MAJOR PROJECT: OUTPUT/AUDIENCE

Audience

Types of audience

Research into audience by Jeremy Tunstall of the City, University of London.

He puts audiences into groups, depending on watching habits how people watch films, television and media in general.

ENGAGEMENT

• PRIMARY AUDIENCE - (close attention) cinema and books 
• SECONDARY AUDIENCE - (media relegated to the background) Radio, some TV, music
• TERTIARY AUDIENCE - (although medium is present, no conscious monitoring takes place) pictures 

The aim of my film is to fall into the PRIMARY category as I would like it to warrant undivided attention due the subject matter I wish to portray. It is not like sitcom you could have in the background and most definitely no anything like a photograph in terms of ENGAGEMENT. 

BBFC

The British board of film classification

Originated in 1912 this independent, non-governmental body has been classifying films in the cinema for over 100 years and also video/DVD since 1984 and the introduction of the video recordings act.

• U - suitable for all
• PG - Parental guidance
• 12A - cinema release suitable for 12 years and over
• 12 - Video release suitable for 12 years and over
• 15 - suitable only for 15 years and over
• 18 - suitable only for adults 

This is the standard format that is recognised throughout cinema releases and home video/DVD. 

For Backbone I would look at the 15 rating for my film. 

As outlined in the BBFC guidelines of 2014 my film suits the 15 rating well. Because it contains: 

• It contains some strong language however in moderation (only 4-5 times swear words used throughout).
• It contains graphic bloody imagery, but not violence itself.
• There is also some threat involved, but again in moderation.

All of these points lead me to confirm at this stage that my film should be given a 15 rating if it were to be released today. 

Films I would relate Backbone to that are also 15 ratings:

End of Watch (2012) (Dir. David Ayer)

This film was given its 15 certificate for: contains strong language, violence and sex references.

There is some very graphic imagery and language in this film, I would say this goes into the upper echelons of what a 15 certificate can be. 

Backbone will not be this graphic or heavy in terms of language. Seeing this might suggest my film would belong in the 12A bracket, it is definitely somewhere in this area. 

Output

As a short film drama I would be aiming to screen at various short films restricting myself to Europe. To begin with, however this is what film festivals can do that is what they are there for to gain attention and growing respect for a film. 

Take Quentin Tarantino for example who begun his feature film career with Reservoir dogs which gained a standing and now a cult status due to its showing at the Sundance film festival in 1992. This caused the film to be recognised and subsequently shown on screens in the USA and the rest of the world grossing well over its original budget 1.2 million dollars. 

 I would like to aim my film at three different film festivals that would normally show this kind of film. 

Firstly Tallinn Black nights film festival is a fairly small festival in Estonia. It is only 20 years old so is building a standing in the field of the film festival. But this would be an ideal kind of festival to screen my film at. 

And example of a film that was shown there is 'Hunger' (2008) (Dir. Steve McQueen). This harrowing tale of the Irish Hunger strikes in 1981 Ireland starred Michel Fassbender and garnered huge indie acclaim launching the career of McQueen who went on to direct 2013's Oscars best picture 12 Years a Slave. 

Another option aimed at just short films is the London short film festival. With 1500 UK and international submissions per year this fledgling festival is the perfect national film festival to aim for my film to be shown at. 

Then there are options like the Watersprite international student film festival based in Cambridge and specifically catering to students. This would most likely be one of the first points of call for a student film like Backbone. 

As a totally outside the box hypothetical option a world famous European festival Berlinale film festival. The famous festival with 60 plus years under its belt has hosted such films as multiple Oscar winner 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' (2014) (Dir. Wes Anderson).

Format

As well as the planned screening of the film in the Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone it will be put online. 

YOUTUBE 

World renowned website Youtube is a great place to put the film for distribution, for more people to see it. As a free and accessible website Youtube can be watched all over the world and if specific people need watch the film then it is easily accessed and will be there indefinitely. 

VIMEO

Secondary platform similar to Youtube, Vimeo is a website which allows for very high quality video to be shown. It is less well known worldwide as Youtube, but it is very good for showing off short films. The site has a staff pick, and short of the week channel which scour around to find the best new short films uploaded to Vimeo. This could potentially be a really interesting route to screen the film rather than taking it to film festivals.