Evaluation Question 5

How do you attract/address you audience ?

Our scene opens on a beach, this immediately attracts our audience as the setting is pleasant and the sound of the water is soothing, fitting with the calm tone of the production. By opening the scene with a soundbridge of the lapping water we felt the viewer would feel more included in the situation - thus heightening the verisimilitude. We use shots of the water going back and forth on the beach to further create the appearance of calmness, ambient sounds of the water further builds to this calmness. 

Long shots of our character sitting on the beach with members of the public in the distant background hint at her detachment from reality at this moment. We also use a female actor in an attempt to draw sympathy from the audience, as audience members will be more likely to sympathise with a crying woman than man.Cross cutting into the club scene juxtaposes the setting and the tone, further drawing in attention. We attempt to create an image of reality, to make the scene appear similar to any experience an audience member has experienced in a club, dancing, drinking, and many POV shots to make the audience feel as part of the production, this is vital due to the audience gratifications theory where people are most likely to watch a film where they can envision themselves in it, seeing as our target audience is 15 - 25, this is the age where socialising in clubs is popular, therefore it is key that our verisimilitude is high therefore the audience will relate with the scene and therefore enjoy it more.

We included many shots of people finishing their drinks, combined with a shaky handheld effect to create the illusion of intoxication. We use quick short shots in order to keep the audience interested, constantly using different coloured lighted shots to appear more party like.

A girl throwing up immediately following the club scene suggests these particular girls are heavily under the influence of alcohol, again, a situation our target audience will be able to relate to. Having to take care of drunk member of the group may appear almost comical to our audience, as they will further be able to imagine themselves as part of this group of people. Our atmosphere following the club scene is eery and ominous. This is done to create a tense feeling, as due to the crying girl at the beginning of the scene, we are immediately made aware a tragedy has occurred. This makes the production seem edgy as something is going to happen but we do not know what due to the cross cutting between the past and present.

In reality it would be preferable to draw this scene out for longer than 2 minutes so we would have more time to build the suspense of what is going to occur and further attract the audience, but in the 2 minutes we are able to keep the audience attentive by cross cutting back and forth to the incident occurred and the repercussions without taking much time. Hopefully this will grip the audience and make them feel urged to continue watching as the plot of the movie is still not quite revealed.

Our target audience is the late teens, as this age group can relate to being at a club of some sort and losing a companion amongst a horde of strangers. The feeling of vulnerability is portrayed when our main actor is left behind, lost and alone. I think the final wide shot of Helena in the alleyway highlights this point exactly; the expanse of space in the frame makes her seem isolated, and the perspective is very ominous, implying someone could turn the corner at the very end of the alley. 

Although our audience may not fully be able to relate to this exact scenario, they can grasp the concept of how this could be dangerous for a young drunk girl. The seriousness of this further draws in the audience. In order to ensure that our audience enjoyed the production and fully understood the plot we conducted a short online survey.

One of the main ways by which we wanted to attract our audience was by filming predominantly in London, this was mainly because of the amazing oppurtunities it poses as a city. For example, even from planning stages I knew I had to take advantage of the Thames and the shingle at the southbank, just because of what an amazing bit of film it would create. I think that particular scene really makes the opening more sophisticated and controlled than it would have been otherwise, as well as it's beautiful and serene environment both promoting London by posing its best assets and attracting the viewer.

Finally, we felt the modern aspects of our opening such as the answering of Helena's smartphone directly link to our target audience of teenagers and young adults as modern technology and equipment. We thought most of our target audience would most likely have the same smartphone as Helena and if not, something similar. This ability to compare oneself to the character again heightens the sense of verisimilitude and empathy for the victim.