Task 3: Target Audiance

I have chosen to do a Thriller for my opening sequence of a new fiction film. It is hard to define what a Thriller is, as it has many sub genres and some other genres are similar. Actions, for example, can often be mistaken for a Thriller, as the conventions are often similar. They may have similar plots or storylines, both will often have a death of some sort, and both can be thrilling to watch. Most viewers will enjoy the action in Thrillers, and the thrills in Actions. Although it is hard to place a Thriller, they do have their own conventions. Most Thrillers will have a death, or a murder; there will often be a twist in the storyline; viewers will be held by the storyline, and uncertain about what is happening, until the end when all is explained. Many Thrillers start of with everyday people doing extraordinary things. This is often done so the audience can relate to the characters. There will often be a certain thing the audience wants to find out about the story, that makes them watch the movie intently, for example, in “A Law Abiding Citizen” The audience longs to find out how the main character is still committing murder while he is in prison, and the authorities know it is him that is committing them.

It seems as though Thrillers are not as well made as they used to be, however, they are still popular. Only 20% of the Top 50 Rated Thrillers were made after 2000, but 70% of the Bottom 10 Rated Thrillers were made after 2000. Even though the quality of Thrillers seems to be worse than they used to be, they are still quite popular. Out of the Top 20 Movies in the UK Box Office in 2007, 7 movies could be classed as Thrillers, however, a few of those are a bit unclear as to whether they are Thrillers or Supernatural Adventure Movies, such as Spider Man 3. Thrillers made 7.2% of Gross Box Office in 2007, where the average was 6%. It was also the 4th most popular genre in 2007.

I formed a questionnaire, and asked people from different age groups and genders to fill it out, and give their views on Thrillers. These were the questions on my questionnaire:

1. Please circle the age group you come under.

15-20 21-25 26-30 31-40 41+

2. Are you male or female? (Delete as applicable)

3. Which genre do you usually watch?
Thriller
Horror
Rom Com
Other (please specify) ______________________________________

4. Why do, or don’t you enjoy thrillers? ____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

5. What do you expect to find in a Thriller? _________________________________
________________________________________________________________

6. What is your favourite thriller? _________________________________________

My findings show that Thrillers were very popular through all age groups and both male and female. 32% of people said that they watched Thrillers more often than any other genre. However the average choice of genre was 16%. I found that Thrillers were more popular with men, but there were still popular with women. I found that they were watched by all age groups, but Horrors and Romantic Comedies, where particularly popular by certain age groups and genders. Romantic Comedies were more common with women under the age of 30, even though some women over the age 30 still chose it. Horrors were only really common among people over the age of 30, and surprisingly they were many women. What I mainly saw from this is that Horrors and Rom Coms are mainly popular among a particular age group or gender, but Thrillers were popular with all kinds of people. This is yet another factor that makes Thrillers hard to identify, as they have a very wide target audience.

Many people said that they watched Thrillers more than any other genre. 32% of people who were asked said that they preferred watching a Thriller, while the average was only 25%. Rom Coms and Horrors were also quite popular, but not as popular as Thrillers. Some people said that they didn’t like watching either three of them; instead they preferred films such as Comedies, or Period Dramas. This being the case only 20% of people said this, and many still said they enjoyed Thrillers.

Some people said that they didn’t like Thrillers because they do not enjoy suspense, and they prefer feel good films. Others said they didn’t like violence, which Thrillers often has. Some people said that they don’t usually understand the plot of Thrillers, and are often confused. Others, on the other hand, said that they enjoyed the thrills, and suspense, and liked not fully understanding what was going on until the end. Some said they liked to guess what the twist in the plot is, and liked the questions asked. One person said that it made their own life seem less complicated, as the characters lives can get very complicated, and so they enjoy Thrillers.