1. Juno
(2007)
Juno is a unlike coming of age film. Produced by Jason
Reitman, it covers many themes such as adoption and
young pregnancies. The film is rated a 12a and targets a
primary demographic of 12-18 year olds as the themes
presented could directly affect this age group The main
character decides to put her baby up for adoption before
it is born instead of having an abortion. It is set in
Minnesota and the main character, Juno, is only at high
school age. This engages this age bracket as the
narrative is relate able as well as being a form of
escapism. Unlike many other films, the film has a wide
age range as many will feel the film is suitable for them
as it tackles such important questions and themes such
as teen pregnancy and the struggle of putting a baby up
for adoption.
Youth is presented in several ways in the film. Firstly,
the soundtracks used in the films refer to childhood
and growing up. The song used in the opening is called
'all I want is you' by Barry Louis Polisar. As well as
connoting youth, it engages the target demographic as
they are informed that the narrative will be realistic to
them. Furthermore, illustrations/cartoons are used in
the title sequence to again promote the idea of youth
and even innocence. The title of the film is also written
in this style to capture the sight of the target
demographic.
2. The target gender of the film are
females for several reasons. Firstly,
the topics and themes in the film
such as pregnancy are more relevant
for a female viewer as it is something
that could happen to them.
Furthermore, the main character is a
female and the film is based around
her life and decision. This makes the
film more likely to be engaging for a
female as the opinions shown are
those of the same gender. A male
audience may still find the film useful
and enjoyable as the father of the
child is shown in the film.
The secondary audience of the film is very vast. I
have watched the film in religious studies as the
themes in the film are relevant to the subject. This
shows many students will be shown the film for
educational reasons. However, the main secondary
audience will be slightly older females from 20 and
above who find the character and narrative possibly
inspirational
Due to the educational side of the film,
higher social classes will also watch the
film to be educated. For example
classes E, D, C and maybe B are likely
to watch the film due to the deep and
touching narrative. This shows the film
successfully appeals to more than one
demographic unlike many Coming of
Age films which are limited to an
audience of a school age.
3. When Juno became Fox Searchlight's first film to surpass $100 million at the
box office, the company's president Peter Rice issued the statement: "This is
an astonishing feat for us and the film has surpassed all our expectations. We
knew this film had crossover potential and it has resonated with audiences all
across the country."The film has grossed $143,495,265 in the United States
and $87,916,319 in other territories for a total worldwide gross of
$231,411,584. It was also the highest-grossing of the five Best Picture
nominees for the 80th Academy Awards. Distributors even sent hamburger
phones to critics who were writing reviews for the film!
source-wikipedia
