Concerns and Target Audience

     With the new message I want to convey through the short film in mind, my main concern is that it may come out as too cliché or childish. In order to bring some clarity to my uncertainty, Nico and I had a conversation with our teacher. I mentioned wanting to make a happy, feel-good short because I have already tried other types and would like to see something nice for a change. She agreed with the idea of keeping the film happy because there is too much negativity in the world already. However, when I mentioned making it “cute,” my teacher said that life is full of nuances, therefore nothing is tied into a perfect bow such as “cute” films make them out to be. This made us realize that we have to leave some questions unanswered to keep it realistic.
     When discussing my concern with the idea being too childish, my teacher made us open our eyes to something we hadn’t even considered…making it for a younger target audience. This would eliminate the issue of it being too childish because it is meant for children to enjoy. As for being too cliché, most children films are because they are more about the feel-good feeling and positive message it teaches. I strongly believe my partner and I will be able to achieve this and with the love I have for short films like this, the ideas won’t stop flowing in! To start this process, I must do some research on how to target kids because it is something I have yet to do.
     “Kids represent an important demographic to marketers because in addition to their own purchasing power (which is considerable) they influence their parents’ buying decisions and are the adult consumers of the future.” [1] This demographic has been getting increasingly important over the last couple of years. When targeting children, most films deal with dark-subject matter, such as separation. [2] This fact made us think of how hard moving can be and all of the anxieties that come with it. However, behind all of the memories being left behind, new ones are being made that could bring more opportunities. When moving, people often look at all of the negative that comes with it, but maybe we could show someone looking at the positives to show our message? Moving is the topic we found that has the most negative AND positives to it, therefore it is now what we will focus on.
     More than three in four parents say kids influence the family’s purchase decisions. [3] Targeting this film towards children will increase consumption and by focusing it on a dark-subject matter in a happy light, it will make it understandable and enjoyable for the older audiences watching it with them as well. Most often, the family genre plays on the possibility that imagination holds and the children genre keeps age-appropriate, simplistic content. [4] I plan on creating a film with simplistic content that carries a deep message and incorporates imagination when looking at all the good that comes from moving.

Purl image: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Purl

     Purl is a Pixar SparkShorts film directed by Kristen Lester. [5] It tells the story of a ball of yarn named Purl having trouble fitting into a new job because she is too “soft.” Although looking like a ‘cute’ children’s short at first, it holds a much deeper message discussing the uniqueness and importance of femininity. The short appeals to the younger audience by keeping the film simple and age-appropriate. Children are able to understand the occurrences and in the end, learn a very important message without even realizing it. I plan on showing the negatives throughout just as this short did, then showing someone overcoming the bad as well.


[1] http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/media-issues/marketing-consumerism/how-marketers-target-kids
[2] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3647519/What-makes-a-childrens-film-great.html
[3] https://www.viacom.com/news/kidfluence-kids-influence-buying-behavior
[4] https://thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/983-children/
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6uuIHpFkuo