Update of aims and intentions

Aims and intentions:

Old - substance abuse

For my media coursework I will be producing a teen drama called "clouded". I will use media language to explore the ongoing and increasingly fatal issue of substance abuse as well as following the generic codes and conventions of a teen drama. 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 - it will follow the features through the setting of one of the character (? change - talking about Katie) which is very stereotypical of the genre, similarly the topic of teenage issues such as rebellion and  peer pressure are also very common (change as well)

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 over the head 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. To further this the camera constantly overarching layer of guilt and regret wanting to be increasingly emphasised throughout to work to prevent such events happening to audiences watching. The editing is minimal with the only significant use of a montage if shots previewing the events shown. The sense of predictability will be done for effect to show to the audience that such an occurrence is preventable.

The programme is not intended to build on the negative and heavily stigmatised representation of your 'normal drug addict', 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. This will be linked to 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. 

Finalised idea - societal pressures - the naughties

Final idea - pressure in society

Aims and intentions:

In both of my media texts, I will use media language to explore the increasingly apparent pressure that society is inflicting on its younger members. The 6 part ten-minute documentary series will provide an audience of millennials with what its like to be born in such a pre-developed world whilst targeting increasingly relevant topics such as mental health and substance abuse. Similarly the series has been produced in attempt to demonstrate that media texts can be used to open discussions and bridge social boundaries and create a sense of empathy for those previously unable to understand other peoples perspective. I believe that this topic has a lot of political and cultural relevance as well as fitting to the brief by not focusing on physical conflict but instead the conflict in someones own thoughts and mental process. Throughout my audio visual I have used the editing software available of VSCO cam video to create a refined dark tinged colour pallet throughout with some outburst of bright colour to reflect the momentary and non lasting outburst of acceptance for our now heavily diverse society - the people explored in the programme help to reflect this.

The narrative itself explores each characters personality and suggests multiple ways that an audience member feeling the same way could deal with such an issue. The audio visual focuses on the beginning of the series with the introduction familiarising audiences with unknown faces, names and birthdays as well as a montage of clips giving the audience a brief insight to their character. The 3 minutes of the episode explore the character of Eliza and her dad as well as starting to develop our understanding of the character of ‘Lily’. 

The target audience is not only younger (16-25) who can relate to the situations and characters explored, but also to give those older with a well informed sense of what its like from people going up in such a highly competitive and stress inducing society. The aim, is to bridge common ground between two generations who seem politically and culturally in conflict with arguably “outdated” veiws.

• Say at some point that it is a refreshed and creative space.