This lesson introduces an evaluation question about targeting audiences for a thriller opening. It provides revision on audience research models like uses and gratifications theory and psychographics. It explains the evaluation criteria focuses on understanding the target audience from research and planning, not the finished piece's appeal. Sample questions are given to self-assess the impact of British Film Institute genre research, own demographic research, and psychographic profiling on initial ideas and what was planned. Students are instructed to structure their blog response covering these three areas of influence from research and address the evaluation question using different technologies than previous ones.

1. Evaluation Lesson 1
Who is your target audience?
We will investigate approaches to writing a
response to this Evaluation question. Remember
the Evaluation is worth 10% of your overall AS
grade!
First, some revision (you have previously been
given this material)

2. Classic demographics (the traditional
segmentation model)

3. Hypodermic Needle Model Uses & Gratifications Model
Audiences are passive
Easily led, influenced & manipulated
Gullible, sheep-like fashion-followers
Media consumption influences
the attitudes and behaviour of
audiences
Sometimes called ‘magic bullet’ theory
Linked to propaganda & advertising
Behaviourist models of human behaviour
Audiences are active in
choosing media for their own
‘gratifications’ (pleasure)
Links to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Developed by Blumler & Katz
Main reasons for using media:
Personal Identity – to define who we are
(sometimes called self-surveillance)
Information
Entertainment – includes escape, distraction
Social Interaction – to help us socialise with
like-minded people

4. MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
Psychographics – audience tastes and
preferences

5. (Young & Rubicam’s 4Cs model) cross cultural consumer characterization model

6. How to evaluate. . .
In this question, you need to make a judgement
on:
• What audience your thriller opening was
designed to reach
• How well you understood that audience and
their needs from your research and planning
You should not, however, write about how the
finished piece appeals to that target audience.

7. Example questions to ask yourself
• You understood the basic ‘shape’ of the thriller audience
from your BFI research into the genre. What impact did
this audience research have on your initial idea of sub-
genre, situation and character?
• How did the demographic results in your own audience
research connect with the BFI research? Did it confirm or
dispute those ideas about the thriller audience? What
impact did this have on what you planned to do?
• Referring to the appropriate psychographic method, how
did this research affect your planning? (E.g. you used
some questions to position the audience on the 4Cs and
got a lot of ‘explorer’ types, so how did you ensure the
thriller would satisfy their needs? Did you maybe
challenge genre conventions more than you would have
done had your 4C result been more ‘mainstream’?)

8. Structure
1. The impact of the BFI research and your basic
ideas based on the generic thriller audience.
2. The influence of your own research: who the
demographic you surveyed was; whether
their views on thrillers matched what the BFI
said; how you addressed that.
3. The influence of your own research: what the
psychographic profile was; how you used it in
what you planned to do.

9. Homework
• Create your response to this question on your
blogs.
Note – you must use different platforms and
technologies to answer the Evaluation
questions. The exam board suggest using some
kind of AV production for questions 1 and 7.