2. Our Target Audience
Because our media product falls under a sub genre it is not as broad as one that
falls under a single genre. Therefore it is going to appeal to a more specific target
audience.
Our genre (crime/gangster) is one that will appeal mainly to a male audience,
usually between the ages of 16-40 although this isn't restricted. This is because
the nature of this genre includes certain themes and symbols that are associated
with or may appeal more to men with the key elements usually including;
violence, weapons, drugs, women, power etc.
Furthermore due to our unique approach towards the genre; by making the plot
more suspenseful we have tried to include some thriller aspects in order to
appeal to a wider audience, and therefore hopefully more people will watch and
enjoy our film.
3. How Did We Engage With Our
Target Audience?
We engage with our target audience through a number of ways. Firstly, our film is one that will mainly appeal to
a male audience. Therefore, the way that we have constructed the tone of our media production is of particular
significance when looking at how we have engaged with our target audience. We begin our film by setting a
very mundane and everyday tone through our characters actions. This was intentional to set up a false sense
of security for the audience so they are much more surprised by the time the bloody suit is revealed and the
tone of the film suddenly changes.
The three images above are screen shots from our film. We begin with Vince appearing to be a friendly
neighborhood man before suddenly, he pulls a bloody knife out of a bag and we can see a blood stained suit
and shirt inside the bag. This is the main turning point in our media product because it is where the film
takes a drastic alteration and the audience view Vince in a different light as well as the newly established
atmosphere.
4. Constructing Our Character
Most lead characters in crime gangster films, although they are not always likable, they do manage to get their target
audience to idealize them to some extent. This is because they glamorize taboo subjects such as drug
taking, prostitution, gambling etc. as well as making life look so easy by showing off their wealth through
houses, cars, clothes, etc. as well as dictating their own life. According to the male stereotype; to some extent, these are
all things that men want to see in films and or want in their own lives. The target audience also want the lead to be very
appealing to women so that when the target audience idolize with the lead they also have that same appeal.
In keeping with trying to make our film as authentic as possible, we wanted our lead to have the same appeal to the
audience. Therefore, we dressed our lead in a smart suit as a way to show class and wealth. Furthermore, the location is
also to show wealth as well as get our target audience to wish they lived there, as it is a large house. There are also
moments in the film when we can see a quantity of cash and jewelry. These are just symbols of excessive wealth.
However, in contrast to other crime gangster films, Corporate Identity doesn’t have any themes such as
drugs, prostitution or gambling. This is because it wouldn’t have fit in with our opening 2 minute sequence and we wanted
to present Vince as possessing more class.
5. Soundtrack
We wanted to make our soundtrack as authentic as possible. Like all genres, crime gangster has a very specific soundtrack
which in itself contributes to constructing the genre. When looking at crime gangster soundtracks there are two different
types. In films such as The Godfather there is theme music and character theme. The famous Godfather theme was
composed by Nina Rota purely for the film. Similarly, Ennio Morricone composed the entire soundtrack for Once Upon A
Time In America. This is a completely different style compared to the soundtracks featured in Tarentino’s films. He uses
very contemporary well know music and applies it to a scene or character to create its own theme. A famous example of
this would be in Reservoir Dogs where Mr. Blonde cuts a mans ear off accompanied by “Stuck in the middle with you” by
Stealers Wheels. This scene arguably wouldn’t be so shocking if it did not feature the song.
When it came to our film we took some aspects of the stereotypical crime gangster soundtrack into consideration but due
to our unique take on the story we thought it seemed appropriate to have our own take on the soundtrack. We chose to use
songs from other artists rather that compose our own. Our first track is influenced by a traditional crime gangster
soundtrack. Its happy upbeat tone also help construct a friendly neighborhood effect. This track would begin non diegetic
but when our lead came into shot from inside the car it becomes diegetic and coming from the car radio. This song then
continues to play at the same volume level even know the car drives of and our lead is walking towards the house. Once
he enters, the sound of the door closing behind him ends the happy upbeat. We then chose to use a different song to
construct a darker tone. In doing this a new atmosphere is established for the audience before there is anything visually
there to establish it. The song we decided to use was quite unconventional because it is electronic and quite disorientating.
This is where it contributes to the thriller aspect of our film.
6. Camera Angles
In terms of camera angles, we did not use anything too unconventional. However we did use some techniques to
engage our target audience. For example, in the scene where our lead opens the bag, at one point we are
positioned from inside the bag. The significance of this shot in relation to engaging the audience, is that our lead is
positioned at a high angle and the audience is positioned in a low angle, Therefore making our lead appear
intimidating and superior, this shot is known as a worms eye view as it is an extreme low angle. The audience are
also positioned as the bloody suit to further show that he is a dangerous character. These are other screen grabs
from our 2 minute opening sequence.
