The target audience for short films are usually those who are interesting in writing and directing their own short films. They are showcased at Short Film Festivals such as the 'LA Shorts Fest' (http://lashortsfest.com/) to harvest and breed new talent in filmmaking. Many major filmmakers started their career in the short film industry. As well as new filmmakers, investors are a big part of the target audience for short films to look for and employ new talent into their business. In terms of the VALS system, short films could be aimed at 'experiences', people who like new products and styles but soon tire of them and search for novelty - which will lead them to watch a broad range of short films.
Who are the target audience for the films you looked at?
The target audience of the films I looked at slightly vary but mainly remain the same - young adolescence who experience poverty, loneliness, isolation, crime, drug use and a hatred towards the norms of society. I chose films that have similar themes to my short film and a lot of these are portrayed in it
Who are you making your film for?
The age range that my short film (E3) is aimed at are young males between the ages of 11 and 19. The reason behind this is that the characters in the film are around the ages of 17-19 so those of a similar age can relate to them. As for the younger audiences (11-14), they can relate to the older male role models in their life and to see if they want to take the same path as they did. E3 is aimed at males rather than females as all the characters in the film are the former. Young teenage women will not be able to relate to the film as such, as the actions of a teenage male may be different to that of a female.
The educational background of my target audience is likely to be either very small to none. The reasoning behind this is due to the area of which the film is set (Bow, East London) and the poverty surrounding it. Bow in East London is a largely poverty stricken area with high rates of gun and knife crime and drug use. As the area is rundown, the schooling and work ethic has been affected by this, leading many of the youths of the area to abandon school and turn to crime and drugs. There is little help being provided to the youth of the area and there are major problems of unemployment for the residents of the rundown estates. The youth who are in such situations can relate to the characters in E3 as they are in a similar predicament.
The social status of E3's target audience are likely to be categories D and E - semi-skilled/unskilled manual and subsistence income/pensioners/widows/casual labour/unemployed respectively. This is due to the lack of education the target audience might have as I explained previously and the lack of a good income is what may turn them to drugs and violence. This also explains their economical status - living in a rundown estate with little to no education or income.
According to the VALS system, the target audience may be considered as 'Strivers' - who tend to be unsure of themselves and have a low income. They are striving approval from others, which they feel they could gain by ownership of possessions, most of which they cannot afford. This matches with the demographics which I detailed about my possible target audience and also are like the characters in my short film, who steal the drugs in which they want to sell on and to gain approval from their friends.
In terms of psychographics and young people my film is aimed at Rebels who want to remake the world in their image, Groupies who just want to be accepted, Drop-Outs who shun commitments of any kind and Cowboys who want easy money. These are all common themes with the characters in E3.
How will you measure your success in having made a product which to appeal to this audience?
I will upload my film to youtube, using tags that will apply to my target audience's interests and see the comments and constructive criticism that the viewers post. I will also arrange a viewing for those who wish to watch the film and interview a few of them after to see what they thought of it and if they could relate to the themes portrayed in it.
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