R+P Post 2: Our Target Audience

Our primary target audience are fans of film noir and neo-noir between the ages of 15 and 30. We are targeting men and women but would expect men to be slightly more in number overall. The story appeals to men because there is a lot of action, conflict and violence which, according to our research, interests them the most. According to BFI, in 2013, 69% of the audience to thriller film 'Captain Phillips' were male and 52% of the crime drama 'Trance' audience were male. Furthermore, the main character is an attractive female who has sex appeal.The story will appeal to women as the protagonist is a strong and independent female who essentially carries the film. Additionally, there are some romantic aspects. 'Dead Man Down' is a 2013 crime drama which targets men and women through the trailer. The woman is seen to be a complex and powerful character, not just pretty which attracts women and there is lots of action such as car chases for the men. Our film is a certified 15 due to its strong violence, sexual content and drug references and strong verbal language. Teenagers aged 15 and above would be attracted by the certificate, as they are included and will find the themes exciting. Moreover, the modern, neo-noir film twist is likely to be more visually attractive to them as the graphics are more imaginative and the action is more realistic. Relevant films include the 15 rated film 'Lucy' which has some strong bloody violence, and the 15 rated film 'A place beyond the pines.' This has strong violence, language and drug use.

Our secondary audience are crime fans, action fans and older adults (30/40+).  Neo-noir should appeal to people who like crime films because crime is a fundamental aspect of our selected genre. Action fans are within this category because our film has themes of violence and murder; action related scenes. 'Dead Man Down' is an example of a film with several action scenes but it crosses over with crime too. (The trailer can be seen above).The genres often integrate and we would expect the audience of that film to be interested in our film too. Regarding those older audiences, some of them may remember the popular years of the genre or, more generally, possibly have more time and money than younger audiences, therefore they may go to the cinema more often and like the look of our film.

Finally, our tertiary target audience are romance fans, particularly couples of a range of ages. Our story touches on the romance genre in parts of the film. But most importantly, it is exciting to them as they enjoy the thrill and the suspense in places, which brings them closer together. An example of a film noir involving romance is 'In a Lonely Place' (1950). Laurel falls in love with Dixon and when he is questioned on his involvement with a murder, she stands by him.