The Descent audience table

1. Brandon Wood
Unit 1 – A02
Audience Segment Aspect of the Film Why does it work for this audience?
Additional Extreme sports The Descent uses extreme sports and this is spelunking, as they
go caving they risk everything to go, this will interest people who
like and do extreme sports this can be from sky diving,
snowboarding, cliff jumping, hand gliding, skateboarding. These
extreme sports have large audiences and the movie uses an
extreme sport, which will interest these people and gain a wider
audience range. The use of the extreme sport will appeal to
people who theme selves do extreme sports and they would like
to see this in a movie with a full female cast, as there aren’t many
movies portraying this.
Primary Blood and gore The use of the blood and gore will attract the audience who like to
see an excessive amount of blood, and like and don’t mind having
gore in a film. This could be from the use of prosthetics in the film
where they use this to show and express the danger such as the
broken leg and the film also uses the dark area and plays with the
emotion of the audience in the ways they put the characters in
danger and this will attract the audience as they are fans of the
gore and the use of these techniques appeal to them. People have
seen movies such as Saw will like to see the Decent.
Primary Adventure The adventure is the main focus of the movie as they are set in a
cave and go cave exploring and find themselves stuck, with no
help from the outside world. The Descent attracts a primary
audience on the part that it is an adventure and how the girls go
exploring and find they fighting for life. People will be interested
in the Descent because of previous adventure films such as
Indiana Jones.
Primary Betrayal/secrets The betrayal aspect of the film is the secrets of the characters and
how the guilt makes them go on the adventure but also how the

2. Brandon Wood
Unit 1 – A02
secret makes them fight for freedom and the audience would like
this as the mystery of the character as the main charters turn on
each other but there friends pay the price.
Primary Girl Genre The all genre group in the movie will attract a more female
audience but the female group is represented as a strong,
confidant and individuals. The way they are displayed allows
them to go caving and on an adventure and this shows how they
don’t need men and how they can fight for them selves. When the
group faces danger they are strong and are able to fight. The
movie shows the women as strong characters and they are the
main focus.
Secondary The director, Neil Marshall The director for the Descent is Neil Marshall. He is known for the
different movies he has directed and with his past success he is
able to attract a wider audience for the film as people will know
him from films like dog soldiers and had a all-male cast, and
people would like to see the new film by him because of elements
such as all female group unlike his previous success.
Primary Monsters (The Crawlers) The monsters used in the film are the crawlers and people who
like and are horror fans will want to see the movie as it because
the use of costume design and detail will interest them. They
would want to see the movie because of the way the female case
interact and defend them selves from monsters such as the
crawlers. Also the monsters are represented as men making
women vs. men element. The monsters and the aspect of horror
attract the audience and the use of prosthetics to elaborate on the
monster element.
Primary – Film Fans Sound non - diegetic The use of non-diegetic sounds such as the music/songs will
attract people such as film fans as they would be able to know
what the music played is and influence them to see the movie

3. Brandon Wood
Unit 1 – A02
because it may have there favourite artists. The music used in the
film is by John Carpenter, and people who know him will be
drawn into seeing the movie and his great work alongside it.
Primary Survival The sub-genre survival is part of the Descent and this element is
shown as the characters are fighting to survive from the
monsters. The genre of survival will interest people who like this
element and the danger characters are placed through testing
them creating them a audience for the movie. The use of survival
influences the people to watch the film as they use of it in the film
and how the use of a female group are portrayed in this situation.
Secondary Drama The drama aspect of the film will appeal to an audience who like
drama, and placing it as secondary for this aspect for the film is
because not many people will appeal towards a horror drama
element. The film uses elements of drama and these may not
influence them fully into watching it. Similar films like Dog
Soldiers might persuade them to watch the movie.
Primary Horror The main theme of the movie is Horror and this theme is applied
in the movie with the use of the crawlers in a caves. Also the use
of the female group in a horror movie shows it in a different
aspect and people would like to see this because of these
elements. Also people whom like horror would want to watch the
descent. The films genre, horror uses the horror rules and this
would appeal and influence a people to see it as they movie would
be following the basic rules such as sex = death.
Secondary Stars/Cast The film has a all female cast and with this they are able to gain a
wider audience by promoting the cast/stars and attracting their
fan base to see the movie. The cast will attract a audience as
people would have seen them before in other movies or the use of
the certain cast in a horror movie may also attract a audience as

4. Brandon Wood
Unit 1 – A02
they would be drawn by the all female cast. There aren’t many
other movies that have all female casts unlike the descent. People
who have seen the actors such as Shauna Macdonald who has
been in MI-5 or The Rocket Past.