Branded Documentaries exploring the effect of utilizing documentary filmmaking styles on emotional connections with audiences

By Amarachi Ngwakwe

Branded Documentaries exploring the effect of utilizing documentary filmmaking styles on emotional connections with audiences

Thesis presented by Amarachi Ngwakwe

Submitted in partial fufilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelors of Arts in Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts The University of Texas at Austin August 2020

Supervisor: Donnie Sackey; Department of Rhetoric & Writing Abstract

In the marketing industry, ‘brand storytelling’ has become a buzz word for the intersection between organic narratives and strong advertising. To create this organic branded content, marketers are increas- ingly contracting filmmakers and documentaries to produce branded documentaries. The shift from overt ads to subtle messaging in branded documentaries has helped a large number of businesses connect with consumers. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to explore the effect of utilizing documentary film- making styles on emotional connections with audi- ences.

This is a work of qualitative research examining the use of storytelling via documentary film to market companies and connect with consumer. This research aims to understand what makes the combination of storytelling and documentary filmmaking more ef- fective than traditional overt marketing. I hope this paper can provide small businesses and marketing consultants with guidelines on how they can produce branded documentaries to improve their marketing strategy. In this thesis, I analyze brand sponsored videos and short films to identify common elements and themes present in the videos. To select the videos, I build a heuristic based on research of common metrics and categories used to define videos, such as audience retention, ability to connect with consumers, length of film. Research from published works, visual rheto- ricians, and interviews from practitioners in the mar- keting and film industry will also inform my analysis of how documentary film styles are being adapted or imitated in brand marketing and how those strategies operate to create effective brand content. Acknowledgements

This thesis would not have been possible without the help and support of the people in my life. I would like to thank everyone who helped me along the way.

To Donnie Sackey, my thesis advisor, for his patience, encouragement, and thoughtful critiques during our zoom meetings, I could not have completed this with- out you.

To Linda Mayhew, my humanities advisor, for her end- less kindness and support since the first day I joined the Humanities program. Thank you for always going the extra mile to help students pursue their passions.

To my amazing friends, for their emotional support and constant encouragement which motivated me to keep going when I doubted my ability to finish. Spe- cial thanks to Ibukun for always being there to listen to me.

Finally, above all, to my family, for their love and encouragement during these trying times. Covid pushed our lives into one household, but we found a way to make it work and support each other along the way. Thank you for always being their for me, pushing me strive for greatness, and reminding me of my limitless potential. Table of Contents

8 Introduction

10 Methods

14 Findings

15 Real People

29 Cinematic Music

38 Single Protagonist Structure

46 Conclusions

50 References Introduction

Documentaries have never been as popular as fiction- al films. Viewers expect documentaries to be factual, educational, and informative, but they are not viewed as exciting or as holding the same entertainment val- ue as films. Overtime documentaries have developed a “reputation of being cinematic spinach – films that were good for you” but not something one wanted to consume (Falcon, 2019). This sentiment, however, has changed recently.

Over the last few years there has been a rise in the popularity of documentary films. According to the British Film Institute, the number of documentaries produced in the UK each year has risen – from four in 2001, to 86 in 2015 (Pierce, 2017). Biographical documentaries have also recently grown in popularity, along with their budgets and profits (Barco, 2019). In 2019, documentary ‘Knock Down the House’ broke the Sundance Film Festival’s documentary sales re- cord and sold for $10 million to Netflix (Fleming Jr., 2019). Documentaries are increasingly earning more, costing more, and being shown more in mainstream theaters (Falcon, 2019). According to Producer Dan Cogan,”we are in a Golden Age of documentary filmmaking.”

8 Several producers, directors, and practitioners in the film industry credit this to the rise in popularity of documentaries to streaming services like Netflix, whose algorithm directs viewers to documentaries and whose service also produces documentaries of its own (Zacharek, 2018). Another element of this success is that documentaries have integrated tech- niques from scripted movies to produce films that present “reality in a raw, real manner that has proven very appealing to the public” (Falcon, 2019).

This recent success of documentaries have made them more commercially viable and caught the atten- tion of companies and marketers looking to connect with audiences in new ways and viewers’ increasing desire to connect with stories they can believe in (Zacharek, 2018). Companies are increasingly pouring money into documentaries, which has led to a rise in the production of branded documentaries in market- ing. Companies like HP, Nike, Church’s Chicken, and Charles Schwab are increasingly contracting filmmak- ers and documentarians to produce branded docu- mentaries. As documentary filmmakers are able to pick engaging subjects and turn subjects experiences in cinematic moments that pull the viewers in.

Given this rise in branded documentaries, a study of these films and what makes them successful could be

9 beneficial to marketers and companies interested in entering this marketing space and produce branded documentaries.

Methods

I began by identifying companies that use videos for brand-storytelling. I decided that it would be effective to find these companies via articles published on dig- ital content agency websites. These publications typ- ically offer video and marketing services and publish articles centered on content marketing in the ‘blog’ section of their website. I read articles under this category because it allowed me to find brand-funded films from sources that specialized in marketing and content strategy. Once I identified several companies, I scanned their websites, film festival websites, Vim- eo, and YouTube to find more information about each brand-funded film. Part of this search included identi- fying other films associated with the initial film. Such as films that were in the same campaign or produced by the same company, as these films could provide more information for my research and further inform my analysis.

My search yielded twenty films. In order to group the films together for analysis, I developed a refined

10 list of criteria that would ensure that I could apply an analytical frame consistently across films. Therefore, I decided that each film must be (1) sponsored by a company, (2) have a character-driven storyline, (3) be under ten minutes in length, and (4) have aired on any platform (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) within the last five years.

In terms of sponsorship, the focus of this research is to explore how short documentaries allow brands to connect with consumers. These films typically meld a brand’s identity into a story, making it an interesting artifact to analyze how storytelling techniques allow a brand to build relationships with a target audience.

Branded documentaries are notoriously human cen- tered films that personify brands through human experiences, because of this focusing on films with character driven story lines increased the likelihood that the films sampled were credible examples of traditional branded documentaries. Generally, most story types fall somewhere on the continuum of character-driven vs. plot-driven (Masterclass, 2019). Character-driven storylines focus more on the inner conflict of the character and how,“their attitudes, per- sonal evolutions and decisions,” shape the plot (Dor- rance Publishing, 2014). This focus is consistent with the focus of branded documentaries and is useful for

11 analyzing the ways brand persona is built through human stories.

The ten-minute length limitation is based on criteria established by The Brand Films Award, a showcase that awards each year’s most artistic, creative and effective films produced by and for brands, mini form, short form, and long form film length can be defined as follow:

• Mini form: 0 – 30 seconds • Short form: 31 seconds – 10 minutes • Long form: Over 10 minutes

Audience retention is the average percentage of the video that people watch. According to strategic com- munication company BreadnBeyond, audience re- tention gradually decreases as video length increases (“Video Case Study”). Given this, films that fit within the short form category, are more likely to hold the audience’s attention from beginning to end giving the brand the opportunity to fully communicate their story.

The airing date criteria was established using a ran- dom number generator to determine a cutoff date for the films that would be used for the analysis. A cut off date was important to control for major cinematic

12 or consumer behavior differences that might occur across various time periods. This research was not concerned with how the video platform influenced brand storytelling so the videos could have aired on any platform. Establishing this criteria reduced my sample size from twenty to ten films.

Once the films were identified, I moved to the ana- lytical phase of the project. This phrase consisted of three passes of the films, which allowed me to record their descriptive characteristics. The first pass was straightforward. I watched each film without taking notes. In my second pass, I watched each film and noted their general characteristics; the topic of the story, location of the film, presence or absence of music, the tone and mood of the narrative. During my second pass, I reviewed each video from a larger heuristic by developing a grid to track the absence or presence of the specific characteristics identified during the second pass. In taking a third pass and tracking each specific characteristic, I tried to identify important elements that I did not notice in the first or second pass.

Following data collection, the research notes were analyzed to identify common characteristics that made the films effective in marketing the company to the consumer. The three most prevalent character-

13 istics were then identified and analyzed using claims and theories made by industry professionals in pub- lished articles, podcasts, interviews, and videos.

Findings

A review of relevant branded documentaries in- formed the findings outlined in this study. This sec- tion focuses on those finding to discuss the three most common elements identified in the throughout films reviewed.

There were ten films used for this study, thus the small number of selected films limited the study. However, it was not the purpose of the study to make general conclusions about all branded documenta- ries, but rather open up a discussion about the effec- tiveness of this rising film style in marketing.

The films reviewed included: Patagonia Workwear: Ben Wilkinson Woodwork, Lost at Sea, Made with Unity, Why Not Now: Susan Kurtik, Why Not Now: John Henry, That’s Not Your Story, Extended Play: Ellie Atkins, Nutella® Originals – An Unlikely Pair Spreads The Happy in One Sweet Way, Nutella® Originals – Boys Find Their Purpose in Becoming Young Gentleman, Tylenol “How We Care”, and B&W Trailer Hitches: Try.

14 While there were several common elements identi- fied throughout the films, I choose to focus on the three elements that occured most frequently to offer marketers and practitioners a rudimentary overview of documentary film elements they can use for their own projects.

This section is divided into three parts to discuss:

1. the use of ‘real people’ and their lived experiences 2. the use of cinematic music to inform the storyline 3. the effect of a single-protagonist story structure in branded documentaries.

The elments are discussed in order of their frequency throughout the films, from highest to lowest.

Real People

A key element of a successful branded documentary is the use of “real people” and their lived experienc- es to tell a story. “Real people” are often defined as individuals who are not models or paid actors. How- ever, a broader definition includes any individual with an authentic experience connected to the brand. A story about a young man starting a business may connect to a financial corporation or a story about a teacher fighting cancer may connect to a medical

15 service. These personal anecdotes create space for brands to develop emotional connections with view- ers through the experiences of others, as “real peo- ple” function as tangible representations of the com- pany that viewers can relate to. Using “real people is effective element for several reasons:

1. Using ‘real people’ disrupts consumer’s tendency to skip ads

Creative content and video production company Sce- nic Road claims, consumers are seasoned veterans at tuning out ads; employing methods such as the ‘skip ad’ button on videos, ad blockers, software programs that prevent ads from being shown on a website, or clicking “X” to remove pop-up ads. Customer surveys conducted by research company Coalition for Better Ads found that consumers with negative perception of advertisements find them annoying, disruptive, and frustrating (Ad Experience Research Group, 2016). While overt forms of advertisement can be effective, once a viewer is aware that they are watching an advertisement, they subconsciously ap- ply their perceptions of advertisements onto a video. This awareness often disengages viewers as nearly 65 percent of people skip online video advertising, with most skipping ads out of habit, and 76 percent of people saying they do so because it’s an ingrained

16 behavior (Handley, 2017). Using real people, howev- er, disrupts the consumer’s tendency to unconsciously skip ads, because most people don’t associate real people with advertisements.

While films and commercials have historically relied on celebrities, actors, and constructed narratives to connect with consumers, a central component of documentaries is the use of real people in real life situations to tell a story (“Documentaries 101”, 2012). When media streaming service Roku launched a vid- eo series sponsored by beer company MillerCoors, Roku viewers watched about 70% of those videos to completion regardless of their length whether they were one or six minutes long (Lee, 2019). The series focused on people exploring glaciers, the ocean and other outdoor locales, because the plot of the video centers around a “real person”, the viewer does not realize they are watching an advertisement and en- gages with the video without applying their negative perception of advertisements onto the film. Using real people effectively operates to grab the viewer’s attention and increase engagement by presenting advertisements as a film or documentary. According to chief executive of content agency Tongal, James DeJulio,“as most audiences have fled [watching com- mercials on traditional television], [companies] really have to reimagine how [they] are going to commu-

17 nicate with people.… A documentary is a really nice way [to do that].”

2. Real people facilitate emotional connection be- tween viewers and brands

Stories are an effective tool to engage consumers because they allow audiences to simulate intense experiences without having to actually live through them. These intense experiences elicit physical and emotional responses that aid with memory and influ- ence a viewer’s perception of a brand.

While reading, watching or listening to a story a person’s palms may start to sweat, they might blink faster, or their heart rate might change (Renken, 2020). Listener’s may become so immersed in a story that they forget their surroundings (Strum, 1999; Strum 2000). In this immersed state, listeners become emotionally attached to the characters involved and invested in the character’s outcome. If the charac- ter goes through a challenging experience, then the viewer may feel anxious. If the character over- comes a difficult situation, then the viewer may feel empowered. In this context, a person’s experience embodies an emotion or idea the company wants viewers to associate with the company’s brand. A surfer’s passion for surfing and woodworking can be

18 associated with an outdoor clothing company’s com- mitment to environmentalism (Patagonia Workwear: Ben Wilkinson Woodwork, 2017). Two designers’ journeys designing a video game can be associat- ed with a game development company’s mission to help customers bring their ideas to life (Made with Unity, 2015). A random act of kindness from a young girl can be associated with a company’s mission to “spread” happiness (Nutella: Originals – An Unlikely Pair Spreads The Happy in One Sweet Way, 2016). These emotional associations are significant because emotions are persuasive and inform consumer be- haviors (Williams, 2014). Screenwriter Robert McKee explains that companies often attempt to persuade people through conventional rhetoric, where a case is built by giving statistics and facts (Harvard Business Review, 2003). However, McKee argues this is “not good enough, because people are not inspired to act by reason alone,” (Fryer, 2003). People tend to for- get the specific details of conventional rhetoric, but stories arouse a listener’s emotions and inspire action. The emotional experience makes the film more mem- orable and brands can use this emotional connection to influence viewers’ perception of the brand.

Outdoor clothing company Patagonia utilized the emotional allure of ‘real people’ in their film about woodworker and surfer, Ben Wilkinson. The film

19 Figure 1-1. Patagonia Workwear: Ben Wilkinson Woodwork. Ben Wilkson standing on top of a tree to cut large wood slices with his chainsaw.

follows Ben’s process in crafting surfboards and fine furniture from trees that would otherwise be des- tined for landfills to communicate Ben’s passion for woodworking and surfing. The film closes with the company’s name, Patagonia, against a black screen. Closing with the company’s name, functions to guide the viewer in associating Patagonia with Ben’s story and the emotions Ben’s story may have elicited from the viewer, such as passion, determination, respect

20 for the environment. Instead of advertisements where Patagonia explicitly states they value those traits, Pa-

Figure 1-2. Patagonia Workwear: Ben Wilkinson Woodwork. Ben Wilkson sanding down a 25-foot monkeypod slab salvaged from a fallen tree. Ben uses the wood to craft fine furniture, sculptures and surfboards.

tagonia becomes afflicted with those values because of their connection to the video as the sponsor. The film establishes Ben as a “real” normal everyday person by opening with a personal antidote of Ben explaining how he got the nickname Big Ben. Nick- names are often regarded as a sign of intimacy, trust,

21 friendship (Steinberg, 2013). Sharing this personal information functions to make Ben more relatable, as the use of nicknames is very common and allows the viewer to develop a connection with Ben. Ben’s char- acter is further developed as he explains that, “I don’t know if I would call myself a professional surfer...I’ve never had a sponsor that paid me. I always worked to pursue my passion” (Patagonia, 2017). Never having a sponsor and working to pursue his passion are situ-

Figure 1-3. Patagonia Workwear: Ben Wilkinson Woodwork. Ben Wilkson surfing through a gigantic wave.

22 ations that the average consumer can relate too and call attention to the factors that make Ben normal.

Digital marketing experts estimate that Americans are exposed to 4,000 to 10,000 advertisements each day (Simpson, 2017). When the average digital ad is viewed for just 1.7 seconds, it becomes challenging for advertisers to engage with consumers in mean- ingful ways. The use of real people in branded films mitigates this challenge by grabbing the viewer’s at- tention and engaging the viewer through storytelling.

Game development company Unity also leveraged the story of “real people” by commissioning pro- duction company Breakwater Studios to produce a short film on The Northways, a Canadian couple who make virtual reality games together. In the film The Northways explain, “we play video games, we make video games, we live games...and we can do it from anywhere,” presenting The Northways as a couple for whom gaming is a significant feature of their relation- ship (Breakwater Studios Ltd, 2015). Outside of video games, the film develops The Northways as “real people” by including an outline of their history trav- eling the world together and playful scenes of their relationship as a couple.

“Real people” are multifaceted, and often have more

23 Figure 1-4. Made with Unity: The Northways. Indie game developers Sarah Northway (in the front) and Colin Northway (in the back) using virtual reality game controllers and headsets to test a video game they created.

24 Figure 1-5. Made with Unity: The Northways. Screenshots from the photo montage fea- tured in the film of the different places The Northways have traveled together through- out their careers. (Locations from left to right, starting from the top left include: Turkey, Malta, Scotland, Mexico)

25 than one defining trait. For example, consider a chef who enjoys learning about languages, a doctor who enjoys hiking or an athlete who gardens. By develop- ing the couple beyond gaming, their characters feel more real and makes the plot more significant to the viewer because it creates multiple points for the audi- ence to connect with the Northways (Morris).

Over the four minute film, the viewer is able to glean what the couple enjoys about gaming, how it allows them to express their creativity, and how it excites them. As a game development platform, Unity could try to attract consumers to their platform by focus- ing on their services; such as highlighting features of their software, their low learning curve for beginners, abundance of tutorials and online community; effec- tively building an advertisement centered around the company. While these features might address consumer needs, they do not elicit the emotional reactions or connections necessary to drive consumer action.

By centering the film on The Northways’ story, the emotional effects of storytelling provoke the viewer to experience the excitement, passion, and playful- ness communicated by the story. Unity is inadvertent- ly attached to these emotions because their service allows The Northways to develop the games featured in the video. In this way, Unity is able to use the expe-

26 Figure 1-6. Made with Unity: The Northways. A screenshot of the game de- veloped by The Northways, Fantastic Contraption VR.

27 Figure 1-7. Made with Unity: The Northways. Sarah Northway playing Fantastic Con- traption VR in the virtual reality green screen studio The Northways created in the living room of their home.

riences of “real people” to communicate the importance of their service and how it provides value to the consumer.

28 Cinematic Music

Film scores are a powerful tool that allows directors to shape viewers’ emotional experience throughout a film and influence the feelings viewers associate with a brand. The sound of drumming overlaying a race or competition scene (NBC Sports, 2018) or orchestral strings during an intense moment can reinforce visual drama and allow directors to guide the audience’s emotions (Computer Music, 2017). A film score can be music in its own right, but when it is ‘film music’ it is defined by its function within a cinematic field of reference.

Film music is used in films to establish settings, create a specific atmosphere, call attention to film elements, reinforce or foreshadow narrative developments, reveal a characters actions or thought, and create emotions (Kalinak, 2010). According to Masterclass,

Film music falls into three categories:

1. Diegetic music: Music that can be heard by the characters in the depicted scene. 2. Non-diegetic music (the most common form of film music): Music that a film’s characters cannot hear.

29 3. Songs: Some films are scored with songs, which can be of both the diegetic and non-diegetic variety. (MasterClass, 2019)

Diegetic music in documentaries, typically, is the result of the music already being present in a film’s natural environment. For example, a cinematogra- pher filming a dancer at a parade would not be able to control the sound of a band playing in the back- ground. Whereas in a narrative film, the sound of a band might be added to enhance the realness of the fictional parade scene. Adding diegetic music in a documentary, however, risks divergence from princi- pal documentary goals to balance storytelling with objectivity, because the music did not occur inde- pendent of the filmmakers and an introduction of the music could manipulate the natural environment and or the subject’s behavior. While diegetic music allows narrative film directors to shape the viewer’s experi- ence throughout the film, for ethical reasons, scripted diegetic music is ill fit for documentaries. Therefore, documentary filmmakers rely more on non-diegetic music or non-diegetic songs to communicate with viewers. Given this reliance on non-diegetic music in documentaries, it is more pertinent to focus on non-diegetic music in this analysis . A majority of the films analysed in this research only included non-di-

30 egetic music in their film score, so this section will focus on non-diegetic music and its ability to manipu- late the viewer’s emotions.

Music that is clearly not part of the natural scene is considered non-diegetic music; the sound of intense drumming or a melancholy piano that characters in the film are unaware of are examples of non-dieget- ic sound that deliver dramatism and evoke emotion (Paola, 2020). These sounds often function to draw viewers into a story and deepen their connection to the characters.

With non-diegetic music the viewer knows the music is not playing when the events take place but the presence of the music stimulates the viewer’s subcon- scious and causes the viewer to experience the music and the visual events simultaneously. This simulta- neous experience allows the music to influence how the viewer interprets the scene. This is significant because, of all the arts, music is often cited as the most associated with emotional experience. Professor of Sociology of Music Tia DeNora credits this to the temporal nature of music as “a medium that unfolds across shared time” which allows music to convey the process of feeling:

31 Figure 2-1. Nutella® Originals – Boys Find Their Purpose in Becoming Young Gentle- man. A Boys With a Purpose group leader helping a young boy adjust his suit. The film is set in Charleston, North Carolina and opens with music that mimics a blended rag- time-gospel piano instrumental that is historically associated with the South. This blend- ed sound functions to establish the setting and make the feeling of being in the South more salient as the characters move throughout the film.

32 Figure 2-2. B&W Trailer Hitches: Try. Footage of a family’s ranch was overlaid with a west- ern cowboy film score. Sounds of acoustic guitars, banjos, fiddles, mandolins, and other instruments that have become an ingrained characteristic of collective ideas of the rural south or cowboys, were present in the sound score to reinforce the feeling of the setting of the film. These sounds are messages from the filmmaker directly to the audience and influence a viewers interpretation of a scene (Dykhoff, 2012).

33 “Unlike literature (though like theatre), music is a medium that unfolds across socially shared time. All actors involved in a particular music-producing and music-listening situation are involved for the same amount of time and are exposed to (or pro- duce) the same ‘parts’ of music at the same time” (DeNora, 2003).

This concept of “shared time” suggests music allows the viewer to experience the emotions of a situation at the same time as the characters in the plot. So rather than viewers simply reacting to an event at the end, music allows viewers to experience the process of going through a situation. This is significant be- cause sharing the process creates mutual understand- ing between the character and viewer. In the branded documentary Lost at Sea, the scene opens with the shot of a floating body in the middle of the ocean. Dramatic orchestral music reinforces the intensity of the scene and ‘shares’ the feeling of suspense and fear with the audience.

Whether a scene is laden with fear, excitement, antic- ipation, suspense, or doubt, music guides the viewer through the emotional process alongside the char- acter and helps viewers better understand the sig- nificance of an event. If joyful pop music was playing over the opening of ‘Lost at Sea’ the viewer would

34 Figure 2-3. Lost at Sea. Reenactment of Bill Durden floating in the ocean after falling off his boat while fishing 25 miles off of Florida’s Gulf Coast. The sound of dramatic orches- tral strings overlays the scene creating a sense of gloom, loss, and despair.

interpret the scene in a completely different way, as there would not be the same feeling of suspense and fear. Therefore non-diegetic music not only informs how viewer’s interpret a scene, but it also functions to complement the visual events of a scene and guide the storyline.

Branded documentary That’s Not Your Story, simi- larly uses dramatic non-diegetic sound to reinforce the visual events. In “That’s Not Your Story” the film opens with a shot of water crashing against a shore and a cropped shot of a person’s legs walking across a gravelly beach. Overlying this visual is the sound of

35 Figure 2-4. Lost at Sea. The sound of triumphant horns and orchestral strings overlay the shoot of Bill Durden looking up at a rescue helicopter after being lost at sea for sever- al hours. The music in this scene reinforce the feeling of joy and happiness that occurs once Bill realizes he survived the situation.

wind flowing through a tunnel creating a dark horror like effect that foreshadowed the unfortunate news character will shared with the audience about being diagnosed with cancer. Directors and brands can leverage the emotional effects in music to produce sound scores that guide how a viewer interprets a scene to deepen a viewer’s emotional connection to a story.

36 Figure 2-5. That’s Not Your Story. A shot of Keri Stromski walking barefoot across a beach. The film follows one Keri’s cancer journey with non-profit clinic, research, and education organization Mederi Center.

37 Single Protagonist Structure

Single protagonist structure can help facilitate audi- ence identification and help brands connect with con- sumers through the emotional connection developed with film characters.

Most films structure their plots around the trajectory, goals, and desires of a single protagonist or main character (Azcona, 2010). Popular films with a single protagonist structure include, Harry Potter, The Lion King, The Matrix, and Lord of the Rings (McGuire, 2016). Screenwriter Jacob Kruger argues this struc- ture feels more natural to what viewers experience in their life, because when viewers must follow multiple main characters the narrative takes on an “omniscient point-of-view” where the viewer experiences the story from the point of God as opposed to a single human being (Kruger, 2017). While there are several examples of successful multi-protagonist films, brand- ed documentaries tend to be shorter than films and have less time to fully develop multiple characters. Therefore, it is more advantageous for branded docu- mentaries to focus on a single protagonist.

By focusing on a single protagonist, films guide viewers to develop a deep connection with a single

38 Figure 3-1. Nutella® Originals – Boys Find Their Purpose in Becoming Young Gentle- man. Boys With A Purpose co-founders, Kenneth Joyner (right) & Raymond Nelson, III (right) standing in a park where they lead mentorship meetings for young boys. The film’s storyline centers around the impact of the organization, ‘Boys With A Purpose’ and is told from the perspective of Kenneth, Raymond, and a few parents. The presence of multiple protagonists/perspectives make it challenging for the viewer to develop an emotional connection with a single character and develop audience identification.

39 character rather than a shallow connection with mul- tiple characters. This deep connection makes the story feel more immersive. David Bordwell ascribes the protagonist in a single-protagonist structure with the function of being the causal agent of the narra- tive and the main object of audience identification (Bordwell, 1985). Identification is the process where a viewer takes on the point of view or perspective of a character (Cohen, 2001). Audience identification with the characters in a story is and arguably the most important determinant of audience engagement with a narrative (Tchernev, 2015), as it: provides a point of view for the plot, aids in understanding of character motives, brings about “an investment in the out- come of events”, and generates “a sense of intimacy and emotional connection with a character” (Cohen, 2006).

“While identifying with a character, an audience member imagines him- or herself being that char- acter and replaces his or her personal identity and role as audience member with the identity and role of the character within the text. While strong- ly identifying, the audience member ceases to be aware of his or her social role as an audience member and temporarily (but usually repeated- ly) adopts the perspective of the character with whom he or she identifies.” (Cohen, 2006)

40 Figure 3-2. Why Not Now: Susan Kurtik. Retired NASA rocket scientist, Susan Kurtik wondering to herself, “now what happens?” as she looks through a window.

Through identification, audience members tempo- rarily forget themselves and become the target of their identification by seeing the world through the main character’s eyes (Livingstone,1998). “Bettelheim (1976) used the concept of identification when he discussed the importance of children’s tales to child development. He argued that by identifying with the hero of a tale, children psychologically experience the triumph of good over evil and learn that being good pays.” Identification allows viewers to experience a story as if it were happening to them which creates a psychological state where viewers adopt the goals

41 Figure 3-3. B&W Trailer Hitches: Try. Barrel Racer Kim Schulze recounting a near fatal accident that left her incapacited for several months. While attempting to assist a horse into a trailer, Kim accidentally startled the horse who responded by kicking Kim back- wards nearly twelve feet.

and identity of a character (Cohen, 2001). Thus, if a character faces a challenge, psychologically, viewers experience the highs and lows of that challenge with the character.

Brands whose service or mission is connected to the character’s experience in the film become associat-

42 Figure 3-4. Why Not Now: Susan Kurtik. Susan Kurtik contemplating the feasibility of becoming a foster parent.

Figure 3-5. Why Not Now: Susan Kurtik. Susan Kurtik joyfully playing with her foster baby.

43 ed with the emotional connection viewers develop with the main protagonist. This is significant because brands that have an emotional component to their brand are more likely to be viewed favorably by their customers which can; help brands differentiate themselves from their competition, improve brand loyalty, and increase advertising return on investment (Karnes, 2020).

Figure 3-6. B&W Trailer Hitches: Try. Kim Schulze preparing to ride on a horse for the first time since her accident.

44 Figure 3-7. B&W Trailer Hitches: Try. Kim and her husband traveling in their truck to a barrel competition where Kim will compete for the first time since her accident. At- tached to their truck is a trailer connected by, what is presumably, a B&W Trailer Hitch. Towing products company, B&W Trailer Hitches sponsored the production of this film and are able to connect themselves to Kim’s story as their product helps Kim and her husband haul their trailer over 80,000 miles each year traveling to different rodeos.

45 Conclusion

The goal of this thesis is to explore the effect of the documentary filmmaking styles on emotional connec- tions with audiences. In particular, how documentary filmmaking styles can assist brands in connecting with consumers through film elements that appeal to con- sumers’ emotions. Although marketers have been ap- pealing to consumers’ emotions for a long time, the use of branded documentaries in companies’ mar- keting strategy is a recent phenomenon and steadily growing. As audience’s media consumption behaviors continue to evolve, more companies are exploring different ways to reach consumers. I hope this paper can provide directors, filmmakers, and brand market- ers with an understanding of basic documentary el- ements they can utilize to create films that lead their audiences to develop an emotional connection with a brand or company.

In the Findings section, many branded documenta- ries are listed to demonstrate the effect of different documentary film elements. After analyzing ten films, I focused on evaluating the effect of three prominent elements including; (1) the use of ‘Real People’, (2) Cinematic Music, (3) and a Single Protagonist Struc- ture.

46 For ‘Real People’ I discovered the use of real people in brand documentaries disrupts viewers’ tendency to skip advertisements because viewers don’t immedi- ately associate real people with advertisements which creates an opportunity for brands to grab viewers attention. Furthermore, ‘Real people’ make the story relatable because viewers can see themselves as the protagonist. Therefore the events in the video and the protagonist’s relationship with the brand seem more attainable for the viewer to experience.

For Cinematic Music, I found that the temporal nature of music allows viewers to experience situations in shared time with the characters in the film. So rather than viewers simply reacting to an event at the end, music allows viewers to experience the process of going through a situation which heightens viewers emotional connection to the story, as music reinforces the emotions of the visual events that occur on screen and guide the viewer’s perception of an event.

For Single Protagonist Structure, I explained how films that focus on a single protagonist feel more im- mersive because those films guide viewers to devel- op a deep connection with a single character rather than a shallow connection with multiple characters. A connection with a character typically manifests in

47 the form of identification, a process where the viewer experiences the story as if it were happening to them which creates a psychological state where viewers adopt the goals and identity of a character. Brands are able to be connected to audiences identification with a character, through the relationship the brand’s service or core value has with the protagonist’s goal or identity.

These findings can help companies; establish basic elements they want to utilize in their films, analyze how the absence of presence of these elements im- pact their current project, or develop a plan to con- nect with consumers on an emotional level. However, it is worth noting that while each of these elements can assist in facilitating emotional connection with audiences, the use of a singular element does not ensure a film will be successful or resonate with an audience. For example, using “real people”and their experience works under the premise that their expe- rience is told in an emotive way. The storyline of the film needs to evoke emotion in order for audiences to connect with said “real people.” Albrighton (2013) explains that “a story needs conflict and resolution; tension and release; mystery and revelation. There should be losses and gains, setbacks and comebacks, peaks and troughs.” If there is no suspense to drive a story forward, real people, cinematic music, or a sin-

48 gle protagonist structure will not make a branded docu- mentary effective at connecting with audiences.

Finally, although brand documentaries are rising in popularity, historically, documentaries have been used to raise awareness about social issues, educate the general public, and bring about social change. Filmmakers often depend on grants and crowd-funding to create inde- pendent projects and traditional media outlets, like PBS, have strict requirements for sponsor disclosure (Lee, 2019). This independence and these requirements help mitigate how bias or sponsors’ motivations might influ- ence the presentation of the “truth” in documentaries. While the increased involvement of brand sponsorships has created more financial opportunities for filmmakers and documentarians, brands’ motivations for sponsoring a film muddies the ethical balance between storytelling and objectivity in regards to documentaries as a form of nonfiction storytelling. Practitioners, filmmakers, and marketers should keep this balance in mind when cre- ating projects and brand documentaries continue to evolve in the film and marketing industry.

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