To approach this assignment, I focused on the findings of both my dissertation and the first assessment of this module.  From my dissertation, I was able to conclude that, “nostalgia does sell to an audience, moreover, it proves that celebrity endorsement still works … even with passed celebrities.” (Newlands, 2020). From this, I wanted to take a focus on one of the main icons that were prevalent in both projects, Marilyn Monroe. 

 

Referencing towards the research carried out within the dissertation, it was discovered, “reuse of images … how the icons in a way to feel dated, but due to their ‘iconic’ state within the media … a reminder to old glamour and the history that Hollywood was built upon.” (Newlands, 2020). From these findings and what has been concluded, I wanted to focus on the reuse of imagery and placing it in a contemporary setting. From this the idea to create an image of Marilyn Monroe from 21st-century logos became apparent, I knew I could grab the audience’s attention as the brands used in the imagery are well known, along with the original image I based off Marilyn Monroe.

 

Therefore the target audience for this project became those of 18-25 gender-inclusive, due to the style of art being quite abstract and the brands being extremely popular. This is also recognised with a video that was created. Young people spend more time on the internet than other generations, therefore making a meaningful edit and posting it will become more accessible for the target audience.  However, it must be said that this project could also appeal to older generations due to the imagery of Monroe.  

During my findings, it was discovered on numerous occasions that “Stars are made for profit” (Dyer, 1986, p.5), thus this quote influenced my creative decision making. The use of logos to build the star image of Marilyn Monroe is a statement of the current process of reusing passed star imagery. The logos rebuild and construct a face of Marilyn Monroe, representing how in a contemporary media society, brands have the power to recreate a star anyway they like (particularly in the use of CGI, discovered in the research assignment prior).  The reason for painting this image is to represent the traditional styles of the stars, choosing an older art form to highlight the history of construction. In history, a star would be commemorated through painting, a representation of their star ranking. 

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I wanted to use the imagery and voice of Marilyn Monroe speaking of herself being happy so the target audience could hear and remember the old Marilyn, while I constructed a new one in the background using logos. Representing the contemporary issue of today. 

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To communicate this project to an employer, I would create an understanding of how brands reconstructing passed stars, in my eyes, in morally incorrect. This is due to the fact they have no say, and their original image is almost being tampered with for what audiences remember. To further the statement, myself and the employer could create a range of these types of edits and videos. However, issues we could encounter would be copyright issues, hypothetically there is no ownership of the logos or images of passed celebrities.