Task 3: Target Audience

Questionnaire

Age
1) 15-18 19-25 26-40 40-50 50+

Ethnicity
2) White British Asian Black African Black Caribbean White other Other
(optional)

Gender
3) Female Male

About Film Genres
4) From the Thriller genre what is your favourite film?

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5) Why is this your favourite?

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6) What do you expect from this particular genre?

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7) What do you like about this particular genre?

• The Thrill
• Captivating plots
• Characters
• Particular film institutions/directors
• Actors/actresses
• Other ....................

8) What particular plot lines do you enjoy watching?

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9) Do you enjoy watching cliched films with stereotypical characters?

• Yes
• No

10) If yes, why does this appeal to you?

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Questionnaire Summary

15-18 year old females and males enjoyed thrillers because of the storylines that included suspense, captivation and twistedness. This is also what they expected to see when watching a film from this genre. They enjoyed watching storylines that entailed police looking for serial killers and they also liked the fact that some storylines were relatable to their age group.
Favourite films from the thriller genre were Silence of the Lambs, Kidulthood and The Day After Tomorrow.
No one from this age group liked cliched films or stereotypical characters.

19-25 year old females and males enjoyed thrillers because of the good storylines, suspense and twists which occur in the plot. They also liked the idea of that some things make you believe in some films of this genre and that they can be quite realistic. Film examples included Silence of the Lambs.
From this genre this age group expected to be hanging off the edge of their seat, to be kept in suspense, good acting and good storylines.
They enjoy watching plots that are violent, have murder scenes, trying to figure out who the killer was and plot twists.
Their favourite films from this genre was Seven, Silence of the Lambs and Deja Vu.
No one liked watching cliched films or stereotypical characters.

26-40 year old females enjoyed watching thrillers for tension, action and plotlines. From the genre they expected good plots, chase sequences, villians and unpredictability.
They enjoyed watching plots which contained murder. This age group has no interest in watching cliched films or stereotypical characters and their favourite films from this genre were What Lies Beneath and The Bourne Identity.

40-50 year old females and males enjoyed watching thrilles for the storylines, suspense, realism and acting. From the genre they expected suspense, twists, intelligent plots and good characters.
They enjoyed watching plots which involved fraud, deception, murder, kidnap and hostage.
Favourite films from this genre were Hitchcock, Long Good Friday and View From a Window.
No one liked watching cliched films or stereotypical characters.

50+ year olds enjoyed watching thrillers due to the good action, real life and the idea of the unknown. From this genre they expected suspense and murder.
They enjoyed watching plots which invloved kidnap, hostage and murder. Favourite films from this genre were Man on Fire, Jagged Edge and The Birds.
No one from this age group enjoyed watching cliched films or stereotypical characters.

Popularity of the Thriller Genre

In 2007 the cinema and box office admissions saw an increase in the number of films that were viewed within the UK. Cinema admissions increased by 4% whilst the box office share of UK films went from 19% in 2006 to 29% in 2007.
However, even though most media attention is mainly focused towards film it is not always necessarily viewed by audiences at the cinema. Within the UK in 2007 the the number of people was recorded who opted to watch films on the television as opposed to at the cinema. The total figure for the audiences who watched films on television was 3.1 billion, which was 19 times larger than an audience who preferred to watch films at the cinema.
According to the UK Film Council's statistics, young people nearly half under the age of 25 mainly watched films at the cinema. However, in recent years there has been a substantial increase in the older audience such as people aged 45 and over which accounts for 19% of cinema visits.

The UK Film Council has recorded thw top 20 films released within the UK in 2007. Films of the thriller genre that appeared within this list were I Am Legend, The Bourne Ultimatum, Die Hard 4.0 and Ocean's Thirteen. I Am Legend was shown in 440 cinemas, the box office gross (£ million) was 25.52 and the opening weekend gross (£ million) was 11.01.
The Bourne Ultimatum was shown in 458 cinemas, the box office gross (£ million) was 23.72 and the opening weekend gross (£ million) was 6.55.
Die Hard 4.0 was shown in 458 cinemas, the box office gross (£ million) was 13.89 and the opening weekend gross (£ million) was 5.00.
Ocean's Thirteen was shown in 475 cinemas, the box office gross (£ million) was 13.15 and the opening weekend gross (£ million) was 3.02.
The Bourne Ultimatum made it to number 1 in the weekend box office charts on 17th August 2007, where it stayed for 3 weeks. The weekend gross (£ million) was 6.6.

In the UK in 2007, there were 28 (5.4%) films released of the thriller genre. The gross box office (£ million) was 67.6 (7.2%). The top performing title was The Bourne Ultimatum.
However, audiences favourite genre was comedy with 127 (24.6) released films in 2007, and the gross box office (£ million) was 206.6 (22.1%). The top performing title was Mr Bean's Holiday.
Horror was the 10th most favourite genre with 24 film releases in 2007, and romance was the 14th most favourite genre with 21 releases. Top performing titles from these genres was Saw 4 and P.S I Love You.

BBFC classifications are there to give audiences a general idea of what the film will contain and what type of audience will be suitable to view it. U (Universal) classifications are suitable for for all to watch, PG (Parental Guidance) is suitable for general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children, 12A is suitable for no one younger than 12 years of age and this age groups cannot see a 12A in a cinema without being accompanied by an adult, 15 is suitable for no one younger than 15 years of age and 18 is suitable for no one younger than 18 years of age.
In 2007, one film from the thriller genre was given the 12A classification. This film was The Bourne Ultimatum, whereas all of the other films with this classification fell under the genre of comedy, romance and action.
Films with a classification of 15 were mainly from the genres comedy, action, sci-fi and drama. Two films from the thriller genre were given a 15 classification in 2007, these films being Blood Diamond and The Last King of Scotland.
Films with a classification of 18 were mainly from the genres crime, horror, thriller and action. Examples of these films in 2007 were American Gangster, Hannibal Rising, Eastern Promises, Outlaw and Apocalypto.

The UK Film Council has recored the top 10 institutions/distributors in the UK in 2007. The number one institution being Warner Brothers with 15.6% market share, box office gross (£ million) 141.5 and 32 released films in 2007 including there biggest hits Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I Am Legend, 300 and Ocean's Thirteen.
Paramount was the second best institution with 14.7% market share, a box office gross (£ million) of 133.7 and 31 released films in 2007 including Shrek the Third, Transformers and Stardust.
20th Century Fox was the third most rated institution with 13.9% market share, box office gross (£ million) 126.3 and 27 released films in 2007 including The Simpsons, Die Hard 4.0 and Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer.

http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/media/pdf/1/p/2008.pdf

Thriller Convetions

Thriller is a broad category which includes sub-genres such as supernatural thrillers, political thrillers, spy thrillers and crime thrillers. Examples of films with these sub-genres are The Sixth Sense, Munich and The Bourne Identity.
However, the majority of thrillers revolves around the sub-genre of crime which are usually either planned, committed or thwarted.
During the 1990's and the early 2000's filmakers turned to making thrillers with a crime sub-genre as opposed to any other as they only use a few special effects and they are often set in contemporary urban locations.
The crime sub-genre is the centre of a thrillers main genre. This sub-genre mainly consists of three types of characters such as law-breakers, the forces of law and the innocent victims or by-standers.

"Film Art"- An Introduction Eighth Edition by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson.

Thriller or suspense films are created to heighten suspense, tension, anxiety and uncertainity within an audience. A film with a thriller genre has a main purpose which is to provide thrills and give the audience a cliff-hanger or make them feel like they are virtually on the 'edge of their seat'. Tension within a thriller usually arises when one of the main characters is placed in an awkward situation or when they are trying to escape from somebody or a particular situation.
Characters within thrillers are usually criminals, stalkers, convicts, assasins, terrorists, psychotic individuals and innocent victims.
Themes which often occur in thrillers include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit or romantic triangles which in many cases lead to murder.

http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html

Thrillers with a crime sub-genre uses narratives that progress more slowly as opposed to any other genre, and characterization is usually more complicated as there is no clear binary oppositions between the main protagonists in the film. Examples of thriller films that use this convention is Seven, when the narrative serial killings progress slowly and the main character has a logical approach to life suggesting that he is no different from most individuals in society.
Most crime thrillers use narratives which includes:

• The Set Up- The main problem which the characters will be faced with is set up or told within the first 5-8 minutes to the audience.
• The Complications- A series of small problems must be overcome by the characters. The problems become harder to solve or overcome as the story goes on.
• The Climax- The law breaker usually gets caught at this point, and scenes may involve car chases or intense confrontations.
• The Wrap Up- Any unsolved narrative plots are resolved for audience satisfaction. Any clues which are unfolded to the audience are reffered to as foreshadowing.

Another common narrative convention of the thriller genre is Portmanteau. This is where more than one narrative can be loosely tied together at the end of the film. Some films of the thriller genre use 'cross cutting' to keep the audience entertained between storylines. These plots come together at the end of the film and are used to keep the audience guessing and in suspense so that they feel rewarded when they figure out the full narrative.

http://sismedia.wetpaint.com/page/Psycho-thriller+-+Narrative

Textual Analysis of Genres

Thriller
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind begins with a sequence teaser to suggest to the audience what the narrative will be, and to give them an insight into the protagonists character.
The film starts with the use of an ECU on the character's face. This suggests to the audience what type of person the character is and gives us an idea about their background. Jim Carrey is portrayed as bewildered with the use of this shot and he is also represented as slightly unhygienic and he appears to have no pride in himself or his appearance.
The camera then zooms out to give a wider view of the room and the mise-en-scene is portrayed as a dark and dingy flat which suggests to the audience that the character is unclean and he is possibly stuck in a dead end job and cannot afford to buy another place.
The camera then cuts to Jim Carrey outside of the building trying to get into his car. The mise-en-scene again shows crumbled surrounding buildings and dented garages and cars, this suggests to the audience that the people who live in these buildings don't care about themselves or their environment.
The camera cuts again to Jim Carrey waiting at a crowded train station. A voiceover is informing the audience of what the character is about and what they are thinking, at this point the voiceover is explaining that the character is never usually impulsive and that they feel like taking the day off work. Jim Carrey is then seen running towards the exit, the music is fast paced as is the editing with the use of fast paced cuts. The sound of a ringing bell can be heard in the background to build tension for the audience at the same time.
The camera then again cuts to an isolated beach where Jim Carrey is strolling along on his own. The isolation of the beach suggests to the audience that the character has quite a lonely life, this idea is reinforced with the use of the voiceover as the character explains about his ex-girlfriend and how he cannot talk to or make eye contact with any female. The background music turns melancholic as is to suggest that this is just another repetitive day for the character.
The camera then cuts to a woman walking along the beach, the strong waves crash about suggesting to the audience that this is a representation of Jim Carrey's life- mad and chaotic.
Jim Carrey's character is then caught up in a flirtation with the Kate Winslet's character as they get back on the train to head home. She then invites him to her house where the mise-en-scene is again dark and dingy suggesting that they are similar people and come from the same world. The audience then sees the relationship grow between them.
The camera then cuts to Jim Carrey driving in his battered car, he is crying and banging the steering wheel. The scene is set at night keeping the mise-en-scene dark and creepy matching his behaviour. The music also fits the mood as it is quite depressing for the audience and the use of pathetic fallacy is good as there is heavy rain creating tension for the character and also the audience.
The use of an ECU shows the audience that the character is angry and sobbing as his hands are shaking violently. The music then becomes fast paced and it creates tension for the audience to suggest that something bad might happen.
The camera then cuts to Jim Carrey in his flat, the mise-en-scene is still dark and dingy with little lighting. The protagonist takes a pill while he keeps looking out of the window to a van outside. The music once again quickens its pace as the character pulls the blind down. This suggests to the audience that the character may be being watched or stalked.
There is a non-diegetic sound of a ticking clock which gets increasingly louder, this gives the audience a sense that something bad is about to happen.
The people in the van then break in with their equipment and then the camera cuts to show Jim Carrey lying on the floor passed out after taking the pill.

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect begins with an explanation of the Chaos Theory. This suggests to the audience what the film will be about and also gives us a greater understanding of what the character will experience which enables us to relate better to the protagonist throughout the film.
The film then begins with the camera tracking left by a window and the shadow of a figure can be seen moving running along the outside corridor. The mise-en-scene is dark with little lighting apart from a torch shining through the window.
The camera then stops tracking when it reaches a door, and it remains static as the character enters.
Ashton Kutcher can be seen wearing a blue and white stripy dressing gown whilst he is running around the room with a panicked and bewildered expression.
Deep and loud voices can be heard shouting while Ashton Kutcher's character re-arranges the furniture over the door so that people cannot get in.
The music is fast paced creating tension for the audience whilst it fits the mood of the characters behaviour.
The protagonist can be seen on the floor under a table murmuring to himself extracts from a diary. The camera then fades to the title sequence.
The title sequence is electric blue with the image of a brain in the background and butterflies fluttering around as if to form the brain. The image is in the form and colour of an x-ray which gives the audience narrative clues.
The camera then cuts to a black screen with white writing explaining that the story has developed and we are now 13 years ahead. Bright mise-en-scene can be seen which suggests a flashback to the characters childhood. The use of dialogue between the characters gives the audience an understanding about their background which suggests that Ethan has missed a crucial part of family life during his upbringing, but his mother has always been there for him.
The storyline progresses to show that Ethan has been at school and has drawn an image of a murderer as part of the task of what he wants to be when he grows up. This gives the audience narrative clues as we witness the teacher telling his mother that when Ethan was questioned about the drawing he could not remember doing it. The music is quite spooky and slow paced to reinforce this to the audience.
The camera then cuts to another day when Ethan is seen standing with a knife in his hand while his mother is trying to get it from him. He appears to be blanked out and he doesn't realise what is happening. This gives the audience narrative clues, and it also links back to the title sequence of the brain and the butterflies.

Scream

Scream begins with the sound of voice screaming and a heartbeat can be heard in the background. The title then appears on the screen in bright red to connote blood, death and danger which suggests to the audience what the film is about.
The camera then cuts to Drew Barrymore's character while she is in a house on her own. The use of an isolated setting suggests to the audience that something sinister will happen to the main protagonist.
The phone then rings and someone appears to be prank calling her. The voice is extremely creepy and gives the audience an image of a perverted person on the other end of the phone.
The camera then cuts to show her answering the phone again, but this time Drew Barrymore has a full conversation with the person. The main protagonist can be seen playing with knives and the sound effect is heightened as she pulls out the knife from the box. This also suggests that something sinister will happen which may involve the use of knives such as a brutal murder.
While Drew Barrymore is on the phone to the other person she leaves her popcorn on and the sound of crackling is heightened as if the bag is about to explode. This creates tension for the audience and makes us become frightened for the character.
The film is set at night in a dark isolated house which has big windows. A barking dog can also be heard suggesting that their is somebody around who has triggered this off and scared the dog. This gives the audience an idea that Drew Barrymore is being watched by somebody. This idea is also conveyed through the dialogue as the other person on the end of the phone asks the characters name because he wants to know 'who he is looking at'.

Love Actually

The film begins with a documentary style teaser. This gives the audience narrative clues whilst there are ECU's of people hugging at an airport. The use of a documentary style teaser creates realism for the audience.
Slow motion and ECU's are used of children running up to parents and being embraced and re-united. At this point there is a voice over which is done by Hugh Grant explaining to the audience how "love is everywhere". This again gives the audience narrative clues to the film.
A tagline then appears at the bottom of the screen saying 'love actually is all around', this links to the title of the film and the use of the colour red on the word 'is' connotes love and passion.
The camera then cuts to a black background with the title "Love Actually" in red and white lettering. This ensures that the title stands out to the audience.
The camera then cuts to an ECU of a character singing in a recording studio. Meanwhile the names of the actors appear at the bottom of the screen in red and white lettering which keeps with the trend of the title.
The camera then cuts to an MS of the same character with his backing singers. His costume suggests that he is an old 'rock 'n' roll wannabe'.
The mise-en-scene is bright and creates a happy mood for the audience.
The main character then uses inappropriate language to create humour for the audience. This links to the rom-com genre.
The camera then buts from the recording studio to a couple carrying a Christmas tree, then there are fast-paced cuts of London surroundings such as the London Eye on the River Thames and an ice rink which suggests an element of romance to the audience.
The camera then cuts to an ECU of a character looking for something in a drawer. The camera then pans to the bed which his girlfriend is sitting on. The man is portrayed as 'soppy' whilst his is declaring his love for her.
The camera cuts to an MS of Liam Neeson who is portrayed as lonely which is relatable to the audience of which people may be single.
The camera cuts to an MS of a 'geeky' delivery man then to a woman in an office. The dialogue suggests that he is desperate and in love with her, but she does not want him. This is suggested by her body language as she walks out of the office.
The camera then cuts to a couple who are being filmed for a sex scene. They get on well even though they are in an embarrassing situation.
The camera then cuts to two men in a church awaiting the bride to get married. The camera then cuts to the Prime Minister on Downing Street, and the camera zooms in on his face as he gets out of his car.
An ECU is used on Hugh Grant's face whilst he is talking to his colleagues. His character as the Prime Minister is portrayed as friendly, witty, approachable and humourous for the audience.
The use of inappropriate language is funny as it isn't conventional to the subject of the genre and the character types, for example the Prime Minister is portrayed as 'Down to Earth'.
The use of the different characters shown in the opening sequence suggests the storylines for the audience. This links to the idea of romance and comedy.