The Fourth World

My brother taught me "Know your audience". As a film-maker (hoping to be), I have learned my lesson, and begin to get near to the "world" reality. So, I go to work part time in a cinema, in one big shopping complex.

Today was my first day training. My job was very simple -tear tickets. In the mean time, I observed few things.

Observation #1: There is a tendency for a movie watched by a category of people.
Categories vary in many ways. Some are children, some are adventurous people, some are well-educated. Audiences usually come in pair or group. Couple comes to "pak-tor", while the group can be youth, students or family. Group audience is significant to determine the tendency. For example, Disney has done a very good job. Hot movie, Princess and the Frog is showing today. Mostly children go for this show. Some children even come by their own, which means they watch without adult's supervision. Hence, here shows the children is the Princess and the Frog's targeted audience. So, I can say that a good movie has a strong targeted audience.

Observation #2: The audiences are full with expectation while going to a movie.
Audiences who have bought their tickets, generally, they come with light footstep. Hardly seeing them come with a "long" face or a burdened face. Those who come in group were having talking and laughter while walking to the hall room. After they were checked the tickets, they were like having a thought of "faster, faster ...", they walked happily to the hall. From their expression, and my personal experience, they were like knowing the movie title, but do not know the movie content, and expect to know something in later. This is probably why they are coming to the cinema. Despite that they come for social activities, they are unsure the answer of what they are going to know, though they have a rough idea of what the movie is about. Cinema is a place for social activities, but the movies are not. Watching a movie is a choice of activities in socializing. Therefore, the audiences have choice to select a movie, and after choosing, they have expectation for something to know that they are going to know, while they have not know yet.