Target Audience - expectations of dystopian genre

To understand what aspects of dystopian genre my target audience are looking for I created a questionnaire to give to people of my target audience to collect information that will help me develop my film opening.

In the questionnaire I asked: What key features do you look for in a dystopian science fiction

film? I sent this to a range of teenagers aged 13-18 (my target audience) and ensured they

were of both genders (seven girls and 8 boys) I then collected the answers to analyse to gain more knowledge of my genre.

I received answers such as: “I like watching these films as they show an alternative lifestyle” “I think it’s cool that it is an idea of what the future could turn out to

be like” “The locations are sometimes stylised and interesting to watch” “Exaggerated futuristic settings, and enhances fears of today’s

society” I can take elements from this research and use this when developing my ideas as

that way I can ensure my film opening is correct for the genre. For example incorporating an alternative lifestyle perhaps implying it to be futuristic will fit in with the genre and my target audience’s expectations.

I then went on to ask: What type of character would you expect to see in a dystopian

film? From asking this I could ensure that the actors I choose not only fit in with the plot

but are appealing to my target audience and the genre. The answer I received included:

“A lead character that acts as a sort of hero, and then a dark character that could be the villain”

“Two types of groups, the good and the bad” “A tragic back story brings all the characters close together to fight

the antagonist” “Actors close to our age so we can relate but also admire them”

From collecting these answers I can craft my actors to fit descriptions of what the audience find appealing such as actors of a close age and the idea of a group of characters that are on the same side.

From doing this research I have gained a further understanding of my chosen genre and the features and aspects that are key for the target audience. From analysing the answers I can develop an idea that better fits the genre such as creating a futuristic atmosphere and having appealing locations as well as casting actors that fit

the description of the character but are also of a close age to the audience (13-18) so that the audience can make a connection. Whereas before this research I may not have thought of the audience when casting.