Audience power Part 3- How to manage Audience Expectations

Intro

As we have seen from the previous blogs weather it is creating saleable merchandise or sticking to historical accuracy what really matters is managing audience expectations. Because as the customer is always right, so is the audience, as they are the one who is buying the film. If an audience goes to see the Lego movie they expect to see yellow men, they expect to see the Lego they know and love on screen not a designer’s interoperation of Lego:

Lego

The Lego Movie

An artist interpretation of Lego

If someone watches a period drama they expect to see the costumes they associate with that period.

What you expect to see

How that translates on Screen

For a designer you have to manage these expectations while still honouring the script. Here is my guide to doing just that.

1. Read the script

The Script is your bible, literately, everything you need to know is there, if you don’t understand the script then the audience never will.

2. Research

This comes in Four parts:

1- Research the world

If it is a period drama look at the history of the time paintings, archives, ect.

If it is a modern piece about nuns research that world by talking to people and reading

If it is a fantasy/ superhero world read the source material and source material around it.

2-Research what has gone before

Learn from successes and failures in the same genre

Don't Give Batman nipples

Don't use Zips

Do stick faithfully to excepted images weather that be the comic or source images like Holbein

3- Research Visual cues

For Example if you are doing something where the cast is in steam punk outfits it has to include things like: goggles, leather, corsets, top hats, gears, gadgetry, unusual shapes, ect.

Or if you are doing a western you need the cowboy hats, distressed clothing, a gun holster ect.

All of this helps to instantly tell the audience what sort of story and world they are entering

4- Research your audience

Knowing who is lightly to see this film is very important if they are superhero experts you might want to be a faithful as you can to the source material.

If it is an art house audience who want something a bit more out there then you insure that you give that to them

     

3. Talk to the director

Once you know the story, the character and the world of the script inside out. Then you talk to the director about his vision.

4. Throw out everything (not literally)

When you start designing forget all the research and focus on the director’s vision and the characterisation.

By doing this your research will seep in but you won’t get bogged down by it, you can focus on creating the characters, the Director vision, and putting your own spin on it.

5. Return to your research

Return to you research and add to your designs anything key you had missed out.

6. Double check against your research

Make sure you have not committed any cardinal sins

like making Superman’s suit  green

or giving Henry VIII Go-go Boots

7. Don’t be precious

At any stage someone could say they don’t like your ideas or they don’t work. You have to accept that and move on instantly.

Even if you think putting wolverine in 16th century dress would be really interesting if everyone else, particularly the director does not agree you have to get rid of it.

So to Recap:

Know Your Script

Know Your Audience

Know your Director's Vision

Know your own style

Researching is almost more important than the design stage without a solid foundation in researching you are bound to make mistakes. It is worth spending the time research so you don’t come into trouble later on.