POST AFM WRAP UP
People are making a lot of films I don’t want to see. People are mostly making films for the youth market and mostly for teenage boys. Since I am making a film about BASE jumping there is this assumption that I should construct my film for 17-38 year old boys because they buy DVDs. I said to someone that I have no idea how to do this. They told me it would involve lot’s more adrenaline junkie scenes, jackass stuff, and girls with tight t-shirts. They actually said “girls with tight t-shirts, that’s what you need”. Yes I know, I know he is right, that if I am looking to get to my “target market” I should find out what my target audience wants and give it to them.
I am not certain that making a film for just your target market is going to make a good film that will transcend your target market.
For me part of the reason I make films is because there are films I want to see made that are not being made. This audience might not at first be sizable, but in time I believe making good work for me is about thinking about your audience, but more thinking about what you would want to see exist and watch.
In the early eighties Carl Boenish coined the acronym “BASE” (standing for Buildings, Antenna, Span, and Earth, the objects jumped) and invented a sport. Carl was the catalyst behind modern BASE jumping; an electrical engineer and filmmaker who believed that BASE jumping would allow mankind to overcome artificial limitations. He religiously chronicled the early days of BASE in beautiful 16mm film, often with cameras mounted to the jumpers’ heads. He saw BASE as the next amazing thing to film. Subscribe via RSS.
