Target Audience Research

Abbie Murray

Cinema Audiences• Cinema audiences are a wide strand of audience as

people who go regularly to the cinema to watch films of their choice.

• The UK Film Council quote that “The UK Film Council’s Distribution and Exhibition Department has two primary functions; to help ensure that UK cinema audiences have access to the widest possible range of films at cinemas UK wide and to encourage audiences to increase their

propensity to view less mainstream films.”• This indicates that too many viewers are only seeing the

mainstream films, mainly down to the fact that these are the only ones that they have heard of; the ones that

have had more time spent on marketing.

Cinema AudiencesThe UK Film Council define cinema audiences into

categories; mainstream, mainstream plus, aficionados and film avids.

• Mainstream audiences = Unlikely to watch foreign or niche films, tend to be drawn to blockbusters of a romantic or action genre

• Mainstream Plus audiences = Drawn to the nature of the film rather than the familiarity, however tend to watch mostly English/American films

• Aficionados audiences = Tend to watch specialist films with an unfamiliar cast, also tend to avoid foreign films

• Film avids = Enjoy the cinema experience, do not simply like one genre, look for cultural morals within films

Cinema AudiencesBelow is the most recent box office figures. The

figures show that bigger conglomerates with more mainstream films have more viewings, proving that

mainstream audiences are the biggest of all.

Cinema AudiencesI asked some people that fell into the strand of my audience some questions, considering their general cinema experience. I asked

them about the last trailer they watched which they enjoyed, this gave me the knowledge of mainstream cinema that I needed to

know about. Here is the feedback which I received.

Taken 2, because it was fast paced and didn't reveal too much to the audience. Paranormal Activity 4 because I really liked the other films and it referenced parts of

them. Probably Taken 2 because I loved the first film and the trailer was really exciting.

House at the End of the Street because it was very visual to watch and the blackouts and pauses were thrilling.

Each of these films are mainstream, with two of them being a sequel to another film. This proves that most of my audience strand rely on blockbuster films to provide them with information, making

them mostly passive.

References

• Google Images• http://industry.bfi.org.uk/audiences• http://industry.bfi.org.uk/article/18324/UK-Bo

x-Office-11--13-January-2013