D1 - Discuss Client Considerations

Type of Drugs

During the feedback portion of my pitch, my client gave me some very helpful feedback relating to what drugs are actually consumed in my TV show, as I had hadn't thought about it and only referenced drugs as a whole. He stated that I need to think about which drugs are included in my show as they have very different impacts and effects on people, and in my 'M3 - Understanding Feedback' task I discussed these effects and more about different drugs, for example: effects after taking Cannabis compared to Heroin are completely different, along with what happens to people when they are addicted and how people can get addicted to different drugs. I further discussed that I need to make sure I improve on this feedback by deciding which drugs are consumed by the protagonist as it can be a very sensitive topic. An improvement I will make is the type of drug included. I believe Ecstasy will be an appropriate drug involved in my show as it links to the reason the protagonist is taking it, as the drug, which is also called MDMA or molly, is a powerful illegal stimulant that produces intense feelings of euphoria. The protagonist (Sam) is trying to remove these immense negative thoughts and feelings, and I believe that the effect of euphoria will be appropriate for the reason he is taking them, furthermore, it is a common drug used in groups and parties and I feel like the use of Ecstasy in my TV show will create a more realistic and natural scene. Along with this, there can be negative side effects such as effects on the brain, body, and behaviours. When used long-term, a higher tolerance and addiction can also form which links to the struggles that Sam is going through, as due to the use of the drugs, his friendships and relationships become rocky (brain and behaviour being affected by the drugs) and over time he builds a higher tolerance for Ecstasy which then will cause him to need more, and more, and more until a full-blown addiction is caused. Therefore, I believe this improvement on deciding that Ecstasy will be the drug consumed by the protagonist, will create in depth links between the real life of some teenagers and Sam's life, further creating this emotional bond and relation between the characters and audience. Additionally, creating a further in-depth story for my TV show as it represents the truth behind the over-use of drugs and struggles teenagers face and areas such as any legal issues faced in the show, impacts on the character, and seriousness of the addiction and mental health disorder.

Time Period

In another point during the feedback portion of my pitch, my client asked why I had chosen the time period of 2005. Originally, I believed the music (indie-rock) and time period would fit together well. However, after this discussion I realised that if the music I wanted to include was more recent, it would actually not fit, even if I believed the genre of music related that time period. Therefore, if I wanted my drama to be set in 2005, I would have to have music which was released then, or earlier - which would not be a problem. However, as I stated in my 'M3 - Understanding Feedback' post and in my pitch, I discussed that I wanted my actors to be able to wear their own clothes to reduce costs - if my drama was set in 2005, the clothes they wear may not be the same as the characters would have worn just under 20 years ago, meaning there would have to be costume costs if it were to be set in that time period. Therefore, a more modern approach would be more suitable. Therefore, I would either have to switch the idea of my actors wearing their own clothes of uniforms and the music I have chosen, or just change the time period. Therefore, I have chosen to improve my TV drama by changing it to be set around 2020 to 2022, making it more contemporary and modern and allowing me to use the original music I chose, along with have my actors be able to wear their own clothes. My response to my clients question about the time period was: 'I feel like it will be slightly old school, I feel like a lot of TV dramas are set around that time and it's quite interesting to see what life was like recently but not too long ago; and because that will be around the time the target audience would have been born, they might not quite know what it would have been like.' After consideration, I decided that the points I made above are completely irrelevant in relation to the story, as the aim of my TV show is to bring awareness to young men's mental health and to get improvements in society around this topic. If it is set just under 20 years ago, there is not an accurate representation to be able to get this change. This irrelevancy is also apparent in relation to the target audience (although the irrelevancy may not be as large), as my target audience is supposed to be able to relate to the protagonist. I believe that if it is set just under 20 years, the target audience will not be able to form this empathy and relation with the protagonist and characters as it will not be a modern and accurate representation of men's mental health today. Finally, I wanted the actors to be able to wear what they would usually wear as costumes to keep the budget down. Overall, to improve my show, it will be set around 2020 to 2022.

Moral Ambiguity

Finally, during my feedback, my client states that I need to have some moral ambiguity about drugs, meaning that there shouldn't be this bad view on drugs in my show and that it should rather surround the idea of my protagonist being involved with them recreationally, using them 'responsibly', but then his father dies which causes the euphoric effect after taking said drugs to not be what it used to be and no longer be enough as he still feels this grief and depression - therefore, he  to slowly begins to need more, and more, and more - until then it becomes this bad relationship with drugs. Overall, removing this cause-and-effect relationship which my client stated I should not include in my drama. A realisation I had during my 'M3 Understanding Feedback' task was that 'a very large sum of teenagers consume drugs recreationally and do not struggle with addiction, nor is it caused by a traumatic even which has caused them to use drugs as a coping mechanism - it is simply for pleasure and joy and they do not consume them to the fact they are addicted.' This further acts as an incentive to not have this dramatic cause-and-effect relationship with drugs and this bad view of drugs as the characters are supposed to be able to relate to the characters. Using the Uses and Gratifications Theory, my audience will watch this for personal identity and if there is this negativity on drugs then they may feel personally attacked and not be able to consume this media text for its purpose and may even stop watching. Finally, my client stated that the protagonist should already be around and consume drugs but only recreationally, to create this more realistic approach, and then - as I have previously stated earlier in this paragraph - his father will die and this effect and happiness he used to feel after taking them is no longer enough to make is grief go away, so he slowly takes more and more and more until it then becomes bad and becomes an addiction. Overall, to improve my show I will make sure I have an accurate, realistic approach to how addictions can form and an accurate representation of many teenagers' lives.