The Audience

Keeping in mind the results of the audience questionnaire, we decided to grant the film a certificate 12 considering its mature themes. This certificate allows for a wide range of possible audiences, although I would still expect that the film wouldn't attract the attention of those under 15 simply because of its subject matter. I believe this is probably why the majority of candidates taking part in the questionnaire chose the 15 certificate as being the most suitable; a a 12A allows for children under the age of 12 to see the film if accompanied by a parent or guardian, but we wouldn't want that, so it seems most reasonable to opt for a certificate 12 - however, the certificate does not equate to what age group 'want' to see the film, but at what age viewing of the film becomes prohibited.

According to the BBFC, films granted with either a 12A or 12 certificate must handle mature themes in a manor that is appropriate to that of a young teenager.

Much like the certificate of the film, the genre also changes the potential audience of the film. I would say that a drama, for the most part, is a character driven story focusing on a series of events; they can be gripping, exciting and even emotional. This then, allows for a wide range of audiences to be interested in the film, thus creating a much larger audience range. If you think about, there is probably a sense of 'drama' in most films ever made - you can see from film websites such as IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, a film may be classed as a thriller, kids movie or even mystery/suspense, but they all may be labelled 'drama' too. This is why the drama genre bodes well for the short film; many may not be interested in horror movies, sci-fi or romcoms, but drama has the potential to incorporate elements of many genres into one eventful film.

 A short list of films, illustrating how varied a 'drama' can be; there are kids
dramas, sci-fi dramas, fantasy dramas, mystery dramas, etc, etc.

We would expect our short film to be watched mainly on YouTube. Other places it will available to watch are on Facebook and our blog. Each website allows for a different type of audience; Facebook and YouTube are more likely to attract the average viewer - considering the sheer number of uploads on YouTube, it's highly unlikely that friends and family will find our short film without guidance, so we will be pointing friends/family toward our film upon its completion.

YouTube - home to thousands of short films.

YouTube has always been great for aspiring video and filmmakers, with some short films gaining upwards of 10 million views. Judging by the views on YouTube, audiences tend to lean toward drama and action, with very little successful horrors. I think dramas prove so popular on YouTube because they can tell short, sweet stories in a small space of time.