Exploring narrative and media language in Zoe Sugg's more recent vlogs

Tzvetan Todorov - narrative equilibrium

Narratives work by moving from a state of equilibrium to a state of disequilibrium. At the end of the narrative, the equilibrium is restored. 

In Disney’s Tangled (2011) an equilibrium is established where Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower. Suddenly, a charming rogue infiltrates the tower, and Rapunzel kidnaps him, signalling the disequilibrium. The partial restoration of the equilibrium occurs at the end, where Rapunzel becomes a princess and sexy thief stops being a thief.

Tangled targets an audience of young children. Zoe Sugg now targets an audience of 30something women and aspirational mothers. Yet the narrative for Tangled is vastly more complicated than the narrative for Zoe Sugg's vlogs...

Exploring narrative and media language in ‘cosy Sunday…another visit from the Grinch’

• The Grinch is a copyrighted character who first appeared in children’s book. However, modern audiences are more likely to recognize the Grinch from modern film adaptations This video, as all of Sugg’s videos demonstrates hypermodality. With a single click we can move from one mode to another. We can for example click a hyperlink to access Sugg’s Amazon storefront, providing audiences the opportunity to ‘become’ Zoe Sugg, or at least to be able to relate to her from a consumerist perspective. This complex interaction is typical of vloggers.
• The camera angles are often from the view of her children, having been actually shot by her children. This constructs a personal mode of address. However, this technique is highly unprofessional , and demonstrates noticeably low production values. This is anchored through the low budget Grinch costume, which helps the viewers to engage with this relatable situation.
• Sugg’s Bonne Maman jam advent calendar is potentially out of reach for many of Sugg’s fans. However, this provides the audience with both entertainment and escapism. The MES of the large advent calendar communicates an escapist fantasy to her working class target audience.
• A number of activities are presented in sequence, to construct the reality that the Sugg’s are stereotypical, when clearly they are not. Activities such as building a fort, baking cookies, eating jam and, most excitingly, reading the radio times are depicted in painstaking detail. A shaky, zoomed in camera tracks the MES of Sugg’s finger as she excitedly describes Christmas day television. The symbolic effect is a nostalgic, Christmas videotape feeling, home movies. However, this sequence clearly does not resemble actual home movies, yet is a hyperreal construction. The confusion we feel simultaneously with the cosy comfort is typical of the postmodern condition.
• While the video clearly subverts traditional narrative forms of equilibrium, there is still some form of disequilibrium when the character of the grinch emerges. However, the Grinch demonstrates no conflict whatsoever, aside from the negative reaction of Zoella's child. The video therefore lacks any real sense of problems, imperfections, disequilibrium or any disruption.
• This is emphasised and reflected through the perfectly manicured lawn, the matching Christmas pyjamas, the beige décor, the complete lack of any personality. By presenting such a bland MES, this on trend and agreeable décor can appeal to her target audience and therefore increase engagement
• The editing is extremely simple, with no sound effects, no fade outs, and aside from the introductory montage generally consists of long takes, with little editing. The advantage of this simple editing increases the verisimilitude of the video and makes it seem more real and relatable to her target audience. It also makes it a lot easier to edit, allowing for more effective releasing of content . Shirky argues that we have moved to an amateur model of media production.
• Sugg represents herself as family oriented and working class. Yet her pyjamas are £70, and she buys groceries M&S, constructing a performative middle class mode of address, that seeks to influence and effect her target audience. The preferred reading of this is that we are not supposed to focus on the middle class commercialism, but appreciate her status as a caring mother. Yet also, this is pointed out in the video description, and clearly is important.
• The narrative of the video is simple and straightforward, beginning in the morning, and ending at night in bed. The fact that a child could understand this simple chronological narrative assumes that her target audience lacks the intelligence to comprehend complex narrative.

Christmas Shopping, Spot of Lunch & Surprise Photos | Vlogmas Day 10 - exploring media language, genre, narrative in this vlog

“That’s quite cool isn’t it, with the tree against the wall”

“I’m just getting some shots of you walking”

“We must have walked around 80% of the Brighton lanes”

“What are you getting?” - “I don’t know” 

• The video starts with fast paced montage of the exciting events that will occur in this vlog. It functions as a proairetic code, symbolising the varied content that will be included.
• There are multiple shots of the handwarmers on the buggy: close ups that situate the audience in a direct mode of address, and positioned directly with Zoe Sugg. This constructs a reality where the most important thigh in the world is Sugg, her family and the products that construct them, a deeply consumerist ideology. This consumerist ideology is reinforced through the content of the Brighton montage. The Sugg’s trawl from shop to shop and attempt to buy food at the expense of exploring the sights of Brighton. We have a brief and tantalising long shot of Brighton Pavilion, which is swiftly ignored being not topical to the video
• The video provides many opportunities for the audience to practice hypermodality. We can click on different videos to move to completely different themes and ideas, but we can also click on the affiliate hyperlinks, linking to Sugg’s fashion choices, and allowing the target audience the pleasure of forming a closer bond with Sugg. Of course this bond is meaningless and completely based on consumerist ideologies
• Sugg does not discuss the hyperlinks within her most recent content, allowing the description to hide the mass of hyperlinks, and diverts the audience from these clear consumerist tendencies
• Additionally, there are hyperlinks to Sugg’s social media platforms, including Instagram, which allow the effective targeting of diverse audiences. 
• The sound quality is appalling, and dialogue is sometimes obscured through the sound of the harsh Brighton wind. This ‘mistake’ left in symbolises naturalness and authenticity. However, this is clearly a recording, a hyperreal reconstruction of a shopping trip, editing in such a way to construct a boring, dull and reliable day. This allows fans the opportunity to form a parasocial relationship with the ‘unedited’ Zoella’. The low production values are relatable, and encourage her audience to do the same, building a sense of community. 
• The audience are positioned and situated directly with the Sugg family. Sugg shared explicitly with the audience that she lives in Brighton, and walks us around with an amateurish handheld tracking shot. 
• The lexis “That’s quite cool isn’t it, with the tree against the wall” is a bland, dull and pointless comment. It constructs Alfie as a bland everyman with no interests that he target female audience can aspire to obtain 
• The audience is older, and has a longer attention span. The video is long from, and lacks bright colours, graphics, sound and other elements. The complete lack of any real disequilibrium or content of interest suggests the target audience desires this unedited, raw footage are conservative, unwilling to change their ideas, and unlikely to engage with alternate ideologies. For the target audience the lack of edge and conflict is the unique selling point.