AS Media Studies

2. TARGET AUDIENCE:
• During the pre-production planning process of our film opening sequence, we decided
that the primary target audience of our film would be both males and females aged 12
and above. Evidently, the target audience of our film will have to have an interest in films
of the horror/thriller genre.
• Our chosen demographic relates to the main character in our film who is of a similar
age. Although I acted as the main character in our film and am aged 16 in real life, our
aim was portray the protagonist as being a young girl - her age is not revealed to the
audience in the opening of the film.
• Our chosen demographic is suitable for our film as it does not include frequent or
sustained horror sequences or possess an overall disturbing tone. When researching
target audience for real horror thriller films, we found that the majority were aimed at a
more adult audience aged 15 and above. We decided that it would be interesting to aim
our film towards a younger audience, and due to the mild content in our film we were
confident that our it would be suitable for individuals aged 12 and over.

3. RESEARCH:
• In order to appeal to our chosen target audience, Molly and I researched different
elements which would allow us to create a final film which would provide our viewers
with maximum enjoyment. Throughout the period in which we completed our research
tasks, we found that both genders enjoy watching thriller films with the sub genre of
horror. We concluded that in order to attract and address our younger audience, we
would need to have a mild storyline which builds tension and therefore grabs the
attention of our less sophisticated audience.
• We researched target audience using the British Board of Film Classification website
which allowed us to understand which type of footage was appropriate for consumers
aged 12 and above. It stated that horror films could be passed at this age if there were
no frequent or sustained horror sequences or an overall disturbing tone. Moderate
psychological and physical threat was permitted as long as it was mild - psychological
threat towards the protagonist was imperceptible and there was no physical threat
during our production. This criteria also applied to the 12A rating which we did not think
was appropriate for our film as it contained no disturbing or horrific footage which could
potentially be damaging to individuals of this particular age. We therefore concluded that
people aged 12 would not need adult supervision to view our film.

4. • Through the BBFC website we also found that mild strong language was
permitted in films classified at age 12 depending on the manner in which it is
used, who is using the language, the frequency and any special contextual
justification of why it is used. Our film opening contains no dialogue whatsoever
and consequently no strong language is used. Our film conforms to the 12
classification BBFC guidelines also in this respect.
• When editing our film, we showed our first draft to Lauren Dear (aged 16) who
gave us feedback on what was expected in an aged 12 classified film in
comparison to what was successful and unsuccessful in how we reiterated this
in our production. Based on the feedback she gave us, we edited our film to
improve the level of enjoyment and satisfaction our primary audience would
experience whilst watching our film.

5. • However, before filming our final production, we also carried out a survey in
which the participants were all aged 12 and above. To ensure that we produced
a film which was suitable for our target audience, we asked questions based on
what they would like to see in a horror/thriller film;
NAME/AGE: WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT TO SEE IN A
HORROR/THRILLER FILM?:
Lucy Scanlon
(Aged 16)
“Suspense, Scary music, dark lighting and a
scary/evil character.”
Susan Braggins
(Aged 45)
“Dark lighting, danger, loud music, a scary location
and ‘jumpy moments’”
Emily Braggins
(Aged 24)
“An evil character, a plot twist, music that builds
suspense and maybe set in an old house”
Charlotte
Underwood
(Aged 12)
“An old house, an evil character and good
character”
Lauren Dear
(Aged 16)
“A scary character, an innocent character/victim,
maybe violence and antique props like dolls”

6. • In response to this survey, we added a majority of these suggestions into our final
film:
1. Our film opening was set during the night time and therefore we used ambient
(artificial) light in order to light our scene.
2. An antagonist was introduced; an evil character who opposes the protagonist.
3. We added a soundtrack (background music) to help us build tension and suspense
in the audience. We made sure that the volume of the music was loud throughout
(as there was no dialogue) to help us achieve this and cut out the music at the end
of the sequence where the antagonists identity is revealed – this contributed to
creating more impact in this clip.
4. We added a plot twist – the antagonist was expected to be someone else although it
was revealed that the antagonist was in fact a more evil portrayal of the protagonist
herself. This presented the mental state of the character who has insomnia – she
could be hallucinating or could also suffer from a split personality disorder.
5. Antique props were used, including dolls which were shown in the first drafts of or
film. However we decided against using these clips for the final production as we
would have gone over our two to two and a half minute time limit.

7. WAYS IN WHICH WE RELATED MAIN
CHARACTER TO TARGET AUDIENCE:
• Our film features one main character (who plays both the protagonist and the
antagonist in our film) who we portrayed as being a young girl. The bedroom
setting as well as the costume used created a sense of realism for the
audience as these aspects of mise en scene (dark lighting and pyjamas) are
typical for the time frame in which our film was set - during the night time.
This feeling of normality allows the audience to relate to the character as well
as to the situation that she is in.
• In order to portray the character I wore a set of plain pyjamas which
consisted of a navy top and white trousers. We felt that this costume choice
was appropriate for the situation. The white connotes innocence and purity
which would relate to our younger audience. This colour paired with the
baggy top and socks I wore added to creating the youthful look we desired.

8. • As well as this, we debated on whether or not to apply makeup to my face in
order to enhance my under eye bags, therefore making me look more tired and
adding to the characters appearance onscreen. We decided against this and
Molly filmed me with natural hair and no makeup. Horror films need to look and
be as realistic as possible to evoke successful tension, enigma and suspense.
We felt like heavy under eye makeup would look unnatural on camera and
therefore make our film unrealistic to the audience.
• Our target audience would be able to relate and understand the character as
younger people typically do not seem to care about their clothing choice and
makeup in order to enhance their appearance. A rapport is therefore made
between the character in our film and the audience.

9. CONCLUSION
• Overall I think our final production was successful in relating to our target audience.
Our research findings allowed us to create a suitable narrative as well as to edit our
film in ways in which to attract and address our audiences enjoyment whilst
watching our film.