HOW DID WE ATTRACT/ADDRESS

OUR AUDIENCE?

Our Target AudienceBecause our media product falls under a sub genre it is not as broad

as one that falls under a single genre. Therefore it is going to appeal to a more specific target audience. Our genre (crime/gangster) is one that will appeal mainly to a male audience, usually between the ages of 16-40 although this isn't restricted. This is because the nature of this genre includes certain themes and symbols that are associated with or may appeal more to men with the key elements usually including; violence, weapons, drugs, women, power etc.

Furthermore due to our unique approach towards the genre; by making the plot more suspenseful we have tried to include some thriller aspects in order to appeal to a wider audience, and therefore hopefully more people will watch and enjoy our film.

How Did We Engage With Our Target Audience?

We engage with our target audience through a number of ways. Firstly, our film is one that will mainly appeal to a male audience. Therefore, the way that we have constructed the tone of our media production is of particular significance when looking at how we have engaged with our target audience. We begin our film by setting a very mundane and everyday tone through our characters actions. This was intentional to set up a false sense of security for the audience so they are much more surprised by the time the bloody suit is revealed and the tone of the film suddenly changes.

The three images above are screen shots from our film. We begin with Vince appearing to be a friendly neighborhood man before suddenly, he pulls a bloody knife out of a bag and we can see a blood stained suit and shirt inside the bag. This is the main turning point in our media product because it is where the film takes a drastic alteration and the audience view Vince in a different light as well as the newly established atmosphere.

Constructing Our Character Most lead characters in crime gangster films, although they are not always likable, they do manage to get

their target audience to idealize them to some extent. This is because they glamorize taboo subjects such as drug taking, prostitution, gambling etc. as well as making life look so easy by showing off their wealth through houses, cars, clothes, etc. as well as dictating their own life. According to the male stereotype; to some extent, these are all things that men want to see in films and or want in their own lives. The target audience also want the lead to be very appealing to women so that when the target audience idolize with the lead they also have that same appeal.

In keeping with trying to make our film as authentic as possible, we wanted our lead to have the same appeal to the audience. Therefore, we dressed our lead in a smart suit as a way to show class and wealth. Furthermore, the location is also to show wealth as well as get our target audience to wish they lived there, as it is a large house. There are also moments in the film when we can see a quantity of cash and jewelry. These are just symbols of excessive wealth. However, in contrast to other crime gangster films, Corporate Identity doesn’t have any themes such as drugs, prostitution or gambling. This is because it wouldn’t have fit in with our opening 2 minute sequence and we wanted to present Vince as possessing more class.

SoundtrackWe wanted to make our soundtrack as authentic as possible. Like all genres, crime gangster has a very specific soundtrack which in itself contributes to constructing the genre. When looking at crime gangster soundtracks there are two different types. In films such as The Godfather there is theme music and character theme. The famous Godfather theme was composed by Nina Rota purely for the film. Similarly, Ennio Morricone composed the entire soundtrack for Once Upon A Time In America. This is a completely different style compared to the soundtracks featured in Tarentino’s films. He uses very contemporary well know music and applies it to a scene or character to create its own theme. A famous example of this would be in Reservoir Dogs where Mr. Blonde cuts a mans ear off accompanied by “Stuck in the middle with you” by Stealers Wheels. This scene arguably wouldn’t be so shocking if it did not feature the song.

When it came to our film we took some aspects of the stereotypical crime gangster soundtrack into consideration but due to our unique take on the story we thought it seemed appropriate to have our own take on the soundtrack. We chose to use songs from other artists rather that compose our own. Our first track is influenced by a traditional crime gangster soundtrack. Its happy upbeat tone also help construct a friendly neighborhood effect. This track would begin non diegetic but when our lead came into shot from inside the car it becomes diegetic and coming from the car radio. This song then continues to play at the same volume level even know the car drives of and our lead is walking towards the house. Once he enters, the sound of the door closing behind him ends the happy upbeat. We then chose to use a different song to construct a darker tone. In doing this a new atmosphere is established for the audience before there is anything visually there to establish it. The song we decided to use was quite unconventional because it is electronic and quite disorientating. This is where it contributes to the thriller aspect of our film.

Camera Angles In terms of camera angles, we did not use anything too unconventional. However we did use some techniques to engage our target audience. For example, in the scene where our lead opens the bag, at one point we are positioned from inside the bag. The significance of this shot in relation to engaging the audience, is that our lead is positioned at a high angle and the audience is positioned in a low angle, Therefore making our lead appear intimidating and superior, this shot is known as a worms eye view as it is an extreme low angle. The audience are also positioned as the bloody suit to further show that he is a dangerous character. These are other screen grabs from our 2 minute opening sequence.

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