Target Audience

 

 

Age

 

The film would be aimed at a wider age range; from around 16-50. This is because the main characters are portrayed by younger actors, but the characters are older. The film would also appeal to the older ages as it is black and white, and also uses a 1950s feel to it. The younger demographic would enjoy the film as it mixes elements of a modern thriller into it. Research into the thriller genre also shows that middle-aged people are more likely to watch thriller TV series such as Broadchurch and Spiral. We would target a mixed age range to make sure that it was a commercial success that can be enjoyed by all. The film wouldn't appeal to 65+ as some of the elements of the thriller wouldn't be enjoyed by them.

 

Gender

 

The film would be aimed at both genders as there is a mixture of males and females portraying the characters. If I had to choose though, the film would probably appeal more to women as it depicts the independent women archetype of thrillers (Marion Crane, Thelma and Louise, Jackie Brown). The opening is used by the female character to establish her dominance over the male characters of the film. This would be a key factor into appealing to the female gender.

 

 

Ethnicity and Nationality

 

The film would be aimed at British and Amercian citizens as the speech would be done in English. The opening of the thriller is also set in England, so English residences would identify themselves with the locations the film is shot in. The ethnicity who it would appeal to most would be white British as the main characters are all white. However, the film would still appeal to other ethnicities such as hispanic, afro-carribean and black. An example of a thriller that would appeal to these ethnicites more would be Pulp Fiction as some of the characters are of these ethnicites so the audience could identify with them.

 

 

Social Class

 

The thriller opening would appeal to those of middle class as it depicts quite wealthy characters who flaunt their luxuries (see the car used in the opening). The costumes of the characters could also be identified with by middle class people as the characters wear suits, similar to business men and women who are most likely to be middle class. The film would share similarites with Resevoir Dogs for who it appeals to social class wise.

 

 

Sexuality

 

The film would most likely appeal to heterosexual people as the opening depicts a heterosexual relationship that has broken down; leading to the male characters death. The rest of the film wouldn't explore sexuality as a theme so it is hard to relate to another film and identify the target audience for this category.



 



Thriller Planning | Soundtrack

Soundtrack

Some soundtrack ideas for our media thriller include:

Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head

Peggy Lee - Why don't you do it right?

Peggy Lee - Fever

I Don't Want To Set The World on Fire

These soundtracks use a slower tempo and less suspenseful tone than many generic thriller soundtracks. We are using this to make the thriller have more of a comical twist to it. The soundtrack ideas we have all fit the 1950s time period we are setting it in. This is to maintain the authenticity of the thriller itself. During the editing, the soundtrack is subject to change depending on how it fits with the footage.

Thriller Planning | Costumes

Costume Ideas

The costume for our thriller will need to be of the period (1950s). To achieve this the female character will need to wear a 'tea dress' to give the impression to the viewer that the film is shot in a 1950s time period. The dress uses floral patterns, something that was very popular at the time.

The costumes for the male characters will simply be suits. The use of a suit is very generic of the thriller genre, and a majority of noir thrillers had the male characters wearing formal attire (suits, waistcoats) Another inspiration for the use of suits is Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs,  in which the main characters wear suits, and are identified by their tie colour.