Joey Carabini, Charlie Smith, Tom Glasgow, Simeron Singh

MASS VS. NICHE AUDIENCE

A mass audience in the film industry is when a film is targeted to reach a large and vast audience. These are often marketed on a large scale to a wide audience using the funding of large conglomerates.

A niche audience in the film industry is a small, specific group with a unique interest which the film producers are targeting. These tend to be more common amongst independent film producers and can’t be advertised on large scale due to a lack of funding.

DEFINITIONS

Conglomerate which produces mass market films.

Independent film company which produce niche market films.

Horror films usually have a niche audience because they only appeal to a select group of people; those who enjoy being frightened, shocked, etc. by films.

Each sub-genre of the horror genre has different niche markets, although they often interlink.

For example, a gore film such as Saw appeals to viewers who want to be shocked by graphic images.

Paranormal films such Paranormal Activity appeal to people who want to be scared by the unpredictability.

Psychological films such as Psycho are often the most niche films as they are usually aimed at people with specific phobias such as demons and spirits.

HORROR FILMS- NICHE OR MASS AUDIENCES?

Mass market films are marketed in a way that makes them more accessible to a wide audience.

Techniques such as TV, newspapers, magazines and radio make a vast audience aware of the films.

Mass films tend to include themes which are proven to be most popular, so the producers will research the most popular film genres and what made them popular.

Niche market films aren’t as widely advertised and some even simply rely on word of mouth and low budget film festivals to reach their audience.

This is often because niche market films are produced by independent film companies as large conglomerates will not invest in a film that won’t make much profit.

These independent film companies do not have a large budget and so they can’t afford large scale advertisement.

MARKETING