After such a long time of working on this documentary, I just realized I had never showed you guys what Kim and I have been basing our entire production off of. Before the project is due on Sunday, I really wanted to take the time to go over all the crucial components that not only make this documentary what it is, but also help Kim and I base our decisions off of.
First, let's talk about genre. As we all know, this project is a documentary; however, when speaking of genre, common tropes and important production decisions, we have to be more specific.
There are six "documentary modes": expository, observational, participatory, performative, mockumentary, and poetic. Overall, the type of documentary we have been making has been mostly expository - but we have definitely decided to switch some things up a bit.
You see, expository documentaries discuss a specific topic and often pose a specific argument, using cinematography and other aspects of the creation process in order to strengthen and support that point of view. Like some other types of documentaries, expository documentaries utilize indirect and maybe even direct interviews, a "voice of God" style voice-over and wide varieties of footage, whether that be stock footage, archival footage, or video captured during the creation of the doc. These documentaries can often be historical, such as The Dust Bowl (2012).
We decided to adhere to some of these tropes (the use of interviews and supporting footage, for instance) since this would allow us to showcase others' views and experiences (especially with a topic like the male gaze) while also being selective about what was visually backing up the interviewees points. We decided to stick strictly to indirect interviews and even stray away from a voice-over, which is not super common with these types of documentaries. This is because Kim and I wanted each interviewee to be able to speak for themselves, telling their story as authentically as possible. This makes the documentary more personal, since it feels as if the interviewees are having a direct conversation with the audience.
We also decided to capture very obviously staged B-roll in a relatively empty room with nothing but TVs, cameras, and often chairs/tables, creating a set that one would likely never encounter if not on some sort of filming set. This was done on purpose, since we can experiment even further with what we are showing (since the TVs allow us to include even more footage) and make an unnatural setting seem natural. This was done in order to accentuate the constant gaze even coming from our cameras, showing that in a world where media is continuously and excessively being created and distributed, the male gaze can be felt constantly. This incorporation of staged and stylized B-roll can be seen in other documentaries such as The Future is Fluid by Gucci, but is still relatively uncommon within the genre. Being able to challenge these tropes not only differentiates our documentary from others, but also allows Kim and I to drive the point home throughout different areas of the project.
Up next is target audience. Knowing who your media is being directed to and basic information about these consumers can be extremely helpful in creating an effective production, distribution, and marketing plan. For this documentary, Kim and I agreed that we could like to break up our target audience into two sections: a primary and secondary target audience. Our primary target audience would be women, particularly introspective young adults (14-25) who are growing into adulthood and are curious about the effects of media on certain societal groups. Our secondary audience, however, is an extended version of this and includes two main groups: older women and younger men. Because the male gaze is something that has recently become an Internet conversation, many older women probably are not aware of this social issue nor its detrimental effects. Therefore, being able to watch and process all of this information could be extremely beneficial and eye-opening for them, even if they are not the primary audience.
The second group is mostly made up of younger men, since they are similar in age to our primary audience (and therefore consume media similarly) and are currently growing up internalizing all of this problematic media. By watching this documentary, they could sympathize with women and be much more aware about the heavy consequences of the male gaze, hopefully pushing them to educate themselves and their peers. Both younger men and younger women heavily use digital mediums to not just communicate and consume but also to make sense of the world, which is why Kim and I will be posting on Instagram throughout the project's completion. This is one of the most widely-used social media platforms by our target audience and due to its variety of content, we can keep our followers engaged while also advocating for a larger cause.
There are many reasons we chose these groups. Not only would it be much easier for Kim and I to create content directed toward others our age (especially since we have personal experience that could assist us in creating a better documentary), but as I mentioned earlier, the male gaze has recently become a "hot topic" online, especially the TikTok community. However, because many people have decided to use the term to describe things that do not necessarily align with the definition of the male gaze, many newcomers to the conversation are confused, not knowing what the male gaze actually is. Therefore, this documentary could hopefully help clear some of that up, simultaneously providing some sense of comfort for those who have been greatly impacted by this issue. We hope to spread awareness not just through the documentary, but through the social media page and magazine article as well.
Speaking of social media, we will also be using YouTube in addition to Instagram, however only as an extra means for distribution. This is because the likelihood of someone finding our video on YouTube without any incentive is slim to none. However, it is still helpful since we can send the link around and still have non-Instagram users watch our project. Instagram, on the other hand, is our main source of communication. Here, we (mainly Kim) have been posting behind the scenes posts, information about the documentary's release, as well as some "mini lessons" from different episodes of our documentary-series, The Overlooked. This reflects a lot of the social media posts I had seen on other docu-series' social media pages, particularly the one for The Art of Design (Netflix Original).
Overall, we have been keeping our branding modern and simplistic, only using neutral colors (and some accents here and there, often from the interviewees' clothing) to represent our docu-series. This has allowed us to keep our branding consistent even throughout two different episodes (the first one being Counter Conformity). Here are some screen shots for our social media page:
Honestly, it's been great to have a partner for all of this, since we have been able to divide and conquer. Kim was Vice President for our TV production club last year so she is well acquainted with how to properly run social media accounts, plus she wants to go into journalism, so having her make the magazine article and maintain our social media presence while I mainly worry about the documentary has been great, since we're each playing to our strengths. I've been working on the doc, so I'll post some updates soon! Talk to you guys later.
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