Audience Engagement Research - Captive State (2019)

The target audience for Captive State are similar to my target audience because of the younger main character in the film. This is based on his perspective and how this young man is in about his early 20s. This is close to my target audience which was late teens to early 20s. This character would be relatable to my audience because they would similar mindsets.

The first poster shows a hula dancer on top of the dash of a car. Beyond the car is jagged, colorful, and unclear. This makes it futuristic looking. A bigger hint is the ship in the top left corner flying in the sky. The front of the car seems to have wire, maybe to protect it from harm. The second poster looks to be of the main character standing in a plume of red smoke set off by the flare in his hand. This gives the audience a sense of standing against something or someone and is willing to pray the price. So based on the two posters, the audience gets a feeling of futuristic world or invasion that is very bleak and the man in the hoodie is going to rise against something or someone. 

These three trailers show that the world was not how it used to be. There is a voice over on one the of the trailers, telling lies to the people and pledging for an space craft with aliens onboard. There are aliens because in one of the trailers it had the silhouette of an alien. It is set in America because of a long-shot of the White House, and the main character saying "I want a lawyer" which does not exist apparently in the future. There are many short takes to show actions such as the main character punching someone and also to show how chaotic the future is. There are long shots to establish the story and what is happening to the futuristic America. 

The first screenshot above is the website for the film. There are transitioning pictures from the film. This is one of the pictures. All the colors for the website are very dark which show contrast between light and dark. This could mean that the man is praying for light when the futuristic blanket darkness is shrouding the light or beacon of hope. There is another website called the legislature that is linked to the main website which gives more insight of the film. 

These are the social media pages for Captive State. This shows that this is not the only movie that is being spread throughout the pages. Unlike the other blog post, there is more than one film being advertised which gives interest of what other films that are made from that company. It has the same color scheme like the website. There are darker images used for profile. It coincides with each other which makes the audience connect the dots that it is same company which could be a future clientele. 

The director in this film tells about the motives and characterization of the main character. Also, the struggle between the human race against themselves as well as those ruling the skies called Legislators. These creatures has control of everything and is feeding lies to the people but one brave soul will rise up and be the phoenix for this impossible but rightful cause.

The persuasive techniques used is having different approaches of trailers. Each one giving hints and small details in the film for the audience to understand what is going on. Another is the texture or design of the poster to have hints of what is going on. The color scheme for each poster is different which creates a different mood to the film.

Aspects I would used is consider how the color scheme of the poster will affect the overall mood of what the audience is going to expect. Also, to figure out which method of telling would be suitable for the genre and how to formulate it into a trailer that would befit the mood, tone, setting, and characterization of actors acting in the film.

Audience Engagement Research - Bird Box (2018)

The target audience of Bird Box is largely female audience which coincides with my target audience which is also female. Though the film Bird Box and I have those under the age of adulthood, there is a parental figure which is not shown in my film. Though parents in the audience taking the 15 years olds would be able to sympathize both films. The concept would be acknowledged that parents want to protect their children at all cost which Sandra Bullock is trying to do. She does not want her children to be taken away which would be the same for Bibi's parents when she gets kidnapped.

This is the poster for Bird Box which shows that all the characters are blindfolded for a purpose. The colors that stand out the most are that of the blindfolds. This puts emphasize of the blindfolds which would leave the audience wondering. Every thing is dark except for the blindfolds and that of the faces being lit up in the direction their going. This could be interpreted that they are heading toward the light and away from the darkness. 

Both trailers have long and short takes. The longer takes show more of the storyline and how they ended up there while the shorter takes have actions such as them going down the river and that of the reactions toward the creatures coming to get them. These elements show who the main characters' are and the objective of trying to find a safe place while running from their greatest fear. This creates suspense on what is going to happen next and will they ever find peace or will it always be a struggle to survive.

These are the billboards used to advertise the film coming out on Netflix. These billboards such as the one in the middle creates or makes it streamline to the building which would catch someone's eye because most billboards are not like this. Usually are horizontal than vertical. Also, these billboards are large and prominent with no other advertisements are shown which makes the person commuting focus singularly on these posters around the city.


















The first article is a marketing strategy by Netflix to create a wide and engaged crowd would be not discouraging those on the internet for spreading news through their followers by making a widespread challenge. Netflix only stated for everyone to be safe while doing the challenge. The challenge was to wear a blindfold while doing normal activities such as walking around the house and hopefully not falling down a flight of stairs. The second article was the director explaining what the target audience would be and how it would impact the audience. The director also states in the article on what the film is trying to achieve how it was done.

Some persuasive techniques would be having out of the thinking market campaign such as letting others advertise for you. The example being the Bird Box Challenge. Another is having large billboards around a populous area so it can be seen while people are commuting. Also, the way of revealing the characters in the trailers. It would start in the present or making their way toward the safe place but it also reverts back to how the family got into the situation and the purpose of the blindfold.

Aspects that I would use for my film would be considering the contrast of light and dark in my poster. Another to pick up on is what is my focal point of my film, how am I supposed to make suspense. How to give an understanding to the audience without revealing everything in one shot. Another is how to use social media to my advantages as well as how to figure the dynamics of the characters and how to portray in a poster.

Audience Engagement Research - Searching (2018)

The target audience would be that of a younger generation. It would be those in there early 20s. This due to the social media and technology aspect. Those of a younger audience could relate to the technology aspect used in this film too because they know or have learned how to operate social media and info readily available to them. This target audience is similar to mine because both audiences can relate to certain aspects such as going to school and the technology aspect with communication.

The film Searching uses posters to convey the simplicity of what the story is as of now. It has darker elements to show that there is something sinister or something dangerous that is lurking in the dark. It also has technological aspects such as showing different phones and a keyboard. There may be emphasis on technology used and that is important to the plot.

The trailer shows a frantic dad trying to find his missing daughter through social media. The director uses short takes of the social media to show how fast and how much media the main character which is the dad goes through. Then there are long takes which shows the dad in frustration and him struggling to find his daughter. These long takes shows more of a deeper emotion and reaction toward the situation that that of a short take. Also, with the combination of both short and long tapes. It creates suspense that time is ticking before his daughter is gone forever.

This is the website for the film. This links to the social media pages that are down below. The website also has the trailer for those that have not seen the trailer yet. There is a montage before this when initial clicked on the website. There was text messages and Facetime missed calls shown on the upper right of the screen with the name Margot which is name of the missing daughter. This creates an effect on the audience first entering the website to more intrigued on what is going on with Margot that they would investigate further to the website. Of course, this was on a phone which will have a smaller format but ideally having the same purpose. 

These are the social media pages for the film Searching. These social media accounts are helpful so that those can get their word out more and is able to have many different forms of media such as short video clips, pictures of posters, and could have other media such as an interview with the director could be put on there to help publicize the film more.

Speaking of interview, this helped give insight to the audience about what the director's thoughts and feelings about the film. An example, what the director thinks the film will portray and what is the overall premise without giving away too much detail. 

The persuasive techniques used would be the color theme throughout all of the various media. All of them have a darker color scheme. Many of the pictures shown above have black which emphasizes something is lurking in the shadows or mystery shrouded by darkness. In many of the pictures, it shows technology which is an imperative part of the film. This helps the audience know some context of what is happening in the film without explicitly saying it outright.

Aspects that I would use to market my film would be having posters, trailers, and social media to get the word out of my film. I would have a certain theme to my posters, trailers, and social media to have the audience know what will be shown in the film. I will also now have a color scheme and what would help indicate what type of film it is based on the my genre.

Art of the Title Class Activity

Today in class we analyzed some title sequences from artofthetitle.com. The one I thought was really well done was the title sequence I have reviewed before. The Panic Room stood out to me when I was doing research about it before for another blog post. I thought credits being interlaced with the scenes of the New York skyscrapers was unique. The credits were integrated onto the sides of buildings. Some of the credits were made to look like billboards which makes it stand out because the New York landscape, there are many different billboard and to make a credit as a billboard as more of a layer to the New York landscape.

The comments provided on the website was that The font of the credits in the beginning were big and bright which contrasted the darker buildings. The white of the font contrasted the darker shades of the skyscrapers. The shadows and reflections of the credits made it seem more realistic that the credits belonged on those buildings and not just simply taking up space. The large lettering makes it easy for the audience to see as well. It is very large which makes it ominous. Also, the Face your Fears is indirectly in the credits to makes the audience more curious on what is going to happen. The website also states that the large and perfect lettering in the middle of the dark and looming city shows that they are exuding power, money, and are unattainable.

Some aspects that I might use is having the same font for all of my credits. Also, I will take inspiration by interlacing or be better at making the credits look like they belong in the film that I am creating. One more idea, is having the transition of the credits being on screen be smoother than they are originally.

My Target Audience

My target audience would be 15 to 21 year olds. This is due to the younger generation wanting to find and get immediate reaction to what they are watching. Also, many that watch this is going to a school campus and would relate that this is a school. They would also relate to students hanging out at school with friends and having after school activities. It would also relate to those in band, orchestra, or those who play an instrument know how expensive an instrument is and that losing it would be a scary event.

It would relate to both genders. The female target audience would find this appealing because they would be curious of what would happen next. How the leads are going to find their missing friend. They would be curious and try to figure out how the leads are going to find the kidnapper and what they are going to do ahead of time. The male target audience would find this intriguing because it would get their attention that someone got kidnapped and would be excited to see the obstacles that the kidnapper would lie ahead for the friends that were trying to find their friend.

The geography that would mostly buy this genre is the Midwest and the Northeast. The Northeast because there are many books based in that area. Also, there is lot of people like going to the movie theaters to watch scary movies. The Midwest because there is a lot of the older generation like watching horror/suspense films and this passes to their children.

The income levels would be relatively low. This is due to 15 years olds not being able to drive and not have a job. The ones in this age category is just entering the workforce for the first time and would not have the experience needed for a high level paying job. They would be given minimum wage. The average income would be 23,322 for 16-19 year olds and 20-21 would be 29,770. This is on the low side, and would not be able to afford going to the movies and would be on special occasions.

The education level would be a high school diploma or a GED. The 19-21 year olds would be earning their degree in college or in the workforce. So, the level of education would not be high and some would not even have a high school diploma.

The personal interest that could help would be those that like Stephen King and James Patterson books. These books have both suspense and thriller and this film would catch their attention. Also, those who read Sherlock Holmes or mystery crime novels would be interested because this film would be how the two friends find their friend and capture the kidnapper. Another interest would be those who like horror films would be interested because thrillers are a subcategory of horrors.

My product would be appealing to my audience because it overlaps different genres that my audience could be interested in. There is suspense that leads up the to thrill of someone being kidnapped and those close to her have to find out where she is before she is gone forever. It will have the audience engaged because they would want to know what will happen and how will they find their missing friend. It is also relatable because it is in a school setting. A normal day becomes not so normal.

Feedback and Revisions

The feedback received was that I need to space out the dialogue and not cut to the very second that the actors stops speaking. Another revision that needs to be made would be having the voice actors project more. Also, to add more to the opening because it was short and to drag it out a little more by adding more scenes.

The revisions I plan to make is to reshoot some of the scenes where the actors tended to fade or have low voices. Another revision is to add more dialogue and go to a different location in the beginning, to catch the dialogue better.

I am going to be adding scenes to the opening to expand and give more detail on what is going on. For instance, I will be shooting in the cafeteria where Abby and Rebecca will be discussing on crimes that are happening at school. This would be other instruments going missing and those who played the instruments have gone missing as well.

I am also going to expand on the ending. There will also be dialogue about who could of done this and how they are going to be able to find their friend that is now missing. This will create more suspense which will lead to the audience wanting to know how Rebecca and Abby will be able to find help.

These changes will improve my product because this will give more depth for my film. It will also transition more smoothly because the audience will not be distracted by some of the sentences being cut off too soon. This will also help with sound as well because the audience will not have to strain their ears to hear what is being played.

I will carry out theses changes by reshooting at different locations, telling the actors to project more, and to create additional lines to the script to make the audience know what is going on. I will also be adding the scenes that were cut such as the over-the-shoulder of the thief watching the three friends converse. This will create mores suspense and I had to sit it before because it was the wrong scene. I will also have the thief change into darker clothing before to make it even more scary.

Use of Conventions

My product uses convention such as my actress running across the screen which like the scene in the beginning of The Silence of the Lambs. Although, I did not write about in a blog post. It was one of the films that I researched. This was to create suspense of who the person is running and why they are running.

Another use of convention would be the silence in the beginning. This creates suspense and would help establish the mood. The films that I researched, there was no talking in the beginning. The films that had the actors and actresses on screen in the opening had them going about their day or perform mundane everyday activities. I used that when I had two of the actresses playing cards to show there was nothing to worry about.

The social groups that are presented in the film I created was that there are high school students minding their own business when one of them is in need of help. This student is a band student, so there instrument would be invaluable to them. This creates suspense because where could have the student lost it and will they be able to find it.

The last social group would be that of the thief and kidnapper. The thief is another student which shows the audience that there are dangerous people all around and would not be able to suspect it. It shows that people should not let their guard down even in a safe setting.

Also, the setting creates a feeling of suspense. This is due to schools supposedly being one of the safest places to be. This crime would cause unease to not only the two other actresses attending the school but to the setting in general. This would cause unrest and create a suspenseful atmosphere after the band student gets kidnapped.