Audience Research & Guidance

Se7en is a thriller film that was released in 1995, directed by David Fincher and stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. This is the chart of ratings and the percentage of people that have voted for various values (1-10) in terms of rating for the film Se7en. As you can see this film has received quite high ratings with the highest percentage being 33.6% of people rating the film at 9. The overall average rating of the Se7en is 8.7/10 from 501,695 people.

Here you can see the user ratings of the film and the average rating they gave. It is clear that males are the target audience of this film. The main age range target seems to be men aged between 18 -29. Looking at the theme of violence that is involved in this crime thriller, along with the fact that the two protagonists are men explains how men aged 18 - 29 are the main target audience. Also the fact that the film has an 18 film certificate means that the film inevitably cannot be targeted towards teenagers. Mostly everyone in the film is also an adult so the characters relate more to an adult audience. Also the highly suspenseful plot the film follows as well as Se7en's mind-twisting enigma codes wouldn't really be something that children can understand. This once again reinforces the fact that the film is only suitable for adults.

Memento is a thriller film released in 2000. It is directed by Christopher Nolan and stars Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss. This is the chart of ratings showing the films rating and percentages of people who have rated it from 1-10. The highest percentage of the films rating is a 9, in which 30.5% of people voted showing that the film is highly rated amongst many people. The average rating of Memento is 8.6/10 from 458,885 people.

This is the user ratings de-constructed for Memento showing the ratings from people in various groups. Looking at the gender section men seem to be the main consumers of the film. Specifically men aged 18-29 are the biggest age group the film is rated by and seems to be Memento's target audience. The film has a certification of 15, meaning that obviously all those aged under 15 are not targeted. Looking at the protagonist of the film, he relates well to the films target audience as he is aged around 18-29 and a man as well. This allows the target audience to identify with the main character. The films confusing enigma codes as well as non-linear narrative inevitably means that the film cannot be directed towards a younger audience as they wouldn't understand. All main characters of the film are adults, so children and teenagers cannot really relate to them either. Drugs, violence and strong language also means that younger people (under 15) cannot be targeted as an audience as they could not watch Memento.

Shutter Island is a thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley and Mark Ruffalo. This is the chart showing the percentage of people who voted for various ratings of the film, the ratings being from 1-10. The highest rating from people is an 8, in which 30.4% of people voted for. The average rating of the film is an 8/10 from 329,631 people.      

This is the user ratings from various groups, looking at age and gender it is clear to see men aged 18-29 are the main target audience of Shutter Island. The film has a certification of 15, inevitably meaning those under 15 will not be targeted for the film. Mostly all characters in the film; as well as the protagonist are male adults who relate well to the target audience of 18-29 males. The use of flashbacks, non-linear narrative, and confusing enigma codes - Shutter Island would be to confusing for children and young teenagers to understand. The use of nudity, strong language and disturbing violence also guarantees Shutter Island to be unsuitable for an young immature audience.

 From looking at the target audiences of all these thriller films, they mainly target men aged 18 -29, which is also similar to our films target audience (18 - 30). Studying the films it is evident how they contain confusing storylines and mature themes, therefore only appeal to mature audiences.