9/10 Humanities The Merchants of Cool Film Guide

The Merchants of Cool is a documentary film about how the media targets youth to sell them
products. A documentary film is one that uses pictures or interviews with people involved in
real events to provide a factual record or report. As you watch, fill in the blanks on the left
with the exact wording from the interviews. In the right hand column, write your own
reflections, responses or additional questions that come up.
Critical Vocabulary: Hegemony - leadership or dominance, esp. by one country or social
group over others that leads to one group subordinating itself to another

Direct Quotes from the

Film
A typical American
teenager will process
over _________________
discreet advertisements
in a single day.
____________ % of teens
have a television in their
bedroom
And thats the
paradox of cool
hunting __________
____________________
___________________. As
soon as marketers
discover cool, it stops
being cool.

Here it was, the ultimate

marriage of a corporation
and a culture. Sprite and
hip-hop had become
______
__________________________
_________________________,
each carrying the other
to its audience.
What is the mook?
How is the mook used
as an advertising tool?

Your Reflections, Responses and Questions

9/10 Humanities The Merchants of Cool Film Guide

Its funny to think that
the most advanced form
of marketing today
comes in the form of a
300 pound
body slam.
______________
__________________________
is the most popular form
of entertainment among
teenage boys in
America.

What is the midriff?

How is the midriff used
as an advertising tool?

Real live and TV life

have begun to blur. Is
the media really
__________________________
__________________________
_______________________ or
is it the other way
around?
Its a giant feedback
loop.

The cool hunt ends here

with teen rebellion itself
becoming just another
________________________.

9/10 Humanities The Merchants of Cool Film Guide

Film Response Essay: After watching The Merchants of Cool, write a one-page persuasive
essay responding to the following question. Use your own thoughts and experiences as well
as evidence from the film to support your response. Do young people truly control
their own culture and consumption?