AQA 2016Science Fiction Films

AUDIENCES

Audiences

The audience is the people who watch the film. • Different films will have different audiences.

Not everybody will watch the same film. The audience who watches Gravity may be very different to the audience who watches Big Hero 6.

• Films can have a primary (main) audience, teens, for example, and a secondary audience like older people.

• The primary or main audience is often called the TARGET audience.

Mainstream or niche?

• Some science fiction films are mainstream – they appeal to a very wide range of people.

• Hollywood films are often very mainstream – they need to appeal to a lot of people to make enough money.

• Some sci-fi films are more niche – they appeal only to a small group of people.

• Independent and low-budget films may be niche. They are not under pressure to appeal to everyone, so they can be more unusual or take more risks.

Segmentation and the target audience

Sci-fi films are designed and marketed to appeal to different types of people.

Producers 'segment' the audience into different groups, and aim their product at one segment. This is their target market or target audience.

Audiences can be broken down into segments by demographics or psychographics.

Audience: demographics• Demographics is one way of dividing up the

audience into certain groups. Each group is assumed to have similar ideas and interests. Marketers use this idea of demographic groups to target advertising and promotion.

• What is your demographic?o Gender:o Age / stage: o Occupation: o Region / location:o Ethnicity:o Class:o Any other key aspects?

BBFC classificationThe BBFC classification is based on the demographics of age. It

assumes that certain films are only suitable for certain age groups. The categories:

• Suitable for all • Parental Guidance

• Suitable for 12 years and over • Suitable for 15 years and over

• Suitable only for adult

Audience: psychographicsPsychographics is less about facts such as age, and more about attitudes and values. The audience can be divided up into categories like:

• Survivors: who like security and routine• Social climbers: who like material wealth and status

symbols• Care givers: who believe in ‘caring and sharing’• Explorers: who are interested in personal growth and

social change

Which one are you?

Demographics and psychographic profiles

Profile a typical science fiction film fan, and explain why you think a typical fan would be like this.

• Demographics: gender; age / stage; occupation; region; ethnicity; any other key aspects?

• Psychographics: survivors, social climbers, care givers, explorers?

Identify the target audience

• What kind of audience will these trailers attract? Create a demographic and psychographic profile for the likely target audience. Give your reasons.

oMen in Black

oNever Let Me Go

Uses and GratificationsThis is a media studies theory that tries to explain why people choose and use certain media products. The theory says that we use them to satisfy various needs.

The theory is also known as the Four Needs theory. It was developed by Blumler and Katz.

Uses and gratificationsEntertainment and diversion – taking you away from your own problems and your own world for a while – escapism, to give you some excitement and drama in your life, to stop you being bored.

Surveillance and information – finding out about new things and places, scientific possibilities and problems, helping you to get knowledge about science, the world and what is happening.

Personal identity – comparing yourself to people in films, wondering how would you react to the same situation, thinking about how you feel about various issues and conflicts.

Personal companionship – getting accustomed to the characters as if they are friends; getting involved in the plot and wanting to find out what happens to people; discussing films and their issues with other people, having something to talk about with other people.

What 'need' is being fulfilled by sci-fi films?

One need that all films must fulfil is entertainment. They are part of the entertainment industry!

But films may also fulfils other needs too. Audiences might select different films according to how much of their other needs it fulfils. Some films offer more opportunity to consider perosnal identity, while others build a strong sense of community and team spirit.

Watch this trailer for Big Hero 6

Which of the Uses and Gratifications does the trailer suggest the film will offer, and how?

Entertainment? Information?Identity?Companionship?

Watch this trailer for The Matrix

Which of the Uses and Gratifications does the trailer suggest the news will offer?

Entertainment? Information?Identity?Companionship?

Dyer’s Utopian SolutionsDyer suggested that the media fulfils our needs, and compensates for what

we are lacking in our own lives. For example, the exhausted office worker might watch lots of shows where the hero shows immense energy in chasing villains and fighting bad guys; the lonely person might watch lots of soap operas to gain a sense of community, and so on. The five main solutions the media can offer us are:

• Transparency – finding out what is really happening, seeing behind the scenes, seeing into hidden or private places.

• Energy – seeing people involved in very energetic activities, including sports.

• Intensity – the emotional drama and excitement of conflict, arguments, tension and suspense, life and death situations.

• Community – working as a team, having a group of friends, neighbours, a community who need you.

• Abundance – the plentiful supply of money or material goods such as clothes, technology, cars.

Dyer’s Utopian Solutions in science fiction films• Transparency – seeing what the government is really up

to, how technology is controlling us or taking over ….• Energy – watching the hero chase the villain, fight the

aliens…• Intensity – Will the hero save the world? Will the hero

live or die? Conflict and suspense.• Community – working as a team, having a sidekick,

fighting on behalf of your people, your community, your nation, your planet.

• Abundance – the plentiful supply of technology, weapons, ammunition, fast cars, helicopters, equipment, gadgets, whatever the hero needs…

What pleasures do science fiction films offer their audience?• Interesting ideas and perspectives (intensity).• Spectacular special effects and action

sequences (energy and intensity).• Escapism from everyday life (intensity and

transparency).• Seeing the hero fighting against alien races or

other powerful forces and ultimately winning (intensity and abundance).

• Sacrifice and heroism (intensity and community).• Seeing authorities being in the wrong

(transparency and community).

Dyer’s Utopian Solutions

• Watch this trailer for Terminator Genisys

• Describe how the film appeals to the audience’s need for:o TransparencyoCommunityo Energyo Intensityo Abundance

Dyer’s Utopian Solutions

• Watch this trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes

• Describe how the film appeals to the audience’s need for:o TransparencyoCommunityo Energyo Intensityo Abundance

Websites

Websites and other materials are all aimed at a particular target audience too. They promise particular gratifications or solutions.

• Look at the website for Star Wars. What kind of audience will it attract? Create a demographic and psychographic profile for the likely target audience. Give your reasons.

• What uses and gratifications does it fulfil?

Summary – explain these terms

• The BBFC • Segmentation• Target audience• Mainstream• Niche• Demographics• Psychographics• Uses and gratifications• Utopian solutions