FINAL article:

We meet with the director, Claudia Smith, of a new one-off documentary who gives us an insight on the analysis of millennials and their associated stereotypes. This is what she had to say

"I’ve always had an interest in the generation that we live in and I strongly believe that I am a millennial – so I had to make a documentary about me!” Smith continues to add that a documentary for Channel 5 is typical and that viewers expect to see it. However she explains how Channel 5 Commissions has given her the opportunity to produce something unique targeting at a younger audience cap of 18-35 years old, better known as ‘millennials’. Therefore she had to "grasp at the chance to produce something entertaining" yet report on the current topics and issues that this generation face every day so “millennials themselves know that they are not alone.”

 

Our GY editor in cheif took a walk down the garden at Smith’s manor to get a better insight on the documentary that would soon be released before the New Year’s. They sat down for a light lunch to discuss the topic.

GY Editor in Chief: What was your drive in making this documentary?

Claudia Smith: I saw that there was a gap in the market – I only saw documentaries reporting on historical facts and past stories targeting to an older generation excluding the fast-growing population of millennials. I saw this as a chance to not only create something that I have always wanted but get at a chance to create something modern for Channel 5.  

GY: What can we expect from the show?

CS: It’ll be a different format to your typical documentaries as the show is based on consecutive interviews. We sit a handful of ‘millennials’ to ask them a series of question and to let them elaborate on their own answers. I wanted viewers to feel like they can have a say and relate themselves to those on the show therefore these millennials answering are directly looking into the camera giving us the answers we would generally expect and some answers that we would not expect.

GY: What answers did you generally have?

CS: Without giving too much away, one of the questions was “What stereotypes have you encountered or been a subject of?” We had many answers that were a general stereotype being ‘lazy’ or ‘being you’re their phones too much’. We do meet a boy, Max who fits in the age category of 18-35 but does not associate himself with being a millennial. We see that he is assertive in the answer as he goes on to explain how millennials are easily offended.

GY: If there are answers you did not expect, what was said?

CS: The majority who would have heard the word “stereotype” would generally associate it with being negative as many of us in the crew did – expecting many negative answers. However we meet a girl, Abbie who was the first to give a positive stereotype and viewers will see a change in the narrative as millennials are not always deemed to be bad.

 

We at GY have seen the first cut of ‘Are you a Millennial?’ and we are sure you don’t want to miss this out. If you’re told by the older generation that you are lazy or to put down your phone or even to sew up the holes in your jeans when you know what fashion is that we at GY strongly advance that you watch this entertaining yet insightful show on Channel 5, Sunday 16^th December at 10pm.