Pitch Reflection

Before conducting any kind of research I wanted to get an idea on not only the topic but, the order in which I would be doing it. I started by mind mapping my different ideas, and what each one would involve. I then compared all of them, combining what I thought would make a good documentary, with what was an important story to tell, and what would be interesting and entertaining. I decided on creating a documentary on how the fashion industry contributes to climate change. Including the overall theme of Art. How decided on this idea because I think a lot of people are unaware of the damaging implications the fashion industry has on the environment, in particular, fast fashion. I also feel It would be entertaining because it involves all people, and can cover a vast topic going in depth into fashion but also the topic of climate change/global warming. I would also be able to show the efforts climate protesters and strikers are taking to save the planet from mass extinction.

I started my research with a very broad look on the current efforts that are taking place to tackle the pressing issue of climate change. This invloved looking at the School’s strike for climate change movement and the work the founder Greta Thunberg is taking across Europe to create change. But also the recent work of the climate activist group, Extinction Rebellion.

I then wanted to get an idea of the scale of the fashion industry and the impact it has on culture, society, and the economy of the United Kingdom. This was incredibly surprising because I learned that the fashion industry contributes twenty two times more to the UK economy then the fisheries industry, and employs almost the same amount of people then the financial industry. Through this part of research I learned that I had chosen the right topic, but also meant I could use this information in my documentary to emphasise the size of the industry, and the impact it has on Britain’s society.

After that I wanted to learn about the facts and statistics, that I could use to prove the fashion industry is extremely damaging to the environment. This started with looking at the Greenpeace website. As this is a reliable source and a world leader for climate change activism.

Overall I think this stage of pre-production has been incredibly important to the success of my documentary. I have learnt valuable information that I can portray visually to educate an audience globally. I have also the learnt the importance of fighting for a sustainable future in all aspects of life not just through the clothes we wear. This research has therefore given me a benchmark that I can fall back on through the production, and post-production stage of the documentary. Although I found getting the information into a report style piece of writing, I have found the experience to be very useful, and therefore has helped me gain a clear vision on what I want to say in the documentary.