Research for CCR Question #2

How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

My opening engages with audiences in multiple ways.

Firstly, the film creates suspense and thrill throughout the entire thing. The first scene immediately begins with a stressful situation where Xander is in a car with police sirens in the background. This raises questions to the audience such as: 

• How did he get here?
• What could have happened?

By starting the story with an action scene where the audience does not know the context, it makes them more intrigued and invested in learning the plot of the story and how the protagonist got into that position.

Another way my opening engages with audiences is by giving little information. Since the story is narrated through the main character's perspective, the audience only knows what Xander knows. For example, the audience never knows who the antagonist is or anything about him, they only know his voice, just like Xander. Another example of giving little information is when the camera doesn't show the contents of the mailbox. It only shows Xander's reaction but it never shows what's actually in there. This is another factor that naturally makes the audience curious and intrigued to find out more about the storyline and keep watching.

Lastly, my project engages with audiences by including a teenage protagonist and familiar 'teenager' locations such as his bedroom, car, front door, etc. This make the target audience (teenagers) feel more familiar with the film, especially with the use of cellphones and modern fashion such as baggy sweatpants and crocs. This makes the audience feel more connected to Xander, and therefore, makes the story seem more real and relatable. 

If my film was a real media text, it would be distributed through platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video, or YouTube. The reason why is because these are all platforms that teenagers use and interact with, so it's a good way to reach my target audience. Additionally, these platforms are all known globally and get millions of active users every day. This would make it more likely for more people around the world to watch my film.

Overall, my opening interacts with audiences by using familiar places and props to teenagers, adding thrill and mystery, and just making the audience question what will happen next or how the situation got to this point. All these techniques hook the audience and make them want to keep watching to find out more about the context and plot of the story.