Aims and intentions - first draft:

Aims and intentions:

I will use media language to explore the ongoing and increasingly fatal issue of substance abuse. The 3 part dramatic series will provide a thought-provoking insight into the lives affected by this. I will use a refined dark-toned colour pallet with outbursts of colour throughout to reflect the momentary and non-lasting happiness the character feels throughout the narrative - this will also be reflected in the image in the article. 

The narrative itself will act as an attempt to spread more awareness to the topic through each episode discussing a different substance that the main character ‘Katie’. Each episode restarts itself with a different issue being talked about. The entirety of the series will be close-ups of Katie, her ‘mum’ and her ‘dad’. The uncomfortable and seemingly awkward proximity between character and lens is done to create a sense of instant intimacy with the characters then discussing the personal event as if telling a friend. Although heavily stigmatised and often covered in the media it is still not something people take seriously, this programme acts as a plead to inform the audience of the risks involved and the devastating effects it has on the people around you if it does go wrong. The programme will have a trigger warning as well as helplines at the end for people struggling with similar problems watching however, this is not the intended audience as such a narrative could trigger someone recovering or someone who has fully recovered from it. Instead, the audience is targeted to be people who have loved ones struggling with it in order to provide the idea that they are not alone as well as people between the ages of 16-18 in which the peer pressure to different often fatal substances is most present. 

The programme is not intended to build on the negative preconceived idea of the ‘normal drug addict’ focusing on a 30-year-old unemployed man living at the bottom of his basement, but instead is a ploy to challenge this idea and say that this issue targets a much younger demographic than people thinking but instead is not discussed due to embarrassment and awkwardness (find different word). This media product will conform to its industry context and is what ITV are looking for as they have demand for more independent and low budgeted productions - of which this is, using basic filming and basic creative techniques to create the most heightened impact. 

The series will demonstrate digital convergence through the double-paged spread and front cover that will continue to conform to the restricted colour pallet close up shown throughout the series. Similarly, the helplines will also be stated at the bottom of the page - the focus will continue to be about the narrative and what it will entail as well as the importance of spreading awareness.