BEHIND
THE SCENE
THE ULTIMATE
FOURTH WALL BREAK
THE CONTEXT
Set-jetters United is the third phase project of the course Final Synthesis Design Studio of the Master Degree in Communication Design at Politecnico di Milano. The course, held by the researchers of Density Design Lab, is organized in three phases which analyse and communicate complex and controversial data. The goal of the third phase is to use the findings from the second phase as a tool to take a stand on a controversial issue. The final outcome of our design process is a travel agency website, that proposes absurd film locations tours which are entirely based on the real actions of fans. It is presented in a provocative and ironic way.
THE SUBJECT MATTER
In the second phase of the course we have collected and analysed online data about place making in the mass media entertainment world. Our purpose was to see and understand how movies and TV series affect our travelling decisions, as well as how they affect our perception of real places. However, in the third phase of the course the focus has moved on the phenomenon of set-jetting and the collateral damage that it brings. Set-jetting is a recently identified breed of tourism. It is the trend of travelling to locations which have been the setting of movies or TV series.
THE ISSUE: NEGATIVE IMPACT OF SET-JETTERS
Besides the various articles about this phenomenon, we collected information on places which became the centre of attention because they were featured in a movie or TV series. Set-jetting represents a big issue for the environment, but also for residents and tourists as well. The origin of these problems has often been the fact that these places were not meant to be tourist. They are neither prepared for mass tourism nor the problems that come with it, and surely not for the inappropriate behaviour of a large number of people. Moreover, tourists risk to injure themselves or even lose their lives because of their unwittingly dangerous behaviours. By analyzing the data, we discovered the absurd behaviours of fans. Even though some are clearly wrong, others don't seem harmfull in any way, but just like other trends, set-jetters behaviours starts as a single person action and than gets copied by the masses. So, while if the peculiar behaviour is done by one person it can be fun and harmless, when everyone is doing it, eventually it grows in a big issue.
DATA COLLECTION
Considering the results from the phase 2, we created a list of film locations where set-jetters have had a negative impact. The main sources were: social networks (Instagram and Twitter), websites about travelling (TripAdvisor and Yelp), Google Maps and articles found via Google search.
After checking the truthfulness of these online articles, we collected images and reviews of those published locations.
DATA ANALYSIS
To show how absurd these real behaviours are, we presented them in a travel agency website, where they are proposed in various activities. The website is informative for who is interested in visiting film locations, so the specific audience of the project are set-jetters. The activities present in the website, sometimes in an exaggerating way (through the titles and descriptions of activities), report the actions of the fans, as if they were behaviours to follow. The effect is intended to be deliberately ironic, even if it is treated with seriousness, so as to advise what to bring to enjoy better the proposed activity. The aim of this project is not to judge these behaviours, but to make set-jetters aware of how they behave and to narrate what problems they are causing, as they are usually not aware of the consequences of their actions.
The site photographs reality, enriching the activities proposed through ad hoc descriptions, based on real facts and behaviors but treated in an ironic way, with fictitious titles.
Below you can find the wireframe of an activity page, that highlights real contents reported by orange boxes, while the white boxes identify fictional information that we made up, but based on the precedent reliable information. Film locations and online presence (specified by the IG hashtag) along with images and reviews present the real information, while the categories of activities, the title and description, the price and section "what to bring" are fictitious information.
THE WEBSITE
On Set-jetters United website the subdivision of content and the layout structure is inspired by typical travel sites, to make it more truthful and believable. So on the website the activities are divided into four different categories, both for mirroring travel platforms as Airbnb and for facilitating the choice of travellers.
These groups are based on the type of problem that people are causing: disturbing the peace, damaging the environment, having inappropriate behaviours and taking risky action for themselves and the others. The way in which categories are called reflects the general ironic tone of voice of the website. The logo, the graphic style and the choice of colours of the website recall the cinematographic language and streaming platforms.
The images and reviews on the site were taken from real posts or articles published online, in order to bring truthfulness to our platform, which proposes activities in a relatively credible way.
The main purpose of Set-jetters United is to reveal only at the end the irony, although it is present from the very start. Hence, at the moment of purchasing, a pop up window will appear, called the Moralist Page, where it is explicitly stated that "You are about to purchase tours which have real life activities".
Pizza is on the house - Breaking Bad
SOURCES PER CATEGORY