Audience

January 29, 2018

Audience

The target audience for most science fiction films are people aged 18-29. This is due to some mature themes or jump scares that are not suitable for young children. Each science fiction movie has a different audience pull. For example, the film Back To The Future had a predominantly male audience, with 149, 633 more males than females, aged 18-29, saw this film at the time of its release in 1985. Many blockbuster science fiction movies appeal more towards large male audiences. However, many of these stereotypes that science fiction films are only appreciated by males are starting to change and many women are now watching science fiction films. “SyFy network's viewership is "about 50-50" male and female. 67% of the audience of “‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ is female.” The “geek” culture associated with many popular science fiction movies, such as Star Wars, is becoming more mainstream. Fandoms regarding popular science fiction films are becoming more diversified with who their target audience is. There is a large diversity gap in science fiction films. The genre is lacking representation of many groups of people.

With my film, Blackout, I am hoping to appeal to everyone and have a diversified cast. More specifically, people who enjoy watching dystopian films with strong moral undertones. I want to target teenagers and young adults. I also want to portray a strong female lead that will appeal to girls to remember to always be the hero of their own story. This is why I based my plotline off of the disney movie Tangled. Rapunzel is a young and adventurous girl who seeks to find her own path. Her naivety towards the world around her makes her a relatable character because she doesn't know much about the world around her. This way, both she and the audience are experiencing the fictional world together as the plot line progresses. She represents the inner child of the audience and the curiosity towards the film’s world. These characteristics of Rapunzel are what I’m hoping to mirror with my female lead so that she is more relatable to my audience.

Side note: After further research I have discovered that my story line for Blackout is a science fiction version of the Rapunzel story. At least, the main female lead shares many similar characteristics as the fictional character Rapunzel. They both have lived in an isolated environment and undergo an adventure which they never thought was possible. Accompanied by a male lead character that helps them discover who they truly are.