1. Podcast Script
There are a number of research techniques that producers use in order to define the
audience for a particular film.
Part 1
Primary research is a research method which involves gathering original data which
isn't already available for you to use, therefore enabling you to ask specific questions
to fit the purpose of your research. For example if a film producer was producing a
new film and wanted to improve it they can conduct primary research by using a test
screening which is a post production method where the producers get a number of
people who fit the target audience for a particular film to watch the film and answer
questions relating to the film they watched therefore allowing the producers to
improve anything necessary.
Secondary research refers to gathering data that already exists from a third party
such as using published materials such as books or searching the internet. For
example when producing a new film the producers may research previous films of
the same genre and reviews using the independent movie database website to see
what appeals to a particular audience and weather it can influence their production.
Quantitative data is numerical data such as statistics collected through conducting
either primary or secondary research, whereas qualitative data is much more in
depth relating to a persons, opinions, attitudes or beliefs. For example if a film
producer was to create an exit poll they could collect quantitative data by including
closed questions such as "did you enjoy the film?" therefore providing them with a
percentage of yes and no answers. They can also collect qualitative data by including
open questions such as "what did you enjoy about the film?" therefore providing the
researchers with more in depth data relating to a persons opinion.
Part 2
I feel the target audience for this particular film is a younger demographic aged
between 15-30, predominately male with a social classification of C1 and below. In
terms of marketing a trailer for this movie was released therefore promoting the
movie and encouraging people to go and watch it. The trailer for this movie begins
with an establishing shot of New York, therefore it is clear that the film is set within a
big city therefore automatically defining the genre of this movie which is Action
Thriller due to the fact that it is a typical genre convention.
In terms of characters, throughout the trailer the protagonist is male and portrayed
at the stereotypical strong hero often seen within this genre, his behaviour and stern
toned voice gives us as the audience the impression that he is a fearless character.
However from 1 minute into the trailer non digetic sound of slow music has been
used to emphasize the more caring and sensitive side of this character therefore
2. making us as an audience connect with the character and as a result encourages us
to go and watch the movie.
It also includes an attractive young woman, therefore encouraging males to watch
this move. It is also clear from the trailer that the women in this movie are
represented as the stereotypical victims, again a typical convention of action thrillers
which often feature a narrative in which a lead male protagonist saves a
stereotypical female victim from danger. The narrative of the movie also creates an
enigma for the audience due to the fact that we wonder what happened to the
women who was kidnapped and we want to know why the protagonist is no longer a
cop therefore encouraging us to go and watch the film.
iconography has been used effectively throughout this trailer, due to the fact that
people watching the trailer will instantly recognise Liam Neeson from his previous
roles in action thrillers and therefore if they are fans of his or his previous roles then
they will be eager to go and watch "Walk Amongst the Tombstones"
Technical codes such as fast paced editing has been used throughout, anchoring the
fact the action within the trailer, also audio codes such as dramatic music ad sound
effects such as screaming has been used throughout to add tension and suspense. In
terms of cinematography a number of close ups of the protagonists face has been
used to show us his emotions and also to create a personal feel for the audience,
another convention of action thrillers.
Part 3
Another form of marketing used to promote the film "Walk Amongst the
Tombstones" and to encourage people to go and watch it is the poster. The primary
optical area consists of the stars name "Liam Neeson" therefore this is the first thing
we notice when looking at the poster, this automatically attracts fans of Liam
Neeson and his previous roles due to the fact they will assume that this film is similar
to previous films he has starred in therefore encouraging them to go and watch
"Walk amongst the tombstones"
There are a number of genre codes and conventions within this poster. Firstly both
the title and the release date are in red which connotes both danger and blood, also
the stars name and the protagonists clothes are black which has the connotation of
death, all of which anchor the genre 'action thriller' which feature themes such as
death and murder. One of the most recognizable genre convention within this poster
is that the protagonist is holding a gun. The fact that Liam Neeson is stood in a
graveyard automatically emphasizes the title of the movie "Walking Amongst
Tombstones" therefore without even watching the film we as an audience already
know that this film will involve death and that the protagonist will be involved in
some way, which is typical of this particular genre. The poster itself is in black and
white, featuring a lot of black which emphasizes the negative themes within this
movie. The protagonist is stood over what looks like a pool of blood, which
automatically creates the idea that at some point in the film he will be responsible
for killing somebody, as well as connotating danger. The poster includes a dominant
3. image of Liam Neeson, therefore we automatically know that he is the protagonist
and the low angle shot creates a sense of power, therefore representing him as the
stereotypical strong lead male character which is often seen in films of this
particular genre.
Part 4
After watching walk amongst the tombstones I conducted primary research by
creating an exit poll consisting both open and closed questions allowing me to collect
both quantitative and qualitative data. I presented the exit poll to 100 people, 90%
aged between 15-25 and 10% being 40+ therefore suggesting that the marketing
campaign was successful in terms of attracting the target audience for this particular
film. When asked how they had heard about this film 50% of people answered that
they had seen the movie trailer, also in order to collect qualitative data i asked the
question "what made you want to come and watch the movie?" and there were
dominant answers with 50% of people saying that the trailer appealed to them
quotes include "the trailer looked good" and "the trailer looked interesting" with
another 40% saying that it was because Liam Neeson was in it, for example one
person stated "because i like Liam Neeson as an actor".
Although this film had a target audience of predominately males i found that 70% of
the people watching the film were female and only 30% male therefore suggesting
that the market campaign appealed more to women than men.
In conclusion i feel that the marketing campaign for walk amongst the tombstones
was successful in terms of attracting a younger demographic and the use of star
theory was effective.
, therefore again suggesting that the marketing campaign was effective.
