Jade: As Seen on TV

I then studied a Channel 4 documentary on Jade Goody as I felt it would be interesting to see how such a famous figure was represented and what editting was used to create this. This documentary aired two months after she lost her battle against cervical cancer and it features unseen footage, exploring the Jade Goody phenomenon.  

The following codes and conventions were used in this documentary:

• Fast paced music reflecting the upbeat mood- symbolising her life
• Cutting- from one person talking and then being interviewed then cutting to shots of her in action
• Zoomed in shots to emphasise her importance in the documentary
• Close up shots and shots from above to create sympathy
• Question from the narrator: did she make fame alone?
• Footage of her in big brother and interviews with her
• Narrator: providing the narrative- creating the story and letting it unfold- background information
• Old videos of her, shots descending, pan shots
• Prompted with what to talk about- certain topics need to be discussed to represent her in a certain way.
• Slow, therapeutic music whilst talking about the sad moment when she died
• Contradicting views about her life are discussed- showing she was a controversial character of modern day celebrity
• Shows how she was constructed by the media, how it went wrong, how she slid in public affection, rebuilds herself and then suffers a death in highly public circumstances
• Important message is addressed: Inspired millions to go for smear tests