Audience designer Síle Culley: ‘The audience should be our focus’

'I've encountered filmmakers who say they've made a film for everyone. Then I say, "You've made a film for no one."' As an audience designer, Síle Culley hopes to ensure that there is better consideration for the audience during the development of a film. 'No company develops a product without thinking about who will use it. Why wouldn't we do that with films?'

During her work as a film distributor in the UK, Síle Culley noticed in recent years that it was becoming increasingly difficult for the films she worked on, such as Mid90s and The Florida Project, to find an audience. 'It was tough," says Síle, 'so I started thinking: how can we better support these films?' Her answer: audience design. 'Ultimately, we all follow the same path, which leads to the audience', says Síle. 'So that should be our focus, not something we only think about after a film is finished. That's how it started.'

Síle conducts audience design workshops for filmmakers, hoping that their projects will find their way to the intended audience. 'Audience design is the process of identifying exactly who your film is for', she says. 'I call it the outward journey, the way a project goes out into the world. That journey begins with audience design.'

According to Síle, most filmmakers used to think about this too late in the past. 'The film would be finished, and they would begin to panic. In that panic, they’d make the wrong choices, that didn't fit the story they wanted to tell. A huge missed opportunity', she continues. 'And think about other sectors: no company develops a product without thinking about who will use it. Why wouldn't we do that with films?'

Measures of success

This doesn't mean that an audience designer interferes with the creative process of making a film. 'I'm not here to change the story or the characters, that's not my job', says Síle. 'That's why I generally only get involved during the late development phase, when you're dealing with financing. Ultimately, it's about elevating the entire project, with the story intact, to a higher level.'

To do that, an audience designer has a toolbox, says Síle. 'I come in and read the script, the synopsis, listen to how a director and producer talk about the film. Then I discuss with them why they want to tell this story, and from those conversations, we come up with strategies. What will be the visual identity of our campaign, which festivals do we want to target? And: when do they consider the project a success?'

The success of a project is not always a high number of viewers, Síle explains. 'I think it's important for both filmmakers and film funds to redefine their measures of success', she says. 'Of course, you want to repay your investors, making a profit would be nice too, but what are the other goals? Maybe you don't want to appeal to a huge audience, but rather a smaller, more engaged group, when addressing a social issue. Audience design not only means thinking about the audience, but thinking about the right audience.'

Personas

To find that right audience, an audience designer often works with personas. Síle: 'I've encountered filmmakers who say they've made a film for everyone. Then I say, "You've made a film for no one." When you target an extremely broad audience, you're not specific enough - and ultimately, you reach no one.'

Therefore, Síle recommends working with clusters: clearly defined groups of people for whom a film is made. 'You really put yourself in the shoes of the audience. You ask questions: who are these people? Who do they associate with? What do they do in their free time? Do they watch a movie in the cinema or at home?', says Síle. 'Answering those questions makes things like devising a promotion plan much simpler. For example, it becomes clear whether you need to start a large publicity campaign or focus on word-of-mouth advertising.'

These choices not only lead to a clearer strategy, but they can also result in significant savings. 'When you develop personas, you also figure out who you're not making the film for', Síle says. 'So it becomes clear that you don't need to run campaigns targeting people who are not your target audience. It's an important question: who is not my audience?'

From debutant to Oscar winner

'When I started my consultancy, I thought it was wise to focus mainly on filmmakers early in their careers', Síle continues. 'But now I also work with Oscar-winning producers and production companies all over the world. I think it's clear that something is happening, and that audience design is a topic we as an industry need to talk about more.'

Audience design is a new field, coined by TorinoFilmLab in the mid 2010’s, but its recognition is growing. The response from the filmmakers she works with is positive, says Síle. 'I think producers are increasingly realizing how competitive the market is, how difficult it is to reach their audience. I think they appreciate having an audience designer come in with a fresh perspective to help them achieve their goals.'