Thursday, 12 May 2011
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Magazine advertisement
The idea of my poster was to attract the audience at one look, and to and inform the audience as to why they should tune in, without actually saying so. The poster also clearly states where and when the audience can tune into the programme.Using the young girls within the poster and having them hold their posters leaves the target audience intrigued. The purpose of the black and white background was to ensure that the title and the posters they were holding stood out clearly. The titles are also used within the main documentary, creating a sense of continuity. To create this poster I took full advantage of the editng tools on Photoshop, including colour enhancers. My knowledge of using this editing programme has deepend, to which I now feel I have created a successful Magazine Advertisement.
Radio Advertisement
The Radio advertisement I have produced uses the same the track from the opening sequence of my documentary. The purpose of this is to create a sense of continity between the media texts. Within the advertisements I have used samples from the interviews on Oxford High Street and the interview with the Troy Hoff- Managing Director of Rimmel London. I choose these particular samples of sounds because I feel that they are quite shocking and will cause a response from the audience, encouraging them to watch the documentary. The software I used to create this product was Final Cut Express HD. I have used this software in creating both my documentary and radio advertisement to which I feel my knowledge, confidence and creativity has greatly improved.
Evaluation Podcasts
•In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
•How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
•What have you learned from your audience feedback?
•How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
•How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
•What have you learned from your audience feedback?
•How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Ancillary texts- Research
As part of the Brief, I have choosen to produce a Radio and Newspaper advertisement alongside my main documentary. The main use of my ancillary texts are to work alongside each other in order to promote my documentary, Who Wants Us To Be Beautiful? Although I have some initial ideas about what I want to produce, I felt it was impotant to undertake research into real media texts.
'A picture speaks a thousand words'
The examples I have found relating to a Newspaper advertisement have all had a similar array of conventions. All have used a very striking image, whether simple of dramatically edited, to grab the eye of the public. The advertisements use the image to inform the audience about what the programme will be about, and leaves you intrigued. Furthermore, the advertisements inform you of when are where you can find the programme, along with a logo. From my research, my initial ideas have changed, to which I now want to produce a rather sympathetic picture involving the young girls used in my main documentary.
Being a fan of Radio 1, I was aware of the conventions and neccessities of a successful Radio advertisement. In my Radio advertisement I will be using the track Simian-La Breeze which is used at the beginning of my documentary. The purpose of using this track is to keep continuity between the texts. As for research, I have found webistes such as Youtube particulary helpful, especially as I can listen to both professional and home recorded radio advertisements.
'A picture speaks a thousand words'
The examples I have found relating to a Newspaper advertisement have all had a similar array of conventions. All have used a very striking image, whether simple of dramatically edited, to grab the eye of the public. The advertisements use the image to inform the audience about what the programme will be about, and leaves you intrigued. Furthermore, the advertisements inform you of when are where you can find the programme, along with a logo. From my research, my initial ideas have changed, to which I now want to produce a rather sympathetic picture involving the young girls used in my main documentary.
Being a fan of Radio 1, I was aware of the conventions and neccessities of a successful Radio advertisement. In my Radio advertisement I will be using the track Simian-La Breeze which is used at the beginning of my documentary. The purpose of using this track is to keep continuity between the texts. As for research, I have found webistes such as Youtube particulary helpful, especially as I can listen to both professional and home recorded radio advertisements.
Conventions of my Documentary- Conventional and Experimental
My response to the following question:
Explain how you used conventional and / or experimental narrative approaches in one of your production pieces.
Conventions Essay response
Explain how you used conventional and / or experimental narrative approaches in one of your production pieces.
Conventions Essay response
Questionnaire on Final Product
I have created the Questionnaire below in order to gain feedback on my final documentary. The feedback will allow me to continue to progress and deepen my knowledge on how to create a powerful and meaningful product which will hit a target audience. The questions I have asked are revolved around the message that the documentary gives and how it looks and is presented.I will be giving the questionnaire to 10 people aged between 14-21. I would also like to show the documentary to a parent and ask them to fill in the questionnaire. It will be interesting to see the response from a parent and see it they were awaere of the medias affects on young children.
Library Footage of Advertisements
A common convention of documentaries is the use of visuals. The purpose of visuals is to emphasise a particular message of emotion. Within the beginning of my documentary I will be introducing the topic and arguments with the use of a voice over. To help emphasise the message I will be using clips from adverts currently being shown on the Television. I have chosen these clips specifically because they represent the stereotypical view of beautiful people and how they are seen to represent wealth and success.
Library footage of 5 year old applying make-up
I will be using a short clip from the video below within the opening of the documentary. I found this video on Youtube.com while undertaking research for the topic. I have chosen to use this video as I feel it is a shocking image and shows how the media is targeting at a younger and younger audience. I will also be using an editing technique to which I will speed up the pace of the video. I feel it will fit in well with my music choice and give a more effective look.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Interview with Managing Director Of Rimmel
Within the documentary I want to illustrate the opposing side of the arguement. From my research the statistics clearly show how the beautiful people on the front of magazines and on television are selling their products. I have constructed an interview with 'Troy Hoff- Managing director of Rimmel London Make-Up' to show the opposing views. The research I have undertaken has showed me that the beautiful people are used becuase they are what sell their products. The beautiful people bring with it a certain lifestyle: Beauty= Wealth, success and fortune. People buy their products that illustrate this messgae because this that is their ambition.
Further Research ...
I have come across some really helpful websites during my research into the beauty industry. Here are just a few ...:
http://www.ivillage.com/beauty-culture-one-woman-questions-our-obsession/5-a-146747
This link takes you to a fashion website. Within this websites there are discussions and forums about wearing for the right shape and what not eat. I've found the article 'The Beauty Culture: One woman questions our obsession' very useful and once again shows how the images of perfection that are being projected upon us are giving us a false sense of what is beautiful.
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/tv/soaps/Jorgie+Porter-60014.html
This article is from a magazine website. It gave me an insight into how a young girl trying to persue a career in acting is having trouble living with the pressures of being beautiful. She is now an actress on Hollyoaks and says that the pressure comes from all her beautiful co-stars.
http://hilary.com/fashion/bikini.html
A very insightful article into how the overload of these perfect images are affecting the perfect woman.
http://www.ivillage.com/beauty-culture-one-woman-questions-our-obsession/5-a-146747
This link takes you to a fashion website. Within this websites there are discussions and forums about wearing for the right shape and what not eat. I've found the article 'The Beauty Culture: One woman questions our obsession' very useful and once again shows how the images of perfection that are being projected upon us are giving us a false sense of what is beautiful.
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/tv/soaps/Jorgie+Porter-60014.html
This article is from a magazine website. It gave me an insight into how a young girl trying to persue a career in acting is having trouble living with the pressures of being beautiful. She is now an actress on Hollyoaks and says that the pressure comes from all her beautiful co-stars.
http://hilary.com/fashion/bikini.html
A very insightful article into how the overload of these perfect images are affecting the perfect woman.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Backdrop For Interview with Troy Hoff
I have created the following back drop which will be used in my Documentary when I interview Troy Hoff. The backdrop I have created illustrates our perception of beauty and our need to reach it. While searching through magazines for these images, it was the headlines that really caught my eye. I decided to use them in the college because I feel it was important to show what magazines are presenting to young girls.
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Interviews on Oxford High Street
Yesterday I took a trip into Oxford in order to interview people and find out their views on media and body image. I aimed to interview people aged 14-18 and have a total of 5 interviews.
I want to gain as much information and opinions as possible; interviews and questionnaires will allow me to gain this. From the interviews it appears that there is a strong correlation between the images that are projected upon us and our view of the perfect body image. All interviewees backed up the arguement that we we all percieve the perfect body to be thin and beautiful.
In order to gain this information I used a picture of a range of body shapes and sizes- From small to large. I asked the interviewees where they would place themselves on the scale and where they aspire to be.
I want to gain as much information and opinions as possible; interviews and questionnaires will allow me to gain this. From the interviews it appears that there is a strong correlation between the images that are projected upon us and our view of the perfect body image. All interviewees backed up the arguement that we we all percieve the perfect body to be thin and beautiful.
In order to gain this information I used a picture of a range of body shapes and sizes- From small to large. I asked the interviewees where they would place themselves on the scale and where they aspire to be.
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Photos for opening sequence ...
As mentioned below, I have found the sountrack I want to use for the opening of my documentary. The song, Simian by La Breeze, begins quite subtly and calmly. This will allow me roughly 30-40 seconds to introduce my topic to the audience with the use of a voiceover. The song then builds with the lyrics 'Here it comes' and then burst into a very upbeat and loud chorus. Here, I want to use a mixture of pictures and short clips.
I have gathered a fair few pictures now and they are starting to build up the foundations of the upbeat opening. The opening is aimed to be shocking and informative.
I have gathered a fair few pictures now and they are starting to build up the foundations of the upbeat opening. The opening is aimed to be shocking and informative.
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Prop for Interviews
I will be using the following image as a prop during the interviews on Oxford Hight Street. I will be printing it on a large piece of card and then asking the interviewees questions about where they would put themselves on the scale and furthermore, where they would like to be.
Locations for Documentary
Oxford High Street
This is where I will be doing my interviews with members of the public. I have chosen Oxford High Street as it is a large and busy city. The High Street shops also clearly demonstrate the idea of perfection- the large pictures and advertisements in shop windows portray the idea of beauty and perfection furthermore, the manikins used all represent the ideal body shape.
This is where I will be doing my interviews with members of the public. I have chosen Oxford High Street as it is a large and busy city. The High Street shops also clearly demonstrate the idea of perfection- the large pictures and advertisements in shop windows portray the idea of beauty and perfection furthermore, the manikins used all represent the ideal body shape.Marlborough School
This is where I will be interviewing the young girls. I have chosen this location as it represents how young the girls are and their innocence. The young girls will also be dressed in their school uniform.
During the interview with Troy Hoff, he will be sat in front of a backdrop which I have made. The backdrop consists of a college of pictures and headlines emphasising the external pressures from the media to look and act a certain way.
Monday, 28 March 2011
Soundtrack for end of Documentary
I have chosen to use the track Freshman by The Verve to end my documentary. I feel the tempo and lyrics are suited to the documentary and promote a feeling of empathy. I will be using this track over the top of the ending shots where the young girls are stood infront of a white wall with their opinions projected over their bodies. The lyrics 'We won't be held responsible' are what make this track suitable to the documentary as it represents how the young girls are being manipulated by the media.
Library Footage
As part of the documentary I will be using library footage as visuals to reinforce my message.The main source of my library footage has been http://youtube.com/ to which I have gained vital footage of which I could not have filmed.
During the opening of the documentary I will be introducing the topic of discussion. Here I will be using visuals of beautiful people to enforce the message of how the media is playing an important role on our perception of beauty. This will include advertisements of make-up products and perfume brands.
With the use of editing, the introduction to my documentary will be quick and upbeat. I will be using the photographs I have gathered from oxford along with the photos I have taken of Magazine headlines and images. Along with this, I will be using a short clip of library footage from a Dove commercial. The clip includes a group of women advertising tablets which will make them 'smaller, thinner and stronger'. I'm using this clip to illustrate the necessity to reach the idea of perfection.
As part of my documentary I find it important to consider both sides to the arguement. 'Troy Hoff' acted by Tony Buckmaster will be presenting an arguement from a Business point of view. Within the interview of Troy Hoff he talks about the Businesses' main objective to promote a 'clean wholesome image'. Here, I will be using visuals of size zero models walking on catwalks and also images of anorexia to illustrate the opposing view to this arguement.
During the opening of the documentary I will be introducing the topic of discussion. Here I will be using visuals of beautiful people to enforce the message of how the media is playing an important role on our perception of beauty. This will include advertisements of make-up products and perfume brands.
With the use of editing, the introduction to my documentary will be quick and upbeat. I will be using the photographs I have gathered from oxford along with the photos I have taken of Magazine headlines and images. Along with this, I will be using a short clip of library footage from a Dove commercial. The clip includes a group of women advertising tablets which will make them 'smaller, thinner and stronger'. I'm using this clip to illustrate the necessity to reach the idea of perfection.
As part of my documentary I find it important to consider both sides to the arguement. 'Troy Hoff' acted by Tony Buckmaster will be presenting an arguement from a Business point of view. Within the interview of Troy Hoff he talks about the Businesses' main objective to promote a 'clean wholesome image'. Here, I will be using visuals of size zero models walking on catwalks and also images of anorexia to illustrate the opposing view to this arguement.
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Inspiration for Documentary!
Throughout the process of researching into this topic I have frequently come across the following video. During of my opening of my documentary I hope to do my own version of this video. I feel it really captures how we are misled by the images we are exposed to.
Opening Soundtrack for Documentary
I have already posted the video below however, it has become a real inspiration for documentary and I love the soundtrack for it!
I am planning to use this soundtrack to open my documentary. It is really upbeat and I feel that with right use of images, I can really capture my audience.
I am planning to use this soundtrack to open my documentary. It is really upbeat and I feel that with right use of images, I can really capture my audience.
Filming the Girls
On Wednesday 16th March I met with the girls once again, but this time I would be filming them for my documentary. The points that they made the previous week made a real inpact on me and I want to get this across in my documentary. I interviewed them all as a group and asked them quiestions focused around body image and pressures from the media. I simply left the camera rolling ... 
I had an idea in my mind for a while about how I could use the girls to make a strong arguement against the images they are exposed to everyday. I asked the girls to write down their personal opinions on the topic. They wrote their opinions on sheets of plastic which I could project onto an over-head projector. I asked the girls to stand infront of the over-head projector and filmed them. I feel that using these images along with voiceovers will create a high amount of emotion in my documentary. 
In my interview above with the Girls I wanted them to be in their school uniform to emphasise their age and innocence.
I had an idea in my mind for a while about how I could use the girls to make a strong arguement against the images they are exposed to everyday. I asked the girls to write down their personal opinions on the topic. They wrote their opinions on sheets of plastic which I could project onto an over-head projector. I asked the girls to stand infront of the over-head projector and filmed them. I feel that using these images along with voiceovers will create a high amount of emotion in my documentary. 
In my interview above with the Girls I wanted them to be in their school uniform to emphasise their age and innocence.
Views of the Media from the perspective of 15 year olds
Since my last blog my documentary has progressed very rapidly. On Wednesday 9th March I met with four 15 year old girls in order to gather first hand information about their view on the media and body image. The first major point that was made during our meeting was that all the young girls admitted that they not 100% happy with their body. Three of the four girls further admitted that they started wearing make up from as young as 12 years old. The girls now say that they would never leave the house without make up and it takes them roughly 45 minutes each morning to get ready before they feel comfortable.
"So where do these pressure come from?"
When I asked this question to the young girls the immediate discussion was revolved around TV and Magazines. TV programmes such as 90210 and Hollyoaks were the topic of discussion to which they immediately noticed how they were all obviously beautiful and portrayed to be the idea of the perfect body. The girls said they felt most pressure from the images they see everyday because that is what they believe they should look like and aspire to be.
Ella, one of the young girls in the group, made a very intersting statement when she said that the are never any happy stories related to larger women in magazines. Furthermore, they only appear happy in magazines if they are revealing their story about how they have lost a large amount of weight. The discussion that followed this intriging statement revolved around the problem pages commenly found in the latter end of magazines. One of the stories which I found most staggering was titles 'I'm 13 years old and I think i'm fat'.
I asked the girls how they consider women to be represented in the media. Their immediate answer was 'skinny, perfect hair, perfect make up and sexy'. The girls noticed how there is a certain lifestyle that appears to come free with looking beautiful- Wealth and success.
"So where do these pressure come from?"
When I asked this question to the young girls the immediate discussion was revolved around TV and Magazines. TV programmes such as 90210 and Hollyoaks were the topic of discussion to which they immediately noticed how they were all obviously beautiful and portrayed to be the idea of the perfect body. The girls said they felt most pressure from the images they see everyday because that is what they believe they should look like and aspire to be.
Ella, one of the young girls in the group, made a very intersting statement when she said that the are never any happy stories related to larger women in magazines. Furthermore, they only appear happy in magazines if they are revealing their story about how they have lost a large amount of weight. The discussion that followed this intriging statement revolved around the problem pages commenly found in the latter end of magazines. One of the stories which I found most staggering was titles 'I'm 13 years old and I think i'm fat'.I asked the girls how they consider women to be represented in the media. Their immediate answer was 'skinny, perfect hair, perfect make up and sexy'. The girls noticed how there is a certain lifestyle that appears to come free with looking beautiful- Wealth and success.
Saturday, 26 February 2011
Important Dates!
Wednesday 9th March- Meeting with young girls to discuss their views on the media and body image.
Thursday 10th March- Film opening sequence of Documentary in Oxford.
Wednesday 16th March- Filming Interviews with the young girls.
Friday 18th March- Editing
Monday 28th March- Trip into Oxford to gather photographs for opening sequence.
Wednesday 30th March- Interviews on Oxford High Street
Thursday 31st March- Editing Interviews from Oxford.
Saturday 2nd April- Make Backdrop for interview with ‘Troy Hoff’
Tuesday 5th April- Filming Interview with ‘Troy Hoff- Managing Director of Rimmel London’
Wednesday 6th April- Edit interview with ‘Troy Hoff’
Friday 8th April- Decide visual images to use to oppose ‘Troy Hoff’s’ argument (Size Zero Models etc)
Friday, 25 February 2011
E-mail to Magazines
I have just sent an e-mail to Sugar, Shout, Mizz and Girl Talk magazine. I want to find out what their purpose is in using beautiful models throughout their magazines and whether they think that this is causing a negative stereotype on body image.
This is the e-mail I sent to them ...
Hello Shout/Sugar/Mizz/Girl Talk,
I'm currently a student taking my A-Levels. For my Media Studies A-Level this year my coursework assignment is to create a short documentary. My chosen topic is the impact of media and the beauty industry on young children.
While researching into this topic, I have noticed how the very clear division between what is being projected upon girls and boys. The boys are tough, they’re strong, and they’re ready to fight. The girls however, they need to be pretty, sexy and how they look determines their social statues. How do you think these pressures are affecting children of today? Is it correct that we are stereotyping beauty?
There are definitely two sides into this argument and any comment would be a great help.
Thank you very much for your time,
I look forward to hearing from you,
Laura Osborne
... I hope they get in touch!
This is the e-mail I sent to them ...
Hello Shout/Sugar/Mizz/Girl Talk,
I'm currently a student taking my A-Levels. For my Media Studies A-Level this year my coursework assignment is to create a short documentary. My chosen topic is the impact of media and the beauty industry on young children.
While researching into this topic, I have noticed how the very clear division between what is being projected upon girls and boys. The boys are tough, they’re strong, and they’re ready to fight. The girls however, they need to be pretty, sexy and how they look determines their social statues. How do you think these pressures are affecting children of today? Is it correct that we are stereotyping beauty?
There are definitely two sides into this argument and any comment would be a great help.
Thank you very much for your time,
I look forward to hearing from you,
Laura Osborne
... I hope they get in touch!
Main Focus for Documentary
Over the school half term, I've spent much of my time planning and visulising what I want my documentary to look like, and my overall arguement. Although I feel there is pressure on children from the internet, TV, films, newspapers, I feel that for the purpose of the documentary that I will be focusing on Magazines.
I recently was babysitting for a 12 year old girl and she was showing a couple of her favourite magazines, these included Shout, Sugar, Mizz and Girl Talk. The young women on the front of these covers were obviously beautiful, but it was the headlines that really caught my eye.
"MAKE HIM FANCY YOU"
"Pretending to have sex made me popular"
"I'm 15 and planning my Big Fat Gypsy Wedding"
"My sexting Nightmare"
"I'M AMERICA'S PERFECT TEEN"
... These are just a few that reallt stood out to me.
A major point that has really stood out to me during my reseach is the very clear division between what is being projected upon girls and boys. The boys are tough, they’re strong, they’re ready to fight. The girls however, they need to be pretty, sexy and how they look determines their social statues.
How are these pressures affecting children of today? Is it right that we are stereotyping beauty?
I recently was babysitting for a 12 year old girl and she was showing a couple of her favourite magazines, these included Shout, Sugar, Mizz and Girl Talk. The young women on the front of these covers were obviously beautiful, but it was the headlines that really caught my eye.
"MAKE HIM FANCY YOU"
"Pretending to have sex made me popular"
"I'm 15 and planning my Big Fat Gypsy Wedding"
"My sexting Nightmare"
"I'M AMERICA'S PERFECT TEEN"
... These are just a few that reallt stood out to me.
A major point that has really stood out to me during my reseach is the very clear division between what is being projected upon girls and boys. The boys are tough, they’re strong, they’re ready to fight. The girls however, they need to be pretty, sexy and how they look determines their social statues.
How are these pressures affecting children of today? Is it right that we are stereotyping beauty?
Questionnaire Responses
I have now received responses for my Questionnaire. The purpose of this questionnaire was to gain feedback from the public about their views on the media and perception of beauty. The questionnaire was aimed at people within the age bracket of 10-18. In total I gained 10 responses to which the following results are below.
Statistical results from Questionnaire
>10/10 responses concluded they felt pressure to have the perfect body.
>8/10 responses concluded they were currently occupied in changing their body weight or appearance.
>Pressure was mainly coming from: Friends, TV (Programs such as 90210 and Hollyoaks), advertising, magazines and celebrities.
>10/10 responses concluded that the media does not represent reality.
>Men are socially referred to as: strong, handsome, intelligent, muscular, healthy and hold a position of power.
>Women are socially referred to as: thin, beautiful, tall and clear complexion.
>The age range which people started to feel pressure from was between 11-18.
>10/10 responses concluded that there is too much pressure from the media on young children.
Monday, 21 February 2011
Questionnaire on Body Image
This Questionnaire I have designed will enable me to gain reliable information about how the media is affecting children and young adults. This Questionnaire is aimed towards 10-18 years olds.
Questionnaire on Body Image
Questionnaire on Body Image
Why do Advertisers promote products to children from such a young age?
Over the duration of my time researching the effects of media towards a younger audience I came across the following video on Youtube. The video gave me a real insight into why the media focuses so heavily towards children and inspired me to look into the issue further.
From an advertisers point of view, beauty sells. We live in a beauty obsessed world and the beautiful people we see everyday on the front of billboards or magazine covers and in films, these are the people who are believed to be associated with glamour, success and wealth. Therefore, this creates a particular image towards a product and this is why these people are used to promote them.
The following video acknowledges that advertisers target children early in their lives in order to turn them into life time consumers. They promote their products to them early, as often as they can and in as many places as they can. This video has become a big inspiration and I hope to use some of this information in my documentary.
From an advertisers point of view, beauty sells. We live in a beauty obsessed world and the beautiful people we see everyday on the front of billboards or magazine covers and in films, these are the people who are believed to be associated with glamour, success and wealth. Therefore, this creates a particular image towards a product and this is why these people are used to promote them.
The following video acknowledges that advertisers target children early in their lives in order to turn them into life time consumers. They promote their products to them early, as often as they can and in as many places as they can. This video has become a big inspiration and I hope to use some of this information in my documentary.
Body Confidence Test
Channel 4 have recently set up an online Body Confidence Test. I took part in the test and found some of the questions asked to be very surprising, to which many were focused towars the media. Such questions were "I've felt pressure from TV or magazines to have a perfect body" and "I've felt pressure from TV or magazines to change my appearance". Other questions included: "I think my appearance would help me get a job", "I wish I looked like someone else " and "I feel ashamed of how I look".
21,387 women and 2499 men have completed the Channel 4 Online Body Confidence Test. The results are as follows:
- 70.2% of women and 41.5% of men said they have felt pressure from magazines and television to have a perfect body
- 29.7% of women and 27.7% of men said that they have felt pressure from friends to look attractive.
- 23.8% of women and only 15.7% of men said that they have often felt pressure from familyto change their appearance.
- Women felt that increasing diversity in body shapes and physical appearances displayed in the media was the best way to promote a healthy body image.
- 22.8% of men agreed with this, with an almost equal amount (22.7%) saying that increasing education about body image in schools was the best way to promote a healthy body image.
... Would you consider these results to be shocking?
Beauty & the Beast- Camera shot Analysis
While watching the series of Beauty & the Beast: The Ugly Face of Prejudice, I also took into consideration the camera angles and shots that were used in order to portray a particular emotion or message.This series has given me an insight into the type of camera shots to use during interviews and has also shown me how to use visuals effectively in order to enhance a particular message.
Visuals are often used during an interview in order to demonstrate the extreme lengths these women will go to in order to reach 'perfection'. This often results in surgery including: liposuction, botox and lip fillers.
Many of the women in the series express how their obsession with beauty comes from the images they see in Magazines and on Television. Visuals are often used during the series to show examples of where the pressures are coming from and our perception of what is considered beautiful.
A medium two shot. This shot is often used when two individuals are being interviewed together. This camera shot allows the audience to focus on both characters as the speak but furthermore compare and contrast their physical appearance.
Visuals are often used during an interview in order to demonstrate the extreme lengths these women will go to in order to reach 'perfection'. This often results in surgery including: liposuction, botox and lip fillers.
Adam (Left), hits to the streets of London to interview the public on their perception of beauty. The choice of shot reveals to us the advertisements we are exposed to everyday and the pressure it exposes.
Many of the women in the series express how their obsession with beauty comes from the images they see in Magazines and on Television. Visuals are often used during the series to show examples of where the pressures are coming from and our perception of what is considered beautiful.
Mummy, what's wrong with that man's face?
Over the past year, Channel 4 has bought to our screens some of the most shocking series and documentaries that cover the topic of body image. The latest, and in my opinion the most shocking, being Beauty and the Beast: The Ugly Face of Prejudice.
This series investigates the extremes of discrimination. Each episode brings together two people often defined by the way they look: one has a facial disfigurement, the other an intense preoccupation with their appearance.
We live in a society obsessed with physical perfection, surrounded by images of unattainable beauty. Nine out of ten women in Britain are unhappy with their appearance, over half would resort to surgery to change it, and nearly three quarters of Brits think that being better looking would make them more successful.
Last weeks opening episode paired 59-year-old Leo Gormley, who underwent 120 operations in 15 years after he was burned in an explosion at the age of 14, with Yasmin Disney – a frankly gorgeous 20-year-old who will not contemplate leaving the house before completing her daily two-hour beauty regime and has a long list of cosmetic surgeries she would like to undergo.
What I find so grpping about this series in particular is the way the stereotypical 'beautiful' women who appear on the show are so insecure and unhappy with the way they look. At the end of each episode the woman is challeneged to remove all make-up and hair accessories to which the general reaction is disgust to their own reflection. The women feel weak and insecure without this mask which they appear to hide behind. The extreme irony in this series which I find so interesting is the way in which the person with the facial disfigurement has come to terms with how they look, and is now trying to convince the self-confessed beauty addict that true beauty comes from within.
This series investigates the extremes of discrimination. Each episode brings together two people often defined by the way they look: one has a facial disfigurement, the other an intense preoccupation with their appearance.
We live in a society obsessed with physical perfection, surrounded by images of unattainable beauty. Nine out of ten women in Britain are unhappy with their appearance, over half would resort to surgery to change it, and nearly three quarters of Brits think that being better looking would make them more successful.
Last weeks opening episode paired 59-year-old Leo Gormley, who underwent 120 operations in 15 years after he was burned in an explosion at the age of 14, with Yasmin Disney – a frankly gorgeous 20-year-old who will not contemplate leaving the house before completing her daily two-hour beauty regime and has a long list of cosmetic surgeries she would like to undergo.
What I find so grpping about this series in particular is the way the stereotypical 'beautiful' women who appear on the show are so insecure and unhappy with the way they look. At the end of each episode the woman is challeneged to remove all make-up and hair accessories to which the general reaction is disgust to their own reflection. The women feel weak and insecure without this mask which they appear to hide behind. The extreme irony in this series which I find so interesting is the way in which the person with the facial disfigurement has come to terms with how they look, and is now trying to convince the self-confessed beauty addict that true beauty comes from within.
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Mean Girls Clip- Internal Pressures
This clip, from the film Mean Girls, expresses precisely the internal pressures that come from social groups. The clip captures how each individual attending the school is stereotypically grouped and what that group tells others about you.
Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) has been forced by her zoologist parents to leave her African jungle life and enter a Public High School in America. At first she is socially unaccepted by the 'popular crowd' however, once she changes her appearance and learns the unwritten social rules she turns into a very nasty Queen Bee. This film demostrates the social pressures that teenage girls face today.
Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) has been forced by her zoologist parents to leave her African jungle life and enter a Public High School in America. At first she is socially unaccepted by the 'popular crowd' however, once she changes her appearance and learns the unwritten social rules she turns into a very nasty Queen Bee. This film demostrates the social pressures that teenage girls face today.
Mean Girls is rated PG-13 due to sexual content, language and some teen partying. This film gave me an insight into the pressures a typical school girl recieves: the pressure to look a certain way, the pressure to be popular and the pressure to have the highest social status.
Monday, 8 November 2010
Friday, 5 November 2010
Research into Documentary
After browsing the internet for quite some time, I have come across masses of information and opinions expressed by a range of people.
Youtube especially proved to be a useful source of information.
Dove Evolution
Evolution is an advertising campaign launched in 2006 as part of its Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, to promote the newly created Dove Self-Esteem Fund. The commercial promotes how a young, innocent girl will soon be bombarded with images of beauty people, especially size 0 models.
I found this video to be a real insight of how the Beauty Industry is taking its toll on very young children. The video was a real inspiration of what I could accomplish in the opening on my documentary and feel the ideas from the video will make a touching opening to the documentary.
The second video is another from Dove Evolution. This video expresses clearly how the images we see everyday in magazines, films and on billboards do not show a clear image of beauty. The video shows how many of the images we see have been retouched so much that the person in the original and edited photo are barely the same person. This leads me to question how real are the pictures that are projected onto us daily? The use of technology means that even the public can edit photos of themself on simple editing software such as photoshop.
Youtube especially proved to be a useful source of information.
Dove Evolution
Evolution is an advertising campaign launched in 2006 as part of its Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, to promote the newly created Dove Self-Esteem Fund. The commercial promotes how a young, innocent girl will soon be bombarded with images of beauty people, especially size 0 models.
I found this video to be a real insight of how the Beauty Industry is taking its toll on very young children. The video was a real inspiration of what I could accomplish in the opening on my documentary and feel the ideas from the video will make a touching opening to the documentary.
The second video is another from Dove Evolution. This video expresses clearly how the images we see everyday in magazines, films and on billboards do not show a clear image of beauty. The video shows how many of the images we see have been retouched so much that the person in the original and edited photo are barely the same person. This leads me to question how real are the pictures that are projected onto us daily? The use of technology means that even the public can edit photos of themself on simple editing software such as photoshop.
Chosen Brief for A2 Coursework
An extract from a new documentary TV programme, lasting approximately 5 minutes, together with two of the three following:
> A radio trailer for the documentary
> A double-paged spread from a listing magazine focused on the documentary
> A newspaper advertisement for the documentary.
After much thought and many discussions in class I have come to the conclusion of producing a documentary. I have set myself a higher challenge from last year and will be working solo. This will require me to produce, shoot and edit all of the footage myself. However, I feel this could work to my advantage as it gives me the ability to express my personnal views and portray the documentary as I can imagine it.
I felt it was important to focus the documentary around a topic I am passionate about, thus being it will show in the final product.
I have chosen to base my documentary around the beauty industry. To be more specific, the media that surrounds it and the effect it has on young children. The beauty industry is a multi- billion pound industry to which it projects a stereotypical image onto the population. This image brings with it many hidden meanings. Including how beauty brings success, glamour and a certain lifestyle with it.
Being a 17 year old Female, I hope to bring a different approach to the beauty industry and reveal how the images effect growing children, both female and male, on a daily basis.
I look forward to the challenge ...
> A radio trailer for the documentary
> A double-paged spread from a listing magazine focused on the documentary
> A newspaper advertisement for the documentary.
After much thought and many discussions in class I have come to the conclusion of producing a documentary. I have set myself a higher challenge from last year and will be working solo. This will require me to produce, shoot and edit all of the footage myself. However, I feel this could work to my advantage as it gives me the ability to express my personnal views and portray the documentary as I can imagine it.
I felt it was important to focus the documentary around a topic I am passionate about, thus being it will show in the final product.
I have chosen to base my documentary around the beauty industry. To be more specific, the media that surrounds it and the effect it has on young children. The beauty industry is a multi- billion pound industry to which it projects a stereotypical image onto the population. This image brings with it many hidden meanings. Including how beauty brings success, glamour and a certain lifestyle with it.
Being a 17 year old Female, I hope to bring a different approach to the beauty industry and reveal how the images effect growing children, both female and male, on a daily basis.
I look forward to the challenge ...
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