Media with cross-generational appeal.
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The Shrek series was a massive success at the box office, making over $3.5billion across the series and averaging at $709million per film. Part of the reason for this success are the films cross-demographic appeal.
Shrek was created partly as a parody of fairy tales, especially Disney's animated adaptations, with even a spoof Disneyland castle. There is a clear effort not to be too cheesy and perfect in a way that would otherwise irritate adults and older children. The films contain some subtle risqué humour that appeals to mature audiences as well as fairytale characters and slapstick comedy that appeals to younger viewers. The fairytale myths are familiar to everyone, which makes them easy to follow and see what is being subverted. The central characters are recognisable, non-cliched and well-rounded which makes them more likely to appeal to adults and children. The fear of being unlovable as experienced by Shrek and Fiona is a theme that people of all ages can relate to. |
Ed Sheeran appeals to a wide audience as his music is tuneful and innofensive, and he has a "boy next door" look that makes him unthreatening to kids and parents. His music involves open-hearted love songs that appeal to a teen audience, but he also uses elements from folk and black music which appeal to a more adult audience. His video for Lego House uses popular actor Rupert Grint, who is widely recognised from the Harry Potter films. Because he has a superficial resemblance to Ed Sheeran it initially confounds expectations because the person we think is Sheeran turns out to be Grint, but then appears to be Grint playing Sheeran, but in the end we realise that Grint is actually an obsessed fan who is tackled by security. The song has pathos with the universal theme of loss in love, but the video has elements of humour along with the sadness, but also tells an engaging story with Grint eventually briefly meeting up with Sheeran, so it works at different levels in terms of maintaining curiosity for people who might not readily be in Sheeran's fanbase.
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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a sitcom that aired in the 1990s. Despie the fact that it is superficially about a black kid who goe s from a poor neighbourhood to stay with very rich relatives,part of it's appeal is that there are veryrecognisable character typs. The father Phil who is ruled by his strong wife Vivian, the older daughter Hillary who seems vacuous but changes, the cute youngest, Ashley, and Carlton, the nerdish middle son and the posh butler Geoffrey. These types are familiar from real life and from other sitcoms - which gave it a success that other sitcoms based around black families did not have. The characters were easy to identify with, as were the family dynamics, because the characters were rounded and believable (and relevant to adults as well as children. It also was able to talk about themes of racial identity, gambling addiction and drug addiction, which gave it an edge of reality which appealed to a wider audience than the standard sitcom. The catchy theme tune helps.
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Age groups
10-18
This group are more impulsive, and focused on creativity and play. They are more likely to be optimistic and altruistic, extrovert and open. They're more likely to play computer games than other groups, and may play sport and have other school-related sports. They are more likely to use Snapchat and Instagram and less likely to use Facebook. They like to share memes and are more interested in technology. They tend not to watch live TV very much - consume media via internet and watch on their phones. Much less likely to listen to radio. They buy online, in stores, and particularly use single sources such as Amazon. They have little of their own income.
30-40
They are more focused on work than teens and those in their fifties, and perhaps starting a family. They are more cautious than younger age groups, and are more interested in healthy living. On average they have less leisure time than people in their teens or fifties. They are more likely to use Facebook than the younger group. They also use twitter the most to share content. They watch more TV, at around 145 hours a month. They use traditional stores, and like to use the internet to research products. Much of their income dedicated to house-buying or family.
50-60
People in this generation are more likely to be cynical, more likely to be politically conservative and demanding. They are concerned with family, and are starting to plan for retirement. Their hobbies include knitting and gardening. They watch TV more than any other group (around 185 hours a month in USA). They are more likely to have specific times to watch and read the news than younger age groups, and tend to be the most interested in news. They are more likely to listen to radio, and are more likely to use Facebook, and share images and videos. They use traditional in-store shopping most - and have more disposable income.
Summary
Overall there are significant differences in the interests of the different age groups in their interests, usage of media and outlook. It's critical when thinking about designing the content of a media product such as a film or programme how it will actually reach the individuals (i.e. what delivery method will they use) and what content is likely to appeal to them. The analysis of Shrek, Ed Sheeran and The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air highlights how it is possible to create material that has cross-generational appeal - this involves writing in a way that has jokes that will be funny for a more cynical or experienced viewer (using irony and sarcasm) as well as for a child who may want more slapstick or simpler jokes. Creating three-dimensional characters who have both believable flaws and positive attributes makes them more likely to be identified with by people of all ages.
References
- Ahmad, I. (2015). The Generational Content Gap: How Different Generations Consume Content Online [INFOGRAPHIC] . Available: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/2015-05-11/generational-content-gap-how-different-generations-consume-content-online. Last accessed 23rd Jan 2018.
- Chan, W et al.. (2012). Stereotypes of Age Differences in Personality Traits: Universal and Accurate?. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3514646/. Last accessed 23rd Jan 2018.
- Greenslade, R. (2015). How the different generations consume their daily news... . Available: https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2015/jul/22/how-the-different-generations-consume-their-daily-news. Last accessed 23rd Jan 2018.
- Hutchinson, A. (2017). New Report Shows Social Media Preferences and Habits Among Generations . Available: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/new-report-shows-social-media-preferences-and-habits-among-generations . Last accessed 23rd Jan 2018.
- Payne, C S. (2017). Leisure time in the UK: 2015. Available: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/satelliteaccounts/articles/leisuretimeintheuk/2015. Last accessed 23rd Jan 2018.
- Smith, C. (2017). What different generations want from shopping. Available: https://www.fin24.com/Economy/what-different-generations-want-from-shopping-20170919. Last accessed 23rd Jan 2018.
- Steel, E. (2013). Entertainment: Generation next. Available: https://www.ft.com/content/68707e76-204b-11e3-b8c6-00144feab7de. Last accessed 23rd Jan 2018.
Survey (primary research)
I made a survey in order to research people's opinions on satire and comedy.
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Detailed results and analysis | |
File Size: | 59 kb |
File Type: | xlsx |
From my results I have concluded:
- TV comedies are more popular than radio comedies.
- People under 30 less likely to regularly listen to radio comedy, people in 40s-50s more likely.
- Panel shows are the most popular, followed by sitcoms, then sketch shows.
- Most people are interested in politics - men slightly more interested than women.
- Most people are interested in political satire - men slightly more interested than women.
- Nearly two-thirds of men and women follow political accounts on social media.
- Only 16% thought comedy had changed their views.
- However, 93% thought media could change people's views.
- Only 9% use newspapers to get their news, and only 22% TV - online news sites dominated (particularly BBC) followed by social media.
Interviews
Vivienne (57)
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Dani (18) and Morgan (19)
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