Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I sat down and watched a documentary called Teenage Paparazzo, a film by Adrian Grenier who played Vince on the HBO hit show, Entourage.
It’s an absolutely fascinating movie about the paparazzi but also the media that drives their actions — which is basically hanging out and stalking stars in order to get the “money” shot. They are paid anywhere from $500 to thousands for pictures of the stars doing things ordinary or tawdry (more money for the tawdry stuff!).
In the film, you see and hear the clamor to get as close to a full-body shot as they can so the magazines like Us and People magazine can show us the details of what the stars are wearing. You know those sections in the mags where they show the stars doing things “just like” normal folks? Shopping, eating, pushing strollers. And then of course, I’ve seen the sections called “Get the Look” so we can get a scarf like theirs, a bag like theirs or jeans like theirs.
Yikes! It’s such a whirlwind and I have to say, I’m entertained by those magazines myself. I love fashion. I love seeing how editors break the looks down. Do you?
Some stars go along with the paparazzi, feeling they have families to feed as well. Others hate it. This is particularly interesting as the film focuses on a 14-year-old paparazzi who becomes a bit famous himself.
It’s a fascinating look at media. An NYU professor, Thomas de Zengotita, was interviewed a lot and I intend to get his book called Mediated.
Would LOVE your thoughts on the matter!
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