Potential Audiences for Short Films

Potential audiences for short films vary from that of a feature length film and the variety of the audiences will often be cut down.  In trigger films such as 'Gravity' we see how it would not be suitable to show to children below the age of 15 due to the controversial themes and events it carries.  However this would be better suited to an audience of between 15-19 who would have a better understanding of the themes and message.  

Furthermore as short films do not have the incentive of making profit, the funding and distribution process will differ from that of a feature length film, which will also affect the audience they target.  As the incentive of making money is out of the question, short film makers often make 'trigger films' which are shown in schools for education purposes.  However if a director is looking to promote himself then the audience for the film will depend on the theme and genre of that short film. For example 'Panic attack' by Fede Alvarez would be best suited for male 15-25 year olds as the theme of sci-fi/action is popular amongst this age group.  Directors will have to decide on their target audience before the production phase as they need to decide what themes will appeal to that particular age group.  For example if a director wants to make 'chick flick' , they will generally be looking at a target audience of women between the age of 14-30.  By knowing this it aids the director in terms of themes and content to include in the film.  

When looking at potential and appropriate audiences for our short film it is important to consider the BBFC when deciding the content within that film.  An 18 rating restricts the number of viewers and would most likely be a film containing a lot of horror/violence.  A 15 rating would also allow similar themes however of a more subtle nature.  I believe our film will be a 12 rating with little or no violence in order to appeal to a wide range of teenagers.  Furthermore we aim to target a teenage audience as they are the most likely group to be able to view our work through distribution points such as the internet.