This document outlines the planning for a documentary project. It includes sections on determining the purpose and target audience for the documentary. There are prompts to consider whether the audience will be niche or mass, existing or new, and how the audience will relate to the topic. Additional sections cover choosing appropriate channels, timeslots, and platforms to reach the target audience and attract their interest. The document concludes with brief explanations of three media theories - Uses and Gratifications theory, Effects theory, and Reception theory - and how they apply to understanding the audience for the proposed documentary.

1. Assignment 19:
Audience in our Product
Topic/Question: ‘___________________’
Name 1
Name 2
Name 3
Name 4

2. Before completing this
• Read/revise following pages in textbook
• 16/17
• 34/35

3. Purpose of our Documentary
•
•
•
•
Informative?
Educational?
Persuasive?
Entertaining?
• What do you want to achieve in relation to
your audience?

4. Niche or Mass?
Niche or mass?
Explanation/justification
Similar documentary
comparison

5. Existing or new audience (extension)
• Is your documentary for an existing audience or are
you seeking to create a new audience?
• Explain your answer. (you can use existing documentaries in your answer)
•
Point to help:
–
–
Some products/shows are created which are for existing audiences because they are so similar to
other products/shows. Example: katy perry’s new perfume will use an existing audience (as they will
be similar details/audience to those who buy rihanna’s/gaga’s/christina’s/britney’s perfumes) (prime
objective being to make money from an audience they know will buy/consume it)
Some products aim to be different and create new audiences as they are innovative, original and
different (such as black mirror)…….they see a gap in the market and attract new audiences for various
reasons…….usually these types of products/texts/shows are to make an impact, create awareness, go
against norms/conventions/expectations etc

6. Target Audience
Category
Details
Age
Gender
Social
Class
(group __ – pg 17 in
textbook)
Ethnicity/
religion
Location
Values/
attitude/
lifestyle
Social
group/
hobbies
Group ___
Explanation (why would they be interested in your documentary)

7. Secondary Audience
Category
Details
Age
Gender
Social
Class
(group __ – pg 17 in
textbook)
Ethnicity/
religion
Location
Values/
attitude/
lifestyle
Social
group/
hobbies
Group ___
Explanation (why would they be interested in your documentary)

8. Audience relation to topic
• How will your audience relate to your topic?
• Why will they enjoy the topic?
• To put into today’s context, our topic is
relevant/important to our audience because….

9. Channel choice & audience
• We might put our documentary on __________
(channel) because……
(could discuss other shows or documentaries that attracts them)
• Similar documentaries (on this channel) that we
were inspired by were ______________. They
are appropriate for this channel because……
• This connects to our target audience because….

10. Time on TV & audience
• On Terrestrial TV, our documentary would be
played at _____am/pm because….
– Reason 1
– Reason 2
– In your reasons relate to OFCOM/watershed

11. Platform & audience
• In addition to Terrestrial TV we would also
make our documentary available on …..
Additional Platforms
Connection to target audience

12. Attracting your audience
• How will you attract your audience through
the construction aspects?
Construction aspects
How will this attract
your target audience?
Comparison to
existing/inspirational
documentaries

13. Audience THEORY
• Uses & Gratifications
• Effects
• Reception
Read page 96/97
page 92/93
page 94/95

14. Uses & Gratifications (McQuail)
Information
Personal Identity
Integration & social
interaction
Apply the theory to your documentary in relation to
your target audience
Entertainment

15. Effects theory
• Explain how this does/does not apply to your
documentary
• Could mention (all related to effects theory)
– hyperdermic needle model
– Cultivation theory
– 2 step flow

16. Reception theory
• Explain how this does/does not apply to your
documentary
• How will your audience read your documentary?
Choose 1 and explain….
– Dominant/hegemonic reading
OR
– Negotiated reading
OR
– Oppositional reading