2. How the Internet revived the zine scene (Dazed
article)
This article talks about the revival of zines in a digital age. That it offers an outlet for young
creatives to talk about things they like, revolutionise magazines and express their thoughts and
feelings.
Zines offers escapism that social media doesn’t, it provides no interruptions and an a realistic
idea of what future media looks like for coming generations. Zines offer a line of creativity and
ingenuity that magazines don’t. They’re more personal, more intimate and have a sense of
community. Zines are a collaboration between writers, designers, illustrators and photographers.
Something you want to see in a zine? Submit it. Editors are contactable by email.
“Print offers no interruptions, and unlike dusty old glossies, provides a realistic
proposition of what the future of media could look like”
Zines often tackle political issues, like oppression and beauty standards, and talk about them in
more open way. This has led to the rise of ‘girl power’, meaning that zines are encouraging
people to educate themselves on issues and take action.
Perhaps the biggest feat zines have done is re-establish physical communities in a digital age. For
example, a lot of zine fairs have come into play. Readers can submit photographs and articles and
have them published, sometimes physically. That copy can travel the globe to be sold at all sorts
of events in all sorts of places. Zines commit to an idea of bringer people together to create a
comfortable, open space in which communities can discuss whatever they want.
4. Polyester
Polyester is an London based, online feminist arts and culture fanzine with a big team that is
always looking for more photographers/writers or anyone else who can contribute to the zine.
In my eyes it’s really a hub of talent, you can view anything from film analysis to essays to an in
depth study of the medias view on women’s bodies. All of it is accompanied with really intricate
and colourful illustrations and wonderful photography.
Because of the nature of the fanzine being varied in its consumers and creators there’s a great
range of products, views, art and designs. It makes the website very layered, and gives it a lot of
substance. It makes it especially interesting that each different article or page is designed
differently, from illustration (in many different styles) to photography and collage work. It makes
each article fresh and different, rejecting the natural order of magazines having one constant style
and order to adhere to.
Polyester is a celebration of women, sexuality, people of colour and feminism. For example,
pictured on the right is ‘Galentine’s Day’, in which the photographer takes back the ‘cat lady’ label.
The zine especially embraces the nature of femininity, meaning that in modern media things like
flowers and the colour pink are often rejected. This goes for it’s appearance in society too, as they
are understood as ‘too girly’ or ‘childish’. Modern media rejects it, attempting for force women
into adulthood. Society rejects it as femininity is seen as weak and women are made fun of
because of this. This, in turn, leads to a generation of women who internalise misogyny in an
attempt to please other by not being ‘like other girls’ or ‘too girly’. This zine is unapologetically
feminine, and embraces these colours and designs outcasted for so long.
The zine feels especially welcoming, open, airy and cheerful. Everything on their website is easy to
access. The articles are personal, ranging from people or designers the writers idolise, making
them interesting to read and giving them a flair you don’t usually find in mainstream magazines.
5. How It Will Affect My Product
The main thing I enjoy about this zine is it’s rejection of modern magazines, i.e
feeding into the male gaze on women, having a certain body type/ethnic model
used constantly, straying away from difficult topics. I would like my fanzine to stray
from modern film magazines too, to have it stand out more as an independent
piece with individuality and variety in the topics that it covers. I want it to still be a
part of film magazines, but be more unique in it’s style and flair.
The other thing I would take inspiration from in this magazine is the differences in
style and colour depending on the article and subject, meaning each article has
more of it’s own theme. I would ideally like each page to incorporate a theme
from whatever topic I’m covering into it, i.e illustrations, editing, perhaps even
fonts.
Polyester’s aesthetic is specific, and recognisable for their brand, which makes
them an especially interesting fanzine. Their photoshoots are quirky and artistic
and very inspired. There’s a lot of different styles and emotions that takes place
through their photography, this is mostly down to the range of photographers that
work for them. They have a specific colour palette to work with, all very bright and
energetic colours, giving the zine life. I want my zine to have it’s own recognisable
aesthetic as well, to use photography and illustrations to create my own brand
image.
I would like my zine to incorporate all of their most interesting traits, the
quirkiness, individualism, passion. I want my zine to echo the same vivid ideas and
emotions the writers, illustrators and photographers create for the readers.
7. Little White Lies
Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly film print magazine. It’s been
described as ‘the most beautiful film magazine’ and always features colourful front
page illustrations in different styles. They have a specific focus on combining graphic
design with journalism, and describe themselves on their website as being “at the
vanguard of the independent publishing movement”.
On their website you can read many different reviews that cover a range of cinema,
which rate the enjoyment the critic had from the film, the anticipation the felt, and
what they thought about it in retrospect. There’s even a handy ‘Little White Lies
Recommends’ badge on some film so you really know what to look out for.
Their front pages are really magnificent, they’re eye-catching, often enchanting
pieces of art done after a film featured in the magazine. The spreads are equally
creative, filled to the brim with colour and life. The designs for the spreads are
incredibly inventive and artistic, I think the magazine not only showcases the art in
film but also art itself by combining the two. It creates a unique experience, by
blending so many artistic skills and ideas together. Not only are the articles
interesting, but it’s almost impossible to get bored with their designs and colours,
there’s always something to look at or a bit of information to read.
I love the style they have for their magazine, it’s really unlike anything I’ve seen
before, especially regarding film magazines. Film magazines tend to be quite plain in
their design as they’re meant for mainstream media. They also often feel very
‘clogged’ to me, as if there’s too much on the page to look at. Little White Lies is the
opposite of that, it all feels very clean and organised, like every design has a purpose.
8. How It Will Affect My Product
The main inspiration I want to take from this product is the creativity, I want to be
more creative with my designs and styles. I have often kept quite a tight structure in
the past in terms of my designs, I would like to branch out more in this product. I think
I would like the spreads and articles to flow a little better, and adopt in some ideas I
haven’t tried in the past.
This product is also very colourful, I would like to experiment more with colour in this
fanzine. As I want each article to have a slightly different design to mimic the style of
the topic I am talking about, this gives me plenty of options to explore colour
schemes. I do run the risk of making my fanzine too jarring to read because of
different colours/designs, so I wouldn’t go too overboard. Just enough to give each
spread/article topic it’s own life so that each article is interesting in it’s own right and I
get more creative freedom.
I also enjoy they’re more simpler page spread designs, as they offer an established
and neat look towards film reviewing, and are quite pleasing to look at. Ultimately I
will experiment with layouts until I find out what works but I would really like to
incorporate some of their ideas and layouts into my own project.
As this magazine is known for their spectacular graphics and illustrations, I would also
like my product be known for something similar, even if it’s just the fanzine being
known as ‘weird’ or being a unique take on film magazines. It would be good if my
fanzine had a sort of brand to be recognised by.
9. What BoJack Horsman Teaches Us About Character
Arcs – YT video by Savage Books
This video analyses character arcs in BoJack Horsman, specifically Princess Carolyn’s
character arc. The video goes through different type of character arcs. A regular
character arc: in which a journey or transformation is undergone by the character
across the narrative. An intermediate execution: where a character goes from X to Y in
a way that openly coincides with the theme of the narrative. The complex execution: a
character arc that coincides with the theme of narrative, but is done in a way that the
audience does not notice until its competition.
Princess Carolyn has a complex arc, which has three acts, that take place over season 1
& 2, season 3, 4 & 5 and the final act in season 6. The first act begins by introducing
the character, making their fatal flaw known along with minor details. For example, PC
is a workaholic. She also has a difficulty separating her personal and professional lives
apart, often dating people she is working with and letting these relationships interfere
with how she handles clients and how much work she puts in for them (like BoJack
whom is often very ungrateful for what she does for him). In the second act it is
revealed that her fatal flaw falls in line with her minor details from the first act.
PC has always desired a family. She makes up for this lack of family by throwing herself
into her work and taking care of her clients like they are her children. That is why she
cannot separate her professional life from her private one, because her professional
life one fills the void her private life has. When she was younger she looked after her
mother (as she was a lazy drunk) and siblings, she has been mothering all her life.
Agenting was a way to continue this avenue.
Princess Carolyn, an agent at ‘Vigor,
where BoJack was her client. She goes on
to own ‘VIM Management’
10. How It Will Affect My Product
• I plan to write about each of the main characters for my fanzine, so this has
helped give some insight into PC’s character. It has also inspired me to watch
more ‘video essays’ like this to get more insights on these characters, and other
characters in film and TV I am writing about for my FMP.
• The video mentioned that the show is about the characters overcoming their
childhoods, and proving to themselves that they can be better. This was
something I was aware of, but never considered it as a theme for the show. This
changes my perspective on it, and gives me a lot of new avenues to explore. For
example, linking all of the characters past selves to their present selves, how
they’ve developed and what habits, mental health issues and thought
processes they now have.
• I hadn’t known about the details of character arcs before, so this gives me
insight into the complexities of character writing and presentation. I could also
look at other character arcs and write about those in my article, composing my
own idea of what each characters arc is.
• This video also reminds me of how many details are hidden in BoJack, and how
much these details impact the narrative or characters progression. This leads
me to believe I should talk more about what some of these details are for each
character and how they have an impact.
“My life is a mess right now, and I
compulsively take care of other people when
I don't know how to take care of myself.”
11. What makes a great film? – Mark Kermode
Film critic Mark Kermode gave a speech at EFF Week about what makes a great film in his
eyes. He talks about the film critic career, that people won’t look to them when deciding on
what film to watch. That what influences people is their friends recommendations, or
recommendations from someone on twitter. Film critics opinions aren’t sought after. He says
that there isn’t any such thing as ‘objective’ film criticism, that it is always subjective. Every
critic will have a different reaction to film, and think differently about it.
Mark also talks about what critics consider to be a ‘good film’. That is an intellectual film.
What critics consider to be a bad film is something that may only give a physical reaction.
Mark disagrees, believing that a physical reaction is far more important, it shows the film has
moved you. He comments that ‘The Exorcist’ is the greatest film ever made. When people
attempt to correct him with a more ‘intellectual’ film, he disagrees with them. The reason why
that film is his favourite Is because, when he watched it for the first time, it physically scared
him. It made him jump; it was the first film to give him a physical reaction. Mark also states
that ‘Silent Running’ is one of the greatest films ever made as well. The earth is dead, the last
man lives on one of Saturn's moons with the remaining plants and three robots. The film
doesn’t make sense, there shouldn’t be any gravity and the main character (a great botanist)
doesn’t realise the plants he’s growing are dying because they have no sunlight. To him, that
doesn’t matter. Because the film makes him cry, it gives him an emotional reaction. For that
reason, he believes that films that give a physical reaction, or an emotional one, are the
greatest films.
12. How It Will Affect My Product
•His commentary gave me a lot to think about in terms of what I value the
most when it comes to the films/TV shows I like to watch. I also thought a
lot about each media piece I’m going to write about and what kind of
reaction they all gave me.
•For the reason he’s stated when it comes to film criticism, I don’t have to
be as objective as I thought when it comes to writing my articles. This also
fits into the fanzine style, as it’s more personal. It means I can go into a lot
of specific detail about the reaction the media gave me, and what I value
about that reaction.
•I am going to think about what films/TV I will write about, why I enjoy
them, what kind of reaction they give me and what about this reaction
made them stick with me. From that I can dissect what about the media I
like so much, and write about that in detail. That can feed into why I chose
that film/TV show in particular to write about.
•I love the way he talks about films he enjoys and why he enjoys them, I
would like to write with the same passion and excitement about the films
that I enjoy. This would, in my eyes, make the article more pleasurable to
read as well.
13. New Research: My Neighbor Totoro
•I watched a video titled: ‘Studio Ghibli Analysis: My Neighbor Totoro’, as I was struggling to write my article on the film. I had the
main body of what I wanted to write, but felt that a lot was missing. I decided that watching a video might help give me some ideas.
•The video that I watched gave me some insights on what the themes of the film were, and where the idea came from. The theme of
the film is family, and this was all part of the director, Hayao Miyazaki’s, vision. His life as a child served as inspiration for the films
story, his mother was also sick with tuberculosis and he had to move closer to her. As his father was a single parent too, the father in
the film was based on his own parent, showing how much appreciation he had.
•The decision to have two protagonists allowed the film to explore the theme of family more. Miyazaki encouraged animators to
observe passing by children from the windows of where they worked, to give themselves a better understanding of how they
behaved.
•Labour is also an important part of the film, as the children can be seen helping their father out with tasks around the house. Despite
their mothers absence they remain brave and continue to work hard. Satsuki is patient with her father being a single parent, making
lunches for her family knowing that he might forget.
•Satsuki looks up to her mother, and aspires to be like her, which explains why she works so diligently to look after Mei, her father and
help with chores. She is mimicking her mother, her traits and behaviours the same way Mei mimicks Satsuki. This links back to
Miyazaki’s admiration of his father, and the importance of family. Satsuki values her family, and tries her best to take care of them and
look out for them. It is a rather large burden for a girl of her age to carry but she does it gracefully, and is never spiteful for having to
take up her mothers mantle.
•The family and the land surrounding them have a special relationship with the Gods and spirits, as statues of Kitsune’s are placed
around more quiet and peaceful areas. Kitsune’s are protectors of crops. With the respect that Tatsuo presents for these spirits, the
girls follow in his steps, giving more context into the reason for him not asking for proof when Mei claims she has seen Totoro.
14. How It Will Affect My Product
•This gives me a new angle to write from, with the them of family and labour in mind. This explains a lot of the
events or behaviours from the characters in the film, and gives another layer of depth and thought.
•There were a lot of ideas I had to talk about but didn’t know how they factored into the article, but these ideas
have either been linked to themes in the films or were given more context. These are things like the Kitsune
statues, or the directors vision for the film.
•The video also gives a bigger understanding of the weight that was on Satsuki’s shoulders when tasked with taking
care of her family.
•Totoro’s presence also has more of a purpose than I originally thought, making him more of a watchful guardian
who leaves when his job of taking care of the girls when they need it the most is done.
15. New Research: In Defence of Diane
•This video talks about a BoJack Horseman, Diane Nguyen, to understand more
about why audiences dislike her and analyse where her behaviour came from.
•Diane holds herself to an impossible standard and projects this behaviour onto
those around her, which is where she comes across as ‘high and mighty’
•She is not appreciated by her family or friends, and becomes upset when people
don’t listen to her advice
•Her brothers created a fake pen pal for Diane when she was a teenager, letting
her believe she had an actual friend, a potential boyfriend, and a person they
could trust. They hired a homeless man to pretend to be him for her from date
and filmed her crying when it became apparent it was a prank. This leads Diane
to believe that she is an outcast, with no one who will understand her,
reinforcing the idea that if she is vulnerable with someone she will get hurt.
•She is aware of how high her standards are for herself and other people, when
she lectures others she is also lecturing herself. She pushes her opinions and her
advice in the hopes that she’ll feel like she’s worth something and be able to rise
above her own issues.
•While BoJack and everyone else makes the audience comfortable with being
broken, Diane makes them uncomfortable that they're not doing anything about
it.
16. New Research: Sarah Lynn – BoJack’s Most
Selfish Act
•BoJack has failed Sarah Lynn many times, both in her childhood and
in adulthood. She first got drunk from vodka in his water bottle at
age 10, he didn’t pick up the hints that she dropped about her
stepfather possibly assaulting her, and brought her into the world of
substance abuse. He pushed her over the edge when he came to her
for a role in his TV show, it was clear to Sarah Lynn that BoJack did
not value her as a friend and simply wanted to profit off of her
success. This defined her moment and understanding that there was
no one she could trust.
•At 30 years old, she was at her lowest point, her boyfriend left her,
her career was not going well and she was heavily addicted to drugs.
He took advantage of her, rather than supporting her and doing
what was best for her. He had sex with her, and didn’t see anything
wrong with it.
•He took her on a bender, even though she had been sober for nine
months. He failed to see his hold over her, and what power he had.
He projected his own issues onto her. He gave her too much heroin,
which lead to her death. He waited 17 minutes before he called an
ambulance.
18. Target Audience
My target audience is young people aged 18-24 as they are more likely to have free
time to read fanzines and watch films. This is also the group most likely to be studying
film in college or university, which means that they would already have an existing
interest in film or would want to learn more about it to further their knowledge.
I am not targeting a specific gender, as my topic isn’t gendered.
This audience is easy to advertise to via online media and apps, so my fanzine should
be made for online consumption.
19. Previous Research In a survey done during the first project of
last year, I targeted the same age range. I
found that a lot more people read
magazines than I thought, but that it’s
equally matched by people that don’t.
As my audience is 18-24, this group are
most likely to spend most of their time
online, and if they are to read anything, it
would be online. In order to fully meet my
criteria, I should aim to make my fanzine
as online-friendly as possible in terms of
viewing. The design should always look
good for online viewing, and easy to read
and look at through a screen.
20. Age
Observation:
The most common age range to answer my
survey is 18-24. This is helpful as this was
my targeted demographic anyway. This
means that any answers gathered will
actually help form ideas and organise my
project.
How it will impact my project:
I can change my product in accordance to
what the responses are, what people want
and what their habits are.
21. Gender Observation:
There is a mostly even number of responses
between the genders. There is slightly more
women that answered, however I am happy
with the divide as my product will not target
a specific gender. It will also be interesting to
see if there are any differences between
what each gender like/dislike or are
interested in.
How it will impact my product:
It might not change anything specifically
about the final product, but it will give me
an idea of what the genders will prefer to
see in fanzines and how I can cater to both
to widen my audience.
22. Magazine Qualities
Observation:
The most common quality that people value in
magazines was images, the second to that was
writing. Layout and illustrations weren’t as
important, but a few people still viewed them
as important.
How it will impact my product:
I have to ensure that I have good, interesting
images in my zine. If this is what holds the
reader attention the most then it is vital that I
mix both interesting pictures I take and
relevant screenshots from the film/TV show I
am talking about.
I will also have to make sure that my writing is
up to par, that I am engaging and intuitive in
my article and that my topic is something that
is interesting to an audience. I will have to
pace my article properly and ensure that the
reader does not get bored or distracted.
23. Film and TV Qualities Observation:
This question was more of a personal interest into
what reason people watch media. However it may
still help my article. Story is the most important for
audiences when watching a TV or films. The second
and third most important are character arcs and
genre.
How it will impact my product:
As the story is the most important when watching
media, I would do well to mention the story in the
film/TV show in a bit more detail than I was
originally planning. That way, the audience gets a
good understanding of what it’s about, which will
influence if they want to read the article or even
watch the film/TV show before they read what I
write. As I write about the characters I should refer
to how this fits into the piece of medias storyline,
and how the story influences the characters to act.
24. Character Realism Observation:
This question was a bit of a gamble as my
project hinged on it, so in hindsight it maybe
was not a good question to ask, but at the
same time I was genuinely curious as to what
peoples answers would be. Overwhelmingly,
most people answered saying they enjoy
media more when characters are
relatable/realistic.
How this will impact my product:
It gives my project validity, first of all, as this is
my main topic. It also allows me to explore
more media that involve characters that are
relatable/realistic and find some good
examples of them being used in film and how
these characters influence a good story. I can
explore a range of film that has realistic
characters, and see what kind of characters I
can find that readers may enjoy reading
about.
25. Character Realism
Observation:
This question was more out of genuine
interest, as I personally take interest in
characters not being ‘pure’ and wanted to see
how others thought about this topic too.
Almost every response was ‘no’ to preferring
‘pure’ characters. This is interesting, as it
appears people desire more complex
characters in media. This shows how far
filmmaking has gone, and the publics want for
more layered characters in the media they
consume.
How this will impact my project:
This opens up a space in my project to focus
on a specific show/film that has a lot of
characters that are morally questionable or
aren’t always ‘good’ in their behaviour and
choices. It also proves to me that my project is
valid and I can write about a variety of media
that goes against the general norm of the
main character being the ‘hero’ who always
has ‘good’ traits.
26. Observation:
A lot of variation in the answers, which is
good as I wanted to see what kind of
different responses I would get. Most of
them said it depends on if the film is
something they would be interested in
watching, like if it had an original story or
they liked the genre. Others said yes,
because of the praise in said review, or it
would give them ideas of what to watch,
and reviews save time on deciding what to
watch. The reviews, however, need to look
more into what makes the movie ‘good’ in
order to convince the reader to view it or
understand the opinion of the writer.
27. How this will impact my project:
I will focus on what makes the media I am
writing about good, and what specific
elements make it a worthwhile piece to
watch and why. I should cover a range of
media pieces to ensure that there is at least
one thing everyone would be interested in
watching, there needs to be different genres
and a fair share between movies and TV
shows, as some people prefer one form of
media over the other for entertainment. The
main reason people will watch films based
on reviews if it is something they themselves
would be interested in, therefore the key
element to my articles is variety.
28. Observation:
Another set of answers with variety, this is also
very helpful. The reasons people watch media
are for: entertainment, relaxation, escapism and
inspiration. Media tends to be an escape from
everyday life, or relaxing after a long day at work
or school.
People will also watch it to aim to be positively
uplifted, and look for media that will have a
positive effect on them and their moods.
29. How this will impact my work:
When watching films/TV, I suppose the preferred
genre is up to the individual. However it may be in
my best interests to include media that aren’t
biographies or historical, as a lot of the reasons for
watching includes escapism and entertainment, and
both of those topics place the individual in the real
world with real problems, which may contradict the
reasons they would want to watch media.
It may also be a good idea to include media that is
light-hearted (not necessarily all of them) but a
couple of examples that are more fun and upbeat in
case people have a preference for media like that
when wanting to be entertained.
30. Which is most likely to make you want to
buy a magazine? Observation:
The content and front cover are the most important thing when
persuading the consumer to buy a magazine. Content is more
important, however the front cover isn’t far behind in terms of
importance.
How this will impact my work:
I can’t necessarily ensure that a lot of people would be interested
in my topic, as it’s quite niche and only interesting to people who
enjoy film/TV. However, to appeal more to readers, including a
variety of genres and film/TV is a sure-fire way to appeal to more
people, as some of the films/TV I cover might be interesting
enough to persuade the reader to read my fanzine.
I need to make a front cover that is eye-catching and make it
stand out from others so readers are drawn to it. The lighting,
outfit and location has to be right and also relate to the content
in the fanzine. The fanzines name has to be eye-catching and
intriguing, the more unique the fanzine is, the more attention it
will garner, leading to more readers.
32. Interview 1
What traits/behaviours do you value the most in a character?
Relatability, imperfection, something to aspire to, progressive behaviour. A character trying to better themselves, like BoJack. A very
hateable character, like in the mix. Just a hateable character in the cast. It just makes it better. So that if something bad happens to them
you feel satisfaction.
What makes you want to watch a TV show/movie?
A good vibe. For example, good scenery, a good time period, a good animation style if it’s animated, what country it’s set in. Good actors,
well known or not. Good character diversity, like they’re not all the same person and they have their own things going on. Realistic to it’s
lore. For example, if it’s a spy show and it’s set in 2020 and they have hoverboards, it’s not realistic. Good cover picture or thumbnail.
What did you like about BoJack Horseman?
The comedy, how deep it was, the realism and the fiction part and how they both live in harmony still. The characters, the variety in
particular, and the different things they portray. For example, mental illness and sexuality. The fact that real life people are characters in it.
They talk about things no one else will address. Like gun control, how unempathetic the media is about death, like in the episode
‘Thoughts and Prayers’.
Who is your favourite BoJack Horseman character and why?
Sara Lynn, BoJack and Todd. I think those three are the funniest. I think they all show the worst of what life can do to you. You get to see
the full descent of Sara Lynn and BoJack. You get to see them go from childhood to death, basically. And Todd because he experiences all
these inconveniences when he’s already an adult, with the other two they’re messed up from their childhoods and use it as an excuse.
Do you read magazines?
No. They cost too much. If they were free or very cheap printed copies I would read them. Online ones aren’t as good, I like having a
physical copy.
What would make you want to read a magazine?
A good cover. Be about something I want to read.
33. Interview 2
What makes you want to watch a movie/TV show?
I’d say either a good reference from someone. Or a good online review because I check out reviews for most stuff before
I watch them
What traits or behaviours do you value the most in a character?
100% just sentimental traits, it makes me a lot more attached to them with stuff like that
What is your favourite movie/TV show and why?
My favourite show is Steven Universe because of the reasons I explained in the second question, I just love the sentiment
and the care all characters share for each other. I also really like musical still and the songs are really great.
Who is your favourite movie/TV show character and why?
My favourite character from any show/movie is Fernando Sucre from prison break. I really like how much he looks out for
all his friends because he feels like he’s in debt to them and helps out with stuff for his friends that he did not need to be
involved in, he is also very passionate and wholesome character which I really like a lot
Do you read magazines?
I don’t read them because I personally don’t respect how a lot of magazines sell them with very over the top titles and
covers because many times they can be very disrespectful towards situations or a person which drives me away from
them
What would make you want to read a magazine?
Maybe if it was based around a topic I already knew and enjoyed. I don’t think I’d ever purchase one without that
reliability
35. Cinema Audiences
Observation: the age group who took up the most
of cinema audiences were 15-24, which is my
target demographic. This group is also pretty even
in terms of gender.
What does this mean?
My target demographic is more likely to read my
fanzine because they make up most of the
audiences when viewing films. As I am not aiming
my product at one specific gender, this
information will also benefit me in this
department.
Cinema audience distribution in the United Kingdom (UK) as
of 2014, by age and gender
36. Online reading
Share of individuals who purchased books, magazines or
newspapers online (including e-books and downloads) in Great
Britain in 2019, by age and gender
Observation: the age group 16-25 is the
group who purchase magazines and online
content the least
What does this mean?
This could be that this group tends to have
the least amount of money, as they spend
most of their time at school/college. What
might be a good idea is to make the
magazine available online, but not charge for
it. A lot of magazines have their target
audiences as being older too, so that might
contribute to the lack of interest in
magazines. As my product will be aimed
specifically at that age group, with their
interests in mind, it is a lot more likely they
will be interested in it and read it.
37. Box office
Box office revenue generated at cinemas in the United
Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2019(in million GBP)
Observation: in 2019 the box office garnered a lot
of money, perhaps not as much as previous years,
but it’s still incredibly high. From previous graphs,
we know that a large majority of this audiences
spending this money is ages 15-24. This group is
my target demographic.
What does this mean?
Since my age group is most likely the one pushing
so much of this time and money into the box
office, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t put
that much time and effort into learning/reading
about film too. I should attempt to cover more
popular or ‘mainstream’ films for this reason,
however, as this may be the leading cause for
audiences viewing films in cinemas. This doesn’t
necessarily mean I can’t include things that are
less popular, as the demand may still be there for
less popular/mainstream media, but the box
office won’t be providing it.
38. Streaming services
Observation: younger people (16-34) favour Netflix over any
BBC TV services, including iPlayer, BBC radio and regular TV.
Younger audiences tend to favour on demand streaming
services, like YouTube, Spotify and Netflix
What does this mean?
Because of younger audiences, like my target demographic,
preferring on-demand services, I should taper my content to
that. For example, I should include media that is available on
streaming services, certainly media that is available to watch
on Netflix specifically. As this tends to be where a majority of
young people watch things (and subsequently spend most of
their time) they might be more interested to read about
things available on these platforms so they could easily
access it.
40. BoJack Horseman
BoJack Horseman is an irreverent animated sitcom made by Netflix that started in
2014. It follows BoJack Horseman, an animorph horse who is a washed-up
Hollywood actor, famous in the 90’s for starring in a sitcom called ‘Horsin’ Around’
where he played the father to three adopted kids. Still living on the profit from that
show, he lives in his mansion in the Hollywood hills and is a depressed, narcissistic
bi-polar with an alcohol and drug addiction. The show follows him and his friends
as he attempts to write memoirs, star in the movie of his dreams and make some
really, really terrible choices.
The show sounds dark, and it is. But it’s witty, philosophical, feminist, political
(without pushing an agenda) and it’s filled with characters with an array of
sexualities and mental health issues. The thing that makes BoJack special is the way
it goes about tackling these issues without exploiting them. It mixes comedy with
darker, more deeper understanding of what these mental health issues do and how
they affect our lives, creating some of the most realistic characters I’ve ever seen.
Episode after episode it tackles difficult issues with incredible dialogue, character
design and animation. Gun laws, abortion, violence, feminism, animal farming,
marriage, cheating, fracking, sexual assault, neglective parents, capitalism and
especially emphasises how many bad deeds celebrities get away with.
What it doesn’t do, however, is make excuses for BoJack’s behaviour. His actions
are not a result of him being depressed, or having a bad childhood, his actions are
based on what he choses to do. The show stresses that importance, and the
importance of audiences not excusing their bad behaviours because BoJack makes
them feel better about it.
41. BoJack Horseman
The reason why I chose this show as my main piece for my project is because of
it’s characters. The shows storyline is always changing, but the characters
always fit so well into it. The quality of the show has always been consistent, but
I have always come back for the characters. They are so well-crafted, so layered
and complex and it seems there is something new to discover about them each
season. I haven’t needed to relate to the characters to like or understand the
show, they’re very un-reliant on audience likability to function well.
The show delves into what made BoJack BoJack. His childhood being neglected
by his parents, subjected to an unhappy, toxic marriage where his parents
harboured resentment towards him for being born. To when he began belittling
others to be liked by the majority, a deep need that BoJack developed at an
early age and goes on to affect him in adult life. His desire to stay relevant, to be
loved, to want to be told he isn’t a bad person. In one of his most selfish acts,
he has sex with one of the actors who played his adoptive daughter in his 90’s
sitcom, gets her high and drunk and doen’t acknowledge the fact that she might
look up to him and trust him.
This show is a bit like a journey, you experience all of BoJack's entire life, start to
finish, warts and all. In the beginning he is quite grating, selfish and full of
himself. He transforms, as the show goes, to a more vulnerable and
understanding character. We see his flaws, his horrible mistakes, and we see
him become a different person. He goes to rehab, apologises for his actions,
distances himself from fame and begins to understand what is really important
to him.
42. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
Joel and Clementine are in a relationship, until it takes a sour turn and they
begin to resent each other. Clementine goes to a clinic to have all memories of
Joel removed, out of spite, Joel does the same. However, when the process
begins and he relives all the memories, he realises what a mistake he’s made
and fights to stop the process. He fails, but him and Clementine meet the next
day, purely out of coincidence, on the beach they originally met on. They fall in
love again. After finding out they had been in a relationship before with it
ending badly, they decide to try again. The film begins with them meeting, a
large portion of the film is spent insides Joel’s memories of them together,
unearthing how they met and what went wrong.
This film is about love and heartbreak, at it’s core. It’s a very human desire
when experiencing pain and heartbreak, to wish you could forget about it all.
Without those memories, you don’t feel pain. But the loss is every experience
you’ve ever had with this person, how they affected you and changed you. In
my eyes, it’s a very human thing to repeat this whole process, even if you
know what the outcome will be.
The main thing I liked about this film was how human it was. From what kind
of people Joel and Clementine were, to their memories, to their desire to
forget it all, to wanting to live it all again. I’ve met people like Joel and
Clementine (in fact I feel a bit like Joel mostly) and their relationship feels like a
very real possibility to happen in the real world.
43. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
The film itself wasn’t what I expected, I was anticipating a regular rom-
com but got something far more interesting. The entire chronological
order of filmmaking is thrown out, which is a bold move for a film of
this genre, but it makes for a way more interesting and intuitive
experience.
It’s a very bittersweet film, and that’s its main draw for me. The film
itself feels almost like an artistic piece, all tied in with comedy and
romance. From Clementine's rapidly changing (beautiful) hairstyles, to
the potato figures they collect, intriguing dialogue and cripplingly
heart-breaking memories. Clementine crying about how she had
always felt ugly, even as a child, Joel repeatedly saying ‘you’re
beautiful’. As the memory slips away he begs for it to stay, so he can
‘just keep this one’. It’s utterly gut-wrenching.
This film stayed in my head for a long time after I had watched it. I
think the characters had a profound affect on me, how I saw myself
and other people in them and how it made me view relationships and
heartbreak. The film poses some interesting questions. Would we be
better off forgetting? How important are these memories to us? Is the
heartbreak really worth it? Most importantly: would we do it all again?
44. Malcolm & Marie
Malcolm & Marie can only be described as an emotional tour-de-force, a
cinematic hurricane. The film follows a couple who come home from Malcolm’s
premiere of his new film ‘Imani’ about a woman with a drug addiction. Everyone
praised it, however Marie is unhappy because he didn’t thank her in his speech.
Marie was a drug addict when they met, and she is unhappy she wasn’t
acknowledged and that Malcolm won’t admit at least a little of his movie is about
her. Marie connects this ‘forgetful’ act to his narcissism, that he doesn’t want to
give anyone else credit for this film, despite the fact he based some of it on her
and she was there every step of the way in it’s creation to aid him.
It’s a very interesting film, all in black and white, two characters and one set,
being their house. The entire film revolves around their relationship and that one
night, and the ongoing fight they have that never seems to stop.
Both throw accusations at each other, Marie claims his film can’t be about guilt
and shame as he’s never experienced this, he only experienced it through her.
Because of his sheltered upbringing he can’t create anything authentic and his
films will be mediocre. Malcolm tends to take the arguments too far, often
insulting Marie to ‘get back at her’ or make his point. The film is more or less a
clash of egos in their relationship, Malcolm has quite a high opinion of himself,
gets very carried away and be quite verbally abusive and not apologise for it.
That’s mainly his main fault, he escalates the situation and hurls unnecessary
insults instead of keeping calm and having a conversation. Marie is mainly upset
she wasn’t cast the role of Imani, as she was a talented actor until she gave it up,
and felt she could have been better.
45. Malcolm & Marie
This film isn’t for everyone, it’s quite heavy, the arguments don’t stop and it’s filled with
monologues from both characters. A lot of people found it tedious and pointless, or
thought it would have worked better as a play.
I find the film fascinating, for one, it’s shot beautifully. Between the house, the backyard,
the editing, shots, colourisation (or lack of it), it feels like an art piece to me. The acting is
incredible, I often found myself forgetting I was watching a film and not just a regular
couple.
They show each other their true nature, true colours and true beliefs about one another.
The film is about relationships, and tests theirs in a vigorous way. The film is also about
pride, and how Marie cannot admit what she is truly upset by, and why Malcolm can’t
just say he’s sorry without insults. For me, the film feels like a real, vivid experience, that
I have just looked into another persons home and witnessed their life, their thoughts and
anger.
The film itself holds some interesting viewpoints on filmmaking, almost all of which I
agree with. Marie comments that film is the most capitalist art form. Malcolm holds a lot
of resentment towards a white woman from LA times who wrote a review on his film.
She called it a ‘genuine masterwork’ but persistently comments on the political nature,
believing that the aim of the film is to show what obstacles black women have to
overcome and how society treats black people with mental illnesses. Malcolm said every
film doesn’t need a message, it just needs ‘heart and electricity’, and that he hates how
every film (especially those made by POC) is about political messages. A lot of filmmakers
just make films because they want to. It leaves the question, why was this film made?
Does there even need to be a reason for that?
47. Photography
I would like to use more colours in my pictures, I’ve seen a lot of
different tutorials, both long and short on different ways you can
incorporate lights and colours into your photographs. This includes
using phones, laptops or coloured tape.
I have a small strip of LED lights with a wide variety of colours, so
this could be useful. I can explore a range of colours, and use them
to create aesthetics or a mood within my photographs
I have also seen clingfilm being used over the lens of the camera
to create a hazy effect. This would be an interesting thing to explore
coupled with the lighting effects to create some more interesting
photographs that would draw readers in
These are all relatively simple ideas that will make some more
visually pleasing photos. These ideas are very achievable so it is
unlikely I will have a hard time completing them
48. Photo Editing
I don’t plan on doing too much photo editing as I don’t want to prioritise that over
other things in my article, like illustrations and writing, so I want to keep it relatively
simple
For colour adjustments and filters, I have an app on my phone called VSCO which I
can use to edit photos. My camera has a Bluetooth connection so I can easily
transfer images to my phone to edit them that way. I have edited photos like that in
the past too, so I am well versed in what to do
I have experimented with things like borders and overlays on the image in the
bottom right in order to make it look like Super 8 camera footage. I could do
something similar to images I will take for the FMP, and make them into polaroid's,
for example
The most I’ll do in the way of editing is to replace the liquid in a bottle with the night
sky, like in the animated picture on the right. I have had experience with this before,
like in the mirror image on the top right. This should be relatively easy to do, maybe
a bit challenging, but it shouldn’t take too much of my time. It will also make for a
pretty interesting image to take place in my fanzine, and demonstrate some of the
skills I have learnt so far in this course
49. Illustrations
I’m not well versed in drawing, but am comfortable with creating simple
illustrations to put in my fanzine to add more of a homemade feel to them and add
some more interesting imagery
I drew a simple illustration for one page in my previous fanzine (top image) as I
didn’t have room or time for more, but it fit in very well for the aesthetic I had
planned and was very effective in my fanzine design
I am confident in drawing small and simple illustrations (like those in the bottom
image) that fit into various sections of my fanzine
I will be drawing onto paper and then scanning them in to the fanzine, so the
homemade feel is still there and so I have complete control over how my drawing
looks. I don’t really have drawing software, or the desire to learn, so I think the
drawings will turn out better if I did them by hand and I would be more comfortable
with that
Since these illustrations are quite simple, I can experiment with what I draw and the
style of these illustrations to make some interesting additions to my fanzine
50. Bibliography
1. Polyester (founding editor in chief: Ione Gamble) [online] available at: https://www.polyesterzine.com/scrapbook
2. Little White Lies (2005) David Jenkins [online] available at: https://lwlies.com/
3. BoJack Horseman (2014) [TV show] Rapheal Bob-Waksburg, creator. USA: Tornate Television
4. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (2004) [film] Micheal Gondry, dir. USA: Anonymous Content
5. Malcolm & Marie (2021) [film] Sam Levinson, dir. USA: Little Lamb
6. What BoJack Horseman Teaches Us About Character Arcs (2020) YouTube video, added by Savage Books [online]
available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxZFLsfqssM&list=WL&index=5&t=15s
7. What makes a great film? – Mark Kermode, Film Critic (2019) YouTube video uploaded by Institute of Practitioners In
Advertising [online] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8aK4E20bVo&t=4s
8. Statista (2014) Cinema audience profile in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014, by age and gender [online] available at:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/296240/age-and-gender-of-the-cinema-audience-uk/
9. Statista (2020) Share of individuals who purchased books, magazines or newspapers online (including e-books and
downloads) in Great Britain in 2019, by age and gender [online] available at:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/286104/books-magazines-newspapers-online-purchasing-in-great-britain-by-
demographic/
10. Statista (2021) Box office revenue generated at cinemas in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2019(in million GBP)
[online] available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/285737/cinema-box-office-revenue-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
51. Bibliography
1. Sweney, M (2018) Younger viewers now watch Netflix more than the BBC, says corporation (The Guardian)
[online] available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/mar/28/bbc-younger-viewers-now-watch-
netflix-more-on-demand
2. Gamble, I (2015) How the internet revived the zine scene (Dazed) [online] available at:
https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/25561/1/how-the-internet-revived-the-zine-scene
3. Studio Ghibli Analysis: My Neighbor Totoro (2018) YouTube video uploaded by Harry’s Moving Media [online]
at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHc8aa13ZSE
4. “That’s Too Much Man!” Explained – BoJack’s Most Selfish Act (2020) YouTube Video Uploaded by Johnny 2
Cellos [online] at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghSb8Lx9hOQ&t=732s
5. In Defence of Diane – A Video Essay (BoJack Horseman) (2019) YouTube Video uploaded by: Ariana Alexis
[online] at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk7trjqOqzo
