Group 4 AS 2015/16: Evaluation 5- Aleks

How did you attract or address your audience?

Personally I think the main ways to draw in an audience is

-A)with a stellar cast

-B)with an interesting plot

No reply from Leonardo DiCaprio meant option A was off the list leaving us with the plot….

What makes a good plot?

Personally I find films with big plot twists the most appealing, these are also often the most successful films. Take for instance thriller films such as Game or Gone Girl ;you wouldn’t ever see ‘it’ coming. This sense of enigma keeps the audience involved throughout, attempting to solve the mystery themselves up until the point of revelation where they will find themselves gaping at the screen in surprise, or convincing those around them that they had their suspicions from the very beginning.

In order to successfully create plot twists there must be appropriate presentation of characters and action to draw the audience’s eye away from the reality of the plot while simultaneously having the answer at arms reach.

-Seven is a good example of this with the criminal constantly passing by, in fact when Mills is dismissive of what seems like a paparazzi on the stairs it is later revealed as John Doe- (the criminal) in a quick montage, triggering long ‘Ohs’ of understanding from the audience or self-scolding of ‘how could I miss that’

I definitely think it’s all about the viewers mental battle.

What also must not be overlooked, is the way characters are built up. The writer(s), director(s) and actor have the most input when it comes to character presentation.

Once again this is in relation to the viewers emotions. Above all the most effective way to impact the audience through characters is make the audience empathize with them, fall in love with them and then watch them crumble in an awful break down; cruel but memorable.

Our Plot

I think the audience, at this point, could find a way of relating to any of the characters portrayed in the opening; this would most likely be female viewers because all three characters are female. However the matter of age also comes in with teenage viewers of 15+ (as this is our age rating) relating more to the jogger due to her young age whilst older viewers in their 20s+ more to the detectives who are older, visibly having a job.

If the film was to be extended from the opening a plot twist would be present due to the presentation of the suspect straight away; the detectives already seem to be taking this lead (‘looks like another one of the lake-side stranglers victims’ ‘Shawcross?*’) so as the film progresses they would become more and more sure whilst they are being tricked by the actual killer who works with extreme precision, having planned all of this over years.

*Shawcross was an actual murderer meaning our thriller would be based on a true story or incorporating real events- this alone often draws viewers in as it adds an increase to the eerie air; knowing something like this actually happened makes you feel more on edge.

Suspense

Suspense would not only be created through the plot and characters but also through Camera movements and angles and Sound, two key areas.

Sound could be used in the form of:

-music underlying and not dominating the scene but setting the mood

-Diegetic sounds such as foot steps, page flicks, or breathing.

-Silence: sometimes silence can be the most effective way of creating tension with films consisting mainly of some sort of background noise; thus it’s displacement can make the viewer feel on edge.

Marketing Campaign

What most feature films would do too is have a marketing campaign with film posters informing of a release date and social media building up the hype, usually with exclusive footage and countdowns. This stage is important as you need to spread the word to attract your audience.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Our film had its own twitter page with backstage content; sneak peeks of the set and a countdown to the release: