Task 3: Target Audience (Updated)

According to Young and Rubicam's classifications of audiences, the target audience for my film "Sub-Rosa" would fit into the demographic of "Explorers". Explorers are defined as seekers of adventure, individualism and discovery. According to the uses and gratifications theory, audiences actively seek out media products for personal or social gratification. For many people, the attraction of horror and thriller films is the adrenaline and suspense experienced from the mysteries and unusual events presented. Therefore, an audience desiring a sense of adventure, danger and discovery would actively choose to watch my film and other films belonging to the thriller and horror genres to satisfy this need. 

I believe that the main audience for my media product would belong to the Mosaic UK classification of "J41- Disconnected Youth" or "K47- Streetwise Singles".Both of these classifications consist of young adults struggling to find employment after moving out from the family home. This demographic would be the most reliant on using media products for escapism, and would often choose to watch a film belonging to the horror or thriller genre as this creates a sense of excitement and risk that young adults aiming to gain reliable employment and independence can't easily experience in real life. However, as shown by my earlier analysis of BFI data on genre and classification, the target audience for horror films is much broader than one might expect. Therefore, the main demographic of the audience for my film "Sub-Rosa" could also include the Mosaic UK classifications "F25- Dependable Me" and "G27- Thriving Independence". The classification "F25" consists of "mature owners" working in intermediate occupations. Although this demographic consists of an older audience than what you would ordinarily associate with the genres of horror and thriller, they would have a greater understanding of psychological elements and complex plot developments than a teenaged audience. Both of these classifications would also be less reliant on these genres for escapism, but would have greater expendable income than the classifications of "J41" and "K47", meaning that they would be more likely to spend money on seeing thriller and horror films in the cinema.

According to the social classification system, I believe that the main demographic for my film "Sub-Rosa" would be in the groups "C1","C2" and "D". This is an area classed as lower middle class and upper working class. This range seems like a logical target audience for my film, as they would have enough expendable income to watch movies in the cinema, but would have a certain need for escapism or excitement in a life of regular employment for income, which they may seek from genres such as horror and thriller. 

Bibliography:

• http://www.slideshare.net/josephineattwood/audience-research-on
• https://prezi.com/jzs6b3a9ykxn/target-audience-thriller-films/
• http://www.moviemaker.com/archives/moviemaking/distribution/horror-stories-business-of-genre-filmmaking/