Kidulthood
It is difficult to define which genre catergory ‘kidulthood’ falls into however the catergories it falls into are, urban drama, social realist and Tragedy. Everyday life is also difficult to place in a catergory as there are a mixture of things which take place furthermore in this way, ‘Kidulthood’ is an accurate reflection of society as it cannot be placed in a single genre catergory as is the case in real life.
Target Audience
The actors employed in the film are unprofessional and are regular teenagers living in the city of London and so they are able to reflect reality as they are reality. However, it can be argued that the issues are over exaggerated and magnified and in reality it is only a minority of teenagers who are like those in the film.
It makes it clearer to see whether a film is realistic or not by identifying its target audience. ‘Kidulthood’ has a primary audience of teenagers, however, its secondary audience is parents, acting as a warning and creating awareness of what is going on in society. The ways in which the film allows the primary audience to identify includes clothing and language used by the actors and also the familiar setting of the film.
The exit poll data provided by the UK Film Council shows that 158 people under the age of 25 watched the film whereas 53 people were over 25. This tells me that Kidulthood appeals to a younger audience, mainly teenagers and those in their early twenties because the issues in the film may appeal to them. These issues include alcohol, drugs, violence, gang culture and sex. The main characters in the film are around 15 years old and still go to school as shown in their uniform in the first scene. Therefore it can appeal to teenagers around that age because they may be going through the similar issues where they are trying to grow up too quickly.
Gender
According to a survey, 89 males and 122 females attended to see Kidulthood. This tells me that the film appealed to more females than males. This may be because females relate to the issues of alcohol, drugs, sex and school bullying more than males. However, the film follows the story of three male best friends and two female best friends so it can appeal to both genders equally. Overall, the film can appeal to both genders as they may have similar experiences.
Location and Social Class
The location in the film is based in West London. From personal identity, the audience may be able to identify this geographical location. Images used in the opening scenes show a pan establishing shot of council flats, giving a more realistic view of Britain which may look familiar to British people. This film would target the working class because they are able to see the difficulties main characters face with not being able to afford a proper house which can relate to them. Through the Reception Theory, the more the similarities of the context of the film, the more the audience will understand as they relate to it. The stereotypes presented in the characters are 'chavs' which are commonly in the working class. Therefore this film appeals to working class teenagers. The UK Film Council survey states that 36% of people went to see the film because the story appealed to them. The story follows the life of working class teenagers, so the film also could’ve obviously appealed to a working class audience.
Language
Informal language is used throughout which appeals to a working class audience of mainly teenagers. The characters are underage drinking which is quite common for teenagers with an urban lifestyle to do.
Ethnicity
The characters in the film are mainly black and white, so it can appeal to both ethnicities. The boys characters wear hoodies which connotes danger and trouble. This gives off a negative stereotype to black teenagers. This scene in particular can appeal to black people, especially those who live an urban lifestyle where hoodies are commonly worn. Two white boys towards the beginning of the film are handing out invitations to everyone to a house party while parents are away. This gives us an impression that white teenagers enjoy house parties and the fact that their parents are away during the time, there is likely to be underage alcohol. Therefore, the film can appeal to mainly black and white ethnicities because the main characters are both.
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