Audience based apporach and how this will help me target my audience

An audience-based approach This assumes that the meaning of a genre lies in the audiences’ application of their own knowledge of the conventions of genre-construction. Rather than assuming that a film must be a certain type, this approach posits that a film is a certain type depending on the particular conventions audiences apply to a text. Given their background knowledge and attitudes, one audience may perceive a movie as an action/adventure film, while another audience may perceive it as a horror film. This approach emphasizes the processes of applying genre-knowledge generic conventions as central to constructing the meaning of a genre. It assumes that audiences acquire more sophisticated knowledge of these conventions through increased experience in viewing a genre. These conventions include audiences’ use of their genre know-how to:

predict story outcomes based on applying knowledge of prototypical storylines — for example, predicting that at the end of a romantic comedy, differences plaguing a couple’s relationship will be resolved, or predicting that a detective will sort through conflicting clues to solve a murder. identify the symbolic meaning of images, techniques, or characters’ practices — for example, knowing that images of black or darkness in film noir or a gangster film represents evil; that suddenly breaking into song in the musical is a familiar, if not unrealistic technique; or that the sidekick figure is often attuned to the local environment or world in ways that assist the hero.

Audiences also enjoy complex variations of traditional genres which invite them to apply their know-how to interpret a film, particularly when they are faced with deviations from the prototypical genre. The degree to which audiences construct their own meaning of genre texts is evident in film fan clubs whose members demonstrate their expertise and knowledge about the conventions of a film through online chats. Therefore, by looking at online chats/ reviews and what people who write on fan clubs pages say about films and what they expect to see in certain genres etc, I can ensure that my film opening which will be a thriller contains these generic conventions to attract the audience to watch the film and so it helps audience understand the film is an action thriller.