Documentary Analysis 2 - Music Biz - The Marketing Of Meatloaf

Title of programme:

Music Biz – The marketing of Meatloaf

Type of documentary:

Mixed - Interviews, Actuality footage, Archive material.

Themes:

Marketing the music industry. Image creation – The way Meatloaf’s image is created. Manipulation of audiences / power of the media – The media can manipulate the audience into buying CD’s, gig tickets etc.

Narrative Structure:

Non-Linear, single strand, Closed narrative, Circular – starts with a press conference and ends with a press conference.

Camera Work:

Low angle. Interviews were filmed either to the left or right hand side of the screen and shot in close up or medium close up. In one interview the man who is being interviewed is being filmed on his side, just to the side of his head – this creates a barrier because there is no eye contact and feels strange because there is no eye contact and it breaks codes and conventions. Handheld when filming actuality footage / music video and press conference. Camera positions us (the audience) as observers. TV crews in press conference, point of view shot in the betting shop. Panning/Zoom used for still images, makes it more interesting. Still images of Chart listing, CD, images, magazines, NME magazine. At least 4 different interviews with Meatloaf with different locations.

Mise-en-scene:

CHROMAKEY – Blue or green screen used as the backdrop for the interviews. This is used as background – e.g. weather forecasting. The background can be relevant to what is being spoken about. The backgrounds of interviews are always relevant to the person speaking or what is being spoken about.

Sound:

Voice over – Male – Standard English – holds the narrative together, he was very sarcastic and opinionated (not a conventional voice over to be used in a documentary) Meatloaf music is used at various times throughout the programme. A sound effect of a heart beat is used to heighten tension. Classic and string music is used to build up suspense. The background sound is completely silent during interviews in the documentary. All questions are edited out, we cannot hear the questions being asked, we just hear the interviewee giving an answer.

Editing:

Cut and cross cutting were the main editing used in this documentary, they used simple cuts so the audience could keep focus on the story and not get distracted by fancy editing. Dissolve is used when there is an image then another one appears from behind the dissolving image. Spin effect. Montage, two different, during an American TV show and when Meatloaf was asked what exactly ‘he wouldn’t do for love’ by several people in the documentary. Fast motion is used to show people walking past HMV at night; the people are seen going past very fast. Slow motion is also used when Meatloaf is walking into a building.

Archive Material:

Top of the pops
Chat shows
Music Videos
Grammy Awards
News Programme
Newspaper
Website

Graphics:

Logo for the title of the series ‘The Biz’ and then the name etc. Graphics anchored who the people were and their relevance to the topic. Graphics were superimposed over the images. Title scrolled across the screen at the end of the images. Title scrolled across the screen at the end of the programme. Not conventional title, it normally shoots up the screen.