The document provides research on the target audience for a superhero movie project. It analyzes surveys that show Marvel movies are most popular with 18-34 year olds and have more male than female viewers. Reviews for Avengers: Endgame also showed most reviews came from people aged 18-44. The research suggests focusing the project on younger adult comic book fans while aiming to include wider audiences and more female viewers.

1. Research
Finlay McCall-Smith

2. Audience Research

3. Target Audience Profile
My project is intended for a similar demographic to that
of Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies. This, generally is
aimed to appeal to all generations, and types of people
otherwise but most specifically I believe they are most
specifically targeted at the age range surrounding young
adulthood, including children and older adults but with
young adulthood being the epicentre. I also believe them
to typically appeal more to a male audience, even despite
efforts for them not to. As a result, I will put particular
emphasis on appealing to as wide an audience as I can,
with the knowledge that the larger industry often fails at
the level of inclusion they wish to possess. My only real
focus is young, comic book movie enthusiasts.

4. Audience Research
Through my research, I have
discovered this survey from statista
which states that Marvel movies are,
on average, consumed primarily by
18-54 year olds with 18-34 reigning
ever so slightly more involved in
viewing these films. This contributes
to why I decided to place my target
audience as younger people, as the
ages 55+ have little to no knowledge
of these types of movies.
(https://www.statista.com/statistics/8
07367/marvel-movie-viewership-age/
)

5. Audience Research
This source is taken from the IMDb page for Avengers Endgame. One of the most popular people’s reviewing sites where the
subject of these reviews is the most popular Superhero movie and second highest grossing movie of all time, Avengers
Endgame. As can be seen by the reviews, the number of reviews is significantly highest between the ages of 18 and 44. This
reinforces my last slide and builds upon it as it is suggested here that Marvel’s main demographic is that of slightly older
adults. This, however, could simply be due to the fact that more people of that age range are invested in the reviewing aspect
of a movie or that more people of that age range would use IMDb, though if this were the case we would likely see a larger
number that what is present in the 45+ category so let’s just assume that this is at least mildly reflective of the film’s
viewerbase itself.
One part that I may not consider to be directly reflective is the amount of female reviews. The only reason I could see for this
being the case is that these movies tend to possess an innate focus on the male characters (e.g. with 5 of the main 6
Avengers being male etc). Therefore, I believe there is an opening for female inclusion in future Superhero related movies
that, if handled correctly, could address this missing number of female reviews, rendering the product more successful
overall.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/ratings/?ref_=tt_ov_rt

6. Market Research
Existing Products

7. Existing Product: Age of Ultron trailer
This shot is what establishes the contents of the trailer and gives the viewer
context. We now know this film takes place in an urban non-familiar city on
Earth. The sepia tone suggests desolation and a much contrasting tone to the
original film.
This shot gives us a look at the heroes, seemingly defeated or in shock. Banner
being central helps to imply how concerning the movie's antagonist is, as it can
be inferred that even a character like the Hulk, infamous for his strength, is
fearful of them. The characters all being together in this shot is particularly
effective too at showing us there is still some unity and familiarity in this movie.
This shot shows us the Marvel Studios Logo and segments the trailer into two;
The first part being the epilogue, where we gain context, and the second part
being an increase in intensity that represents the movie's action and tone more,
revealing minor events from across the film.
This shot shows us some conflict within the team itself that helps to allude to the fact that the
antagonist may not be the only threat to exist throughout the course of the movie. The heroes
being discordant and in conflict helps to further encourage viewers to watch the film, to see if
the resolution of these conflicts has great ramifications
The trailer closes on the title, followed by the date of release (incredibly typical for a
Hollywood trailer). This gives the audience the means to actually watch the film, from a
marketing stance, but it also helps to build hype around the film as the last words left in the
audiences' minds will be in sync with one-another.

8. Existing Product: Age of Ultron trailer
The use of the music from Pinocchio "No Strings on Me" helps
to make the trailer feel more uneasy as the song was typically
associated with a children's fairytale character in a generally
positive story. Using it in this context with a slow, reverbed
rendition makes the song seem more sinister, which subverts
expectations and adds to the tension, similarly to how certain
horror characters sing children's rhymes. Ending the trailer
with Ultron saying the final line of the song "there are no
strings on me" is a petrifying way of breaking the forth wall
and bringing the character's threat closer to the audience, but
it also holds a lot of meaning from a narrative viewpoint as
Ultron is trying to break free from the limitations that Banner
and Stark had put on him during his inception. Overall, this
makes the villain more compelling and entices the viewer to
watch the film more, as the audience are already sold on the
Protagonists, meaning the Antagonist of the film is the most
important thing to sell to them in this trailer.
The buffered reveal of Ultron too, showing only small parts of
him at first and then him in a different form with the main shot
of him being at the end, adds to the suspense and paces the
trailer significantly well.

9. Existing Product: Logan trailer
• This shot commences the trailer by setting the tone. It shows a more
personal focus due to the close-up shot that brings the audience closer to he
character. Using pragmatics, the audience can also be aware that Wolverine
(pictured)’s powers come from his hands. This shot shows him weakened,
immediately suggesting a much different tone to this story.
• This shot is shown from a lower angle, which is often typical of suggesting
heroism. This character represents hope for the future, which is why they’re
one of the only ones pictured in this format. There is also an amount of light
which brings them forwards from the background, further enforcing this idea
that they’re the “hopeful light” in this otherwise very dark story.
• This shot shows Logan in a silhouette format. This emphasises a lot of
important messages for this trailer. The light shining behind him could be
reflective of the character from before, Laura, or it could be reflective of the
light of the afterlife, with him being blacked out to suggest his possible
passing during this film’s events.
• This shot shows Logan running towards the camera at speed. This increases
tensions in the trailer as it puts the audience in the shoes of someone being
chased by Logan; It portrays him as formidable even in old age which
suggests viewers can expect the same level of action as in previous films.
• This title sequence gives us the Film’s Title, ‘Logan’, followed by the date at
which the film comes out. This gives the audience all the information they
need to see the film, as well as building hype for the film as they can
anticipate it for the day it comes out. The title is plain and simple which is
reflective of the tone of the movie, not overwhelmed by CG etc. The March
3rd part is in the colour red, which suggests death, danger and love may be an
important part of the film, as those are often associated with that colour.

10. Existing Product: Avengers Theme
I have chosen to discuss a musical theme in addition to my focus on film trailers, due to the fact
that constructing my theme entirely from scratch will represent a significant portion of my
production.
The Avengers theme is fundamentally typical of superhero themes that came before. It is
initially in the key of G Minor; Most superhero themes that came before were too in a minor
key, such as Danny Elfman’s Batman (B) or Spider-Man (A) themes. The effect of having a theme
be in the minor key is that it can often be more impactful or damning, evoking more serious
emotional responses than that of any major key which is often used to evoke overt positivity,
something I will not be attempting to suggest within my own theme.
The Avengers theme also has moments of devolving orchestra, where less instruments are used
in order to fade you gently into the piece or emphasise tension or demonstrate a more gentle
moment in the trailer. I will attempt to use this to my advantage in my own theme.
Finally, it is worth considering the instruments used in the Avengers theme. String instruments
comprise a large amount of this orchestra. They are often more subtle stylistically than guitars
or other instruments more typical of rock music. In addition to this, different parts are often
played by different instruments at different times that then converge at the end. This can be
evidenced through the use of violins that play the backing in the original Avengers theme that
didn’t return for future renditions until Endgame. This use of separate complex parts allows for
more meaning to be added, even about more tangible things like Narrative. My interpretation
of the more technical background instrument inclusions in this music are that it is reflective of
the Avengers themselves and how in this movie only they are accompanied by SHIELD, an
organisation with lots of complex moving parts. This is why this part of the theme is missing in
later themes, but once again, the brilliance of inclusions like this is that they are open to be
interpreted differently by everyone, giving it more substance than what you can often achieve
with the use of a pre-existent song.

11. Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched products have?
– Titles are often always included both at the end of a trailer (title and date of
release) and the beginning (for the Studio’s logo)
– Trailers often keep the villains’ inclusion to a minimum, opting to not reveal
much more than the simple narrative points of the first act
– Close-Ups are often used to bring the audience’s connection closer to
characters and long shots are often used to create establishing shots for
scenes
– The music is never contrapuntal, it’s always appropriate for purpose as trailers
only have a small amount of time to sell the viewer on the concept and tone
of the film
– Superhero themes are often done in minor keys with orchestral instruments
and a comprehensible leit motif for the character
• What aspects of the research will you include within your on work?
– I will try my best to include evidence of all these discoveries so that they can
at least be considered for use in my own trailer. Mainly, I would like to follow
the structure of a trailer having titles and moments of high intensity that
fluctuates and gives a moment for reflection at the end, as I consider these
the most effective aspects of pre-existent trailers.

12. Questionnaire Analysis

13. Audience research: What Gender do
you identify as?
• Observation: The split of people who I gathered data on was exactly 50/50
between Men and Women. I aimed to appeal to people of any Gender and so I'm
happy to say that my data doesn't just encompass one group predominantly.
• What this says about my audience: Since all of my interviewed subjects
responded stating that they visit the cinema at least a minimum of 2 times a
month, I can infer that my viewerbase will be greatly mixed in this regard and
therefore my trailer will have to appeal to a wider variety of people, unlike the
past where superhero movies would be typically tailored towards men.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will appeal to my audience,
therefore, by ensuring that I include a variety of different genders for my actors
and that they share a similar amount of screentime. I want my audience to always
have someone they can relate to in this regard so the more mixed of a cast I can
obtain, the better.

14. Audience research: What amount of a movie's
content would you desire a trailer to reveal?
A Middle amount of the movie
(Reserved but with some pivotal
moments in the film revealed and
no teases for the 3rd act)
• Observation: The interviewed lot seem to agree unanimously that a moderate to low
amount of revealed content in a trailer is better than revealing large amounts of plot or
substance or spoiling the movie, in essence.
• What this says about my audience: This response likely derives from the recent debates
or gripes in Hollywood movie fanbases about studios putting so much of a movie in a
trailer that the movie isn't worth paying to watch. This isn't a new concept, but it shows
that, as much as audiences are generally happy to see something of substance in
a trailer, it is much preferred that nothing from the third act of a film (or much of the 2nd
even) is revealed.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: My product will appeal to this by
following this guideline. I will try my best not to show anything that I wouldn't have
considered to be in the first act of my film, if it had been actually made. This means most
of my trailer will hopefully just be foundation, giving the audience the basic knowledge,
they need to understand what my film is about and get a feel for the genre and tone.

15. Audience research: Which of the following factors
would make you most likely to want to see a movie?
• Observation: From this I can firstly suggest that audiences are generally quite torn on this subject; There's
no overwhelmingly strict winner in this debate. Having said that, it can be noted that 50% of the
responders chose the Director.
• What this says about my audience: This response shows that there are many different factors that will
entice a viewer into watching a film and seemingly, the more you have the better; Including one of these
does not decrease the chance you will get someone to watch a film (unless they are very particularly not
fond of a certain studio/director). Since the Director was the most likely reason for people to want to see a
movie, it can be suggested that including the name of a Director in a trailer could be an effective way of
building a name for that individual and if the audience will recognise them from another project, that can
be considered an easy way to get them immediately invested in a movie (e.g. Sam Raimi in the Dr Strange
2 Trailer).
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will appeal to this audience therefore by very simply
including my name somewhere in the title sequence, possibly before or after the Movie's name is
revealed, as I am likely the only person who can be tied down to the role of Director on this project. And
although my name obviously won't carry any weight, it will help to build my standing should people enjoy
the look of this trailer (the hope is that they will remember my name in tandem with the project itself).

16. Audience research: Which Villain
Narrative Type do you prefer?
• Observation: From this I can see that the easy victor of the favourite villain archetype is the
Manipulator. I would assume that the example characters given had a great effect on that result
also due to the Joker's renowned popularity as one of the most iconic and beloved villains of the
past 50 years of fiction. It is worth noting however, that the Ally turned Enemy had 25% of votes,
with this one often receiving good reception when used in movies.
• What this says about my audience: This says my audience is fonder of villainous characters
who attempt to defeat the heroes in more personal ways with more calculated or menacing
approaches. It also suggests it would be worth including an amount of personal connection to the
heroes in terms of backstory as the Manipulator archetype doesn't necessarily have a specific
backstory, so I can revert the runner up for that.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will give my villain a backstory that is connected
to the heroes and hopefully portray this in the trailer as best I can. I will also try to portray the
villain in a sinister light that leaves a lot to question about them. Part of the intrigue of
the Manipulator type characters is that they are shrouded in mystery. I will attempt to show this
through my use of shots, colour, lighting and more for symbolism.

17. Audience research
• Observation: This chart shows how different genres are enjoyed by my audience. Survey takers
were allowed to answer as many options as they wished, meaning I could collect which genres are
most enjoyed without restricting people to choose just one. It's a more generalised way of
showing the results. The results show that people generally prefer the Thriller/Horror genres with
Sci-Fi/Fantasy in second place. This means I should attempt to emphasise those parts of my
project most over all else.
• What this says about my audience: That they enjoy the Thriller/Horror genres more. Likely due to
the enriching suspense, tension and character conflicts that can be created within these genres
that the Superhero genre often fails to stand against, often opting for more spectacle or fanfare
moments which can cheapen the experience of watching a movie within that genre.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: To appeal to this, I will attempt to include more
aspects of the Horror or Thriller genre in my trailer, meaning more dark or sinister shots,
more fear or distressed character moments and possibly more pauses in music for suspense or
gritty action that could be considered darker in its emotional intent than of typical Superhero
movies to come before.

18. Interviews

19. Interview 1
• When watching a trailer, what aspect would make you most want to
watch the movie
Score/theme + visuals (cinematography, CG, the film sets). Powerfully
delivered lines/acting.
• Do you prefer more action-based trailers or narrative-based?
Narrative, sets the scene for the film so you know what you're going
into. Don't want it to reveal too much, so a mix of the two is best, but
overall narrative.
• Do you prefer pre-made music to be repurposed for a trailer or
music to be made solely for the purpose of the trailer?
The films/a characters theme (so orchestral) repurposed is best in my
opinion, it lets the audience connect the dots between the film + the
theme + the characters and such.

20. Interview 1
• Observation: This individual of whom I interviewed believed the
theme and visuals were the most significant aspects of a trailer in
making it effective.
• What this says about my audience: They value the quality of the
soundtrack and shots over other aspects of trailers such as plot,
starpower or action sequences to name a few.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will ensure that
my product appeals to this audience by ensuring the quality of the
shots I make, using tripods and better cameras than just my phone.
I will also ensure I put plenty of effort into intricately editing the
colour and other qualities of the image in post-production to get
the most out of my footage that I can. Finally, I will produce my own
theme for my trailer, as to ensure that I can add my own qualities of
emotional intent and stylistic tone to the theme so that it is
properly reflective of my full vision for my project.

21. Interview 2
• When watching a trailer, what aspect would make you most want to
watch the movie?
– An aspect that is important to me is already knowing about the
director or having favour towards a leading actor. Otherwise, I like to
see an original concept.
• Do you prefer more action-based trailers or narrative-based?
– I like a narrative-based trailer, however if a trailer uses an action scene
well it can absolutely add to the concept of the trailer and make it a lot
more effective.
• Do you prefer pre-made music to be repurposed for a trailer or
music to be made solely for the purpose of the trailer?
– I prefer music that is made solely for the trailer as it entices the viewer
to learn more about the movie and the soundtrack.

22. Interview 2
• Observation: This individual stated that they like to see directors or actors
they are already familiar with. They also stated they would like to see an
original concept, with a focus on narrative.
• What this says about my audience: They want something fresh that has
qualities that aren’t typical of other movies before. They also want
someone that they can recognise from other projects as that gives them a
safe idea of whether this project is going to be for them or not, depending
on whether they enjoyed a project by that person before or not.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: As I cannot rely on my own
name or any of the actor’s names, I can only go off what was suggested
otherwise which is including an original concept. I believe I have already
achieved that to a degree with the storyline that I have formulated. I have
avoided many tropes, supplying a darker storyline, void of excessive
humour and mindless action. I have instead opted for a more
psychological thriller-esque approach that will hopefully be irreflective of
the cheaper commodities of typical Superhero movie trailers of today.

23. Bibliography

24. Bibliography
1. Your, Name. (2018) Target Audience Research Survey (conducted on
DATE)
2. Interviewees, Name. (2018) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on
DATE)