HOW DID YOU ATTRACT / ADDRESS YOUR AUDIENCE?EVALUATION ACTIVITY 5

USE OF PROPSCrime, action and thriller films tend to have a lot of use of weapons to help create the genre. In our opening we used a toy gun. Guns signify violence, aggression and action. They also help to convey the genre to the audience. Therefore, the use of weapons engages the audience because they become intrigued as to what’s going to happen next. This is especially true for our film as the gun isn’t shown in a fight scene, it is just shown being put in a belt when the character is getting ready. We also used a headset in our opening. This linked the action woman and the computer specialist together. Headsets are also often used in action films to show the characters communicating and create a sense of action even more so.

In the film ‘Die Hard’ guns are heavily used. This is because it is a common convention of the action genre. Weapons tend to also add a more serious feel to the film. A headset is also used in Kingsman: Secret Service, as previously shown in evaluation 1. The use of weapons and head sets together helps to make the genre clear and engage the audience as they wonder what’s going to happen next.

Source: https://bamfstyle.com/tag/submachine-

gun/page/2/

USE OF MUSICWe put a lot of time into trying to find the right music. We were aiming to find fast paced and upbeat music that mirrored other music used in crime/action thriller films. Our music starts slow and then builds up to suit the action scene that it starts at. As action films tend to be fast paced we needed music that helped to keep a good pace which was hard to find as most of the music was too slow and didn’t provide a fast action packed opening. This therefore engages the audience as they don’t lose interest as the opening keeps it’s pace.

In the opening of ‘Casino Royale’, the action scene has fast paced music. It is higher pitched than the music used in our opening but has the same effect of helping to create a high paced action scene. The music similarly plays in the background but builds up more as the scene goes on.

USE OF TEXTMany films of the same genre as our film use text to show the time, date or location. The use of the date and time helps to set the scene for the audience. It is common in action/thriller films to get the date and time come up throughout at different points. It also means that the film can go from past to present and keep changing. Therefore, it can also confuse the audience and make them more engaged and focus. In action films there tends to be a lot happening which is also why the date and time is shown as it means that the audience is clearer on what’s going on at all points in the film.

‘Back to the Future’ is a science fiction film but is also action. They too show the date and time but in a different way. It still gives the audience perspective and helps to set the scene. It is even more significant in ‘Back to the Future’ because of the narrative and time travel element.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=6Tf8mPsvcOs

USE OF EDITINGIn action films they commonly use split screen to show more than one thing happening at a time. For our film we felt it was essential to show more than one thing happening at once so that the scene wasn’t drawn out too much. It also meant that the pace was kept, especially with the music we decided to use. Therefore, our audience remains engaged throughout this part of the our opening as there is a lot to watch at once and also doesn’t draw out the scene.

‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ is a crime thriller. It uses split screens to show different people at the same time all doing different things. It creates a sense of suspicion and makes the audience think something is going to happen. It therefore suits the genre well and keeps the audience interested in the opening.

Source: http://www.overduereview.com/2014/02/21/the-

thomas-crown-affair-1968/

UNIQUE SELLING POINT Action films tend to have male characters as the lead roles. This is because of the stereotypes surrounding the gender. Men are said to be stronger and more aggressive as part of their masculine nature where as women are said to be weak and more vulnerable and would therefore not suit the role of an action character. Men also tend to be associated with weapons and violence, something that focuses heavily in crime, thriller and action films.

Therefore, the USP of our film is that both of our lead characters are female. This is also supported by the roles that the characters play. Alice, the action woman, is the most significant and is more likely to be the USP than Esme, the business woman, because she is a character which would be usually played by a male actor. Therefore, because our film is challenging stereotypes and makes the film more interesting and unique. This means that our film is more likely to attract a larger female audience whereas action films are more common with male audiences.