2. As my target audience was both males and females aged 16 – 24 my product needed to
be something they would not only enjoy watching but something that was captivating.
Genres such as science fiction and action are currently creating lots of audience interest
due to the release of titles such as Divergent and The Martian, both of which made a
large profit and created a large fan base as well as presenting new and unique premises
which allowed them to have a lasting impact by captivating their audiences.
I created my own questionnaire during the planning state of the production of my
introduction and from the answers that I’d received I found that the most popular genres
would be both action and science fiction as they had an equal amount of votes. The
backed up my idea to go forward with my idea of creating a science fiction/action as I
knew that people would be interested in my product.
I also used reference to attract a wider demographic, the style and text font was both
inspired by and a reference to the style of the 1979 movie Stalker but the game series
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The use of these references and stylistic choices could be an attracting
feature for a wider audience who are familiar with these other products and as a result
may be interested in viewing my film if they recognized something familiar that they
enjoyed in another format or by another director.
My film works well for my target audience as it features elements from both science
fiction and action movie intros due to the lonely and desolate feel and the action
sequence that occurs at the ending.
GENRE
3. Within the the introduction I have used enigma codes to attract the audience and gain their
interest. Through withholding the identity of the antagonist when he first appears audiences may
be intrigued by this character and want to no more, as a result continuing to watch the film.
These enigma codes cause the audience to ask questions and want to know the resolution, these
questions are briefly teased to be resolved with the final text overlay stating “Two Days Earlier”
and this teaser of a resolution keeps the audience viewing as the anticipation of the answers
draws them in. The hints of other characters from the radio chatter and the headset the main
character wears indicating a secondary ‘supporting’ character also cause audiences to keep
viewing as they may be interested in the other characters involved in the story and their
significance.
Semantic codes were also included in my product, rather subtlety at the beginning through the
ambient noise, gunfire and the sound of frantic radio chatter in a foreign language all give the
impression of the world the film takes place in and this immediate burst of storytelling just
through sound in the opening 10 – 20 seconds draws the viewers in straight away.
Symbolic codes are included on top of one of the more notable enigma codes, the significance of
the final shot, the camera pushing away from the antagonist and into a pit is a mystery but also
symbolic of death or the downfall of something or someone, audiences that enjoy a deeper, more
artful shooting style in their films will enjoy these aspects and add a more niche audience on top
of the existing conventional one.
There is also referential codes added subtly to the end of the introduction, the name of the
location the film takes place in “ Yanov Border Protective Post” refers to the location in
Chernobyl formerly the Yanov Train Station made famous by photographs after the events of
1986. This reference while obscure may be caught by a few people in a large audience and will
give them knowledge of the setting and some of the context before the rest of the audience.
NARRATIVE
4. There are two characters in my film introduction, one character is female while the
other is male, this creates an appeal to audiences of both genders as they can see
and identify with either of the characters which wouldn’t be possible in a standard
production with a majority male cast. I tried to make one of the characters appear
relatable, with only limited experience with their environment to allow my audience
to identify with the character as they could see themselves as that character.
Whereas the male character, the antagonist can act like a power fantasy due to
their status as a powerful character in charge of their situation, despite no proper
introductions to the characters in the introduction, just through these
representations the audience can either identify with, or be absorbed and take
interest in the characters of the product due to their ability to cater for two
different ideologies.
Despite the female character being in a notably weaker position once she
encounters the male character, I don’t feel as if this will turn female audiences
away and I believe that they would still be able to enjoy the film as hopefully by
using the “Two Days Earlier” subtitle at the end of the intro, the audience will stay
to see the events which led to those of the intro and persuade them to keep viewing
as it would mean the character that they identify with and support isn’t removed
from the story like they had originally appeared to be.
CHARACTERS
