Target Audience

A target audience is the intended audience or readership of a publication, advertisement, or other message. In marketing and advertising, it is a particular group of consumers within the predetermined target market, identified as the targets or recipients for a particular advertisement or message. The production team must identify and understand its target audience if their advertising campaign is to be successful. It allows the production to craft their advertisements to the wants and needs of customers, in order to maximize ticket sales and therefore revenue.

So before I begin to write a story plot and craft an advertisement campaign about my short film I need to establish who my film will be aimed at and what sort of traits they possess, i.e. music interests and more. This will provide vital information for my advertisement campaign and increase the amount of ticket sales for my film.

   

The first stage I took to discovering what target audience I would be aiming at was by coming up with a quick break down of the qualities they would possess. As you can see from the first picture I have provided below I broke my target audience into 5 main categories, which included gender, occupation, age, products they would stereotypically use (types of technology) and general interests (music, etc). At this point in my production I have already established that I will be creating a comedy short film. So when it came to identifying the general interests of both genders I only mentioned interests towards comedy. I felt this was a good decision because it will provide an insight into what story plot I should create that would best reach both genders, thus increasing the amount of people that would be interested in my film and therefore increase the films overall success.   

Once I had created a rough idea of who my target audience should be I then searched for some images online that I could include in my target audience board in order to clearly show who my target audience is. There was no particular reason to include these images other than making it clearer to other people who my target audience is, as I have been told that my format of writing down and processing information can be difficult to understand if viewed by other people. This was important to notify and act upon because if I require help from another person to create a poster or other piece of advertisement for my film and I cannot accurately convey the target audience I am reaching then it means my advertisement will not properly reach my intended audience, thus decreasing the amount of viewers of my film. Below I have included a picture that shows all the pictures used in my target audience board.  

Once I had all the material and information I required to create my target audience board all I had to do was create it. Below I have included a picture of the final product. As you can see there is a lot of useful information that is applicable to my production. For example, the type of comedy shows that my target audience (16 - 25 year olds) watch tend to be highly relatable. As you can see television shows such as 'The Office' (situated in an office of a paper company) and 'The Inbetweeners' (situated in a high school) are very popular amongst this audience. This is primarily due to the fact that the areas these shows take place in are highly familiar because the majority of the target audience will have/still attend a standard high school or have/currently work in a standard 9 - 5 job. This familiarity is key to their success because the target audience could imagine themselves in the hilarious scenarios depicted on screen. This is useful information because when it comes to the writing process and selecting a story plot I shall need to consider how relatable the film would be to my target audience. 

To conclude, I think this was a really useful document to produce because it will help me to make decisions as to what to include in my short film. 

Location Recce and Risk Assessment

I decided to look at a variety of potential locations and conducted risk assessments at each one before I chose my final location(s). Below I have supplied the documents that evaluate the level of risk my crew and I would receive from filming at any of these locations.

The results from my risk assessment of each potential location indicated that filming at Burrator Reservoir would contain the least amount of hazards for my crew and I. The risk assessment at the other locations had a variety of issues such as unstable floors and being highly remote. It is for that reason that I have decided not to use these locations because I do not have the resources to combat these risks and ensure my crews safety. Now I know that I will be filming at Burrator Reservoir I shall look at all the risks that are involved and then come up with control measures. This is to ensure that these risks have the lowest chance of happening and if they do occur I will be ready to treat them accordingly.

Now I have conducted a thorough risk assessment about where I shall be filming in Burrator Reservoir I shall show and describe to you what this location is like and how suitable it is for filming. This means that I will be looking at aspects such as accessibility, sound, lighting and space. In the video below I have provide a selection of photos and videos of my 2 main locations for my film.

Access: 

All the locations are easily accessible via car. This is because every location is within a 1 minute walking distance of a car park. This is good because if a member of crew or cast receives an injury and needs medical attention then it is very easy for us to transport them to the nearest hospital or for an ambulance to arrive on set. Another good quality about these locations is that they are not visited regularly by the public during spring, which is when I will be filming. This is good as it means that I am able to take advantage of the quiet season and make it appear that the character is isolated and in a remote area with no help, which is a vital aspect of my story. Another good aspect about this location is that it is very close to all the crews home. This is good as it cuts down travel time, which means I will have more time to film. In regards to accessibility, this location is perfect and has 0 faults.

Space:

A great aspect about all of the locations that will be used in my film is that they are all outside. This means that there is plenty of room for the cast/contributors, crew and necessary equipment. However, with these outside spaces comes the issue of weather. I will have no way of controlling the weather, which can create continuity issues. The weather can also cause problems with filming, as severe rain or other extreme forms of weather can interfere with the equipment. Another great aspect about these locations that tie into my plot is that they will need zero set dressing requirements in order to help create the scene. This is because the whole premise of the film is that a guy from the city thinks he can survive in the wild. Since my locations are already fairly remote and do not need to be adjusted in order to look more remote from civilization I do not have to purchase any decorations to help create the scene. This means that the money saved from these expenses can be used elsewhere in my production like paying for my props.

The first location (waterfall) has a very limited amount of positions to film from. In the video at 1:14 I am standing where I will most likely shoot the majority of my shots. This is because this is the safest position for my camera operator to shoot at. There are other positions that can be used, but I will need to ensure the camera operators safety because these spaces to shoot have dangerous factors to consider such as slippery surfaces. The second location does not have this issue as it is a small, flat beach with only a few large stones to avoid. This means I can get a large range of shots and camera movements with ease. Both locations have no immovable objects, such as houses and other man made objects, that could make it difficult for me to illustrate that the character is in the middle of nowhere.  

Lighting:

Since all of my locations are outside this makes lighting particularly challenging to control as a filmmaker. The main issue for filming at these locations during the day is that I am filming during spring, which is typically know for cloudy weather. This makes lightening difficult because the clouds constantly move and changing the amount of sunlight that shines through, thus making it very difficult to have good continuity. There is no way of solving this issue apart from choosing to film only on days when the sky is completely in clouds, which means the lightening remains a bit more consistent throughout the day. 

Another issue regarding lightening during the day is that at my first location (the waterfall) I will be covered in trees. Knowing that I shall only be filming on purely cloudy days this can make it fairly dark to film in. The darkness is only worsened by the trees covering the sky. To help prevent this I shall use large reflective panels made of tin foil to refract as much sunlight I can in order to receive good enough lightening to shoot in. Since I'm filming at locations that have no power ports this means that I can only use self sustaining or non-electrical lighting rigs to help create the scene, which, means I will need to craft some new lighting equipment in order to accommodate to this factor. However, this darkness could be useful because I need a few shots that will help transition the film from day to night. This natural lightening would be perfect to create this transition because I will have a lot more time to film the shots that I'll need than trying to film them during the actual transition from day to night, which is very limited for time (roughly 20 minutes of the lightening that I would require). 

In regards to filming at night the main scene that I need to think about is the tent burning scene. I know for a fact that the tent will not remain a blaze for a long enough time for to shoot all my shots. Since I do not have enough money to buy and burn 2 tents I will just create a fireplace that will be the same size of the tent on fire. This means I can do all the shots I will need of just me looking at the burning tent without the tent being in shot.

Sound:

A great aspect about these locations is that they are all outside. This means that a lot of noises that would cause a problem at indoor locations such as air conditioning and computers (they have a low level hum that, if in use, will affect nearby audio recording). The fact that these locations are all remote (not close to civilization) means that I won't have any human interruptions that could affect my sound. For example, traffic is a common issue as it creates a large quantity of noise pollution. Another issue that I am unlikely to encounter is other people on location such as people who live/work on location that could disturb the shoot.

The main issue with filming at these locations is the wind. As you can tell from the location video above the wind can easily be picked up on my microphone despite the fact that I have a windsock attached to it. This can make it difficult to record the shots that require me to talk. However, I already took this problem in consideration when writing my script. So in my film there is not a lot of dialogue and the film will primarily be slapstick comedy, thus making it less difficult to shoot and hopefully still have an equally entertaining film. For the shots that I require the character to speak I shall film them in an area heavily dense with trees, which will limit the amount of noise pollution from the wind. 

Textual Analysis Main Task

Plot Ideas

 Plot Ideas

• 1        The zombie apocalypse has begun, but the hung over protagonist has no clue on what is going.  He then goes throughout his day unknowingly avoid zombies and staying oblivious to his surroundings.   

I feel that this would be a great film to make. It would appeal to a large group of people as it incorporates 2 major genres (horror and comedy). This is good as it gives me a mass audience, which can lead to a greater profit if this film was released. Another great aspect about this plot is that it is very relatable when regarding the hangover element. Much of my target audience have had horrible hangovers, which leave them in a zombie like state and not have a clue on what is going on around them. This makes the plot more feasible and therefore more enjoyable for the audience as they can see themselves not being aware that the apocalypse has happened. Another great aspect about this plot idea is that there is no specific location that needs to be included. For example, in the film ‘Cast Away’ the story plot is that a man is in a plane crash and ends up alone on a tropical and remote island. This means that when creating the film they needed to film on a tropical island in order for it to appear realistic. That is why this plot idea is so good because there is no specific location that needs to appear in a zombie film. This means I can use the locations near me. These include towns and woodlands, which are free to use. 

Despite all the strengths that this plot idea contains, I do feel that there are some drawbacks to this plot. One of these drawbacks is the cost and skills required to create realistic zombies. In order for this plot to work effectively on screen the audience must believe the world that is being shown to them is somewhat real. It’s this realistic element that makes horror films so effective. So in order to make this plot realistic the zombies have to look real. This means that for each zombie that I want to include I must get a mask/make up, clothes that can be trashed (to look bloody) and any other accessories I wish to include. The lowest cost I have found for all the equipment to make 1 realistic zombie comes to £25. I will also need to hire a professional makeup artist since neither I nor anyone I know knows how to apply the makeup effectively. The cheapest makeup I found costs £55 a day and I shall need this person for multiple days. These costs are far out from my base budget of £50 (give or take £10). Another drawback of this plot idea is the health and safety of the actors and crew on set. This plot would definitely have to include a scene of the zombies being killed. This is because this is a very popular element with audiences. So when trying to create these killings I would have to be very aware of the actors and crews safety. This is just in case while we are trying to ‘kill’ the zombies I don’t cause any harm to the actors playing the zombies or the crew that are assisting in making the killings look realistic.

• 2        A man’s car breaks down in the woods. The film then shows him trying to survive. It will include elements of him trying to survive the night, shaky camera movements, talking directly to a camera phone, him attempting to get food, making a fire and much more.

This would be a great plot idea to base my film upon. The first appealing aspect about this plot idea is how easy it would be to find a location. Given that I live near a wooded area with tall trees it will be easy to just walk to the location and carry the essentials, which would include a camera, batteries, tripod, memory cards and any other pieces like food. Another appealing aspect is that I don’t need any permission to film there. Many locations need permission to film at them. This is problematic because if I don’t get all the shots on the day(s) I can get then it can be very difficult and time consuming to get permission again. However, this problem wouldn’t occur when using this plot idea. Another aspect that I like is that it is set in the modern day. Creating film sets in particular periods of time can be difficult to create due to the fact that many areas of the film need to match such as costumes, setting, props, etc. This can be very expensive to accomplish. So by having the plot set in the modern day it won’t be as expensive because a lot of what we will need won’t need to be specially made. Another great thing about this plot idea that sets it apart from my other plot ideas is that it only needs to have 1 character to work. This is good as it means I only need to direct 1 person on set, which is a lot less stressful. Another great thing about having only one character on set that if I need to reshoot a scene then it can be easily achieved because I’ll only need that one actor to be free. If I had a large cast then this would be harder to do.

A major problem of this plot idea is the location. Despite all of its advantages it does have a serious health and safety risk. If either the actor or I is seriously injured then it would be extremely difficult to get medical attention. This is because the medical staff would need to get through thick woodland terrain with all their equipment and then carry either the actor or myself back to the ambulance, which would be incredibly hard to do without causing harm to the injured person as the terrain is very uneven. Another problem with this plot idea is the lighting will be very difficult to control. Unlike indoor locations where you can bring in lighting rigs and make the lighting to what you want, outdoor locations are known to be very troublesome when trying to get consistent lighting. This will be especially difficult in the woods because the swaying of the trees will constantly change the light. This is bad because when it comes to the editing stage of my production it will be very difficult to get good continuity. Another problem with the fact that the location will be outside is that the weather will be very unpredictable. This makes it difficult to film because if it changes from what I want (from cloudy to raining) I’ll have to wait for it to stop in order to get good continuity.  

• 3        An elderly couple going through their day, but they don’t conform to the stereotypes about elderly people. As soon as their family members leave they play video games like ‘Call of Duty’, they eat junk food, go clubbing and do extravagant activities like skydiving.

I feel that this would be a great film to make. Many people will have or would have had grandparents. This is good because my main characters will be grandparents, thus making it more relatable. By establishing a relationship between the characters and the audience it will make the comedy (outlandish activities that the characters get up to) so much funnier because the audience can imagine their own grandparents in those scenarios. Another great aspect about this plot is that I already know an elderly couple that would more than happy to star in this movie. This is great because I feel the greatest struggle with this plot idea would be to find the actors. The actors have also agreed that I can use their house to film the scene where the family are leaving their house. This is great because it saves a lot of money that I would have to spend to either recreate or rent out a location that would fit the scene.

However, this plot idea does have some bad elements to it that would make it difficult to create. For example, shooting some of the more extravagant scenes like sky diving and clubbing will be costly and difficult to shoot. I would have to take in to consideration the noise pollution from the music (clubbing) and the wind (skydiving) and work extra hard in the post production stage to create audio that would be believable and understandable for the audience to listen to. Another problem with shooting these scenes is that I will have to be highly aware of my actor’s health and safety. Doing these activities could cause damage, whether that is to their eardrums or even their mental health. Another problem with this plot idea is that there are multiple actors. This is problematic because I will need to schedule days that we are all free to film and any further days to do any re-shoots. This problem wouldn’t occur with one of my other plot ideas (plot 2) as I would be the only actor, which requires less scheduling and allows me to film more frequently. Another problem in filming in a location such as a club is that it requires filming permission from the owner. This can be difficult to obtain, as I would also need the consent of anyone else attending the club that night (if they are in shot).

• 4        An existing student shows a new student around the high school. While the school’s social hierarchy is explained. The entire short film is done in one long single take. Not just an academic or technical exercise, this is a fun story for low budget film making.

There are many good qualities to filming this plot idea. The main being that I still attend school. So shooting getting permission wouldn’t be difficult. The second appealing factor is that despite it is set in a school setting many age groups can relate to the scenarios that would occur on screen, as most adults will have attended a high school and will remember the hierarchy from their days at school. Another great aspect is that finding actors that are age appropriate and would be willing to play the various parts of the school hierarchy won’t be hard to find. This is because my school’s drama department has an abundance of students varying in age that would be more than willing to be apart of my film, as they will see it as an opportunity to practice their skills and have physical evidence of their performances (the film). Another intriguing quality to this plot is that it will all be shot in one shot. The purpose of doing so is to show the audience what the main character (new student) is experiencing, which is an overwhelming rush of information as soon as he/she enters the school. This one take element also provides a technical challenge that I would like to achieve, as when pulled off it can look very impressive.

Despite the fact that shooting a film in one continuous shot would be make my film appear very impressive, using this technique does have its difficulties as well.  The largest difficulty that I would face is to keep the continuous shot in motion. By this I refer to the fact that if anything goes wrong during the take i.e. if the camera slips, the actors fumble a line, the lighting suddenly changes (altering the image) or even if a member of the school interrupts our shot then we will have to redo the entire shot again. So unlike films with large amounts of footage to pick from and to splice together, my film will depend on whether or not everyone will function together for a full 5 minutes (the length of my film).