Director: Connie Littlefield
National Film Board of Canada. 1997. $39.95
Length: 23 minutes
Audience: Senior Elementary, Junior High School
Topics: self image, consumerism, marketing

Brendan is a marketer's dream: he's heading for adolescence, he needs to be "cool" and fit in, and the money in his pocket is 100% disposable. All the Right Stuff follows Brendan as he makes his way around the mall, which is "just like walking around a big TV set." In the process, the video examines how media imagery - of beautiful people, the "good life" - stimulates consumerism. Other teens and pre-teens comment on their preferences and consumption patterns and the fact that "cool" always costs more. Using some imaginative techniques (the "straight up information" is delivered via a TV set rather than a stand-up narrator) All the Right Stuff manages to make points that stimulate critical awareness - that youth are an exploitable group in the labor market, and that many of them can't find any jobs, let alone challenging ones. Bingo: the most obvious outlet for energy is buying "stuff". This video would be very useful in helping pre-teens and those just beginning junior high to develop a sense of how they fit into the bigger picture: the market, target groups and ever-changing trends.

All the Right Stuff can be ordered online from the National Film Board.