Again, this is a hard question for most filmmakers to answer. You will not be able to answer this question at the beginning. Answering the “audience” question is an ongoing process. You may come up with an answer as you set out to make your film, but then you will refine it, and it will continue do develop throughout the course of making and showing your film.
When you first set out to answer the question about audience, just understand that it is normal for this question to bring up a spectrum of possibilities, and that you are not going to be able to answer it until the project has matured.
When I asked Luotto “Who is your audience?” he answered:
“My goal for distribution is to reach as broad an audience as possible. First through the festivals and then through word of mouth and internet advertising. I know that people are going to like this doc, so it is largely a matter of promoting it. I also intend to establish an audience for the Lucky Joe series of docs...”
This is the kind of answer that can send you off into the weeds. Matt appears to be confusing distribution channels with people. Although this approach might work for Matt, I think it is chancy to depend on a definition as vague as ‘people.’ Here is a suggestion for a way to come up with a more useful answer.
Draw a line down the center of a piece of paper. Title one side “Money” and the other side “People.” (It is important to divide these issues or this question about audience will drive you crazy.)
Under the “Money” heading, put everything related to money. Possible distribution deals, DVD sales, film festivals, whatever comes to mind.
Under the “People” heading, list everyone specifically who might want to watch a micro-budget film about a successful long-distance hike covering 2,175 miles of national trails. The list might look something like this:
- Serious long-distance hikers
- Conservationists
- Documentary filmmakers (to see how he did it)
- Armchair adventurers
- Friends of Lucky Joe (people Matt met on the trail)
- Luotto’s family
- Luotto’s friends
- Filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman’s followers (he is her cameraman)
- Legislators (funding and preserving the trail)
- Lobbyists (funding and preserving the trail)
- Past and future hikers of the trail
- Organizations that preserve the trail
- Fitness buffs
- Hiking equipment manufacturers
- Shoe manufacturers
- Motivational speakers
- “Outward Bound”-type organizations
When you make the audience list it is helpful to remind yourself that finding the audience is not a “one shot” exercise, it is a process. Your first list will be incomplete on the first pass, and that is OK. You will probably be adding to the list all the time that you are promoting your film.
This is where the real grunt work begins. Think many hours sitting in front of the screen doing Google searches and visiting websites. You need to find out where the people you want to reach hang out—both online and offline. What blogs, ezines and magazines do they read? What forums do they participate in? Where do they meet physically and talk to each other?
With Matt’s film in mind, let us take one category—serious long distance hikers—and look at how to do this.
- Let’s start with blogs. A Google search for "top+blogs+hiking" brings up Yosemite Blog, Ubertramp, Two-Heel Drive, Trail Journals, Best Hike, Backcountry Blog, Natural Born Hikers. A quick read through the comments section of the Best Hiking Blogs reveals another natural Adventures on the Pacific Coast Trail.
- Magazines. A Google search for "hiking magazines" brings up a slew of magazines including Adventure National Geographic, Backpacker, Outside, Back Packing Light, and Backwoods.
- Forums. A Google search for "hiking forums" finds dozens of forums, including: HikingForums.net, a reader’s forum at Backpacker magazine, TrailForums.com, ABC of Hiking forums, The Backcountry Forum, and the Adirondack Forum.
- Hiking organizations. A Google search for "hiking organizations" finds American Alpine Club, American Discovery Trail Society, American Hiking Society, American Long Distance Hiking Association, Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Mountain Club - DC Chapter, Barefoot Hikers, Colorado Mountain Club, Fortune Bay Expeditionary and Recovery Team, Grand Canyon Hikers and Backpackers Association, Leave No Trace Mountaineers, National Parks and Conservation Association, National Parks Service, National Parks Trust, Native Forest Council, Pacific Northwest Trail Association , Outdoors Club, Sierra Club
You can see how this works. Repeat this process for every category on your audience list.
