Shane Dawson is a YouTuber who has been producing videos since the start of YouTube itself. Throughout his career, Dawson has received a lot of attention—the internet enjoys tearing down Dawson, but also building him up. Regardless of which side you are on, you’ll probably see what all the buzz is about with Dawson’s new documentary series featuring Jeffree Star.
The series, which is being called a YouTube documentary, is directed, produced and edited by Dawson and his videographer Andrew Siwicki. “The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star” is about Dawson and Star’s adventure of creating and releasing a collaborative makeup line. The series has four episodes out as of Oct. 18.
Star is incredibly well-known in the online makeup and beauty guru world. Combined, Dawson and Star have amassed over 39 million subscribers to their YouTube channels. These two well-known influencers are constantly bombarded with negative drama and negative criticism. Should the series be as hyped as it is? Is it credible as a documentary? Are the episodes full of fluff? Is it worth investing all of the time needed to watch it?
Dawson’s extremely sarcastic humor and Star’s wild personality create an interesting atmosphere for the series. Dawson has changed a lot since his early content, moving from sketch style comedy in his early days, to videos where he ate weird foods and now to his documentary series. With that being said, it is commendable to see that he has stayed true to himself.
The documentary’s style is very similar to the popular vlog style videos, but still presents a story of what the show is trying to document. Instead of the film being in past tense and incorporating reenactments of what happened, like one would do in a classic documentary, Dawson and Siwicki focus on catching as much raw expression and events as possible on camera. Documentaries are known for their cut and dry information, and the vlog-style documentary is a very new approach to the genre. The style gives the documentary a more personal approach. It allows for the viewers to see different sides of Dawson and Star.
With any series, there are going to be a lot of cuts and edits within the episodes. This leaves a lot of room for speculation which has created rumors that Dawson is only presenting the most entertaining parts of the days. As an entertainer, that is Dawson’s job. However, Dawson has publicly stated that he strives more for authenticity than entertainment.
In the second episode of the series, ‘The Secrets of the Beauty World’, Dawson and Star talk about money, how much of their makeup line they are estimating they will sell and then how much money they will make. Dawson also talks about the process of naming and choosing the types of makeup he wants to launch and how long it takes to create the makeup. This scene in the episode was rather emotional, as Dawson realizes a lot of his past business deals were bad contracts.
Dawson is known in his fan community for being very anxious and caring. Throughout the first three episodes, Shane is faced with a wide variety of emotions from fear, excitement, relief, betrayal and anger. He keeps in these scenes not only for dramatic effect but also to showcase different sides of his and Star’s personalities. With the personal filming style, and the short segments of dramatic flare, the episodes seem down to earth.
In the first episode, Dawson compares the experience to being like he was with a mafia boss, safe but terrified. The entire series is hinging on an unknown factor of whether or not Dawson’s makeup line will actually sell. This pressure is vocalized by Dawson as being too intense, to the point where he wanted to throw up. As a viewer, that pressure is visible enough to make many fear for Dawson’s success as well.
Dawson has a way of connecting with his viewers through his actions and down-to-earth personality. This is a big part of why the series has been going so well. Sure, having Star’s name attached helps, but the real star of the show is Dawson. His passionate attitude and unabashed honesty, through a platform that encourages engagement, creates a series that allows for the viewer to generate a connection to Dawson. The series is well deserving of its hype and Dawson is paving the way for a new kind of documentary and YouTube series.
Graphic: Mars Hogue/ The Johnsonian
