Introduction

This lesson was about the different things that the creators of a film will think about when deciding on a target audience for their production.

Common things to be considered when thinking of the target audience for a film

There are many things that filmmakers and producers need to think about when marketing their film to a target audience.

• Age – This could affect the humor in the film, depending on what is appropriate for the target age. Also, age restrictions are put onto films by the CBBFC because of the law in the UK.
• Gender – Gender could be considered when marketing a film because of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. This could be including different genders in a film so that it is more available to a wider audience, rather than including outdated tropes based on gender stereotypes, such as the typical strong action movie man.
• Location – The location of an audience could affect how the film is marketed to them. For example, a certain country may have censorship laws that allow or disallow some films explicitly. It could also be that the cultural customs and beliefs in that country affect whether people see the film favourably or unfavourably, depending on its content.
• Interests – The target audience for a certain film might be interested in similar themes to or content shown in the film. For example, the fans of a Star Wars film will probably be interested in the sci-fi genre, and also enjoy other sci-fi films like the Star Trek series or Alien.
• Hobbies – Representing a person’s hobbies in a film may capture their interest as a viewer. For example, a person interested in martial arts may want to watch a movie like Karate Kid or a Bruce Lee film.
• Challenges – Culture, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are some aspects of life that may present challenges to a film’s marketing. The film’s cast and crew should aim to be diverse, representing different people from all walks of life. The BFI (British Film Institute) has certain diversity criteria that a film should meet before the BFI will fund a production.
• Pain Points – There are certain events or actions seen in films that a filmmaker might want to avoid. These are things such as discrimination, war or terrorist attacks like 9/11. These things will make some people uncomfortable, and they could either be avoided, or antagonised in a respectful and thoughtful way.
• Values and Beliefs – The values and beliefs in a certain area may have an effect on the target audience chosen for a film. For example, the religion of a target audience may affect what the filmmakers decide to include in their film. Different aspects of a religion could be represented, or certain beliefs could be supported or omitted from the film. This should obviously be approached respectfully.
• Related Content – Related content is to do with films that are similar to the one being produced. Making references or similarities to films within the same genre may generate interest in the target audience. Considering the tropes of related films may also inspire filmmakers to create something new which breaks those tropes, also generating interest in the target audience who enjoy those films.
• Preferred Content – Preferred content is similar to related content. This is about the tropes, visuals and themes in a film that a target audience will want to see. Certain colour palettes, designs or visual styles may be preferred by a target audience. For example, horror film fans may like morbid or scary imagery like spiders, dark colours, blood and gore or the undead.

Character Profiles

“A character profile is a detailed biography of a fictional character that covers everything from a character’s age and appearance to their relationships. The profile is designed to help the writer when writing about the character and their actions.”

Written descriptions are not the only thing included in character profiles. Concept art can also be used to visualise a character’s design according to their biography.

Information Included in a Character Profile

These are some important things to include in a character profile:

• Concept Art – Gives an aesthetic look for the character and can show the visual theme or genre of the film.
• Name – A character’s name could be reflective of the language in a film. For example, Javier Bardem plays a character named ‘Stilgar’ in Dune. This shows that the language of the world that Stilgar lives on is more alien and fictional, because it is not a name that anyone uses on Earth in 2022.
• Height – The height of a character may set the standard for the scale of their world. For example, the Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings series have houses made for their size. When Gandalf, a tall character, enters the hobbit’s houses, he hits his head on the ceilings. This shows the scale of the hobbits compared to Gandalf and the other tall characters.
• Age – The age of a character may indicate their experience, or the choices they make may be affected by it. Children are quicker to make decisions than adults are.
• Introvert/Extrovert – A character may be introverted or extroverted. This shows how they react in social situations.
• Relationships – The relationships that a character has is likely to affect their actions – For example, they might choose not to pursue a love interest because they are already married.
• Hobbies – Characters might have interests or pastimes that make up their personality. Having interests and hobbies can make them seem more relatable to a real person.
• Religions – A character may have a religion – fictional or non-fictional – which they adhere to the instructions of, and so this will affect their decisions and reactions to different events.
• Political Position – A character’s political position may affect their outlook on life and their decisions. For example, the character Big Boss from the Metal Gear Solid videogame series acts with a political philosophy based on the life of his mentor, The Boss.
• Special Features – A character may have special features about them. This could be a physical feature like a bionic arm, or non-physical features like a superpower or sixth sense.

Conclusion

This blog post will be useful when creating my target audience profile, as well as a character profile for the character in my film, as I will understand what to include.