Documentry Analysis - The Marketing Of Meatloaf

The Marketing Of Meatloaf - Music Biz

Type of documentary

It is a mixed documentary

Themes

• Construction of the image in the media trying to rebuild Meatloafs music career
• Marketing and the Music industry
• Exploration of the manipulation of music buyers

Narrative Structure

• Non - Linear
• It has a cirular narrative - It refers back to the beginning
• It is a closed narrative
• It is single strand narrative - it concentrates on only one subject

Camerawork

• It opens with a low angle shot of a tall building giving the audience a sense of the location - London
• Handheld camerwork is used effectivly to give the viewers a sense of them also being there
• Quickcuts of what everybody is doing in preperation for the press conference
• Point Of View shots are used in shots in the Bookies when the christmas bets for number one are shown
• Cutaway shots are used of Meatloaf on stage and backstage, this is effective because it moves the narrative along quickly
• The interviewee is usually filmed from the right to left of the screen
• Zoom shot is used on the album launch details to show the audience how well it did
• interviews are filmed in either a Medium close up or a Close up, these are to show the interviewees facial expressions and feelings

Mise - en scene

• London Brit Awards
• Chromakey is used in the background of the interviews, this does not detract from what the interviewee is saying, the background is changed to reinforce what the interviewee is saying
• The mise - en scene in the background of the interviews are usually of recording equipment and studio recording equipment

Sound

• A male narrator is used throughout - he has a dry and sarcastic tone to his voice, this makes the audience feel we can connect to what he is saying rather than being told what to feel about it
• Meatloafs music is played as he comes onstage at the awards - Non-digetic
• Music from Meatloafs music video - 'Bat out of Hell'
• The narrator speaks in standard English

Editing

• It opens with Voxpops
• Meatloafs music is in the background of the interviews - Non-digetic
• Still images are used
• Convential editing - No questions are asked
• Disolving on interviews
• Cut editing is used
• Fast motion is used outside HMV music shop in one scene

Archive material

• Footage of Meatloafs videos and onstage performances
• A still image of his 'Bat out of Hell' video
• Footage of a radio presenter talking about him in the past
• Paperwork is also shown from records
• Handheld footage of Meatloaf in preperation of the making of one of the most expensive music videos ever made
• The recording of 'I would do anything for love'
• The camera tracks accross newspaper articles on Meatloaf's music
• Footage shown from Top of the Pops

Graphics

• 'Past his cell by date' zooms accross the screen
• The person talking's Name and status
• Titles, Date, Time, Location scroll accross the screen - Unconventional