Evaluation

Question 4:

We researched BBFC to find out what age would be suitable for our opening. The British Board of Film Classification has been classifying cinema films since 1912. It is an independent board that is not funded by government or the film industry. It classifies films on what they contain and give them an age restriction. The specifications for a rated fifteen film are as follows: “Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, strong language and one use of very strong language, moderate-strong violence/sex references, and undetailed sex activity”. Our opening confines itself in these criteria easily. For one, the only adult theme we have is murder. As shocking as murder is, the audience does not see the assault take place so this also passes moderate-strong violence. Having no dialogue meant that we didn’t have to edit out any swearing from the script or video. As for the sex activity, there is not reference or hint that it would happen or has happened. By reaching this criteria we can aim for an audience of teenage ages (fifteen years and over) up to the 50 year old margin. This leaves is quite open for different age groups. We researched what teenagers were looking for by interviewing our peers (featured on our blog). We went for different genders and people with different ideas on what a thriller should feature and used them as well as we could.

The audience profile that we were aiming for is that of the above. These are teenagers over the age of fifteen who enjoy thrillers. We know this from our audience research. We chose both genders because it gives a broader opinion on what should go into a thriller. By asking for their views we can tailor it to them in a way. And as I said before about having a broader opinion, it means that the ideas are varied, just like the publics would be which helps us hit the target. From our questionnaire we picked out certain features and ideas that the interviewees liked in a thriller and put them in a Wordle to see well. Almost like a check-list.

There are many types of thrillers and different thriller sub genres appeal to different people. For people who like solving puzzles they might be drawn to a crime thriller, whereas adrenaline junkies might be drawn to a thriller that constantly keeps you on edge. We went for a mix of the two, making it a puzzle and also exciting.