Assignment 8: Mass vs Niche Audience

Definitions

• A Mass audience is a wide range of groups of people that have a similar and common interest. They all want the same thing. This allows you to focus on one particular thing that the majority will enjoy. The mass audience usually prefer films from successful genres such as action, adventure and other mainstream genres like animation and so on. For people creating a film for a mass audience, if done correctly, would increase profit as you’ve given what the mass audience want and they would pass on the reviews through social media, making more people in the mass audience want to go and watch it.

A Niche audience is a fraction of the total market or audience that have a unique interest. This means a small number of audiences are interested with a specific film genre which isn’t as successful or popular as other genres. For example, the horror genre, compared to other genres like animation, isn’t as successful because people believe that they are now predictable and unoriginal. Choosing a niche audience allows you to focus fully on a specific target audience.

Horror films have niche audiences because...

• They are the most interested and excited to see a project as it speaks to their belief and cause. They would see the project to the end so long as the director hears their voice when it comes to suggestions, opinions and ideas on how to make the film better.

• Horror films aren’t as popular as the other genres so film producers should target it at niche audiences. Being able to target their films at niche audiences would help keep the genre alive and would make horror films likeable. Horror films target niche audiences as they want die-hard horror fans who would keep with the film and the genre until the end.

• Horror films want highly passionate audience members as their enthusiasm and inspiration to help them if they harness their attention early on and give them what they want. Horror films isn't suitable for everyone. Aiming it at small groups with unique interests to horror films will be more suitable.

Examples of sub-genres and their niche audience

• The fanaticism sub-genre won't appeal to everyone due to the torture scenes but it is unique and original in the horror genre. Niche audiences will enjoy it so long as it appeals and stays true to fanaticism. An example of this would be The Wicker Man because it has torture scenes in the film which some viewers may find hard to watch and disturbing.

Home invasion: This sub-genre strikes fear into people or it thrills people of the niche audience as it's realistic. The niche audience will experience thrill/adrenaline at points where as the mass audience might be fearful and scared. The Strangers is a good example as it strikes fear as it’s very realistic.

Demons + Hell: Niche audiences will enjoy this sub-genre more since it's new and it would be fun for them to look at the creativity of the film creators and see their interpretations of devils, hell and demons. An example of a Demon + Hell film would be ‘Drag Me To Hell’ as it involves demons and revolves around a woman cursing another woman to hell after a certain number of days unless she reverses the curse.

An effective student OTS...

• Blood of Purity - Mark: 55/60

The music matched the pictures that were in the OTS and the CGI within the OTS also matched. The titles were used appropriately and the font and colour matched the background and the composition. In the shots that were in the OTS, all had controlled use of the camera (knife shot was steady) and the images went well with the CGI. Editing of the FX suited the task (blood) and added a sense of horror to the OTS. Framing of shots and composition was used well (titles, shots, FX). (Video in separate assignment.)