Introduction
Hello everyone, it's Lauren again from Education wise on lesson three, which is all about target audience. Ien Ang and John Hartley discussed how in pre-production there should be an imagery entity must be created, so that they can see what the audience interests and lifestyle are to make their film appealing to their audience. This is important to producers as it gives them an idea of what their target audience interest are so that they can work with them within the film. The target audience for Titanic is mainly females as it links to Kate Domaille's theory of narrative type- Romeo and Juliet.
Gender
An example from Titanic that is appealing to a female audience is where Jack and Rose fall in love. The denotations of this scene is where Jack takes Rose to a lower class party, filled with alcohol, upbeat jazzy music and dancing. They first had a fancy meal with Roses upper class family, which really communicates the difference between the two classes. This links to Claude Levi theory of binary opposition, upper class vs lower class. The reason why it appeals to a female audience is because its the moment where Jack and Rose start to fall in love with each other, which will make the audience fall in love with their relationship. Titanic is a perfect example for Richard Dyer (1972) theory of "Star persona" as Leonardo DiCaprio who plays Jack the protagonist, personality is love films and this particular scene connotes love and passion. He is stereotyped to be a beautiful man with blonde and blue eyes to make the audience fall in love with him. Another example in the film Titanic that signifies that its' target audience is female is where Jack is seen/known as being the hero for saving Rose. The denotations of this scene is where Rose is wanting to kill herself due to the society she lives in, she steps over the railings on the ship leaning over to jump off. Fortunately Jack is there and persuades her to come back over the railing; however she trips and is dangling over the ship with Jack trying to pull her up. This connotes fear, trust and panic. The famous line is said in this scene "I wont let go", which is foreshadowed throughout the film. This is appealing to a female audience as it shows how Jack is a hero, linking to carl Rogers theory (1980) of ideal partners as the love connoted by Jack makes him attractive. This influences women who want to be saved by a loved one. At the disequilibrium part in Titanic there is a scene where a male audience would be intrigued is where the genre action becomes more involved. The denotation of this scene is where Carl the antagonist tries to kill Rose and Jack, out of jealousy. A male audience would be appealed by this as it is full of action and movement creating adrenalin and spectacle to the film. Another part of Titanic where a male audience would be intrigued by is where the ship crashes an Ice burg and starts to sink. This is appealing to males as it makes them question the technical side of it such as "How did they make the crash look so realistic?". It is also filled with action as the "unsinkable" ship is sinking into the Atlantic sea, which connotes fear, panic and distress.
Age
Titanic is filled with love and romance, which links to the genre of the film. The denotations of a love scene is where Jack takes Rose to the end of ships and holds here close where she is "On top of the world", love, companionship and comfort. This links to Carl Rodgers theory (1980) of ideal partners as we see Jack as this amazing person who a audience would see themselves with. This is relatable to age grouping in Titanic of 18 as Jack and Rose are around this age and it is a suitable age to fall in love with someone. There is also violence and gore involved in Titanic, for example where the antagonist Carl slaps Rose for being a bad finance as she has been seeing jack. This links to theory of binary opposition men vs women as Carl feels like he has more power and dominance over Rose due to the fact he's a man. This creates spectacle to the film which 18 years olds will be intrigued by. Another example of why Titanic is targeted at 18 year olds is sex and nudity throughout the film. The denotations of this is where Jack draws Rose naked, she lies on the couch where you can see her breast. The connotations of this scene is love, natural and passion. This is suitable to a 18 year old as they may relate it to their personal love life. Profanity is used in Titanic, Rose uses a hand gesture through the elevator window to a man who is chasing her and Jack around the ship, this is what is denoted in this scene. The reason why it is appropriate for a 18 year old is that under 18s could be influenced to do these actions to people, where as a 18 year old are more mature about the situations. A final example on why Titanic is targeted to 18 year olds is due to the fact it is educational to the audience, as well it will also be educational to a younger audience too. However an 18 and over will understand the context and the history behind Titanic as it is set in 1912. They will be able to see why there is binary opposition involved such as men vs women and higher class vs lower class, as the time Titanic happened there was social issues making the film more understandable.
Lifestyle
The lifestyles I have chosen are Settled Suburban's, Nest Builders and Urban Venture. NRS stands for National Readership Survey, what they do is look into lifestyle and spending power demographics and place certain people in categories. The lifestyle categories I have chosen for Titanic is Settled Suburban's. I have chosen this because of the history behind Titanic which is intriguing to a older audience (30-40), also for women the love between Jack and Rose is very intense and interesting making it appealing to them. An example of the genre of romance in Titanic is the sex scene between Jack and Rose where they make love. Hobbies including dinning would reflect a Settled Suburban audience as this would be a social hobby they would do frequently, which is included in Titanic. Another hobby a Settled Suburban audience does that is reinforced in the film is travelling, as the age group will be able to afford grand relaxing holidays which at first is connoted through the film. Urban Ventures will also be appealed by Titanic, as according to Richard Dyer (1972) theory of "Star persona" Leonardo Dicaprio personality is heart throb, he is stereotypically a handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes, which will intrigue a younger audience. Also travelling is a huge part of a Urban Ventures lifestyle as a majority of teenagers dream to travel and adventure is involved in the film Titanic. For a Urban Venture it links to Denis McQuail (1972) theory of escapism, as they get away from the real world, as teenagers face pressure in this modern world for example exams, being stereotyped and judged, so watching this film allows them to break away from it. Hobbies that are connoted though Titanic that would reflect on a Urban Venture audience is Jacks hobby of art, as this audience will be in education having the ability to study art, creating a hobby. Titanic would also intrigue Nest Builders as there is action involved in the film for example Cal (antagonist) tries to kill Jack out of jealousy as well the Titanic ship is sinking which involves a lot of special effects and technology interesting Nest Builders. Nest builders relate to demanding lifestyle such as starting families, careers and new homes. As nest builders will be very busy, due to the fact they will be starting new careers and families, watching Titanic also gives them escapism as they can relax whilst watching the film; However it also links to another part of Denis McQuail theory of building relationship as the action used in Titanic creates spectacle making a talking point between the nest builders.
Spending Power
Titanic falls in the National Readership survey social grade of spending power ABC1.CGI is used in Titanic to create the illusion and reality of the ship sinking in the Atlantic ocean. For example the denotations of this scene is where the Titanic has hit the ice burg and is breaking in half. This links to Denis McQuail theory of building relationships as this certain part of Titanic creates talking parts as it is spectacle allowing people to interact with each other. As CGI is used it makes the film more expensive and higher quality, linking to he social grade of spending power is ABC1, can afford a variety of merchandises such as blue rays and DVD's, as well as watching new films in the Cinemas. As well my audience would be able to go on holidays such as cruises like Titanic, and travelling as they have a lot of disposable cash to spend it on luxuries stuff. As Titanic is based on a true story and has a historical background, my audience will be able to afford going to museums learning in depth more about the history of Titanic. Linking to a cast member Roses mother she is very interested in her appearance such as make up, clothing and jewellery, for a women as well as a man due to the highly paid jobs they have the high income they earn will allow them to buy these merchandises linking them with characters within the film. Fine dining is used in the film for the higher class citizens, which will be relatable to some people in the audience as their disposable cash will allow them to eat in fancy restaurants with expensive drinks and food.
I know that was a lot to take in, but its all very interesting and informative! Join me in my next video where I will be talking about the Distribution and Marketing of Titanic. See you soon.
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