1. Who are the target audiences for Westerns? How do films in this genre attract their target audience?
The target audience for Westerns is a very wide market indeed. Due to the vast amount of Westerns produced during the 40s, 50s and 60s, it could be argued that Westerns were produced solely for their time period. However, if that were the case, films like
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Proposition and
Slow West simply would not exist. It is, therefore, important to take this into consideration when assessing the target audience for films of the Western genre. The first group of people one would cast their mind to when Westerns come into conversations are males. This is due to the intense Macho-Manliness which is displayed in each of the daring heroes and villains that grace the character lists of many westerns. Men are seen wearing dusters, carrying pistols and riding horses, which all factor into the appeal for males when watching. Westerns are also intended for a more mature audience than that of other film genres. This is due, in part, to the sometimes excessive violence used in the actual film (see Django (1966) ) but mostly it is down to the recurring themes which are present in the genre - High Noon's theme of bravery and duty in the face of adversity, as well as Django Unchained for its themes and graphic depiction of slavery in 1800s America come to mind when thinking of themes present in Western films.
2. What Type of Company Distributes Your Chosen Films?
Two words come to mind when thinking of Distributors of Western films, especially that of those deemed
Essential or
Classics of the genre - United Artists. United Artists, having many of the major films of the Western Genre under its belt, has distributed such classics as
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, High Noon and
Unforgiven. It is clear they have a lot of experience dealing with classic Westerns.
However,
The Weinstein Company, a break-off company formed by the Weinstein Brothers after leaing Miramax, has continually worked with director Quentin Tarantino, particularly during his "Western Craze" with films like Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight.
3. How have social groups been represented? How does this relate to the Target Audience?
While Westerns may be America's main form of historical expression in film, it does not mean that every Western has glorified the past of the United States. The aforementioned
Django Unchained fully indulges in the idea of racial abuse via slavery, a sore subject for most Americans in their country's illustrious past. This would resonate with the audience, particularly that in the UNited States, and would have generated discussion about a subject that is arguably largely ignored. However, it is not just the Black Slaves which are exposed in Westerns. They can also expose the bias and hatred against the Native Americans, "Injuns" as they are often referred to in the films.
4. What are Audience's Expectations of these Films?
The audience's expectations of a Western ultimately comes down to the experiences they have had with the previous films of the genre they have seen. Despite this, however, it is certainly true that Westerns have developed a certain iconography over time. This iconography undoubtedly affects the audience's expectations of the films of the Western Genre.
