Target audience

The snowman (1982) Rated U

Whiplash (2013) Stripped (2016) The audition (2015)

Purple Lamborghini (2016)

Rated top 5 short films by imdb. When researching target audiences in relation to short films, it is clear that there is a pattern of not only genre, but also in ratings. Although most short films are not officially rated, it is clear that the majority of non animated short films are directed at an older audience. They all show similar themes of either violence, action or themes of an unsuitable nature for children. It is rare to find a non animated short film that is directed at a younger audiences, and from my research I found that there is a clear separation in the short film industry, a separation between children's short films and the regular short film. Children's short films are normally animated and are usually a continuation of a full length film. More popular short films in the industry are focussed at young children and this is because the length is easier for them to consume. However this is not the audience that we are planning to target as we are hoping to focus on the more niche side of short films.

The shot films that we have predominantly been focussing on do not have specific ratings, but are mostly focussed on an older audience. This is because many short films are artistic forms of film and so are more prepared to venture into the more artistic side of film making allowing a lot less restriction in storyline. Therefore they are more likely to have scenes of a sensitive nature that would not be suitable for children. For example ‘he took his skin off for me’ a truly beautiful film, which strongly provokes a visceral reaction which borders on vulgar, however the film is made to provoke these emotions as many short films are. They are made to make you think and feel. These specific short films are from the website short of the week, which we have been using as a secondary source of information and research. They all have very different storylines and are of a separate genre, but it seems through our research that short films have their own specific target audience as each film although of a different genre attract frequent viewers of short films. Through our research we have decided to chose quite a niche target audience to focus on as short films are not as focussed on in the film industry and so we decided to focus of the artistic side of short films, targeting audiences that are attracted to at form of the film. We are aiming to target 15+ as we do plan to include some swearing. Primarily we are targeting those who suffer or have suffered with mental illness but also those who want to learn more.