Andy Raynes

1
LO1 - How Media Producers Define
Their Target Audience

Task 1a and b)

Chosen film: Maleficent












Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-XO4XiRop0

Quantitative Research

What is it?

This is a more logical and data-led approach which provides a measure of what people think
from a statistical and numerical point of view. It can gather a large amount of data that can be
easily organised and manipulated into reports for analysis.

Quantitative research largely uses methods such as questionnaires and surveys with set
questions and answers that respondents tick from a predefined selection. Answers can be
measured in strengths of feeling such as strongly agree disagree or numbers such as scales
out of 10.

This form of research is very flexible in terms of how its carried out such as through the post,
online or even over the phone. For film-makers this can be very cost-efficient as it requires the
bare minimum of resources. Also, for instance, by having a simple yes/no answer or number
rating, it makes it very easy to read and interpret ones opinion, and avoids mixed responses.

The disadvantages however are factors such as the data is not in-depth enough, giving only
vague answers that are not detailed or lacks reasoning for the choices presented. This could
pose a problem when the answer you are searching for is to be detailed, making qualitative data
a better choice, in my opinion.


Andy Raynes


2
Maleficent Research

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maleficent_(film)
Budget: $180,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office: $435,921,529

It is obvious from these statistics that the film was a great success.

Source: http://www.myvue.com/latest-movies/info/film/maleficent#


The age rating for Vue Cinemas is PG indicated that the target audience is intended for younger
audiences. In addition, by having compiled all the users ratings from the reviews on the
website, the film scored 5/5 stars by the audience, which indicates even more success.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587310/


The genres of Family and
Romance are very distinct signs of
the target audience. The genre
Family usually involves younger
children with their parents, and
Romance is often seen by females.

On the other hand, Action and
Adventure can appeal to both
genders equally.











Andy Raynes


3
Maleficent Target Audience Research Questionnaire


Watch the trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-XO4XiRop0

1) What is your gender?
Male
Female

2) What is your age range?
5-10
11-20
21-40
41-60
61+

3) What is your sexual orientation?
Straight
Homosexual
Other

4) Which country are you from?

5) Which socio-economic best describes you?
Employers and Managers
Higher Professional
Lower Professional
Non-manual
Manual skilled
Semi-skilled
Unskilled
Other
None

Andy Raynes


4
6) How often do you watch films or go to the cinema?
All the time
Sometimes
Rarely
Never

7) Judging by the trailer, which age group of people do you think this film would appeal to?
Children
Teenagers
Adults
Elderly

8) Which gender do you think these best suits?
Males
Females
Both equally

9) Have you heard of or seen this film before?
Yes
No

10) Are you interested in the film?
Yes
No

11) The film is rated a PG for Parental Guidance. Do you agree with this?
Yes
No



















Andy Raynes


5
Pictures of completed questionnaires:


















































Andy Raynes


6
Qualitative Research

What is it?

Unlike quantitative research which relies on numbers and data, qualitative research is more
focused on how people feel, what they think and why they make certain choices.

It is largely led with discussion around certain concepts or ideas with open questioning. People
are encouraged to explain or describe their reasons for having certain responses which can
reveal underlying motivations, associations and behavioural triggers. This can be very helpful
information that could assist the film producers in seeing what people look for in a film of a
specific genre, leading onto identifying the relevant target audience.

The most common forms of qualitative research consist of internet reviews; focus groups
relevant to the target market; or one-to-one interviews conducted face to face or over the
telephone.

An advantage of qualitative research would be that the data is in full answers because the
answer provides full explanation of why they enjoy this product or why they dislike it. However
it has several disadvantages as qualitative data is harder to sort due to generally being in full
sentences. It is also harder to analyse, which can consume a lot of time depending on the length
of the data.

Interview with Parent Skype Transcript
After showing the trailer to my Mum (aged 56) over Skype, I asked her several questions and
took note of her responses:


Andy Raynes


7
Other Research

Source: http://www.myvue.com/latest-movies/info/cinema/reading/film/maleficent


These reviews prove that it is generally directed towards the younger audience (mainly females,
but can be males for example in the second review), with guidance from a parent.

Task 1c)

Audience Profiling

Profile Description
Socio-economic
Status
Judging by my research and own opinion, the film is targeted towards
children, therefore do not work.

Psychographics Interests include parents taking the children out to the cinema to watch a
film.

Geo-demographics Younger children at school; adults with younger children.

Age Children, probably around 5-10 as the film trailer contains some violence.
In addition, the rating for the film is a PG, where parents should be
advised to be with their kids during the film.

Gender Mainly females due to the principle of a typical fairy-tale, however
violent scenes may attract males also.

Sexual Orientation All research involved those who are straight, which most probably proves
that this is the main audience for the film. However in my opinion, ones
sexual orientation should not change their entire opinion on the film.

Regional Identity All research involved those who are from England, but because this film is
promoted world-wide, it would appeal to other ethnicities too.

Mainstream I feel the film is slightly mainstream is it is still shown in the listings in
some cinemas, and from my research; most people have heard of it, but
have not watched it.