An In-Depth Analysis

To really make our documentary work, we looked at three different pop stars documentaries (Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift) to get a real sense in what we wanted to accomplish. Out of the three, we chose to look close at Taylor Swift's Journey To Fearless for different reasons. These include: Drew Taylor's country/ pop singing style and Gemma's own personal love towards Taylor Swift.

The opening to the documentary immediately introduces Taylor Swift's love for music and the massive effect it has on her life. Shots included footage of her preforming at various concerts to then contrast against the home footage of her as a child 'preforming'. As a group we thought this was quite a good idea to use to describe the sort of character Drew Taylor is. The footage from the family videos also support the idea that music has always been a big influence in Taylor Swift's life; which was exactly what we wanted for our character. During the opening sequence, there were various shots of her at her concerts with the cheering fans dubbed over the music. This shows how successful and famous she is around the world. This was what exactly we also wanted to include for Drew Taylor's documentary as we wanted to give the same impression; that music is a big part of her, as well as her global success.

The editing as well had gripped us. The opening of Taylor Swift's includes photos, home videos and concert shots, but is all tied together with quick editing to keep it fast paced that would keep the audience interested. The different shots shows the two sides of the pop star, both the busy and well known star that everyone knows and the secret life with her family. This is what we wanted to do for our production to give the same effect for our audience. A voice over through the beginning of the film keeps the audience engaged with the film as well as understanding who she is in more detail. Interviews with Taylor are used frequently through the beginning, and sometimes edited over some photographs of her as a child and gradually growing up. This keeps the audience interested without being bored too quickly. This editing technique we definitely wanted to include in our own production.

Our character Drew Taylor is based upon Taylor Swift. The story our documentary tells is of how this normal teenager had to face constant bullying, to then face her fears to enter a school talent competition and grow to a national superstar. Using the various editing and shot techniques, we wanted to create a unique story that hooks the audience into wanted to find out how she had accomplished all that she has. We wanted the audience to have some kind of relationship with the singer in order to understand her, so we have planned to use interviews with various people and include both old photos of Gemma who will be playing the character and old home footage to create the same effect Taylor Swift's did, to show how much music has had an influence in her life, and the impression it gives of what kind of personality Drew has.