Final Statement of Intent

• Running with the wolves - Originally sang by Aurora

• Pop/Electropop

• Sony Music 

• Mainstreamers, Girls and boys

Concept:

• The topic being portrayed will be Mental Health specifically, the way in which emotional abuse takes a toll on your self-confidence, causing stress and anxiety and your inability to speak up

• Follows the utilisation of editing and visual effects to create a digital painting of a young woman being abused by her brother that becomes real in the beginning and end which is the focal point of my music video, to show just how frozen the topic is.

• The synthesis of Pop/electropop music video conventions to appeal to my mainstream audience and 80s synth pastiche in order to complement the heartbeat like rhythm of the song

Media Language:

I will use the iconography of Pop/Electropop music, multiple settings and powerful cinematic shots as a reference to the Pop musical genre to construct a narrative-based music video.

• My song is reflective of the 80s zeitgeist evidently seen through the costume and is a pastiche to the 80s (Baudrillard: Postmodernism)

• Visual style- modern pop retro style

• I will be repeating electropop conventions with an unconventional creative style in relation to genre theory (Neale)

• I intend to use a variety of camera shots and cinematography. For example, through using medium-closeup shots of the protagonist in the forest during the chorus and then transitioning into long shots of London. 

• This will create a diverse set of visuals thus appealing to the mainstream audience by rendering the video more visually engaging. 

• As the chorus begins, the artist will put on the headphones as a device to escape her mental health issues and transport to the woods, being her safe space.

• Match-cut effect most prominently used in the bathtub scene in Psycho (1960) will be used to enable visuals to remain consistent in order to help develop the narrative.

Representations:

• Onscreen, females are saved, they do not do the saving which is undeniably reinforced through the narrative of my music video as it will be the young man who helps the young woman face her mental health issues (Van Zoonen). 

• Propp’s character archetypes can be referenced in my narrative; my protagonist will be the princess, like a “damsel in distress” who will reinforce Van Zoonen’s sex role stereotypes, whilst the brother will be the villian and the young man will be the victim-hero.

• Women are more likely than men to have a common mental health problem and are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders hence why the protagonist of my narrative will be female. Here, my music video will reinforce stereotypes.  

• The ending of my video will subvert sex-role stereotypes as the protagonist stands up to her brother.

• Gauntlett’s theory will also be evidenced. Most products provide their fictional leads with character weaknesses or journeys that need to be completed in order to gain happiness. This will be suggested in my music video as the protagonist’s weaknesses are her mental health issues nonetheless, the narrative will follow her overcoming these issues. This can be seen to reflect our own lives because people undergo mental health issues everyday and also get through them. 

• Masculinity is in crisis and this links directly to the brother of my protagonist. I will subvert stereotypes here because he will not be portrayed as the conventionally hyper-masculine "rugged, super- independent, extra-strong macho man" 

Audience and Industry:

• 80s trends are currently being recycled in pop culture and so the nostalgic aspect of the video will appeal to mainstream audiences in particular, an older audience (millennials)

• Like recent pop culture hit “Stranger Things,” my music video will be an ode to the 80s but with a modern twist due to my music choice.

• The narrative of my video will hopefully spark personal identity for the audience due to its relatability 

• The recognisable narrative will also highlight an underlying moral takeaway of self-confidence and freedom which will hopefully translate as an inspirational and universal take away

Promotional techniques:

• The video will be available on YouTube, in order to increase accessibility.

• Interview page in the magazine will feature exclusive behind the scenes footage in order to promote the tour

• I will also use ‘Spotify’ playlists that communicate the artist’s personal values and tastes to appeal to a larger audience and allow for fans to form personal relationships (Blumer and Katz) and perhaps create a sense of fandom amongst younger audiences (Jenkins)

Music Magazine:

For the magazine, I will follow a raw, organic theme and will use compelling, creative shots including images that relate to both the artist and the genre of music. It will be called SOL Magazine. It will include:

• Various magazine conventions such as a central image of the artist. 

• In the double page spread the artist will wear the headphones in order to include product placement and reference to the brand sponsorship.

• The tour poster will portray the actor in a natural and intrinsic atmosphere featuring foliage and a similar colour scheme (neutral green tones) to create synergy between the video and magazine. 

• The amalgamation of the 80s modern retro aesthetic and Pop music magazines will be referenced through the choice of clothing with an overall progressive style of the magazine