Audiences and Institutions

 Audiences and Institutions

        Based off of my genre convention research, the normal targeted audience for films within the genre of action are males aged from 18-34 years old. This is due to fast paced thrills and intense action. Although this is the primary audience, the secondary audience often extents to a larger and more mature crowd of 35-55+, which is often associated with blockbuster franchises. Males tend to be more drawn to the aspects of action, for the excitement and special effects that it offers. However, although origins of action are more skewed towards men, modern films have been showing an uprise in female engagement as well. For my film, I would like my targeted audience to be much more broad, and appealing to all sorts of people. I want both men and females to have an equal interest in my film. I also want there to be a wide spectrum of ages, so preferably a more family friendly film. This way, I will be able to get maximum input and opinions on the success of my film. With a wide targeted audience, this can help a film when it comes to sales and profit. I feel that my targeted audience does reflect my genre as a whole to an extent. The genre of action reflects on big explosions, which usually interests the male population. However, I am trying to twist that narrative, in the way that more than just that population will enjoy my film. I feel that targeting my film to a slightly different audience will help with the overall enjoyment of my film. Being able to expand the horizons of my audience will definitely help it be more successful in the future. Often times, films that are classics and that you can sit down and watch with your family are films that do the best. This can help to build longevity and loyalty from your audience. This will also make your audience want to come back and watch more of your work. 

    Based off of my research of my targeted audience for my film, I have been able to brainstorm what marketing strategies would be most beneficial for my film. A few movies in my genre that have had very successful marketing campaigns include The Dark Knight, Cloverfield, and Deadpool. The Dark Knight used an Alternate Reality Game (ARG), which helped to accentuate the 'joker' experience for audiences. This game last over the time span of a year, which helped to keep the film fresh for a longer time. Cloverfield used a suspenseful and mysterious strategy. When they posted their trailer, they used only a date without including the name of the film. This created a sense of curiosity and excitement for fans. The Deadpool franchise took advantage of the character's humor, to create unique ads and awareness all across social media. This helped to attract a larger group of people who may not have been interested in the movie before. Methods used by these companies such as teasers, games, and character personality all helped to create a successful marketing campaign for these films. With this research in mind, I think the best way to promote my film is through social media and digital entertainment. I believe this strategy would be the most effective, because social media is a quick and easy way to reach all different types of audiences. Some examples of ways I could use social media to promote, is through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and even TikTok. Using short, high energy videos with note-able hashtags will help to catch the attention of audiences. For example, for the film Wakanda, viral hashtags such as #WakanaForever and #BlackPantherChallenge circulated the internet. These catchy hashtags helped to grow a stronger and wider fanbase. Using these strategies, I am confident that a my film will be successful in reaching my target audience.