AS Music Video- Initial Ideas

Sia- Brid Set Free 

Why I chose to use 'Bird Set Free' as my song for my music video...

Within this project I have decided to use the song 'Bird Set Free' by the artist Sia. One of the main reasons why I have chosen to use this song is not only because Sia is one of my favourite artist, but because all of her music is very powerful, moving and meaningful. This I then hope to incorporate into my work and produce a music video which reflects the meaningful and inspiring work of Sia. 

My initial idea...

In regards to what my music video is actually going to consist of, I have decided to base it on a narrative formate. This is because  the lyrics within this song are extremely powerful and I believe the best way to present the song would be through the use of a storyline. 

The song itself is about an abusive relationship and thus is represented through a captive bird. This is an extremely sensitive and important element to address. Moreover I hope to have a moral running through my music video... I hope to show that even if you find yourself within an abusive relationship you can always find a way out and be free. 

My initial idea is to focus on a female character and show events of an abusive relationship within the first section of the music video. I then shall follow the steps of the female role where she then escapes and becomes a 'Bird Set Free'. I would really love to use the likes of costume, smoke and special effects to make this music video even more exciting and thought provoking. I hope to connect with the audience and make them really feel for the characters within the music video. 

A little bit about the artist...

Sia is a forever growing Australian artist who has produced lots of material which follows the same formate of the song 'Bird Set Free'. All of her music is very powerful and moving and thus has insured she is now a very well known and respected artist. Sia's music genres create her unique style: pop, electric pop, indie pop, trip hop, and acidic jazz. These are all elements on which help to develop Sia as an artist. The song 'Bird Set Free' was supposedly went to be used for the Adel album through never made the cut therefore this become one of Sia's songs. 'Bird Set Free' is the first song on her new album 'This Is Acting'.

GENRE RESEARCH

Here is a Prezi, representing all the research I have gathered, regarding the 'pop' music genre.

Genre Theory

Media Language

Applying Theorists To A Music Video

Narrative Theory- Applying Theorists To A Music Video 

Taylor Swift- Blank Space

Propp: Within this music video, the storyline follows the likes of Taylor and her 'boyfriend'. It shows a brief summary of there relationship before he supposedly cheats on her. Ultimately there are limited characters within this music video, however both characters still have the appropriate features which can be related to Propp. Propp suggests that all characters have a specific role which can be shown within this music video. Taylor is posed as the hero (the character who seeks to find love), with the male character posing as the villain who cheats on her and results in Taylor going 'insane'.

Todorov: Todorov believed there was a sequence that occurred within music videos. It begins with the initial equilibrium... this is the set up of Taylor meeting her 'boyfriend'. There then follows a disruption to the equilibrium whereby this is shown when her boyfriend seems to be messaging other girls. This then triggers the recognition of the disruption which is shown when Taylor begins to argue and with him but his actions seem to repeat themselves. An attempt to repair the damage then follows where Taylor frantically tries to get his attention by distrosying his stuff and seeming upset. To finalises the video the new equilibrium is formed and Taylor is shown as a new person, similar to how she was in the beginning of the video waiting for the next man to enter.

Bathes: Bathes believed that a music video can be broken down into 5 different elements which help the viewer understand the text. To begin with the action code is represented in the fight between Taylor and her boyfriend. This is made dramatic through the use of lip syncing and accented beats. The referential code shows how the boyfriend is texting on his phone whilst Taylor is looking up at him. This gives the audience the information they need to fully understand what is going on. Then the enigma code is what teases the audience. This is done at the end of the music video where the boyfriend quickly drives off and Taylor is waiting for the new boyfriend to enter.

Levi-Strauss- Levi's theory can be used to determine the opposition within the text. For example, within the Black Space video, there is Taylor as a clam, sweet and loving girl vs the insane, jealous, and crazy girlfriend. This can then be applied to the boyfriend when he is calm and collected and then becomes the cheater. This theory ultimately picks out that the characters grow and change showing how there character has developed during the video.

Narrative Theory

Preliminary Task- CD cover and poster