Audience Research

Our target audience would be 16 to 35 year olds. We have chosen to make a thriller that is not too scary as it should appeal to a younger age group and to an E4 or BBC three audience. The profile of the audience would fall under is ‘experiencers’, they are motivated by self-expressions; they have a lot of energy and pour into physical exercise and social activities. The median age of this group would be 25. The psychographic groups they would fall under are reformers; they seek enlightenment. They believe in the freedom of restrictions and personal growth. They are also anti materialistic but have good taste; they select products for quality and attend higher education. Our target audience would also fall under the ‘explorers’ group as they seek discovery, they value difference and adventure. They also are the first to try new brands as they are not afraid to discover new things. They fall under the demographic groups B; which are middle management, teachers, creative and media people such as graphic designers. Group C2 who are skilled manual workers such as plumbers and builders (blue collar). Group D who are semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers. Lastly group E who are students and unemployed.  

Audience focus group feedback

WWW:

• Had a Powerpoint presentation.
• Good reference to psychographics.
• Fluent presentation.

EBI:

• Explain characters roles and how they fit more.

Audience focus group pitch

Institution research

E4

E4 is a British digital television channel, launched as a pay-TV companion to Channel 4 on 18 January 2001. The "E" stands for entertainment, and the channel is mainly aimed at the 15–35 age group. Most of the programmes shown are repeat shows as well as new shows but repeat over time. E4 buys the rights for shows and then show them these programmes include fiction programmes such as Dramas, as well as sitcoms, fly on the wall documentaries and structured reality programmes.
The viewing figures for E4 in 2012 according to BARB are 3,526,000 viewers a day and 12,361,000 which means 21% of people watch it at least once a week.
Some of the programmes: The Cleveland Show, The O.C., Smallville, Veronica Mars, Everwood, What About Brian?, Desperate Housewives, How I Met Your Mother, 90210, One Tree Hill, Ugly Betty, Scrubs, Rules of Engagement, The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, Revenge, and formerly Friends. Other programming includes British shows such as Misfits, The Ricky Gervais Show, Shameless, Hollyoaks, Skins, The Inbetweeners, Made in Chelsea, and My Mad Fat Diary.

History: E4 was also available as part of the basic Sky satellite subscription channel package, due to a long term contract with BSkyB it only became free-to-air in 2008. This change happened on 6 May 2008 and the channel joined Free sat along with More4.

BBC Three

BBC three is a TV channel from BBC Broadcasting which has a target audience of 16-34 year olds. The institutions purpose is to provide innovative content to young audiences. It was previously known as BBC Choice prior to 2002.

The programmes that BBC three present to its audience have a wide range of genres, such as, Drama, Comedy, News, Sports, Documentaries, Music, and others. Some of BBC three’s programmes are from the USA, Family Guy and American Dad are some examples. The main genre that BBC three focuses on is Drama; they show Doctor Who, Being Human, Sherlock, etc. All these popular shows contribute to their success. BBC three has had a phenomenal amount of success in the past 6 years as they have managed to win more awards than all of its commercial rivals such as ITV2, Channel 5, E4, and others, put together for the past 25 years.

Product research

The Woman In Black

 

The first part of the woman in black shows a close up of a teapot and teacups, with nothing being poured out of the teapot. This could suggest that it may be a child’s toy tea set. This is a prop which tells the audience a bit about the narrative. There is then a close up of a child’s hand holding the mini teacup and pretending to pour it into a dolls mouth. From this we can tell there are children even though they have not been shown yet which creates enigma code. The prop being the doll looks very old and ruined which connotes the setting could be in a rundown place maybe or they may be in a shabby room. The doll looks quite scary as it is not a doll a little girl would play with. In this close up the background is blurred so we only concentrate on the little girl’s hand, this creates suspense as we want to know what the background looks like unless something is being hidden which creates enigma code.

The next shot is another close up which shows another doll, this time being a male doll with another child’s hand holding a teacup pretending to pour it into the dolls mouth. The background is blurred again. There is then a medium long shot of three young girls about the age of 8-9 playing with their dolls and toys, it shows a side view of them sitting on the floor, the camera is also at a low angle as if it has been placed on the floor, this connotes someone could be watching them play. We can see the background, the setting is in a room which looks quite dull as there are no bright colours, and the room is also very messy with toys all over the floor and things in the background such as a pram and a high chair. This suggests it could be an old kid’s room. 

There is non-diegetic sound in this scene, the music plays at the beginning which gradually becomes louder which is played throughout the first scene. It sounds like a ballerina musical box but only spookier and mysterious. This is parallel sound because it fits in with the scene as it sounds childish yet spine chilling.

A straight cut is then used to show the next shot which is a close up of one of the girls brushing a dolls hair. This shows their actions close up which connotes they may be busy and having fun amongst themselves.  There is another close up which shows another girl putting a doll to sleep; this could suggest it’s the end of them playing with their toys. There is another straight cut to show a medium/close up of two girls, showing their facial expressions, they seem happy as they are smiling. The other girl is then shown smiling back at them which shows a shot reverse shot.

There is then a long shot of them playing on the floor and suddenly looking towards the camera which is in the corner of the room, as they unexpectedly stare at the camera, the music becomes louder and faster paced, this creates tension and anxiety. The audience want to know what is or is going to happen which creates enigma code. We can see their facial expressions to be intrigued and serious and almost stunned. The rhythm of the music changes up more and becomes more frightening as it sounds less and less like a musical box. There is then a medium/long shot of all three girls from a side view at a low angle as if the camera was placed on the floor of them all turning their heads at the same time looking towards a window. This suggests they may be under someone’s influence. There is then a tracking shot which shows a medium shot of a window with the camera moving closer to it. This shows high key lighting and lets the audience know it is day time.

Top lighting has been used throughout this clip to accentuate the features of the actors. Although there was high key lighting there was also some low key lighting when the girls were playing with their toys because we could see some shadowy effects in the background.

There is a medium shot of the girls staring at the window then slowly standing up at the same time. Their facial expressions seem very grave. A close up is shown of their legs screening they are getting up and a close up of one’s hand dropping the teacup. Binary opposition is shown because now the girls aren’t acting so angelic but they are treading over their dolls and tea set, there are close ups then shown with straight cuts in between showing the tea set breaking into pieces.

We then see a medium/long shot of all three girls walking in line to each other towards the camera. They have no emotion on their faces as if they were dead. The costumes they wear are frocks/dresses which are light pink, this is something a girly girl would wear and portrays innocence and a sweet young girl. They have bows in their hair making them seem more saintly. The woman in black who is shown later in the narrative wears all black which represents death, wickedness and malicious. This shows binary opposition.

As they walk towards the camera we can see that their faces look very pale which is because of the makeup that was used making them look dead almost. They then step on the window sill in sync to one another, the camera is behind them at this point showing them going which could connote death.  There is then a close up of one girls hand opening the window in which we see pure white light from outside which could connote death also as it could be heaven. All three of them then jump out of the window at the same time. At this point the non-diegetic sound gets louder and suddenly stops once they jump which creates a shudder moment for the audience. We then hear a sudden scream/cry of someone out of the window that witnessed the girls falling to their death which sounds very shocking, connoting they are actually dead. 

After this there is a straight cut to show a close up of a dolls face which kind of shows the doll watched them jump out of the window and is alone and will not be played with. The camera angle is at a point of view shot from the corner of the room, which is being zoomed back showing the setting fully. However the audience then sees half of the ‘woman in black’ on the right of the camera frame looking towards the window as if we were standing next to her. This gives us a part of the narrative as we know she was the one the girls were looking at and connotes she ‘possessed’ them. The woman in black is the antagonist in the film.

 

Target audience: This movie was released in 2012 which is based on a book by the famous author Susan Hill. People around the ages of 16 to 30 who are thrill seekers and enjoy enigmatic horrors would be the ideal audience for this film.



product research

The Walking Dead

 

The walking dead is a hit series which has done very well so far. In the opening sequence for this episode the mise en scene makes it more interesting to watch. It starts off with a black screen, due to the editing the camera then zooms out slowly showing us that it was zoomed into the pupil of an eyeball, it shows the audience deep into some ones eye which also shows the great detail in the colour of the eye. The camera lens then zooms out even further showing a man’s face. As part of his costume he is wearing a black eye patch which suggests he has obviously hurt himself in a way. Makeup is used on his face to show dried blood on his forehead and around his eye. This connotes he may be tough and fights a lot, he may even be causing trouble, his face is also sweaty which suggests he may have been doing something tense such as fighting. This creates enigma code as the audience wants to know why he has blood on his face. This is a close up shot which shows his facial expressions, he seems very angry.  

The next bit shows the actor punch towards the camera which tells us the camera is acting as the other person in the scene who we have not yet seen. It is shown from the other persons point of view as the actor who punches is staring straight at the camera (person) and looks very aggressive. As the man punches, the screen fades to black as part of the edit to show the person being punched has had a black out. There is then a fade in which then shows the man with an eye patch; who is the ‘governor’ in the programme. It’s a close up of him with his arms stretched out shaking the person (camera). This shows the audience how the other person feels as the governor is talking directly to the camera and is filmed with a close up. This engages the audience as we sort off get a feeling of how the person is being treated. A sense of enigma code is created as we want to know who the person behind the camera is.  The camera is also shaking, it is moving as if it is the persons head moving as he is talking. This is a point of view shot.

At the beginning of the clip there is diegetic sound which can hardly be heard in the background, it sounds like water dripping which suggests the place must be really silent because such a minor sound can be heard. There is then non-diegetic sound played as the camera zooms out of the man’s face at the start of the clip, this music sounds quite sharp and gets louder which builds up tension then reaching the climax which is when the man punches someone. This non-diegetic sound is also parallel sound as it fits in well with the scene.

There is low key lighting in the scene which gives an eerie feel. The scene is set in what looks like a wooden cabin in the middle of a forest, the lights are on but they are quite dim which connotes it could be late and dark outside which makes it spookier for the audience to watch. There is back lighting which creates a darker image however there are also filler lights used which makes everything look more realistic and shows the swear on the mans face. There is continuity editing as there are no straight cuts at the beginning.

The point of view shot suggests the person being hit has had enough of it because the camera keeps tilting downwards as if it is somebody’s head dropping as they may be tired. The governor is trying to keep the person awake by pushing the camera upwards as if he was pushing his head up by his chin.  He then punches him again but the camera angle changed which let us view the side of both people showing the audience who is being hit. This is a medium/close up which shows the actors facial expressions, they both seem angry and very serious, we also take a closer look at the makeup which is the blood and sweat on both of their faces. 

There is a low angle shot, slightly tilting upwards showing both actors. The governor is higher than the other man which connotes he is more powerful and is intimidating as he is pushing the man around and hitting him, he is also up in his face. There is a medium shot so we can also see the governor’s arm which looks like he has been shot as there is a bullet hole in his shirt with dried blood around it, this make up has been effective. We can also see a gun in his pocket which is a prop that fits in very well with the narrative as it is all about being protected from the ‘walking dead’. Having the gun connotes he is not afraid of killing to protect himself. The 180 degree rule is used here to show them talking to each other, which are close ups.

 

Target audience- The Walking Dead is a programme which would appeal to the older generation. Such as people from the ages of 18 to 50 who are thrill seekers and enjoy quality dramas.

 



Production research

Charmed

 

The mise en scene in this clip is quite effective. The first scene is shot behind these sharp spear like poles showing a long shot of people walking into the room. This suggests something dangerous could happen. There is a crane shot which shows a group of people walking in from a high angle. There is low key lighting which makes the room seem very dull. There is fire in the background giving the place some warmth suggesting it may be cold and horrible. It is set in a grand hall sort of place which has a cave feel to it. The costume of the man talking at the beginning connotes importance as he is wearing a red robe, however it could also suggest blood and gore. The man he is talking to is wearing a black suit which connotes evil and death. The man wearing the robe has a very pale skin colour due to makeup and has blonde/white hair; this connotes purity and goodness. Whereas the man wearing black has dark hair as well as black clothes which connotes he could be malicious, this shows binary opposition.

There is non-diegetic sound in the background as this creates more tension because the music is like a low pitched piano key being pressed down, this also sounds mysterious and is parallel sound as it fits in well with the scene. The prop which is used is a book which is important to the narrative as the man in the robe is granting powers to the man wearing black, which cannot be done without the spells in that book. The prop is also placed on a book stand and is kept high, in good condition which suggests it is a crucial part of the narrative.

The 180 degree rule is used when the two actors are talking to each other; there is a medium/close up of them which show their facial expressions, they seem serious as they are discussing something important. After this the man wearing black then walks off and the lighting appears to be a bit dimmer as there is low key lighting. The guards then escort the man to another part of the cave. There is a long shot of them walking towards the camera, showing the guards surrounding the man as they are protecting him, which connotes he may be important and is the protagonist. A man is then shown hiding behind a statue using a medium shot, although he is not shown the camera acts as him by the tilt and panning movement of the camera filming from behind the statue which suggests someone is watching them. This was a point of view shot which is quite effective. He is then shown using a close up of him trying to hide. This creates enigma code as the audience would want to know who he is and why he is hiding.

 

The next shot is a long shot of the man coming out from hiding. We can then see his costume which us a long cloak which has fur over the shoulders. The way he is dressed connotes he has power and authority. He is holding a long stick, which is a significant prop as it has magical powers, without this the narrative wouldn’t be the same. He then taps the stick on the floor twice which tells us something is about to happen. An orange glow then appears next to him and one of the guards magically appears besides him. There is a medium close up of both of them which show their facial expressions to be very serious as the man wearing the cloak orders the guard to ‘arrest him’. The guard seems to be under his influence as he acts very robotic as he appeared because of magic. The lighting in this shot is very low key, back lights have been used which create shadows, and this effect is chiaroscuro.

 

The next scene shows the guard pulling the man being arrested into the place where the book is kept. The man with the red robe is still there and deals with him. The audience then find out the man being arrested is a wizard. There is a side shot of them talking showing the height difference between them, the wizard is shorter and has to look up which connotes the other man is more dominant as he is looking down on the wizard making him look pathetic.

 

Throughout this all the editing that was used was mainly straight cuts which portrayed continuity editing as the scenes made sense in the order they were shown. At the beginning of the clip there was a fade in edit which faded in from the screen being all black.

 

Target audience- Charmed is a supernatural drama about the relationships between good witches and is about sisterhood. It is shown on E4 and started in 1998. The audience members would mainly be female ranging from the ages of 16-35.

 

 

 



Production research

Twilight

 

The opening scene to Twilight uses a crane shot, hovering above ground in a forest. We see a dear which looks like it’s been highlighted with a white glow around it. This connotes the dear may be special and could be symbol further on in the narrative. There is a voice over at the beginning which is non-diegetic sound. There are also diegetic sounds which are the noises of general nature, birds and the forest animals. There is then a point of view shot, the camera is almost hiding behind branches and acts as a predator that has spotted its prey (the dear). This tells us the dear is being watched.  A camera movement used is the tilt shot where the camera faces up at the sky and then tilts downwards. At this point a steadicam is then used which shows us that someone/something is chasing the dear from the point of view of the predator. A tracking shot is used to film the dear running through the woods. This is a very fast paced sequence which shows trees and branches passing the shot which connotes that the dear is running really fast as it may be in danger. We then see a glimpse of the dear being caught by what looks like a human. There is then a bright white glow as the dear gets caught which connotes death in a positive light, meaning heaven. The music is very fast paced at this moment which is parallel sound as it links in with the chase scene.

The setting is in a forest which could lead to the audience having an idea of what the movie will be about; some sort of animal maybe? The setting also makes everything seem so lonely and isolated. After this glow, the next shot is a fade in. We then see a girls face, she seems very pale due to the makeup she is wearing. There is a close up of her face, showing us her facial expressions, she seems quite upset and is just taking everything in. A tracking shot is used again as she walks forward and the camera is in front of her moving back, almost getting out of her way. There is a panning shot when she is telling the audience of her memories by using a voice over which is non-diegetic. The panning shot shows her mother and father as if it was being filmed as a home video because it was shaky. This connotes they might have been close to each other as they used their video camera to capture memories.  

The next shot shows the car being driven and music starts playing, we think it is diegetic but happens to be non-diegetic after there is a straight cut from the scene. As part of editing a montage sequence has been used as they show the car being driven, then an aeroplane in the air and another car being driven with jump cuts in between these. This all tells the audience that they have travelled somewhere else and are reaching their destination without showing the whole journey. There is a crane shot of the car being driven over a bridge; this is an extreme long shot. There is then a low angle of the car driving on the bridge showing the bridge is high. After another straight cut, there was a medium shot which showed the windshield of the car with a panning shot across it to view the people in the car.

The voice over of the girl telling the story is effective because we as the audience learn a bit about her while watching what else is going on in the narrative. As she gets out of the car we can see her costume, she is wearing everyday casual clothes as we learn she is a student later in the narrative. She states facts as part of her dialogue which connotes she could be clever as she is a student and doesn’t care about how she looks because of what she is wearing and her makeup is very subtle, she looks rather pale. Her father’s costume is a police outfit which connotes he has authority around where they live. He is also driving a police car which is an effective prop because it shows power.

The setting is in a neighbourhood which is stereotyped to be friendly. The area seems very dull and gloomy, the sky is all grey which gives a cold vibe. The atmosphere doesn’t appear to be pleasant, this connotes something terrible could happen as the setting makes it seem that way. There is very high key lighting, this makes it more realistic, also because there is top lighting, back lighting and filler lights to make the image in the camera frame to be more rounded and genuine.  

There is a long shot as they pull up in front of the house, there is still non-diegetic sound playing in the background that is contrapuntal because it doesn’t match with what is happening in the scene. The music is too loud and happy however the girl in the scene seems very troubled and unhappy as we can tell by her facial expressions when there is a close up. 

 

Target audience: Twilight is about vampires and wolves, it would appeal to people around the ages of 12 to 25. The audience is mainly female for this film. It falls under the fantasy/thriller genre.

 



 

 

Product Research

SHERLOCK

Sherlock is a very well anticipated drama as they release one series consisting of 3 episodes every two years. The genre would be drama/thriller.

The opening two minutes of series 2 episode 3 called ‘a scandal in Belgravia’ gives us an idea of the narrative straight away. The first thing we hear is police sirens which are diegetic sound as it comes from within the scene as a background noise. There is also a close up of a front door which connotes they’re might be some detective work going on or there is some trouble around that area. Then there is a long shot of ‘Sherlock’ and his friend doing some work. The friend is typing on a laptop which is being shown to the audience on the screen as text as it is being typed; this gives more of a work ethic feel to the programme.

In terms of costume, Sherlock is wearing a long robe which connotes he has probably just woken up and is reading a newspaper and drinking tea, this shows he is more relaxed than his friend who is dressed up in a shirt looking smart and started his work in the morning. In this scene there is back lighting shining in through the windows which tells us it is day time. There is low key lighting which creates a shadowy effect which is known as chiaroscuro. The props used such as the laptop link to the narrative as it shows the actor working and maybe doing some detective work. Another prop was the newspaper that Sherlock was reading which could also link to the narrative as he is one to read the news and likes to be on top of things as he is a high end detective. The setting is in a house which looks to be quite dull but roomy, enough space to do detective work and a bit messy which suggests they do not have much time to clean up and be homely.

The next scene changes with a straight cut but also fade in the character as he is being seen in the same position as he was in the last scene.  There is continuity editing as each scene links with the other. The next part shows random people telling Sherlock and his friend their personal stories. There are straight cuts between each person telling the story which shows that they are interviewing a lot of people which connotes they have a busy work schedule. There are very clever ways they have put in to change the scene and people, they sort of use the wipe effect with the screen but instead have a close up of Sherlock’s legs showing him walking across the screen as he is anxious walking around in the scene.

There is then a jump cut to the next scene which shows Sherlock with his friend and another man in a lab, which is a common setting for doing research and typical detective work in. There is high key lighting and bright lights in the room which gives the lab a cleaner more realistic feel. There is a close up of Sherlock looking through a magnifying glass showing his facial expressions as he seems really interested and eager in what he is doing. There is also a close up of his friend doing the same as he is stating what he sees and what he thinks has happened. The camera angle only shows their facial expressions which creates enigma code as the audience wants to know what they are examining. There is then a quick shot of a dead body which is what they were looking at. However there is still a sense of enigma code as the audience wants to know who the person is and why they are examining her. The body is shown to be very pale and white, however Sherlock and his friend are dressed in black and darker colours which is binary opposition as this could connote good and bad.

There is then a straight cut to the next scene which shows their costumes; Sherlock wearing a robe again which tells us he is done with his working day whilst his friend is still dressed smart and still working on a laptop, again showing the audience what he is typing as they have overlapped text onto what the audience is viewing. The prop being the laptop is almost like the plot device as it is being referred to a lot and keeps the narrative moving. Sherlock is also eating and his mouth is half full whilst talking to his friend telling him what to do, this connotes he is the protagonist in the drama. The camera angle also shows a high angle of Sherlock from his friends point of view which connotes he has power.

The scene is then taken back using the wipe screen edit, to the part where they are still interviewing people which connotes they have spoken to quite a lot of people as they are still doing it once the audience thought the scene had ended. There is a long shot of the interviewees sitting on a sofa from an angle showing them from straight ahead and of Sherlock’s friend sitting closer to the camera with a side view, medium shot of him. As this is going on there is non-diegetic sound in the background which is parallel as the music seems mysterious and goes well with the scene.   

The next scene is shown with a fade out edit which is when the screen fades to black and then the next scene appears. This is then set outside which seems to be a construction site. The actors are all dressed smart and wear black which makes them look sleek and professional. There is a long shot of the actors walking one behind another at a faster walking pace than usual which suggests they are eager to get to work. There is very low volume parallel sound playing in the background of the scene. They then reach a car where there is evidence of some kind that Sherlock needs to figure out, his thought process is being said out like a monologue which connotes he has detected a lot of things within a short amount of time as he picks up certain objects like a passport. There is a close up of the passport and then is zoomed out of as he picks out the rest of the objects. This is all sussed out very quickly which gives the audience an idea of how fast paced the drama is.

This programme ‘Sherlock’ is mainly targeted at people who watch quality drama. It would appeal to thrill seekers and people who enjoy the suspense and anticipation of watching the drama. This show would appeal to that target audience because they would probably like to solve mysteries and they like to be challenged as it keeps the viewer engaged and keeps them guessing about what could happen next.

Audience theory tesk

Audience theory task

Hypodermic needle theory- This news article suggests that playing violent video games for a certain time period can increase the chances of the individual becoming more violent and showing aggressive behaviour. It states ‘a repeated exposure to violent video games may have a cumulative effect of aggression’. This links to the hypodermic needle theory as the media is injecting this information to the audience which could be believable.

Two step flow model- This article tells us Jamal Edwards is an opinion leader as he has made himself by posting videos on YouTube and being the owner of SBTV, social factors have had the most influence on him becoming a millionaire as he has made himself out to be what he wants.

Media text	How it fits
Diversion: Big Brother	Big brother is a reality show watched for entertainment, it helps people escape from their everyday problems as they watch other people’s lives as they are filmed every minute as the contestants are in the big brother house. It’s a way to see how other people’s lives are different.
Personal relationships: Friends	Friends is a very popular TV show as it is all to do with friendship. Being someone who has seen most episodes this enables them to have a personal connection towards the character as they are well known and their stories have been told throughout the series. As you get to know the characters you gain an emotional interaction and develop affection for them.
Personal identity: Educating Yorkshire	Educating Yorkshire is a programme which is made from video clips taken from cameras around the school which have been captured. This shows some individual stories about certain teachers and students and the ups and downs they go through within the school. We can relate to this as we are students.
Surveillance: Sky sports news	Sky sports is news about sports which is aimed at sport fanatics. This gives information about what goes in the sports world which is useful to people who enjoy knowing about sports.

 

 Dependency theory-

1.      I primarily use the media mostly for information and sometimes entertainment.

2.      I feel like we are more dependent on the media than before because there is so much that goes on in the news that we need to know about and is more believable.

3.      Our dependency on the media has definitely increased in the last 10 years because everybody needs to know what is going on around the world and needs to be informed otherwise there would be no communication or word of mouth about the important things going on.