Welcome back everyone! Now that question one has been answered, it is now time to answer question two (or the second part of my first CCR video), which is how do audiences engage with the opening and how could the film be distributed as a media text? Let’s get started!
As a modern action and crime film, the audience is primarily engaged through the gathering of attention through a few ways including the use of an enigma code, continued use of tension, the plot twist that happens midway through the opening, and the use of realism. The enigma code more specifically, poses questions that the audience may ask about certain events within the opening due to information that is not specified or withheld on purpose, such as what exactly are the dealer and buyer’s motives or about the situation in particular. Since audiences would naturally want their questions answered, they would keep watching as a result. The tension that is established throughout the film is what allows audiences to anticipate or guess what might happen next. The plot twist (the part where the dealer suddenly kidnaps the buyer) is what keeps the plot interesting for audiences and also works to make the film more unpredictable which still allows for audiences to anticipate something but won’t allow audiences to predict how the entire film would go at the same time. And finally, realism gives a sense of familiarity and makes the film feel believable to audiences which in turn, increases immersion within audiences and the film.
Distribution wise, since this was only meant to be done as an inexpensive school project by amateurs and not done professionally or with high budgets often seen in many hit films, we are limited in what we can do to distribute as much as we can but there are a couple things that we could do realistically. First, uploading the opening (along with the two CCRs) to YouTube is a viable choice as it is virtually free and is easy to do as well. Another slightly more advanced but more rewarding option would be to submit the opening to a small film festival. This would help to show the opening to attendees and help spread the word about the opening as well depending on what audiences think about it. This option is more rewarding because it would expose the opening to more audiences compared to YouTube where people must search for the video manually and it wouldn’t be marketed as much either compared to a film festival.
But if we were to put realistic goals for distribution aside, streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Hulu could be considered as these can make a great difference in terms of marketing and distribution of the film. Theatrical releases could also be possible to add a more immersive experience to audiences who want a more traditional way of viewing films.
Finally, action and crime based films often appeal to more younger audiences such as teenagers and younger adults. Because of this, I believe that people aged between 16-35 would be the best kind of audience for a film like ours. It would also help if the audience is interested in more action filled, possibly intense films obviously.
Here is the second part of my first CCR’s script where I answer this question:
BEGINNING:
Moving on to the second question, the film engages with audiences in a variety of ways. The first of these includes the use of enigma code which is where the audience will ask questions in their heads in response to the withheld information about the characters, their motives, or the situation and attracting their attention to the film even further after first paying attention to the film.
Along with that, the tense environment that is invoked within the film helps to motivate audiences to develop some anticipation about what happens to someone or what might someone do right after someone does something. For example, someone might anticipate that something bad might happen to the buyer after the exchange between the buyer and the dealer as the buyer looks to be completely alone at first which might tell someone that something is about to happen (in this case, something does happen and the buyer ends up gets kidnapped).
Additionally, the plot twist where the Buyer gets kidnapped by the Dealer and the use of realism throughout the film both work together to not only make the film more interesting and keep viewers watching, but also to add a sense of familiarity and believability which allows audiences to feel more immersed in the film and possibly even allow audiences to relate to the film depending on their personal life experiences.
And as for how this film could be realistically distributed, the most likely option for an effective and cheap distribution would be to post the openings and the two CCRs to YouTube where they could be viewed at any time by anyone. A submission to a small film festival could be possible as well but at the time of recording, neither me or my partner have decided to submit to any film festival and we don’t know whether we would like to or not.
And finally, with this being an action and crime based film, we intend to have an audience with the age range between teenagers and younger to mid age adults. More specifically, ages 16-35 years old. It would be obvious to say that fans of crime and action films would appeal to this film, especially if they would like a mix between the two genres.
And just like that, that is all for the first CCR, I hope you now have a better understanding of our film opening and how we went along with it. The next and final CCR will focus on a more personal reflection rather than a research based reflection like this CCR was. See you then!
END OF VIDEO
Here are the sources that I used :
Media Studies. (n.d.). Barthes’ narrative codes. https://media-studies.com/barthes-codes/
Raindance. (2021, September 21). The first 5 minutes: 5 types of movie openings that hook audiences instantly. https://raindance.org/the-first-5-minutes-5-types-of-movie-openings-that-hook-audiences-instantly/
British Film Institute. (2023). BFI statistical yearbook 2023. https://www.bfi.org.uk/industry-data-insights/statistical-yearbook
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