Who do I make my film for, and how do I reach these people? Questions like these are still not asked frequently enough. In a Masterclass at Wereldmuseum Leiden, Greta Nordio explains why audience design is so important. ‘Too often, there’s good films being made that don’t find their audience.’ Journalist Daan Schneider wrote a recap to remember the advice Nordio gave to the crowd.
Who do I make my film for? If you’d answer that question with ‘um, a big enough crowd, I want my film to be seen by as many people as possible,’ then audience designer Greta Nordio has bad news for you: “A film for everyone is a film for no one.” Even blockbusters like Jurassic Park (1993, Steven Spielberg) and Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001, Sharon Maguire) are not for everyone. Both film have an enthusiastic core audience, and if you want your film to be successful, you need to find a way to reach them. Especially in the world of arthouse cinema.
And Nordio knows, because she’s a professional: she works as a freelance audio designer, which means she advices filmmakers about the communication strategy of their film. Yet, she alo remarks: “Hiring an audience designer does not guarantee success. Audiences are unpredictable. We’re talking about cinema, about emotions — neither one is an exact science.” At the same time she also says audience design does not have to be very difficult. Anyone can do it. “If you just take the time to formulate an answer to a couple of very simple questions, you’ll come far.”
What is audience design?
TorinoFilmLab, where Nordio works as a fund advisor, coined the word audience design in 2011. Two TFL-tutors,Valera Richter and Lena Thiele, concluded that in the independent film industry there’s little attention to audiences. People were making great films, but what happened after these films were finished wasn’t a priority. Marketing was seen as a Hollywood thing.
So, Richter and Thiele came up with the following definition:
Audience design is a process that involves awareness and involvement of audiences surrounding films, through a story-based and versatile approach, from early development on.
– Valeria Richter and Lena Thiele (2011)
Greta Nordio is a member of the Audience Design Collective. In 2025, they tweaked the definition into:
Audience design is a creative and playful process for film teams in which they work closely to delve into their story, audiences, communication and distribution.
– Audience Design Collective (2025)
Just to be clear: this does not mean you’ll be adjusting your film to a certain audience. The idea is that you want to take storytelling as a focus to find your audience. Filmmakers have a vision, audience design makes sure that vision reaches the audience. Every film has an audience!
Think about your goals
One of the most important things to do is to ask yourself: what are my goals with this film? ‘This question is groundbreaking, even though it should not have to be that,’ says Nordio. Goals can exist in different categories: artistic goals, personal goals, commercial goals, communicative goals, and goals for an audience. It’s good to find out what category your goal fals into, because everyone who works on a film can have their own goal. That shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s good to know nevertheless.
Especially the last category, ‘goals for audience,’ is forgotten a lot, says Nordio. Are there specific people you want to reach with your film? Do you aim to make social impact with your film? And do you tell your distributor which people must see your film? And: what do you want your audience to feel while watching the film? Nordio talks about Céline Sciamma’s process. Whenever she’s writing a scenario she makes two schemes: one detailing the emotional journey of the main character, and one detailing the emotional journey of the audience. They never fully match. And the emotional journey of the audience matters more.
Practical examples
Nordio highlights a few films she worked on to give examples of how implementing audience design did or did not work. Nico, 1988 (2017, Susanna Nicchiarelli), a biopic about German singer Nico, had every element to reach a big audience: the Orizonti Award from Venice Film Festivals, raging reviews, a delicious soundtrack, and of course the fact that Nico and The Velvet Underground both have a large fanbase. Still, ticket sales of the film were very disappointing, and the film didn’t reach a big audience at all. Why? Because there was no effort put into audience design, which is a shame.
The Italian film Margini (2022, Niccolò Falsetti) shows what happens when you do implement audience design. The film is also a music film, a comedy about a fictive punk band of the same name as the title, with an incredible soundtrack that the filmmakers used for a creative marketing campaign. They released the soundtrack on vinyl and cd, and all proceeds went to local soccer clubs in the region where they shot the film. They also organized Margini Fest, a punk festival featuring bands of the soundtrack, which you could attend for free by showing a Margini film ticket. The festival sold merch by the fictive band, which became a popular item at film festivals. Behind every promotional campaign was a clear plan: a recognizeable, similar style and poster by Zerocalcare, a famou Italian cartoonist. The results paid off: the film was seen by a much larger audience than Nico, 1988.
Another ideal example: Inxeba (2018, John Trengove), a film about a queer relationship between two boys in the South African Xhosa community. This praised film had already proved itself on international filmfestivals, but the filmmakers had another specific coal for the release in South Africa: breaking through the taboo of queerness within the Xhosa community. Even though the film talks about a tender and intimate love story, the filmmakers had already determined that the release of the film would be deemed scandalous, because of the topic and because of accusations of cultural appropriation (the director and producers are white, but the rest of the crew is part of the Xhosa community). This meant it was important to steer the release with intent, which they accomplished by releasing the film to the Xhosa community first, and interviewing the audience afterwards for social media.
The outcry did come, on many fronts, and there’s a lot already written about it. But the important thing here is that the film was also supported online by people who had seen it, because it started the types of societal discussions that the filmmakers hoped to ignite.
Advice for good audience design
Both Margini and Inxeba are proof that you need to think creatively and out-of-the-box. Make sure your core audience becomes your ally, the ambassadors of your film! Word-to-mouth advertising still is the best type of advertising, says Nordio. This is how people are inspired to see a film: because a friend recommended it to them. In short, identify the audiences who might be interested in your film and make sure you reach them. (Note: look for what they’re interested in, and don’t categorize them based on demographics – the chance that two random British people in their 70s have the same taste in film is fairly small). Of course not every film is an Oscar-nominated conversation starter like Inxeba, but: every film has an audience.
To summerize the practical advice of Greta Nordio.
- It’s never too early or too late to start thinking about audiences.
- Think of communication materials: it’s such a waste not to have a photographer on set! Stills don’t always work.
- Create a communication strategy that is in line with your story, norms, and values.
- Don’t assume your audience! Research instead!
- Think out-ouf-the-box.
- Test your film, or promotional materials and ideas, with an intended audience.
Are you inspired to get to work? Nordio recommends the book Audience Design: An Introduction (2018) by Valeria Richter and Lena Thiele. You can download it for free on the website of TorinoFilmLab. You will find advice and mental exercises that Nordio also uses during brainstorm sessions.
‘And yes,’ says Nordio, ‘you already have so much to think about as a filmmaker – financing, pitching, production – but do yourself a favour and take the time for your audience. Because good films are made to be seen.’
Greta Nordio is audience designer, development producer and financial consultant for independent films. She lives in Venice and works as funds advisor for TorinoFilmLab, overseeing the funds and awards for international co-productions. She also works at EiE Film as development producer, where she follows the financial and artistic development of several features and shorts.
Films Nordio has worked on are Miss Marx, Chiara, Siberia, Daughter of Mine, Domenica Sera (winner of the David di Donatello award for Best Short Film 2025). Nordio is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents, Columbia University, TorinoFilmLab, and EAVE Puentes Italia.
Nordio’s Masterclass Audience Design was part of TalentScope 2025, a talent development programme of Netherlands Filmfund, FilmForward, ACE Producers, and TorinoFilmLab.