My Intentions (updated)

Within my research I found that the target audience for science-fiction drama was usually youth to adults between the ages of 16-30.  I came to this conclusion after visiting the Misfit’s website, where they have presented the home page with a large picture of young adults between the ages of 17-25. On the Smallville (another science-fiction drama) website the head image has the same thing, with the subsidiary images below this. On both websites there were screen grabs of the show, where action or supernatural happenings were taking place, which we usually associate with attracting male audiences, so we are led to believe that science-fiction dramas are predominantly aimed at males.

In creating a website aimed at an audience between the ages of 16-30, I will present a simple website that is easy to navigate around for a casual browser, looking at pages that include photos, videos and information on what the show is about, including character descriptions and their background history. In my research I found that a website is considered to be more interesting if the pages are simple and brief, and the layout of the website shows images related to the page links. The colours I will use will connote to the genre of the programme and also give an idea of what the programme is like; using dark colours will show the grittiness of the programme we intend to create. The 3 pages I intend to create will be the ‘about’ page, giving detail into the programme’s synopsis and where the idea has come from. It will also include a brief summary of each character, accompanied with pictures. This should contain content that will interest the audience and persuade them to watch the show. It will also give the audience a greater chance to connect with the characters and relate to them more easily, so that they understand the character’s history before the show and are not left questioning it throughout when the show is being aired. Other pages will show images, including screen grabs of the programme, location shots and character headshots, building up anticipation for its release. In addition, it will show videos showing the final product and interviews with the cast members about the show.

In creating our programme I intend to create an entertaining science-fiction drama, appealing to our intended target audience. When conducting research into the producers of the E4 products, a member of our group, Jake Hashdi, phoned the producers of the E4 science-fiction drama, Misfits. They told him that they never solely targeted their products at a particular audience; they aim to attract as wide as an audience as possible, but try and appeal to a lower class audience, as they are more likely to relate to the ‘real life’ issues within the programme. Therefore, the programme I intend to create will be targeted at males, aged 16-30 but will also appeal to any other audiences that enjoy the science-fiction genre. It will be aimed at those in the C2 grade of the NRS social class, as the toughness and grittiness will be easy for them to relate to, and the struggle of everyday life in the post-apocalyptic world will be entertaining to watch and escape to from the world around them.

Although the show we intend to create is a science-fiction drama with action and adventure sequences, it all creates a fantasy world that is entertaining to watch, but within this we intend to incorporate real life situations. E4 did similar things with their popular TV show, Smallville, and their story line of the main character losing one of his parents. This ‘real life’ element will make the show (putting the fantasy element aside) seem realistic, having a gripping storyline for all audiences to enjoy. Bearing this in mind, if we were to make the full episodes and season of the programme, we would make some episodes happy, some funny and some sad, appealing to a variety of audiences. We will stick strictly to the conventions of the genre whilst creating original content for audiences to enjoy. We will make efficient use of time when filming by making sure we have full understanding of how to use the equipment before we start filming and are familiar with the editing software before we start to edit.