The document provides guidance on researching and understanding a film's target audience. It lists questions to consider about who would be interested in a film, including relevant demographics, interests, preferred viewing methods, and how to effectively promote the film to different audience segments through appropriate marketing channels and messaging. The group must demonstrate their audience research and targeting plan for their upcoming video production project.

1. Group membersTasks to be completedInterim task progression feedback date / timeDate when completedNotes for future productions<br />Production schedule week by week task list<br />This task list must be completed throughout the production process and in future projects as a way of tracking your group’s progress / ensuring all tasks are completed.<br />Use the production checklist document posted on my blog if you are unsure of all the pre-production tasks to be completed.<br />Check out the target audience video tutorial posts and also the 60 second pitch posts as a way of preparing for your pitch.<br />Audience research and targeting needs to addressed in this project so you must demonstrate your understanding of how an audience is targeted for video production and then carryout research in to who your audience will be and why and then formulate a plan for how you will address your audience. You can be creative in how you complete this and it is being left open for you to evidence however you feel is appropriate. I will assess this next week to make sure you are on track / have picked an evidence source that will work.<br />See the following info for your background on target audience and also see the audience posts on my blogs.<br />You can start figuring out who likes your film and why they would like it. You are not looking for raw demographic data, but the communities they are a part of and what connects them to your film.<br />Answer these questions about those who you think would actively choose to support your film:<br />What broad demographics will those who like your film share? Race, religion, age, sexual orientation, etc. Will they fall into well defined “groups” or segments? <br />How can you cost effectively these customers know about your film? Does it help to approach these groups geographically? Passion of the Christ reached out to middle america, town by town, to four wall their film in Churches prior to wide release. They knew their demographic, and how to cost effectively reach into it with a few free showings of their film. Those early sales and reviews and word of mouth marketing made the film a marketing and financial success story<br />What other movies do they like that are similar to yours? Those other films become a “market segment” for your film. If I say my film is like “terminator” meets the “US Army”, in both my trailers and marketing copy, I reach out out to anyone who finds those films attractive. “Austrailia’s Gone With the Wind” was used to market “Austrailia”.<br />Where do they like to acquire/watch movies? In theaters, online, on computer, video stores, Blockbuster, Netflix etc? How can you put your film where people can find it?<br />What words do people use to describe your film? Some folks are looking for “the funniest film I’ve ever seen” and others are looking for “a military courtroom drama”.<br />Are they fans of your actors? “Name Actors” are marketing segments. They bring an audience with them. Some people will be inclined to see that actor no matter what he is in. At the very least, those who have an interest in that actor will take a longer look at titles with which he is associated which makes it significantly easier to tell people other aspects of the film they may enjoy. When you have a good match between the “market segment” of the actor and the “market segment” that actually enjoys the film, you have a winner on your hands. A-list actors have very, very broad market segments they appeal to.<br />Are they fans of the city it is being filmed in? Some films are known by where they are shot. Alcatraz, Paris, London, Rome, etc.<br />Are they fans of props, equipment or “movements” used in the film? Martial arts, dance, and military action films appeal to people based on these characteristics, and that creates a well defined market of people to target in your marketing.<br />If you are making a documentary, what personalities in your documentary are attractive or interesting? The folks you interview, or that do your narration, should come with a market segment.<br />Are they fans of your director? That’s another market segment. People who care about that director will take an interest in your film if appears near other films by that director, or in articles about him.<br />What websites do they frequent? What magazines do they read? What radio stations do they watch? What TV shows do they watch? From an advertising standpoint, all of these venues are marketing segments. If your readers lurk somewhere all the time, an advertisement, article, interview or clip there will go a long way toward getting seats filled and DVDs purchased.<br />What topics do they search for online? Google is the most cost effective way for millions of people to find your film, and it works well when you want to capture audiences based on the name of your actor, director, location, or “scandal”. Google promotion of a film has to be very tightly targeted because your objective is to reach hundreds or thousands with each keyword you chose, not to reach tens or hundreds of people.<br />How do they decide what movies to see? If they make their decision based on particular reviewers or by looking in particular newspapers, have your films reviewed.<br />What image or sentence “hooks” your target market into wanting to see your film? You have two seconds to hook someone who has stopped to learn more about your film in some context. They may have seen an article title, a link in google, a picture in the newspaper. What image or words will get that person, at that moment, to decide your film needs to be on his calendar? Ideally you’d be able to give every market segment its own poster and it’s own tagline. Since that’s not the case, you have to pick and choose what market segments you will target first, and what images and phrases will most interest that market.<br />Also see the powerpoint document on audience and institutions.<br />See you on Monday for a full day of production POWER!!!!!! <br />Nina <br />