eleanor question 1 version2
Post on 20-Jul-2015
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Evaluation Question
OneIn what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of existing media products?
I identified a gap in the market through researching existing
documentaries: ‘Oh You Pretty Things’ ‘All This Stuff’ and’ ‘This
Old Thing’ (click links)
Although there are documentaries about vintage clothing (This Old Thing),
obsessive thrifters (All This Stuff) and Retro fashion (Oh You Pretty Things), there is
a gap in the market for a documentary about thrifting vintage clothing in youth
culture.
For the film, I decided to adopt codes and conventions from all three analyzed
documentaries to create a gratifying product suitable for my target audience.
Conventions
from Oh You
Pretty Things
Conventions from
This Old Thing
Conventions
from All This
Stuff
Cutaways Use of Presenter Social
observation
Alternative
Music
Eclectic aesthetic Interview with
vintage enthusiast
in their home
Archive
Footage
Multiplatform
marketing including
social media
Documentary Title
Documentary Title
I adopted the convention of using a clever pun in the documentary title –
often a feature of documentaries aired on mainstream television.
‘This Old Thing’ is a pun on the common expression used when modestly
describing an outfit often used ironically – as in this context, the ‘old’
nature of the clothing is the emphasis.
‘Fashionably Late’ also uses a pun to hint at the documentary content:
Fashionably Late usually means Arriving behind time to an event which
does not normally require one to be punctual.
In the context of the film, it refers to how old retro clothes have become
fashionable, items surface as ‘cool’ late, reflecting the zeitgeist
appropriate to this target audience.
Film: Use Of A PresenterAn analysis of ‘This Old Thing’ suggested the use of a presenter directly addressing the
audience establishes a strong relationship with the audience. What made Dawn
O’Porter’s representation gratifying was her informal style – addressing the audience like
a friend instead of a pupil. I adopted this convention by addressing the audience in an
informal setting; the mise en scene indicates an interestingly decorated bedroom. The
presenter wearing and unusual 1970s paisley patterned shirt presents her as a vintage
enthusiast, thus proving to the audience vintage clothing can be youthful and fun.
The documentarian (O’Porter) is also represented as an aspirational figure: she reflects
the programme target audience demographic, she is well groomed and attractive, she is
charismatic and enthusiastic.
These conventions were adopted in my own product: As my documentary’s primary
audience is teenage girls to young women (14-25) so the presenter’s appearance also
reflects that demographic.
Representing the documentarian as an aspirational,
relatable figure is a relatively new convention.
Presenting reality via documentary was developed by
John Grierson, depicting people on screen “performing the
actions that they would do in their normal lives.”
Film: Use Of A Presenter
Film: Use Of Cutaways‘Oh You Pretty Things’ ‘Fashionably Late’’
The most effective, appealing
aspect in my opinion of ‘Oh You
Pretty Things’ was the frequent
cutaways of old archive footage,
or images of youth culture. I
adopted this technique in the
opening titles, quickly cutting
between shots of youths.
This convention effectively
establishes the ‘retro’ aesthetic.
Film: Use Of Cutaways‘Oh You Pretty Things’ ‘Fashionably Late’’
However, because my documentary focuses on the
contemporary youth scene, I challenged the conventional
exclusive use of old footage in Oh You Pretty Things –
curating far more modern looking footage as well.
Film: Use Of Cutaways
I developed the conventional use of found footage by beginning the
documentary with an extract from an interview with Sonic Youth’s lead
singer Thurston Moore.
Unlike ‘Oh You Pretty Things,’ this retro footage establishes the
documentary’s tone : focusing on youth culture and self expression in
the world of ‘big business’.
Film: Interviews from expertsI adopted the technique in ‘All This Stuff’ of
interviewing someone in a position of
authority, to insightfully explore the trend in
thrifting from a business perspective.
An expert opinion provides the audience
with valid information, giving the film more
informative authority.
I framed the mid-shot of Linda to create a
clear mise en scene of a retail store room
(heaps of sorted clothing, clothes rails) in
the same way that Ben the ‘boomerangs
manager’ is clearly at work in a thrift store.
Similarly to Ben discussing unusual
customers in ‘All This Stuff,’ I asked the
manager questions regarding customer
trends
Adopted convention: Name and title gives speaker
authority & keeps interview relevant
Film: Use Of SoundThe use of contemporary non diegetic music challenged the codes and conventions of fashion documentaries. Whereas ‘This Old Thing’ featured nondescript upbeat instrumental music, ‘All This Stuff’ used minimal monotones and ‘Oh You Pretty Things’ used archived music of the period, none of the analyzed fashion documentaries used alternative recent music.
Why I chose to challenge conventions:
Mallrats – The Orwells
the fast paced chaotic sounding indie rock music is unconventional
suggesting the documentary will explore ‘edgy’ youth cultures.
Hot Wax – King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
featuring a less well known contemporary band gratifies the target audience
of explorer psychographic. Audiences can discover new music as well as
fashion
Teenage Girl – Cherry Glazerr
the band Cherry Glazerr is popular amongst the target audience: teenage
girls with a desire to defy mainstream culture and experiment with fashion.
Film: Interviews from interesting
characters
‘Oh You Pretty Things’ ‘All This Stuff’
‘Fashionably Late’
Focusing on eccentric characters is a key convention in fashion/culture documentaries. The selection of the individual is usually to enforce the ridiculous angle of a subject. E.g. the awkward odballs in ‘All This stuff’ is used to suggest the world of thrift shopping can attract obsessive fanatics.
I adopted the convention of including a personal interview (featuring ‘Emilie’) but challenged the convention of eccentric characters being portrayed in a negative light.
Emilie is presented as cute. Humble and interesting with an extensive knowledge of vintage clothing. The teenage bedroom miseen scene humanizes the interviewee rather than mocks her.
The customer in ‘All This Stuff’ fits the
stereotype of a ‘crazy old lady,’
perpetuated in popular culture as
obsessive and unsettling.
The importance of Ancillary productsA key convention of presenter led documentaries is a cross media platform
presence through ancillary media products. Without ancilliary products, the target
audience will not be able to engage with the documentary’s presenter and brand
identity therefore will not choose to consume the film.
The newspaper advert would particularly appeal to the secondary audience of
professional women aged 30 plus. It would most likely appear in a broadsheet
newspaper that promotes individuality and the arts such as The Independent of the
GuardianI also chose to adopt a similar
aesthetic to non documentary
media products aimed at my
target audience – as the main
function of ancilliary products is to
attract the attention of an
audience.
Ancillary Products: Newspaper
AdvertFrom my research on documentary publicity material, here it is
important to effectively portray the mood and aesthetic of the
documentary, rather than the actual content.
A convention of stylish fashionable
documentaries is to create a
dazzling image and brand identity
to capture the attention of the TA.
This Old Thing adopted a similar
aesthetic to glamorous american
dramas.
Although it is not a documentary,
‘The Carrie Diaries’ has the same
target audience, young lower to
upper middle class women of the
explorer or aspirer psychographic,
as my film. I considered the
newspaper ad’s aesthetic in my
own product.
Ancillary Products: Newspaper
AdvertAs my product will be aired on E4, a subsidiary channel of
Channel 4, it is important to consider the conventions of
channel 4 documentaries with their distinct house style.
Title and information in bold text box
Striking image, often
dramatically edited
Institution logo
I adopted the house style of Channel 4, featuring title and
information text in a bold text box using Trebuchet font –
the closet commercial font possible to Channel 4’s
copyrighted font
I adopted the vibrant, retro fun
aesthetic conveyed in ‘The
Carrie Diaries’ advert with the
use of piles of colourful vintage
clothing
I developed the convention of documentary adverts using striking
composite images by creating unusual eye catching title text, filled with
quirky vintage clothing patterns.
Similarly to the 60s retro looking ‘This Old Thing’ title, I used a retro
Bauhaus Font to emphasize the stylish retro aesthetic to the
documentary.
Ancillary Product: Listings MagazineKey conventions I identifiedand adopted:
Eye catching anchor image
Titling enforcing brand identity
Similar aesthetic to newspaper advert
Presenter Interview
Info on what else is available to watch
I adopted the convention established in presenter
led documentaries (identified in my research):
Press shots used for reviews and features only
include Dawn O Porter, demonstrating how the
participation and involvement of the presenter is
pivotal to the documentary.
The presenter posed at a slight angle holding up
her arms to look dynamic and fun.
I developed the convention of using a
well respected presenter (Dawn
O’Porter known for lifestyle and fashion
documentaries) by describing Ellie
Bleach in the listings magazine copy.
I attracted my target audience by
mentioning partnerships with ‘One
Direction and Made In Chelsea’ artists
and programs in the TA’s cultural capital.
Including opinion and commentary
from the presenter reinforces the
friendly relationship with the
audience
To create a realistic
listings magazine
layout, I included
television scheduling
for one specific
evening, a key
convention.
This also allows the
audience to asses the
documentary against
competing films on at
the same time, Monday
8pm.
In Conclusion
The main product: As conventions of documentary making are so broad, Fashionably Late the documentary extract adopted codes and conventions from a variety of documentary case studies. However, these conventional adoptions were selected in order to entice, interest and gratify the target audience in the most effective way possible.I developed my creativity by developing existing documentary conventions. These include: featuring contemporary alternative music, a positive representation of a thrifting/vintage enthusiast.
As the primary function of ancillary products is to promote the main product, I adopted conventions from television programs aimed at my target audience such as The Carrie Diaries – despite it being a fictional Drama. I also focused on my ‘This Old Thing’ case study, adopting the way in which the presenter was represented as charismatic and aspirational.
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