Thrillers are an adrenaline's dream, finding exactly what draws them to films are important to know especially when creating my own film opening.
When looking at the demographics the "sweet spot" for audience is between the 18 and 44 age bracket. Another key component when considering which bracket you want to hit is figuring out what the Protagonist in the story, for example, if the protagonist is about a campus killer then it'll pull in gen z meanwhile if it's about a middle aged detective it'll resonate with boomers more. if the protagonist is the "who" that attracts your audience the sub-genre is the "how" that keeps them there. If they like the protagonist in the film but doesn't align with their taste and vibe then they wont stay which is where strategy comes into play. Instead of marketing your film for a certain audience you can promote the "campus killer" meanwhile promoting the layers and sub- genre's of the film.
Moving onto how production teams track their audiences, in Hollywood finding an audience is the first thing they do even before production begins. By monitoring trends teams move into "Thin- Slicing Profiling" which moves beyond age and gender, these teams use "Lookalike modeling" to find viewers with certain browsing habits. Once they track your browsing habits algorithms then ensure that the trailer is the first thing they see.
This process continues through "Test Screenings" where they get a group sample of people to watch the movie and use heart monitoring devices to track their raw reactions and ensure that the jump scares and plot twist are perfectly aligned.
Reflection
Learning about all these different techniques used to draw in audiences made me realize that creating a thriller opening is an art form. In order to succeed I have to make sure that I can balance the human element and sub genre and pacing to create the perfect story for adrenaline junkies. See you in my next post!
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-quadrant_movie
https://www.appier.com/en/blog/lookalike-modeling-an-effective-way-to-find-high-value-prospects
https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-filmuniversitaet/files/334/DissertationJannisFunk.pdf
https://www.moneysupermarket.com/broadband/features/science-of-scare/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359165765_Biometric_Signals_Reveal_How_Audiences_Engage_With_Stories
https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/carry-on-release-date-news-photos
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228696967_Video_Surveillance_in_Hollywood_Movies
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