Audience Use and Gratification Theory

What is it?
Audience theory strives to ask three questions; why do audiences choose certain media, how do they consume this media, and what happens when they consume it? Audience use and gratification theory asks why and what people do when they choose to consume a media rather than the media's affect on the actual audience. It believes that rather than the media being forced onto an audience, the audience willingly chooses the media in order to gratify their needs. Audience use and gratification theory works on the idea that the relationship between the audience and the media has evolved to the point where the audience no longer simply consumes the media but becomes a part of it. The audience choose a certain type of media to fulfill their gratification therefore it is up to marketing to win the audience's gratification over competing medias.

Audience and Media Relationship
An audience can interact with a media in numerous different ways. An example would be writing a review on a movie rather than just watching it, or even just talking about the movie on social media counts as interacting with the film rather than consuming it. People start conversations about TV shows or films and media has become a part of our everyday lives. But because of this, it's believed that audience use and gratification theory is false because we have become so addicted to the media it is no longer an option to willingly choose not to consume it. The media is everywhere whether we want to see it or not. Therefore it's the media that has influence over the people and not the other way around. This has come around with the growth of the media. We can now have more control over the media we consume and how we can interact with it.

Criticism
This theory excludes marketing strategies that target a specific audience group. For example, marketing campaigns assume that women are the general audience for romance films therefore it doesn't market towards a male audience therefore goes against the audience use and gratification theory. But this theory would apply to my own psychological thriller film because it's targeted towards a niche audience that typically explores various films whether they are independent or low budget. Therefore my targeted audience is very open age and gender-wise as it's the type of audience that doesn't follow general trends or fads. 

The theory also suggests we have some form of control over the media which many believe is not true. The media is everywhere from advertisements to television and can have influence over our lives without us even realising it. This happens at a very young age, maybe even before we our conscious of what influences us. An example of this would be children's television shows such as Bob the Builder which is a show clearly targeted towards young boys and first plants the idea that a male role is typically filled with manual labour whereas girls are introduced to shows such as Barbie which introduces feminine elements such as dresses, hair and makeup. This follows up into adulthood where the typical daytime shows revolve around cooking or house refurbishing - shows that have a general audience of housewives. The general public also does not have much control over the information shared across the media. Newspapers decide what information they want to prioritise such as having a celebrity on the front page rather than an update on the Syria crisis. 

My Target Audience

Psychological thrillers prioritise storytelling over visual elements which means they can often be unpopular amongst the mainstream film audience. Because of this, my film marketing will be targeting a niche audience. Because my film will mainly be shown in independent cinemas or art houses, it's important that it targets directly towards a certain target audience in order to generate a profit. A niche audience is typically mature therefore my target audience would be over 18 years old. Therefore the age range of my target audience would be 18-45 years old. Most psychological thrillers will typically have either a 15+ or 18+ rating therefore this suits my target audience. 

Despite psychological thrillers being aimed towards a more mature audience, the majority are given a 15+ rating in order to gather a bigger revenue since psychological thrillers do not easily make a large amount of money like blockbuster movies. An older audience is more suited to a psychological thriller film because whereas a typical teen audience is looking for a thrill-seeking horror or eye-catching cinematography, a mature audience is more likely to be looking for a film with an interesting plot and characters. Despite teens typically being the generation most associated with social media, the adults within my age range are also likely to have access to social media so it is still possible for me to use social media sites such as Facebook and Youtube for marketing strategies. 

Since my film will be targeting a niche audience, they will be the type of people who regularly watch independent films such as The Machinist and Memento, films that are out of the ordinary and not popular amongst the general audience. This type of audience would also be considered 'film buffs' and watch an endless amount of movies within their spare time. This type of audience will also not mind watching low budget films such as American Psycho and Donnie Darko as they focus more on storyline and character development of a film rather than cinematography and action.

My target audience won't have a certain gender to it as both male and females are in a typical niche audience. This is opposed to, say, and action movie which would target towards a male audience as it's usually men who are interested in action. 

Because independent cinemas and art houses tend to be more expensive with food and drinks yet cheaper on the ticket, watching a film at an independent cinema isn't a typical night out with friends. Therefore my mature target audience would be there for the film rather than a good night out with friends.

Codes and Convetions of Psychological Thriller

My chosen genre for my film is Psychological Thriller, I chose this genre because I wanted to create a niche film trailer and thought this genre fit in really well with that type of film. Psychological genres also open up the ability for more artistic scenes since one of the most common themes of psychological thriller is the difference between appearance and reality. 

Methods of Distribution

Creativity Evaluation

Link: Creativity Evaluation Mind Map

Psychological Thriller Timeline

Timeline of the Most Well-Known Psychological Thriller Films

1940s

Rebecca (1940)

Rebecca is about a young woman who is a ladies' companion and falls in love with a wealthy businessman. The two fall in love and move in together but she finds out that he is still obsessed with the death of his previous wife, Rebecca. The psychological thriller genre applies to this film through the moral dilemma of being an accomplish to this man despite having an inkling that he was involved in the death of his wife. It also deals with perception vs reality and whether these accusations are all inside the narrator's head.

Spellbound (1945)
Spellbound is about Dr. Edwardes who is a famous psychiatrist arriving at Green Manors mental asylum after the previous head retires. He then falls for Dr. Constance Petersen who goes on the run with him once she realises he is a paranoid amnesic imposter. Constance then tries to help the man with his condition and also find out what happened to the real Dr. Edwardes. Psychological thriller comes into this through the use of the imposter's amnesia and the moral choice of choosing to try and help him despite his potential crime.

1950s

Rear Window (1954)
Rear Window is about a photographer who has been in his office for weeks after suffering a broken leg. With nothing to do but look out the window and spy on his neighbours, he soon becomes frustrated. But then he witnesses one of his neighbours taking part in a potential murder and must use the help of his nurse and girlfriend in order to find the trust. The genre of psychological thriller comes into this movie through the use of the audience's uncertainty in whether the main character is right in his assumption or not. There are times whether the audience begins to feel maybe all of this is in his head from weeks of being locked up in his apartment.

Vertigo (1958)
A retired detective who suffers from acrophobia is asked by an old school friend to investigate his wife who he believes is going insane and may be contemplating on suicide. She believes she is the reincarnation of a woman who died many years ago. The psychological thriller genre is explored in this film through the use of both the main character's acrophobia and the wife's mental state. It explores the possibilities of her being actually insane or some other truth.

1960s

Psycho (1960)
A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client and goes on the run. She settles at The Bates Motel managed by Norman Bates, a shy man who is dominated by his bedridden mother. Psychological thriller comes into this movie both by the moral dilemma the main character faces when she must choose whether to use the money and get away or turn herself in. Another aspect of psychological thriller films is the mental state of Norman Bates that the film focuses very heavily upon.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Rosemary and her husband move into an apartment together despite warnings that the place has a bad history. The neighbours are friendly and her husband begins to spend a lot of time with them. But suddenly, Rosemary becomes pregnant and begins to have nightmares and fear something may be wrong with her baby. The psychological thriller genre applies to this film through the mental state of Rosemary as she begins to doubt her baby's health. It challenges the question of whether something is actually wrong with the baby and the neighbours are planning something, or whether it's all in her head.

1970s

The Conversation (1974)
A secretive surveillance expert spies on people for a living. When he believes one of the couples he is spying on may be murdered, he jumps into action in finding out who the murderer is, allowing his obsession to part him from his personal life. Aspects of the psychological thriller genre are included in this film through the mental state of the main character. We are left to question whether his suspicion is real or if it's paranoia.

Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver is about an ex-marine Vietnam war veteran who works night shifts as a taxi driver. He's a lonely man who has strong opinions against the way the world works. Slowly sinking into depression and relying on his night shift to solve his insomnia, Travis is a very troubled man. When the woman he falls in love with rejects him, Travis makes it his mission to save a young prostitute called Iris from her pimp. Psychological thriller is brought into this film through the use of Travis' mental state. He suffers from a lot of mental problems which begin to deteriorate even more as the film goes on.

1980s

Fatal Attraction (1987)
When a happily married man decides to sleep with another woman whilst his wife and daughter are away on an extended weekend, he soon realises the woman he is sleeping with will not let him go and will try anything to keep their relationship together - even if it means harming herself, him, or his wife and child. The psychological thriller genre applies to this film through the use of the moral dilemma of the main character cheating on his wife, and the mental state of the woman he sleeps with and how it effects everyone within the film.

1990s

Misery (1990)
When a best-selling novelist is involved in a car crash, he is pulled from the wreck by his 'number one fan' who makes an attempt to nurse him back to health but does not tell anyone she has taken him. But when she finds out he killed off her favourite character in his latest book, she begins to punish him. The aspects of the psychological thriller genre come into this film through the mental state of both Annie and Paul as he has to live through her torture.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
When a young FBI agent is assigned to help find a missing young woman, kidnapped by a murderer who skins his victims, she must confide in cannibalistic psychopath, former respected psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter. But Lecter is extremely clever and manipulative, she must first gain his trust and work around his games in order to find the girl alive. Psychological thriller is applied to this movie through the use of the relationship between Clarice and Hannibal. We're given an insight on both their mental states and how they can work together in order to find this killer.

Se7en (1995)
Two homicide detectives track down a serial killer who is killing people in the style of the seven deadly sins. Psychological thriller comes into this film both through the mentality and the ethical dilemmas the detectives have to go through in order to catch this killer, and the mentality of this psychopath who believes his murders are for the 'greater good'.

Fight Club (1999)
A nameless insomniac and soap salesman meet and decide to form a new type of therapy for men to take out their aggression; a fight club. But things soon get out of hand when the group ends up becoming an anti-capitalist terrorist organisation. The psychological thriller aspects in this movie are seen through the mentality of 'the narrator' as he struggles to cope with his insomnia and what's going on around him.

2000s

Memento (2000)
After suffering a head injury when robbers break into his house and murder his wife, Leonard can no longer make new memories as his mind is wiped every few minutes. With his last memory being of his wife dying, he's on the hunt for the killer. This film shows psychological thriller aspects through Leonard's condition and his struggle to come to terms with those who he can or cannot trust.

Donnie Darko (2001)
Donnie suffers from daylight hallucinations, when he comes across a giant bunny rabbit called Frank, who warns him the world will soon end. Donnie tries to fix things. But his mentality prevents him from doing this and his hallucinations start prompting him to commit acts of vandalism and worse. The psychological thriller genre comes into this film through Donnie's mentality as he struggles to cope with his hallucination and reality.

Insomnia (2002)
Two homicide detectives are sent to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. But when one accidentally shoots and kills his partner in an attempt to track down the murderer, he decides to cover up his tracks rather than admit to the unfortunate crime. The guilt of killing his partner begins to takes its toll on him and now he's determined to catch the murderer. But another young detective has begun to deduct her own investigation of looking into the truth of his partner's death. Psychological thriller comes into this both through the audience's tension of seeing whether the detective catches the murderer or not, and through the mentality of the detective as he deals with his guilt and the insomnia that is brought on from it.

The Butterfly Effect (2004)
From early childhood Evan has suffered 'blackouts' where he will wake up and not know what just happened. His friends and family all start to believe he is using them as a way to get out of trouble. Now Evan is grown up and the blackouts have stopped, but when he goes back and decides to read one of his old diaries which he used to record events before the blackouts, he realises he has the ability to go back in time and change the outcome of the events during these blackouts. The psychological thriller aspect comes into this film through Evan's ability to change time and also how it affects those around him. But it also reaches the moral and ethical dilemma of changing time, even if it is for the greater good.

2010s

Shutter Island (2010)
U.S marshal Teddy Daniels is sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient at Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital, a mental institute for those too dangerous and troublesome for normal hospitals. But when he starts uncovering shady secrets from the hospital and finds them refusing to give him access or tell him about certain information, he starts to suspect they are in on something. Psychological thriller comes into this film both through the tension of finding this missing patient, and also the audience seeing the main character's struggle between his presumptions and reality.

Black Swan (2010)
Nina is a very dedicated ballerina and when the current main casting of the latest Swan Lake production requires a replacement, Nina is the first choice. But although she can perfectly portray the innocent white swan, she doesn't have the dark passion to portray the black swan. Desperate to remain in this role, Nina pursues this dark passion and slowly descends to madness. Psychological thriller comes into this film through the mentality of Nina as she slowly descends to madness.

Gone Girl (2014)
On his 5th wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne finds his wife, Amy, has gone missing. Soon, both the media and police begin to turn on him, questioning his lies and strange behaviour which ultimately leads to the question; did Nick Dunne kill his wife? Psychological thriller comes into this film through the relationship between Amy and Nick and their mentality before and after Amy's disappearance. The audience is lead to both agree and doubt with Nick as it is revealed he may not be as trustworthy as he seems.

Apply the Aesthetic Explanation of Post-Modernism to a Trailer (Romeo and Juliet, 1992)

Aesthetic is when things look a certain way. An aesthetic explanation of post-modernism would mean the picture has a 'kitsch' look to it which means it is tasteless but purposely tasteless, it would include 'bricolage' which is a collage of various things, or it could also include 'intertextuality' which it two texts linking together or referencing each other. Here are parts of the Romeo and Juliet trailer that suit this description:

• Bricolage is used in the mixture of modern times and old English language. This combination appears odd to the audience as this combination does not fit well together.
• The costumes within the film are very 'kitsch' with Juliet wearing an angel costume and Romeo wearing a suit of armour. The brightly coloured shirts the gangs wear are also very unflattering and 'kitsch'.
• The shiny and fake looking guns would also be considered kitsch as they are fake looking and cheap.
• The scene with Romeo and Juliet looking at each other through the fish tank would be considered a kitsch use of camera work. The fish swimming over their faces looks like bad CGI and is very unflattering.
• The old-fashioned grunt-styled subtitles would also be kitsch as it makes the film look more dated than it actually is and can also come off cheesy looking.
• Helicopter fights in a Shakespeare adaptation would represent bricolage as it is, again, the combination of helicopters and the old-fashioned fight scenes in the Shakespeare play. 
• The odd looking facial hair and hairstyles of the gang members would be another thing that's considered kitsch.
• The almost apocalyptic looking scene on the beach looks very odd and out of place, this would be both kitsch and bricolage due to the bad CGI making it look cheap but the bricolage being applied with the combination of an apocalyptic setting within a film set in the 90s. 
• The closeups of character's faces as they speak is another example of kitsch camera work.
• The neon lit religious symbols would also be kitsch as it is trashy looking.
• Gang members flipping and kissing their guns whilst tearing their shirts is very cheesy is another kitsch addition.