TARGET AUDIENCE (RESEARCH)
I carried out a questionnaire to understand my audience and their thoughts on my overall idea to gather data on the target audience and being able to aim my project at the audience through better understanding and statistical analysis. By asking different questions I can alter my production to suit the audience better and to appeal to them more, allowing them to enjoy the video overall. For this project I originally was aiming to create a short film under the working name of ‘Transfer’ with the sole purpose to entertain an audience of the ages 15 and over, but can now see that my best suited target audience is between the ages of 16 to 19.
This questionnaire was important as it allows me to understand my target audience and what ideas they like or dislike about my idea, allowing me to alter some of my plans to best suit the audience. Many said that they thought it would be difficult to follow and would have to have a clear distinction between the dreams and real life, which I was aware of, but allows me to work on this to make it clearer and easily noticeable to the audience.
With this I am able to research the ratings that are expected for each age group and what shouldn't be included. 'In order to protect children from unsuitable and even harmful content in films and videos and to give consumers information they might need about a particular film or video before deciding whether or not to view it, the BBFC examines and age rates films and videos before they are released.' (Bbfc.co.uk, 2018) They look into discrimination, drugs, horror, dangerous and easily imitable behavior, language, nudity, sex, and violence when making their decisions of the age ratings, determining what is acceptable and what isn't for a young audience.
15 rating
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behavior, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.
Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse (for example, through instructional detail). The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.
Dangerous behavior (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is acceptable will depend on factors such as realism, context and setting.
There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.
There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. There may be nudity in a sexual context but usually without strong detail.
Sexual activity may be portrayed, but usually without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behavior, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic or sexual threat is unlikely to be acceptable.
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but the depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and justified by context.
Referenced From: Bbfc.co.uk. (2018). 15 | British Board of Film Classification. [online] Available at: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/15 [Accessed 20 Mar. 2018].
18 rating
Where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence
Where material or treatment appears to us to risk harm to individuals or, through their behavior, to society. For example, the detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sadistic or sexual violence which make this violence look appealing; reinforce the suggestion that victims enjoy sexual violence; or which invite viewer complicity in sexual violence or other harmful violent activities
Where there are more explicit images of sexual activity in the context of a sex work (see below) or where the primary purpose of the images in question is sexual arousal In the case of video works, which may be more accessible to younger viewers, intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.
I looked at these two age ratings to compare them as they are in the range of my target audience, allowing me to determine what I should include and which things I shouldn't. Although I plan to make mine PG there will be some violence included, this being good to research to understand the ratings. For a 15 they allow strong violence but not to dwell on the infliction, gore being unlikely whereas a 18 allows much more violent scenes to show the audience that the character enjoys hurting others. With this it allows me to understand that for my audience of 16 to 19 that I can show more violence but not to explicit for the younger ages, making it easy enough to carry out the violence and fight in my own production without having to worry about the age ratings.
Referenced From: Bbfc.co.uk. (2018). 18 | British Board of Film Classification. [online] Available at: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/18 [Accessed 20 Mar. 2018].
References
Bbfc.co.uk. (2018). 18 | British Board of Film Classification. [online] Available at: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/18 [Accessed 20 Mar. 2018]
Bbfc.co.uk. (2018). 15 | British Board of Film Classification. [online] Available at: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/15 [Accessed 20 Mar. 2018].
