How did you attract/address your audience? (Task 5)

Hollywood reporter: We are glad to have Mr.Nabeel in the studio today to discuss his latest film ‘Dammia’ 

Mr.Nabeel: Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be here

Hollywood reporter: My biggest question for you today is how did you attract and address your audience?

Mr.Nabeel: We knew what our audience wanted and we made sure our film fulfilled their needs. Firstly, our plot is an open narrative and open to the audiences interpretation. Our audience would like a plot that they can interpret individually. On top of that, the plot requires the viewer to piece it together and is quiet vague. And lastly, it had all the elements thriller audiences want to see, it is uncomfortable, mysterious and creepy.

Hollywood reporter: So what exact genre is the film?

Mr.Nabeel: The film is a sub-genre of the thriller genre, it is a psychological thriller

Hollywood reporter: What other films have been influential to your film?

Mr.Nabeel: I have always been inspired by Hitchcock, so ‘Psycho’ is a definite inspiration and as well the film ‘Silence of the Lambs’, ‘Love Object’ and the TV show ‘Dexter. Audiences that are fond of these films will also be attracted to our thriller. 

Hollywood Reporter: I just love the setting, but I didn’t really know where it was?

Mr.Nabeel: We set it in a bedroom in a boarding house. We chose this location because, the audience would relate with the setting of a girls bedroom, therefore making them feel uncomfortable. I think the audience will respond well to it, because it is a real and recognisable setting, thus the audience will invest time in the plot and character; putting them on edge due to their emotional connection to the film.

Hollywood reporter: It’s amazing how much work it goes in choosing and setting a location. Can you tell us more about your plot line?

Mr.Nabeel: It is about a girl getting ready, until it is revealed at the end that she was being dressed and made-up by a grown man. 

Hollywood Reporter: That sounds so interesting and creepy, but how will this attract your audience?

Mr.Nabeel: The make-up sequence is visually attracting, the reds and pinks against her white skin. The visual elements create soft and delicate images that get interrupted by the overall tense and dark atmosphere. The audience is pulled further in and shocked when it is revealed that the man was doing it all. It sustains the tension until the end when there is a sudden reveal.

Hollywood reporter: And how would this address what your audience is expecting?

Mr.Nabeel: We are approaching this film simplistically with a thriller approach. Our plotline and editing techniques create a vague and intense plot, which the audience needs to deduce, interpret and put together- It is not patronising, like most thrillers out there. This makes the film very engaging with the audience, satisfying their needs for a thriller audience.

Hollywood Reporter: Now that we know about the plot, tell us about the characters, what kind of characters are they and will your audience like them or not?

Mr.Nabeel: Well the main character is the ‘Psychopathic Man’ he is very complex and I think the audience might fear him or be intimidated but will be very interested in his psyche and why he does what he does. There are many supporting characters, the girl is dead from the start and the audience might empathise with her because she is very vulnerable to the man. However, her purpose is to be a tool to engage us with the male character.

Hollywood Reporter: And to what social groups would your film appeal to?

Mr.Nabeel:  We are targeting a male audience of 40+, that is our target audience. We did this by creating a complex narrative which would need a mature and experienced audience with a critical thinking ability to understand the plot and themes of the film. The plot could be too complex for a younger audience. 

Hollywood Reporter: So the soundtrack you used in the beginning, could you tell us more about that?

Mr.Nabeel: We used a non-diegetic soundtrack, it is a soft jazz piece, its slow tempo synchronises with the rhythmic and slow pace of the sequence. It is also contrapuntal to the images on screen, therefore making the viewer feeling uncomfortable, because the music does not fit with the atmosphere of the sequence. The increase in tempo in the music builds the tension as there are more clues revealed that she is not putting on the make-up herself. The name of the soundtrack is 

 “It Hurts to Say Goodbye”, which ironically, fits with the plot line because the ‘Man’ cannot say goodbye to his dead sister.

Hollywood Reporter: You had some interesting people in your titles during the opening sequence, what information did you give and why?

Mr.Nabeel: Well, I followed the general conventions and rules of the industry and placed the directors name first, then studio, then production companies then actors and crew last. Because the film is so confusing, I wanted the audience when reading the title sequence to at least know the basic information of the people in and behind the film, I didn’t want it all to be vague, that’s why the titles are clear and simple. 

Hollywood Reporter: What clues might the credits give your target audience?

Mr.Nabeel: We had new actors and directors that the audience would not know, and would be interested in discovering, for a lot of these actors it was their debut role.

Hollywood Reporter: What editing techniques and style were you going for and how would this attract your audience?

Mr.Nabeel: We wanted to have a basic rhythm throughout the sequence. We used a technique where would count ‘1,2,3’ and then cut, ‘1,2,3’ and then cut. This made the sequence have a consisted pace which balanced the shocking and tense images on screen. The cuts in between transitions were as smooth as possible and also when we cut on action, this was to create a fluid and easy to watch sequence. We did not want to use complicated transitions and effects because we wanted to have the piece as simplistic as possible so that the audience could focus on the plot and detail of the images. The simplistic and raw editing used would also be appreciated by an older audience who are generally not fans of special effects, and computer graphics. We wanted to bring it back to basics. 

Hollywood Reporter: Well that’s perfect, I think that’s all we need, thank you so much for your time. I can’t wait to see it. ‘Dammia’ is out this summer, June 16^th, at all your local cinemas.

Mr.Nabeel: Thank you.