanted to make.

4. Target Audience
• Compiling our primary and secondary
research we sat down as a group and decided
that our film would be aimed at people aged
roughly 15-21, who were relatively new to the
genre and were most likely male.
• Horror is a genre that can be and is appealing
to both genders but the majority of it’s
viewers are male so we decided our target
audience should reflect this.

5. Target Audience Cont.
• We chose a younger target audience as they
are generally newer to the genre and
therefore easier to scare, and also less able to
identify the stereotypes of the genre as
‘unoriginal’.
• However we did include enough in our film
that slightly more seasoned horror veterans
would still be able to watch it and enjoy
themselves.

6. Appeal
• Our use of multiple horror stereotypes is there to
appeal to our audience. The usage of a
supernatural antagonist fits Dyer’s theory as it
allows the audience to feel scared and experience
the supernatural from their own home.
• The use of children is relatable to the lower end
of our target audience and may incite a
maternal/paternal protective instinct in the older
end of our target audience, making them feel for
the boy and possibly be more scared of the girl as
an example of ‘corrupted youth/innocence’.

7. Appeal Cont.
• The run-down scary basement location lets the
audience feel the fear and adventure of exploring
such a dark and mysterious location from the
warmth and comfort of their own home/the
cinema, which ties in with Blumier & Katz as well
as Dyer’s theories’.
• The slight blue tint used and the ambient music
and sound effects subconsciously appeal to the
more familiar horror audience as they associate
these things with a genre they enjoy and as such
asre more likely to want to watch the film

8. Appeal pt.3
• The use of the girl as a sort of jump scare is
another convention of the horror genre and a
good way to get the audiences blood pumping
quickly, and confirms or at least suggests they
will be used again in the film. This ‘quick scare’
lets the audience in their own homes/the
cinema and also confirms the film to be a
bona fide horror film, although hopefully not
one that relies solely on jump scares to
frighten the audience.