Audience Research & Media Theories

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For this final major project I am making a short coming of age feature film. I am writing the script myself which requires me to write the characters and take time to think about character development throughout my story. The character types and archetypes that are listed below accompanied by various media theories all help me understand the contexts and various elements of storytelling which will be the key to help me make a good short film.

Propp's Character Types

Vladimir Propp was a folklorist who was interested in the way characters interacted with the narrative. Propp believed that stories were character driven and plots develop from the decisions and actions of characters. He belived that characters can be classified into specific roles within the story. However you do not need to have every single character type in your story. Below we have:

The hero (Protagonist) - Usually the main character that is on a quest, the audience follows the hero's narrative

The Villain (Antagonist) - Struggles to stop the hero in their quest, opposes the hero to prevent them reaching their goal

The Dispatcher- Sends the hero on their quest

The Helper (Sidekick)- Helps the hero on their quest

The Princess - The hero's goal, it can come in the form of an object that the hero needs to find, or a reward that the hero gets after completing their quest

False Hero- They are a betrayer, they appear good but then turn out to be bad, they are usually punished in the end

The Donor- Prepares the hero for their quest or gives them an object, it can be combined with the role of a helper

Harry Potter one of the most famous franchises is a great example for this narrative thoery. The villian is Volemort who oppses the hero, Harry. The helpers are Ron and Hermione. The dispatcher who sets Harry on his quest to defeat the viallian in Dumbledore. The false hero is Draco Malfoy and the princess is Ginny/Harry defeating Voldemort. These character types are apparent and identifiable in every film, story and media text. You can see them in music videos, advertisments and in non fiction texts also. For example newspapers will often portray politicians as villains or hero's depending on if their policies are popular with the public or if they have done an honourable act.

The Breakfast Club (1985) is perhaps one of the best examples of a classic ‘coming of age’ plot. The film details the lives of five high schoolers stuck in a weekend detention together, only to have the misfit gang bond together despite their differences. This cast of characters are delineated by the conventional roles they fill: the Outcast, the Princess, the Jock, the Basket Case, and the Brain. The teenagers overcome the archetypes they’ve assumed in the hierarchy of high school and feel connected through their humanity in the end.

Character Archetypes

The types of characters that repeat in different types of stories. Not to be confused with character stereotypes. There can be more character archetypes than the ones i have listed below, however these are just the basic ones that most of us will recognise.

The Leader- A motivated brave person of action that creates a story full of momentum and action it can also create conflict which drives the story. Some common professions are (CEO, general, king/queen)

The Caregiver- The caregiver prioritises the needs of others over theirs and are good positive people that want to make the world right. They can also be an easy target for the villian.

The Seducer/Temptress- A charming, sly and manipulative person, they look out for themselves and get along with others for their own benefit. Some common professions are (detective, spy, salesman, thief)

the Rebel- This character archetype is individualistic and thrill seeking, they tend to be street smart and brave. They are interestwed in bending the rules to get what they want. Common professions are (spy, adventurer, criminal, cowboy) Think of Brad Pitt in Fight Club and Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club.

The Wildcard- This archetype tends to be unpredictable and impulsive in their actions, they are often humorous, creative and meddlesome. Common professions are (vagabond, artists, travellers, troublemakers) Think Walter in The bigger Lebowski

Star crossed lovers- A relationship that ends in tragedy. Think Titanic, and Romeo and Juliet.

The Professor- This character tends to be a logical problem solving genius. Think Sherlock Holmes and Spock in Star Trek.

The Outcast/Castaway- is often observant from a distance, they tend to be a loner and are viewed as weird. Think Brian the brain from The Breakfast club

Situational Archetypes

Archetype- An archetype is a perfect example or model of something, or the original model of something from which others are copied and it can serve as a basis for making copies. Situational archetypes can determine the stories theme and type of conflict. Situational archetypes are situations and plots that happen and repeat in different stories.

Some of these story archetypes are linked to binary oppositions which i will discuss later on.

Battle of Good and Evil - Good ultimately triumphs over evil despite great odds. It's the battle between two primal forces

Death and Rebirth - Shows the parallel of the circle of life and nature, thus winter or evening can connote old age and death and springtime connotes new life, youth and rebirth.

The Initiation - A character matures and takes responsibility, it takes on the form of an initiation into adult life and the adolescent will have a new found self awareness. (common in coming of age films)

The Hero’s Journey - The hero confronts trials along the way and has to find some sort of truth or necessity that will help him/her restore the kingdom.

The Magic Weapon - The hero has the ability to use this to be successful in the quest or to prove he or she is the chosen one. It symbolozes the special quality of the hero because only they have the ability to use the weapon.

Rags to Riches - A character rises from poor luck or station to a higher one

The Fall - A character falls from their station, they go from a higher to lower state of being (Adam and Eve)

Nature vs. Mechanistic World - This views nature as being good and technology as bad

The Quest - The search for someone or something that when brought back will restore order and fertility to a kingdom, soem examples include the holy grail or The Lion king

The Task - Something that must be done, not the same as a quest, the hero must perform a deed, for example Arthur pulls the sword from the stone

The Ritual- ceremonies that initiate experiences or a right of passage for a character. They can provide clear signs for the characters role in society. Weddings, funerals, coronations etc.

Supernatural intervention- The gods or a supernatural being intervenes and helps the hero or they can cause greater conflict. (Macbeth)

Binary Oppositions in Media

A pair of related terms or conepts that are opposite in meaning. Binary oppositions help us understand the structure of a story and it helps establish an equilibrium in the end. (in the beginning of a story there is usually an equilibrium which is then distrupted, the hero needs to then find a way to establish an equilibrium to restore order) An example of a Binary opposition is Good vs Evil, or nature vs mechanistic world (good vs evil is the most common opposition that we are shown in the media) . Anything that is an opposite and provides conflict within the narrative, so the hero needs to defeat the villain otherwise there would be no plot to the film. So certain situational archetypes above also link to binary oppositions.

Other Oppositions include :

Rich & Poor
Dumb & Smart
Strong & Weak
Young & old
Male & female
Fast vs slow
Human vs supernatural being
Sane & insane
Wolves & vampires

Good vs Evil (Batman vs Joker)

Human vs Supernatural (Ghost Busters)

Werewolves vs Vampires (Twighlight)

Gratification Theory - Blumler and Katz

The audience consumes media to fulfil one of our basic needs, the media gratifies these needs: they are

Diversion- the need for escapism and to distract from the mundane everyday life

Personal relationships- Using the media to fulfil the need for companionship and using the media to form relationships with others (social media)

Personal identity- using the media to find out about ourselves

Surveillance- using media to find out what's going on (news)

Linking this thoery to my FMP and coming of age film genre. One of the biggest appeals about the coming of age genre and teen movies in my opinion, is the fact that they are relatable, like the films directed by John Hughes for example. His films understand teenage problems and issues, we all want to fit in or be popular, we all struggle with our identity and self discovery growing up. We can almost find comfort in film characters who are going through something similar to us, we can form a personal relationship with them through this relatability. Partly the reason why teen films are so popular is because some of us are young or were all young once, so we can view the world through an adolescents perspective again while watching a teen film, we can see the world through a more naive, exciting and impulsive lens.

Audience Demographics & my Target Audience

This graph measures a populations socio-economic status. The target audience for my coming of age film are teenagers and young adults, which the coming of age/teen genre targets. My target audience falls into Generation z, people born between 1997 and 2012, who are teenagers and young adults. My film is most relatable to teenagers because the themes of my film deal with the discomfort of not knowing what to do with your life or what path you want to take as you grow up. I want my audience to be active when watching my film and listening to the deeper dialogue to take away the final message, which is that you don't need to have everything figured out right now in this moment.

All film and media have a target audience that they are aimed at. A B C1 social grades are more formal and earn higher because they have more administrative positions, tend to be older people more established in their career. Younger audiences sit at C2, D, E because they usually have manual jobs or don't work.

The Appeal of Coming of Age Films

One of the main reasons why I think the coming of age genre is so loved is because a coming of age film can either show us something we are going through or something that we have been through before. For viewers it can bring back feelings of nostalgia from when they were an adolescent and make us relive those prime memories and moments from our youth that make us who we are. The most personal moments can be captured on film, and coming of age films showcase the feeling of growing up that every person can relate to, it doesn't matter if the film is set in an other country or culture, or time in history, the audience will still be able to reflect upon their own experiences through the character. When a character is forced to grow up or emotionally mature we can all see ourselves in the characters position. As mentioned earlier, the relatability of teen films is what makes them so popular, because we were all young once and know whats it's like to not fit in or want to be popular or date, we find comfort in a character going through something similar to us and struggling with their identity and adulthood.

As a teenager in todays society its interesting to see how coming of age films idolise and romanticise adolescence, creating a perfect perspective on experiences when growing up. Normal experiences like friendships, relationships, growing up are turned into these perfect preserved moments of youth. There is even a self comparison that one can make and I have made before, where I want my adolescence to be as exciting as a coming of age film. Simply because youth is so romanticised in the media, everything is full of vitality through the eyes of an adolescent, we are so naive to the truth of the world around us at that age, maybe it's this yearning to be young again and be as carefree that makes a coming of age film so special to us.

The production studio A24 has created some spectacular coming of age films that strip down Hollywood teen films and show a more gritty reality, where the character is not a perfect teen living in a suburban utopia. One of my favourite films 'Eight Grade' is just so real and raw in what it's like to be in school and want to fit in, her awkwardness and unique look make her seem like an average person we can all relate to. Growing up is hard, it's full of acne, angst and mood swings, A24 recognises how important it is to commemorate the bad in life, they accept all narratives while representing the average on screen. For example Mid 90s is one of my favourite films because of how real it is, it's not a glamorous ambiguous view on teenage life like 'Clueless', we see a kid who comes from an abusive house hold do anything to fit in with a group of local skaters. Or 'The Florida Project' about a six year old girl who goes on her own adventures while, a motel manager and her mum try to protect her and her friends from the harsh world around them. The grittier films hit closer to home, because the setting and narrative has the heavy element of relatability.