This is also another mixed documentary suggesting that it includes a variety of forms from other documentaries. This means that is has an overall narration through out the documentary that is relevant to the target audience in mind, evidence is used to support the arguments made within the documentary, and archived material helps the argument made by some of the directors and experts when they are talking about Music videos etc. Interviews are also important in the making of this documentary and really prove that it is a mixed type documentary. This documentary follows the marketing and media involved in making meatloaf return to the number one slot in the charts.
The themes of the documentary are apparent with the title of the documentary, themes include music as we are looking at the career of a musician and the effects media have on his success. Marketing and advertising are also a theme as these are the tools producers show as being used to make meat loaf hit number one.
The beginning of this documentary presents the audience with the conflict that Meatloaf has become unpopular and many stars are receiving awards, this paves the documentary to follow up how meatloaf became famous enough to win such awards. The start of this documentary also shows the conflict in opinion whether meatloaf is a good musician that will get hits or whether he is old news and ‘past his sell by date’.
This opens the middle of the documentary up to conflicting opinions on meatloaf, some of his fans feel as if he left the music scene whereas he believed he never left them at all, then this leads to the showing of how meat loaf became bankrupt and shows how difficult global marketing as meatloaf had to be in about seven places at once. The end of the documentary resolves conflict and shows how the marketing success resulted in the single ‘I would do anything for love’ becoming a number one single for 8 weeks. The conclusion of the documentary also shows the music video and marketing campaign making the hit a best seller and wining awards, linking it to the beginning of the documentary.
The camera work in this documentary is very typical for a mixed type documentary. Close ups are used conventionally to signify that meatloaf is the main star and Michael bay the director of the music video is also of importance. Head/shoulder shots are used during interviews, and during the awards ceremonies, this is also typical. One unconventional thing that happens in this documentary is there is interaction with meatloaf and the camera, for example when meatloaf asks a question the camera makes a nodding motion as if to answer the question. Zooms are used during the narration of a river and location shots, I think this is to emphasis the area of the music video being filmed and show how this can also be a marketing tool. There is also a very apparent pan shown of the marketing people, this is significant as it is a main theme of the documentary.
During all of the interviews in the documentary blue screen is used and this means in editing there can be relevant background/photographs for the dialogue within the interviews, this means this documentary has good usage of mise-en-scene. Filming on set also ties in to this. As some interviews of meat loaf are filmed on the set of the music video and the award ceremonies also tie in with the marketing of meatloaf and provides/shows the press coverage award ceremonies come with. Make up and dress on the set of the music video show how meatloaf describes himself as a very theatrical performer and all of his videos have a ‘storyline’. The use of dress in the documentary shows how only one marketing tool can be powerful in relation to the village people, as a sub-story the documentary shown how this single/hit made a comeback for Christmas.
Natural sound is used throughout the documentary within interviews and press coverage to add to the frantic feel that the media comes with. There is a narration over the top of a music bed that sets the direction the documentary is moving in. the documentary also uses relevant clips of ‘I would do anything for love’ during interviews describing the making of the music video, this also allowed cutaways of the music video to be played at the same time. Sound tracks from the list of people predicted to be number ones for Christmas were played during the dramatic climax to whether meatloaf made number one. Soundtracks included the village people, Mr blobby etc. The sound effect of the heart beat is used in the time when the audience is in suspense as to whether the hit is going to reach good ratings or not.
Editing is also used to convey messages to the audience in this documentary. Shot reverse shots demonstrate a power struggle between the artist (Meatloaf) and the director (Michael bay). Cutaways are used during the interviews to re-enforce the speech in the interview and anchor meaning for the audience. The editing is very fast paced to show the contrasting opinions at the beginning of the documentary, but this fast paced editing dissolves as the documentary goes on.
The archived material throughout the documentary is used to support the facts/opinions of the people in the documentary. Award ceremonies/Grammy’s re-enforce the fact that meatloaf is striving to become successful with the help of a marketing team. Music video footage provides a good visual for the audience to relate to whilst they are watching the making of it. It also allows the audience to compare the old music video to the new dramatised version, also compare the old and the new meatloaf.
Like most graphics within a documentary they were very simple and are shown the first time we see someone in an interview, they show the name of the person and there occupation so the audience can relate how they have been connected to the marketing of meat loaf. They are simple because in this documentary they are not to distract the audiences’ attention from what is being said. The logos of the companies involved with meatloaf are used through out the documentary to show them as important. At the beginning of the documentary the stars are shown through the cover of a magazine, this sets the meaning of the documentary and demonstrates that advertising in magazines is one way to market a star.
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