Task 3.3 Target Audience Research

Age: The typical age for somebody that enjoys the horror genre is usually between 15 and 25. During young adulthood, people are in the key stages of developing their personalities and therefore are more open to experimenting with different emotions and feelings. The "teen spirit" makes adolescents want to rush into life without guidance and seek thrills which they can get from these horror films, which excite the younger audience much easier than an older one. Younger audiences are also less likely to be put off by violence and gore, which may make older audiences feel negative
towards the film.

Gender: Research shows that males are more likely to be fans of horror films compared to females, due to the "thrill seeker" persona which is portrayed by the stereotypical male who seek thrills to contest with their young adult hormones. Violence is also a convention of horror films which is a concept which is enjoyed by males. 

Class: Horror films are aimed at the working class community, due to the level of thrill and excitement which can be gained from them for a relatively cheap price. If the upper class watch horror films, they are usually a sub genre on another genre such as romance, action or comedy, due to the higher level of satisfaction these individuals seek whilst watching a film.

Groups of audiences: The usual audiences for horror films are usually groups of friends, however there are key groups that usually watch these films together. For instance, couples as the comfort that is needed after seeing horror films is to a level comfortable enough for a first date to be successful. Horror films are also good conversation starters after the film and therefore add to the success of the date.

Overall, the typical demographic for the target audience for the horror genre can be fairly broad, but research states that the majority will consist of young males who seek a thrill from the films for a cheap price. Horror films usually cast teenagers as their characters and due to this the audience will usually be of a similar age, as they can relate to the characters in the film. They often form a relationship due to the similarities between them which create a stronger emotional pull towards the film. The similarities also put the audience in the character's shoes, which help them to gain a stronger horrific effect.

Theorists
According to media theorists, when we as an audience consume media, we become a part of a 'mass audience'. In which we all individually experience it differently due to our different characteristics.

Herbert Blumer in the 1950's stated that during the war, Hitler and Stalin used the media as a tool to persuade mass audiences to follow their policies by using propaganda techniques. Posing the idea that media in the wrong hands can be dangerous. Blumer suggested that... 
1. Mass media audiences come from all walks of life
2. Mass audiences are anonymous
3. Little interaction or exchange of experiences exists between the mass.
4. The mass is very loosely organised and can not act within the unity of the crowd.

However, although this may have been the case in the 1950's, we can now discredit Blumer's findings as modern technologies such as the internet allow the mass to communicate and exchange experiences.

Media theorists eventually discovered that the mass audience was not just one group, but were segmented into smaller ones.

Demographics allow us to target our media products at specific people dependent on their 

• Race
• Class
• Gender
• Age
• Sexual Orientation
• Job
• Religion
• Disabilities

We in media mainly focus upon age, gender and race/ethnicity.

Young and Rubicam's four consumers
Mainstreamers: 40% of the population. They like security and belonging to a group.
Aspirers: Want status and the esteem of others. They like status symbols and designer labels.
Succeeders: People who have already got status and control.
Reformers: Define themselves by their self esteem and self fulfillment.

A contemporary approach to audience targeting is the Life Matrix which defines 10 audience categories.

1. Tribe Wired: Digital, free-spirited, creative thinking.
2. Fun /  Atics: Aspirational, fun-seeking, active young people.
3. Dynamic Duos: Hard driving, high involvement couples.
4. Priority Parents: Family values, activities, media strongly dominate.
5. Home soldiers: Home centric, family orientated
6. Renaissance women: Active, caring, influential mums.
7. Rugged Traditionalists: Traditional male values, love of outdoors.
8. Struggling Singles: High aspirations, low economic status
9. Settled Elders: Devout, older, sedentary lifestyles.
10. Free birds: Vital, active, altruistic seniors.

The horror film 'Saw' has an age rating of 15 in the UK.
An age 15 film can display any of the following:

•   strong violence

•   frequent strong language 

•   portrayals of sexual activity

•   strong verbal references to sex

•   sexual nudity

•   brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence

•   discriminatory language or behaviour

•   drug taking

Due to the film's gore and violent nature. Nobody under the age of fifteen would be permitted to watch it due to the psychological harm it could do to somebody of a young age.

Its target audience would perhaps be Dynamic Duo couples or people in the Fun /  Atics category. Due to the gruesome images and fast paced story line in the film, that people without a hard driving personality may not necessarily enjoy seeing.

For our film 'Arabella' I think that our target audience would fall into the Tribe Wired or people in the Fun / Atics category. As it is a creative film that addresses urban legends, which is a controversial topic that people would need to keep an open mind to enjoy. Also, due to the film starring teenagers, younger people may enjoy the film more then older people as they can relate to the characters and the themes within it.