Task 4 – who would be the audience for your media product?

Thrillers are generally particularly popular with the under 25’s and have a slight female skew, however, due to our thriller having an action/thriller genre, our films core target audience would be 15-24 male age group, as it is normally men who like guns and violence. However, there are various ways in which the film will break out from this core audience. The main character in the film will attract the 15-24 female age groups, as he is considered to be attractive and have a good body.

Having these people in a particular age range makes it easier for the distributor to reach them with targeted advertising, for example, the 15-24 age group are likely to use social networking sites frequently, and so a viral advertising campaign might be useful to advertise the film. Also, statistics show that these age groups are the most frequent cinemagoers and so when the film is distributed at the cinema, the film is likely to get more views than a film targeted towards a much older audience.

The film has different marketable elements which will appeal to different audiences. For example, the attractiveness of the protagonist, which refers to whether the target audience sees themselves reflected in the protagonist. The protagonist in our film came from an unstable background and he was essentially traumatized as a result of this. This is reflected by the way he acts throughout the film; however we discover this as the film unravels. This could potentially attract another type of audience, who can relate to the man’s feelings, and who have perhaps experienced a similar thing. The subject matter can also impact a films target audience. Our film is based on a man working undercover as some part of conspiracy, and generally people interested in conspiracies and secret services will be enthralled by the movie content. 

Task 3 - what kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

We decided that Lionsgate would be the most suitable institution to produce our film because it is the leading independent producer and distributer of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment,video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. Its prestigious, impressive library of nearly 12,000 motion picture titles and television episodes is a stable source or recurring revenue and is a basis for the growth of the company's fundamental businesses. Lionsgate's proposal for growth combines the flexibility and entreneurial culture of an indepentdent film institution with the financial and strategic relationships of a major studio, along with the structure and consumer focus of a top digital age company.

Lionsgate produced films such as 'The Expendables', which proved to be a box office hit and therefore further established the insitution. 'The Expendables', is an action/adventure/thriller which follows a team of mercenaries who head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator. This is an example of the types of films Lionsgate produces, and this action/thriller/adventure genre is very similar to the genre of our own thriller film.

Task 2 - how does your product represent particular social groups?

I have chosen to analyse the character shown in the opening sequence because he is the main character and is therefore significant throughout the duration of the film. There are certain aspects of this character which are similar to other main characters in real action/thriller films. He appears to be just your average man, however there is a lot of mystery behind his character, as he is on an undercover mission as some part of conspiracy act.

Inevitably, I have chosen to look at Daniel Craig in James Bond, as he is the main character of one of the biggest action film franchises, and the character in our opening sequence shares many similar characteristics to him. James Bond always dresses smartly, showing a sophisticated element, and in our opening sequence, the man is getting dressed into a suit. This shows that he is conscious about looking smart, however it also suggests that he has stolen the identity of the man underneath the bed. Our character differs from James Bond in the ways that he doesn’t work for a secret service, instead he is on his own mission under his own motives and intentions which are revealed throughout the film. He is considered to be an ‘anti-hero’ figure, and so we see a lot of crime being committed, but essentially under good intentions.

Another example is Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan in ‘The Departed’, who works undercover on an assignment by the state police to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Frank Costello. It is this idea of working on an undercover mission which we wanted to portray through our thriller opening sequence. 

Task 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

There are several features of our thriller opening sequence which conform the conventions of a typical thriller movie. A few of these features take place in the bathroom scene, in which the setting in itself is often witnessed commonly in thrillers. The blood which is being washed off the man’s hand is a common convention of a thriller, as it symbolizes death and danger. The blood suggests that the man has just committed a crime, or so we are led to believe. It also implies that he is dangerous and lives a violent lifestyle. The mirror in this bathroom scene plays on our knowledge of thriller movies where it is common for the audience to see something else in the reflection of the mirror. Of course, nothing is shown in the reflection, so the use of the mirror almost challenges the conventions of mirrors in typical thrillers.

The use of a black screen at the beginning of the sequence conform the suspense and mystery conventions commonly used in thrillers. The audience is left to concentrate on the sounds as opposed to the visual, and we felt that this confusion would engage the audience’s attention, as they would want to know what has happened.

The shot from inside the wardrobe and the shot from underneath the bed suggest the possible places in which a body could be hidden. They give the illusion that something or someone is watching him as he is taking the suit out and getting dressed. This creates mystery and suspense, in that the audience feels that there is someone else in the room with him. This conforms the mystery element of thrillers.

It is common in thrillers to have an attractive female in distress, who are killed by the antagonist. Our thriller challenges this common convention, as instead of an attractive female, we have used an attractive male, but as opposed to him being in distress, he is portrayed as an anti-hero throughout this opening sequence.

The shot of the gun again emphasizes the suggestion of violence throughout our opening sequence, however it also implies an 'action thriller -  James Bond style' aspect. Guns are a common convention and are widely used in action thrillers, and therefore conforms this stereotype.