GENERIC RESEARCH: case study 2 - Total Film 

TOTAL FILM from CharleneCheung2

PLANNING: flat plan for Rocketman cover


I have included two flat plans of my Elton John cover. Both are mid shots in order to see 'Elton John's stage gear' for intertextuality and to be able to see the model's face clearly. The first one is a silly, tongue-out pose which emphasises Elton John's silly and extravagant stage persona and the second shot type is a serious shot. I am still deciding the name of my magazine and cover-lines. 

GENERIC RESEARCH: case study: Empire

Case studies from CharleneCheung2

GENERIC RESEARCH – Intertextuality 

On the 30^th May 2019, I went to see the film, Rocketman which is a musical film based on the life of the musician, Elton John.
 

The film was described by the Guardian, “a fantastical account of the highs and lows of Elton John’s wild-ride rise, told in frenetically full blooded musical form”.

By watching Rocketman, has allowed me to have a greater understanding of Elton John’s life especially since Elton John was heavily involved when producing and directing the film. The film captured the exact details of the hardships and highlights of John’s life that the younger demographic may not know about or create nostalgia for those who grew up in the 1960s. 

Additionally, from the film, I learnt that when John was a young boy, he use to look through his mum’s fashion magazines which helped build his love of fashion and John’s flamboyant and extravagant outfits or "stage gear" throughout his career. Even though his dad strongly disapproved. But, also, John thought his flamboyant outfits would heighten sales with his over the top stage person (as no one would want to see Reggie). This inspired my choices of mise-en-scène for my front cover as John is known for his iconic and instantly recognisable flashy outfits. Some of my favourite looks in his career was his first dazzling outfit when John performed Crocodile Rock at the Troubadour in Los Angeles or his different captivating outfits during his performance of 'Pinball Wizard' on his global tour. 


The key aspects of Elton John's outfits:
-Big 1970s Glasses - either with gems or coloured tint or pearls
-Bold outfit - whether the outfit is colourful or not, the outfit was always flashy and striking with either ostrich feathers, sequins, gems, pearls or glitter.
-Greasy un-styled hair - had male-pattern baldness within the family

PLANNING - a summation of my findings 

For my first cover, I have decided to use an intertextual reference of Elton John for the release of Rocketman which was one of the most successful films of 2019. Elton John is known to be flamboyant in the way he dresses and acts which can connect with a 'fun-loving audience'. Also Elton John is an homosexual male which highlights the representation of the LGBTQ+ community and is an advocate for gay rights which is a topical issue in today's society - suitable for my '16-25 year old mass market'.

For my second cover, I plan to use an intertextual reference of Princess Jasmine for the release of Aladdin which was also one of the most successful films of 2019. Princess Jasmine is known to be rebellious, powerful and more independent compare to the other Disney princesses and by highlighting her strength would empower my '16-25 year old mass market' - #METOO campaign. Princess Jasmine is also a Middle Eastern fictional character which would highlight the representation of other cultures and champion diversity.

GENERIC RESEARCH: princess jasmine mood board

GENERIC RESEARCH: Elton John mood board

PLANNING: meeting the brief


My first model would be paying homage to Elton John in the release of Rocketman. Even though Elton John is a white male, John challenges stereotypes as he is a homosexual man and reinforces the under-representation of the LGBTQ+ community. 

My second model would be an intertextual reference to Princess Jasmine in the release of the film, Aladdin. Usually, Aladdin would be the main image of a front cover due the dominance men have over the industry. But, to challenge that stereotype, I have highlighted the representation of a rebellious Middle Eastern woman, Princess Jasmine. This would highlight diversity and a different social group between my from covers

AUDIENCE RESEARCH: my survey 

My audience from CharleneCheung2

AUDIENCE RESEARCH: focus group of four subjects

Focus group from CharleneCheung2

PLANNING: my pitch feedback from focus group

PLANNING: my pitch

AUDIENCE RESEARCH: definition of the target audience