Target Audience Research
Before filming it is necessary that a target audience is researched so this can be used to the producer/ director’s advantage as they can then aim the film towards this particular demographic, thus maximising their chances of good revenue and profit. The genre of my opening sequence is action which means that this type of film, like all other genres, has a specific target audience.
The gender that is attracted to this genre of film is mainly male as action films stereotypically include guns and explosions which appeal to a testosterone filled male audience. Nevertheless, a female audience still exists as the protagonist of an action film is usually good looking which will appeal to a female audience. Plus, in an action film there is usually an underlying love story which also attracts this demographic. The age range that is attracted to this genre is usually teenagers up to early thirties as this age range still has a sense of adventure and therefore can gain the most enjoyment out of this genre. This echoes the typical age certificate issued by the BBFC of either 12, 12A or 15 as it usually contains violence.
It is possible for an action film to rely on many fast action paced and CGI scenes however the lack of this can make the film more accredited. For example, LA weekly said of 2009’s new Bond film, ‘Casino Royale’, ‘What's appealing about Bond is precisely its unhip classicism -- its promise of clean, crisp excitement delivered without the interference of whiplash-inducing camera pyrotechnics, gratuitous colour tinting and/or ear-splitting rock ballads’. This demonstrates that, while the target audience is attracted to the action element of the film, this must be used in conjunction with the storyline driven by the main characters which are recognisable and easy to associate with.
