By Martika Dupigny-Williams

2. Who Are My Target Audience?
The target audience for my film was males and females aged 15-
35. This specified age range was chosen to appeal to a wide range
of people, in addition to this, it was relevant for viewer discretion as
this film may not be suitable for some younger viewers. We
conformed to the generic conventions of a drama film, in doing so
we were able to meet audience pleasures as drama's display real
life situations. This can be related to Blumler and Katz, identifying 4
reasons for using a media text, as audience members may use our
film as a form of escapism. We attracted this audience using
various forms of social media including Facebook and Twitter. From
using these sites it allowed us to interact with our target audience
and we were able to reach people from across the globe. Gathering
all of this information helped toward the completion of the
production and ancillary tasks.

3. Planning & Research Stage
During the planning and research stage, questionnaires
were completed by members of our target audience; this
was beneficial as it gave us a clear idea into what they
wanted to see. These were posted onto the blog itself and
on social media sites which enabled us to reach a wide
range of people.
Strengths Weaknesses
Creating a brainstorm of multiple ideas at the
beginning of the project allowed me to connect more
with group members and get a clearer idea of the
direction we wanted to go in.
Although creating a brainstorm allowed us to have
multiple ideas, choosing a single one was difficult as
we had to take different factors into account before
the production stage.
After planning an idea and scripting it was my job to
write letters the owners of each location filmed at.
This was vital as we needed these locations
specifically to film our production. In doing so we
would have the best possible outcome.
Depending on how well each session went would
determine what did and didn’t need to be refilmed.
Therefore we didn’t have an estimated time for when
the production would start and finish. This could’ve
potentially been problematic for the owners of the
locations.

4. Planning & Research Stage
Below are screenshots of the pre questionnaire, this was
the main source for gathering feedback prior to the
production stage. It is evident that we are appealing the
right audience. In addition to this the genre of drama is
made apparent meaning our film was clear and it
prevented any lack of communication moving forward.

5. Production Stage
Films that influenced us are Cyberbully, The Chatroom, Perfect
Sisters, and The Rules of Attraction. Scenes that were major
influences were https://youtu.be/RnvYA9t7m8A and
https://youtu.be/3GAwi34vHyQ
These were major influences as we used the idea of a slow build up
and attempting an overdose in the bath to convey the distress of Amy
to the audience. From feedback gathered from the planning and
research stage this ensured that we were meeting the interests of the
audience as we took their feedback highly into consideration. In doing
so this was beneficial as we would be creating something they’d
watch. In addition to this, feedback gathered gave us a broader insight
to what the majority liked and disliked so we could add/take out parts
to appeal to them more. We decided that using themes of depression
and suicidal tendencies would work to our advantage as the bathroom
scene would be the pinnacle of our production. The main character
Amy Parsons and her mother would be represented as countertypes to

6. Marketing
To market the product I created a poster. When researching into
different drama posters each part referenced the film in question to
convey different themes to the audience. To replicate this in my
own work, I looked at drama film posters for inspiration using
different conventions of this genre such as using close ups of the
subjects face. Film posters that influenced mine are below. The
most useful feedback was from our younger viewers as they were
more likely to connect with the characters than our older viewers.
This links to Young & Rubicam’s theory of the four consumers as by
relating to Amy’s character for example, they will feel a sense of
security being placed in the mainstreamers.

7. Post-Production Stage
The video above was completed using a focus group of 3 people. I used
males and females between 15-35 to match our target audience. The film
was made accessible on YouTube as it’s a free streaming site available on
multiple devices; therefore we thought this would be the best platform to
release our video on. Other sites we could’ve used are ones such as
Vimeo and Daily Motion. We decided against this as we all were very
familiar with YouTube’s functions. Either than using a focus group to gather
feedback following the production, a post questionnaire was also created
which is another form of feedback. Regarding the ancillary task, feedback
was received by word of mouth. The posters created were highly
commended as they linked well to themes presented within the film.
Although we tried to prevent miscommunication as much as possible,
feedback was received that the narrative was hard to understand in some
places and the cinematography could’ve been stronger. The strongest
parts of the production were said to be the editing and sound. As these two
parts were my job roles it’s evident that I completed my role to a high
standard. If I were to do this project again the cinematographer may need
more support at first to get a better understanding of the camera and be

8. Summary
Through the use of questionnaires and social media we were able
to contact members of our target audience. This was beneficial in
order to improve the production and appeal to as many people as
possible. In doing so we had a better outcome than what we initially
started with. Although I had no previous experience editing, I spent
long, hard hours on this tedious task which showed within the
production itself. In addition to this, the marketing material created
was successful as it linked nicely to the production, and reviews
given were positive. The two film inspirations for the bathroom
scene were very beneficial as this was the strongest part of the
film. Feedback received from focus groups will allow us as a
production to improve if this project was done again. In addition to
this, moving forward I will able further my skills taking part in the
cinematography, editing, and sound person roles.