Lena Dunham MEDI-‐167 Professional Practice Lauren McCollin, Matt Chappell, Jacob Clare
Who is Lena Dunham? * Lena is a 27 year old American ACTRESS/DIRECTOR/ WRITER/PRODUCER * After graduating from Oberline College whilst studying Creative writing, she went on to write her own films and TV series. * She is most recognized for directing, writing and starring in her award winning HBO TV series Girls-‐ created in 2012
She has directed and starred in own independent film; Tiny Furniture * Co-‐wrote indie film, Nobody Walks * Supporting role in Judd Apatow’s comedy film; This is 40 *
She features in most of the films she writes, including her star role in Girls. This increases her fame as a media practitioner, and she very much relies on the help of social media to promote her work. Whilst researching her work, it is clear to see that her aim is to represent a very normal, working class day to day lifestyle, the character role that she takes on in each of her films is similar to her own persona as a writer, making her more relatable to her audience.
Feminism She includes her feminist beliefs within her work; -‐ Portrayal of women and female friendship -‐ Self-‐proclaimed feminist of this generation -‐ Addresses issues like body image, abortion, relationships within social media era and street harassment -‐ Shows her naked body repeatedly, despite not conforming to societal beauty standards
Media Uses various social networking websites to promote and talk about her work, specifically, Girls. -‐ Facebook -‐ Twitter -‐ Instagram * She has used these key media outlets to promote her TV show and new novel, and has also created a twitter page for her TV show girls. * Her Instagram is a reflection of her persona, and lets people get to know about her as well as her work. She has also released soundtracks for each season, which is available on iTunes and Amazon.
Instagram; Instils a fusion of both professional outlook and a sense of casualty and blasé style to her posts.
Promotes HBO comedy-‐ drama series Girls through Twitter but also retweets her colleagues. Maximum coverage.
A lot of her tweets are of her daily struggles and triumphs – basis of Girls.
Television Lena Dunham has a relaxed but intelligent style when being interviewed on television. She changes her tone depending on the programme format and audience. Chat shows like The Graham Norton Show -‐ very comedic, immature, sarcastic, jokes around, includes other stories and goes off topic a bit. Interviews (e.g. with Channel 4) – mature, intelligent, structured speech but remains light-‐hearted. It also shows that her work has become popular in countries other than America.
Graham Norton Show
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWwtpZtyaV8)
Channel 4 Interview
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b2CksZtrBw)
Magazine Interviews
* She has also recently become the face of Vogue magazine, which again re-‐defines her female target audience, possibly reaching out to an older audience as well. Although, being a feminist, she understands the backlash of her fans at being on the cover of a magazine that has always been known to reflect ‘the perfect woman’ – however this gives her a better chance at promoting what she stands for. * It is clear that in her most recent interviews, she is mainly questioned about her TV show rather than her other work, so when promoting she seems to just focus on her aims as a writer and director of the show.
Success
* Dunham has won several awards for her work; The Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, Directors Guild of America, Independent Spirit awards. This is a clear indication that her work is respected by the industry and is well received by her peers.
References Slide 1. Photo. Lena Dunham at 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:Lena_Dunham_TFF_2012_Shankbone_3.JPG Slide 7. Lena Dunham’s Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lena-‐Dunham/130369277151093 Slide 8. Lena Dunham’s Twitter. https://twitter.com/lenadunham Slide 9. Lena Dunham’s Instagram. http://instagram.com/lenadunham