How does This Is England attract its audience?

The target audience for This Is England can easily be defined by two separate age groups, the first of this being audience members who were in their youth at the time the film is set. Key aspects to this would include scenes in particular that offer a sense of nostalgia, including the scene in which Shaun is reading magazines in the corner shop. Not only would this simple act be familiar to an older audience (who did something like this as a child), but the mise-en-scene also features key eighties iconography; including sweets, furniture and magazines. Another key audience for this film includes modern-day youth, as so many of the themes and issues it includes (such as racism and sexuality) are still appropriate nowadays. However, due to the 18 age rating, Meadows was disappointed with the restrictions this posed to a younger audience.

      The social realist genre itself, as well as the brief advertising for the film including it's quirky poster and trailer would also open way to a whole different kind of audience. This is considered the 'explorer', as they enjoy films and texts away from the mainstream. The music that accompanies the film would act in addition to this, as it is likely they would also find the soundtrack being to their taste too. 

       This film also caused a huge stir in relation to the issues it tackled. This was a huge political message about Thatcher's government, and caused just as much controversy as it did all those years ago. With such a little budget for the film, the height of social buzz it created was phenomenal. This therefore reaches an audience who may not have generally went to see the film through advertising alone.