OUAN405: `Target audience and Age range

To extend further on the topic of types of humour , I would be taking a look identifying what the target audience are , and what is considered appropriate for each groups, plus also the the pros and cons of it. Its important to get this done first before going into making a proper story as it would effect the way I tell it drastically , but my general goal right now, IS to create humour that can reach out to a WIDE range of audience instead of just one specific group, since that would be the most profitable and effective  hence the most logical way to go.

What is target audience really ? Well it can be identified as the group that you would want to cater the most to for your animation/films in terms of style , plots, design,...etc - things that they would find appealing.  Target audience is critical to acquiring a successful product and a loyal customer base by creating a long-term relation to the audience even after the acquisition of the initial product, i.e creating a fanbase for a particular animated series that will return seasons after seasons. And of course, loyal customers means a reliable source of profit. However, in my case, who is producing animation not for revenue but solely for entertainment , target audience ensures that my animation would be efficient understood and appreciated by the audience in question, hence would be more memorable and more spreadable.

So with that said, age plays a vital role in identifying the target audience, as it dictates the level of humor that can be considered appropriate for each group, meaning they are UNDERSTANDABLE and FUNNY. You wouldn't necessary produce vulgar humour or any kind of sexual/ violence related jokes to young children, not only because that is inappropriate but for the simple reason that they would necessarily understand it , the same way you wouldn't do fart jokes and slapstick humour for an older more knowledgable audience. However, considering how much internet is exposed to young kids to day , the age is becoming ever closer.

Now , The British Board of Film Classification split the age group according to the level of content that can be shown , into the large groups of:

Universal (U) : Suitable for all age groups , which would include young children. Now for pre-school to primary level children are developing there understanding of language, hence, their newy gained knowledge of puns, and play on word is a fascinated topic for them , therefore jokes in this realm would fit in this age group perfectly. Also , slapstick humour like wobbly eyes, and nonsensical situations are adored by kids, hence the popularity of shows like Road Runner and Tom n' Jerry among this target audience. As they get older , they began to feel more anxiety in social situation and in turn would react by considering it as funny , such as laughing at a friend who has fallen down or are being yelled at by the teacher.

12A and 15 : I group this 2 groups together as mentioned above , the age gap is ever closing in this internet age. Generally this would be tweens to teenager group, who is starting to become more matured and is very knowledgable about current pop cultured, as they would generally be born after the internet blew up in the early 2000s.  This would be the target audience for many Disney and Dreamworks animated features, with witty humor , fun character design but having a sense of maturity to it ( darker , more realistic) . They're also the age groups , especially 15 years old, who are bridging the gap of more matured humour, so more complex puns, pop culture reference , a certain amount of violence, sexual humour ( hormones-driven ). The slapstick humour of Road runner would fell out of favour pretty quickly.

  

18 and R18 : The young adults and adults, who makes up for most of the traffic and revenue for movies. They're knowledgable about society and culture, and hence more demanding in terms of humour. But in some case, slapsticks  comedy can be effective, but again , not for very long as in the case with Adam Sandler. Humours that reflects current social events can be very effective, as well as more violence and sexual-related topic. Pop- culture would be very effective as again , they're the group with the most knowledge.

Panty and Stocking is an perfect of example of adult-oriented animation 

It also important however, not only to understand the specifics of each groups but to consider facts like , parents would watch kids movie with their children, or how children would eventually grow up and can stick to what they like as kids, and of course, how children is getting more matured faster. That is why , even though animation in the West are very much stereotypically categorised as "for children" , it is appreciate by adults alike , such as in the case of Frozen and the popularity of Japanese anime, the latter especially thanks to their specific aims at a more matured audience. With that said however, animation that tries too hard to be matured can inadvertently led to it be considered childish and cringy, much like seeing a kid in your class trying to be cool by saying swear words. Good humour is those that just slides into the audience mind, not the one that is forceful and in-your-face, like Shark Tales and its attempts at punch-line and celebrity reference.