How Film Openings Attract Audiences

Audience members are attracted to film which they feel they could relate to, stars their favourite actors, they have read the book to and a number of different reasons. Some theories behind why audiences are attracted to films explain different factors of different films which connect with people to draw them in as audience members. Uses and Gratifications theory suggests people will connect with a media text in one of four ways.

1. Entertainment - a form of escape from the pressures of everyday life.
2. Personal Relationships/ Social interaction - identification with characters and being able to discuss media texts with others.
3. Personal Identity - ability to compare your life with that of characters and situations presented in media texts.
4. Information - find out and learn about what is happening in the world.

The theory suggests proposes that the audience consumes media ad is then motivated and directed by it because they have needs that need to be fulfilled.

A film opening, to attach a audience member to the rest of the film, would have to have some visual or narrative effects on an audience member to make them feel one of the four ways of connecting with a text.

A good example for the Uses and Gratifications theory would be the Now You See Me film opening. The smash hit 2013 film not only features an all star cast, which is one way of attracting an audience, but is based around all different types of magic. Going by the theories, Now You See Me would be a form of escape for an everyday person who doesn't do magic and also it could touch on the Personal Identity approach with audience members comparing their 'boring' lives with the lives of these magicians which they might wish to have. The first 5 minutes of the film (the opening) features all of the characters performing their type of magic, this instantly hooks the audience members and makes them want to watch on. 

The hyperdermic needle theory is another theory which suggests that mass media can be "injected" into the minds of audiences to deliver a message or some kind of influence. Films about bullying or violence when seen in a negative light could suggest the purpose of creating a film about these subjects is to teach a lesson. 

The 2011 direct-to-tv film Cyberbully was aimed at young audiences of my generation to teach about the strong input technology has on society and how it can be used to bully people. The film shows consequences of cyberbullying and along with the film came a campaign to try and decrease the amount of cyberbullying. The moral lesson behind the film could be suggested to be used in conjunction with the hyperdermic needle theory to influence teenagers to think twice before bullying. 

The hyperdermic needle theory has been criticised by many but an example of strong influence from the media would be the tragic torture and death of Jamie Bulger. Apparently the murders were 'influenced' by the horror film, and first in the Chucky series, Childsplay. This shows that media and film can influence minds and the strength of the media on people and their behaviour.