2014

Research Project 3

CMS

Jacob mcgowan 902692

RESEARCH PROJECT 3 JACOB MCGOWAN 902692

1. Select, identify and define 3 of the narrative beats.

Established Problem-Solving Priority Order (EPSPO): The EPSPO for Bleach’s protagonist Judy is that she is a young woman who is dependent on her boyfriend Tom in an emotional and financial sense. The manner in which she normally goes about solving problems is by turning to Tom.

The First Explosion: In Bleach’s narrative the first explosion takes place in the form of an argument that culminates in Tom bleaching all of Judy’s clothing. This action causes Judy to revaluate her EPSPO and begin her quest for self-actualisation and independence.

The Climax: The climactic point of Bleach’s narrative takes place when Tom confronts Judy and the actions she has taken in pursuit of self-actualization. Judy is presented with a conflict that could see her returning to Tom and reverting back to her submissive position in an unhappy relationship or putting an end to a chapter in her life and becoming a stronger individual.

2. Identify the target audience and support your findings with research. Make sure you direct and indirectly quote from reputable sources.

Bleach’s target market are students and Young Urban Professionals (Yuppies). The issues Bleach addresses are similar to issues faced by this demographic because the prevalence of pseudo-serious relationships that many students and Young Urban Professionals find themselves in is a very real thing. Many students cohabitate with a partner, often this can lead to difficulties, “Having a relationship with someone you already live with escalates everything; you can get close really quickly, but that makes it harder if you then split up.”1

This, in conjuncture with a study that indicates that relationships being challenged by the unrealistic expectations that can arise due to the media we expose ourselves to, indicates that relationships have many new challenges. The study “…found [That] fans of films such as Runaway Bride and Notting Hill often fail to communicate with their partner.” 2

Many held the view if someone is meant to be with you, then they should know what you want without you telling them.” This study was conducted on students.

Another aspect that our film explores is the isolation that can be experienced post breakup. Research indicates that this is a phenomenon that our audience will be able to engage with. The results of a study conducted by Oxford University “confirmed the

1 http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/may/01/three-relationships-not-to-have-at-university2 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7784366.stm

RESEARCH PROJECT 3 JACOB MCGOWAN 902692

widely held view that love can lead to a smaller support network, with typically one family member and one friend being pushed out to accommodate the new lover” 3

Bleach narrative attempts to address the above mentioned issues in a manner that will the target audience can relate to as well as a way that will engage them in a thought provoking way.

3. Identify a narrative character binary.

Dependency vs. Independent

4. Identify a narrative event binary.

Suppression vs. Freedom

5. Identify the narrative concept that would be effective in affecting your target audience.

The narrative concept is the exploration of relationships between Generation Y Youth which involves a common desire for belonging and self-actualization. These two desires can often be contradictory and can result in anxiety. The effect of Bleach’s narrative concept is that it will be familiar to the audience and hence; has the potential to resonate with the audience.

6. Identify and the relevant mood and emotion you want your audience to experience when being exposed to each of the 3 colour-scapes. Explain why the 3 moods and emotions are relevant to your target market.

At the beginning of Bleach, the Protagonist is dressed in a washed out grew summer dress. This will indicate that she is living a colourless life. The mood it will establish will be bleak and sombre and will present a dark sense of foreboding as to what will happen to her next very similar as to how a grey sky presents the potential for rain and storm.

From the summer dress, the Protagonist will put on a red corset. It will be presented as a means of empowerment as burlesque has now become. The corset will be red which has strong sexual connotations because of its association with passion and lust. This will contrast the protagonist’s performance as she will act very insecure in her new outfit.

3 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11321282

RESEARCH PROJECT 3 JACOB MCGOWAN 902692

This will create an uncomfortable mood that will cause the audience to sympathise with the protagonist.

The conclusion of will see the protagonist wearing a colourful jumper that will contrast with the summer dress she wore at the beginning of the film. The colourful jumper will create a mood of hope and rejuvenation that can be equated to a rainbow after a storm.

7. Identify and define an overarching design concept for the narrative. Support your choices by finding a visual reference/s that ‘speaks’ to your design. Your visual reference/s must be properly captioned and in-text referenced.

The overarching design concept in Bleach involves the tracking of the protagonist’s character development through the use of fashion. The garments chosen will present interesting binaries that will create a commentary not only of the challenges faced by the protagonist but also on aspects of the history of fashion and its implication on female identity throughout history. One such binary is the protagonist choosing to wear a corset: while the binary was once used as a means of enforcing and establishing gender roles, it is now being adopted by the burlesque movement as a means of empowering woman (see image 1 and 2).

Image 1 Image 2

RESEARCH PROJECT 3 JACOB MCGOWAN 902692

8. Identify and define a plan to ensure your styling design of character dress is specifically relevant to your target audience.

The plan for the styling design for character dress in Bleach will focus very much on mirroring contemporary fashion standards. In order to do this the costume department for the production will observe and take into account the apparel worn by our target audience and fit its aesthetic feeling into our narrative. The only controversial garment that plays a role in the narrative is a corset worn by the protagonist in one of the scenes. In order to make sure that people are familiar with this clothing item it could be necessary to ask members of the target audience what the corset represents to them.

9. Identify and define a plan to ensure your styling design of character dress is generally relevant to your target audience.

The youth of today are very much interested in fashion due to the growing onus on the importance of personal image that has been nurtured by the modern day phenomenon of social media. In this sense the aspect of our movie that focus on fashion is relevant to both genders and has the potential to be generally relevant to all individuals making up the target audience.

10. Identify and define a plan to ensure your styling design of character dress is culturally relevant to your target audience.

In order to achieve culturally relevant styling the costume department will research and attempt to style according to current fashion trends. In order to do this members of the target audience will be questioned about what kinds of garments and styles they consider aesthetically pleasing. This information will be taken into account when conceptualizing the attire of Bleach’s characters.

RESEARCH PROJECT 3 JACOB MCGOWAN 902692

11. Design the styling design of character dress for all three the photographs by the utilization of three different colour chords that would assist in the verbal narrative.

The pictures below give a general aesthetic display of Bleach’s protagonist character development. The choice for the first outfit and its colour is to show that the character has lost all the colour in her life and has become a blank canvas. The grey colour has connotations of storms and dreariness which is relevant to the turbulent relationship she has had and the negative emotional state she finds herself in. The environment she will be in is cold making a summer dress inadequate in keeping her warm, this will make her seem more vulnerable. The second outfit is sexual and the red colour is almost prophetic of the passion driven argument that takes place in the climax of the narrative. The garment is even less suited for cold weather than the first which will make her seem even more vulnerable. This will create an interesting juxtaposition in regards to the heat that the colour red implies.The final outfit will be a green jumper. The colour green will symbolise rebirth and the adoption of a fresh and new identity. The green will be complementary to the red of the previous attire which will make the transition seem more dynamic and fluid on screen. The fact that it is a jumper will make the garment more suited to the characters environment. This will give her an appearance of confidence which will correlate to her having achieved a state of self-actualization.

12. Design at least one character in one of the photographs, through the usage of discordant colour.

In the final scene of the film, the protagonist is dressed in a big green jumper. She will leave the scene holding a pink ballet dress. The pink will be discordant with the green. This will create the image of a character that has found a new identity and is a more confident person while still holding an element of vulnerability. The discordance will substantiate that

RESEARCH PROJECT 3 JACOB MCGOWAN 902692

although the protagonist has become more confident and sure of herself; she still has challenges to overcome.

RESEARCH PROJECT 3 JACOB MCGOWAN 902692

13. Design the full styling design of character/s dress for each of the 3 photographs. Concretize your 3 designs through you the utilization of your research. Insert all final 3 photographs into your final research paper.

The pictures below are garments that could be viable for the production that are at my disposal for the production.

RESEARCH PROJECT 3 JACOB MCGOWAN 902692

14. Summarize your research process and final photographs as a separate entry in your final blog. Remember to contextualize your research project as well as comment on your learning.

In the research process I have become a lot more familiar with the psychology of colour and feel that it poses a great potential in the project I am involved in. This is due to the highly visual nature of the production I am involved in, which uses fashion as a means of charting the protagonist’s character development.

The pictures I have provided in question 13 are viable options that display my vision for the aesthetic feel of the protagonist’s wardrobe.

Exploring colour, in regards to conveying a narrative effectively on screen, has been of great benefit to the preproduction process of planning the aesthetics for the characters of the film. I feel that I have become a lot wearier of the importance of colour and the potential it has as a tool to make the narrative have more relevance to, and effect on, the target audience.