The document provides information about the target audience, intended outcome, production companies, budget, and age classification of a film production. It also discusses feedback received and how various media theorists and concepts were applied to the production. The production aimed to attract a late teen to mid-thirties audience interested in intelligent action films. Feedback suggested changes to the soundtrack and establishing character roles through filters, but social media feedback was limited. Various genre conventions and concepts around narrative structure, character archetypes, and formal elements were considered.

1. EVALUATION TASK 4
WHO ARE YOUR AUDIENCE & WHAT HAVE
YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR AUDIENCE
FEEDBACK?

2. INTENDED OUTCOME
The intended outcome of our production was to gain
the attention of our target audience, through the
use of varied shots of both fast and slow pace.
Enough is revealed to make the plot clear to them.
However, certain aspects of the film are left to the
audience’s imagination, creating enigmas and
therefore a reason to watch the film.

3. TARGET AUDIENCE
Our target audience ranges
from late teens, through to
about mid thirties. They would
likely be looking for a change
from the typical marquee
action film shown at large
multiplexes.
It includes the action element
present in such films.
However, the plot focuses
heavily on the romantic
relations of the characters
involved. This could likely
attract a female audience that
wouldn’t usually be present for
films such as the ‘Fast and the
Furious’ series.

4. PRODUCTION COMPANY
The production companies
we chose are Miramax and
Bad Robot
Miramax produced the cult
classics ‘Pulp Fiction’ and
‘Reservoir Dogs’, which-like
our production-could be
considered as ‘intelligent’
action films.
Miramax also have links to
Quentin Tarrentino, which is
an obvious benefit, as it may
attract fans of his work; ‘From
the producers of Pulp Fiction’
is likely to be a strong selling
point.
Bad Robot have experience
with the ‘Mission Impossible’
series that fans of marquee
films will be familiar
with, making the chances of
our film being screened at
multiplexes even greater.

5. BUDGET
Our film is probably similar
to Pulp Fiction in that it
would be a mid-budget
film. We would probably
have a less well-known cast
like Pulp Fiction does, due
to the fact that that kind of
a budget doesn’t pay for
big Hollywood stars who
charge around £50 million
per film. That is, unless they
took a budget cut as Bruce
Willis did for Pulp Fiction.
However, due to the
emphasis on the thriller
element, we wouldn’t
require a substantial sum of
money for the large action
sequences present in a
majority of Hollywood
action blockbusters.

6. AGE CLASSIFICATION
The age classification for our
film is 15. This is appropriate
for our film because our
target audience would
partly consist of young
adults/ late teens who
would be within this age
bracket. By avoiding an ‘18’
rating, we have increased
our chances of making a
profit, as they won’t be
excluded from screenings.

7. AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
From class feedback, we were told
that lyrics in our soundtrack
provided too much of a
distraction, and they should be
replaced with some kind of voice
over. We were able to find a
recording of a 999 call which we
thought was appropriate, as it
establishes a sense of conflict
within our production.
We were also advised to use
multiple filter effects in order to
clearly establish the role of
characters e.g. black and white
with jump cuts for the antagonist.

8. Despite posting a link to our
production on Twitter, we
received nothing more than
a couple of retweets.
Feedback from family lacked
any real criticism that we
could effectively use in the
improvement of the trailer.

9. MEDIA THEORISTS
The work of several media theorists could be applied
to our production. Through conforming to them for
the most part, we were able to produce something
that would be somewhat familiar to the
audience, without appearing as a carbon copy of
other films from the genre.

10. BLUMLER AND KATZ
Through the use of situations that wouldn’t
be faced by the average audience
member on a daily basis, the audience
may escape their everyday problems and
routine. They may also find it provides an
emotional release due to it’s content, as
well as the personal identity they may see
in it; relationship problems-although not as
extreme as in the case of our production-
are frequently faced by a number of
people. It could also make them realize
that their problems and worries aren’t so
bad. This relates to the ‘entertainment’
section of Blumler and Katz’s ‘uses and
gratifications’.

11. CHRISTIAN METZ
Christian Metz states that ‘To
survive, genres mutate and join
with others to form hybrid
genres’. Recognition of the
elements of each genre will
appeal to the audience.
However, it would probably be
more accurate to say that we
our production hasn’t mutated
into another genre, more, we’ve
just established that it isn’t a
police procedural mystery or
‘whodunnit’.

12. STEVE NEALE
Steve Neale states that
pleasure for the audience is
derived from ‘repetition and
difference’, so we have both
adhered to and subverted
generic conventions.
Through the use of
chiaroscuro lighting and
melancholic music, we have
adhered to a convention of
the film noir genre.

13. ROLAND BARTHES
However, the antagonist’s
identity is revealed, somewhat
flouting Barthes’ enigma code.
He states that there are multiple
ways of reading a text. By
including the antagonist’s face,
there is no doubt in the
audience’s mind that he is the
kidnapper. This differs greatly to
classic thrillers such as Hitchcock’s
‘Psycho’, in which their identity
isn’t revealed until the end.

14. TVZETAN TODOROV
Todorov stated that narrative can
be summarised as simply
equilibrium, followed a
disruption and then a re-
established or new equilibrium.
We adhered to this within our
production:
Equilibrium: Happily married
couple
Disruption: Staged kidnapping
New equilibrium: ‘Kidnapper’ runs
away with the man’s
wife, leaving him alone

15. VLADIMIR PROPP
Vladimir Propp suggested
recurring character types.
Within our production, they
are as follows:-
• Hero: Adam Nixon
• Villain: Louis Pring/the
kidnapper
• The false friend: Caitlin
Heaton/the wife
• The helper: The police woman
on the phone
• The damsel in distress: Caitlin
Heaton/the wife

16. CLAUDE LEVI-STRAUSS
Within our production, there are
clear oppositions, both in the key
character roles suggested and in
the mise en scene and editing
pace.
As previously stated, the antagonist
and protagonist are differentiated
through the use of different
filters, with the formers being
considerably more low key high
contrast than the latter’s. The
increase in editing pace during the
kidnapping is juxtaposed with the
calm, contemplative nature of the
establishing shots.