By Danielle Turkov & Amy Shepherd
WHEN THEY SEE US. CHERNOBYL. STATELESS. HELP.
No-one expected these shows to be hits. They are stories that are difficult and painful to watch. But there is a growing audience demand for film content that engages with the real world, that makes us feel angry at the injustices we see daily around us and that lights a fire within us to ignite change.
Millennials and Gen-Z (ages 15-41) make up the largest proportion of film audiences today. They are an audience that desire authenticity, that want their lives to have meaning, that consume with a purpose.
These are an audience hungry for content that matters.
Millennials and Gen-Z also influence those around them. Consumer and market trend analysis consistently shows that, across the world, people of all ages increasingly choose brands, products and services that share their values and take a stand on important social issues.
These statistical trends reveal just how much impact motivates film audience behaviour.
Even pure entertainment shows like QUEER EYE and CHEER have learned to cater to the crowd. They select and emphasise characters that have emotional depths to plumb, social missions to advance, and the ability to encourage us all to do (even more) good in the world.
This twin focus on truth and relevance is fast making documentary miniseries one of the most popular types of content.
Knowing your audience has always been critical for film success. Audiences today are demanding. Millennials want to be seen and Gen-Z want to be involved. Everyone wants to be a changemaker. What they want, what they all really want, is impact.
Mainstreaming impact to deliver the meaningful content experiences that audiences crave needs every part of the filmmaking chain, commitment from start to finish. How do we do this?
- Directors: Have a big vision, imagine the impact outcome and make it come to life!
- Producers: Budget, measure, prove the value that impact brings. Join with Impact Producers who are expert in shaping messages, building communities and sparking real-world actions.
- Film institutes, financiers, distributors: Be the driving force, provide the money and resource support that impact needs.
Activate the future! Millennials and Gen-Z know that change is possible. To succeed, the film industry needs to believe this too.
