Title: Loving Someone - The 1975
Genre: Indie/ Alternative
Format: Music Video
Running time: 4mins
Synopsis
Video begins with three teenagers attempting to break into a church to do drugs. Their break in is documented over the 3 chorus' within the song. Once the group successfully break in to the church and begin to take drugs, a mysterious holy figure appears. He appears to talk to the teenagers as they all stare into the distance. The holy figure then disappears leaving the teenagers confused and seeking guidance. Moreover, after this strange event occurs the teen the narrative begins to unravel into each of their lives.
The first character shown throughout the first verse of Loving Someone, is Jason an 18 year old boy who suffers from alcohol abuse. He first appears sitting outside a shop lighting and smoking a cigarette. Anxious and fragile he struggles to get cigarettes out of the packet dropping them on the floor and shaking as he does so. Jason pulls up his hood as he puts out his cigarette. The scene then cuts to a preoccupied shopkeeper arguing with a customer as Jason enters the store. He then slips a bottle of vodka into his jacket, stealing the item, he runs out the shop. Shots of Jason down the end of an ally way drinking. Breaking down against the wall he places his head in his hands as his facial expression becomes angry and frustrated.
Similarly, throughout the second verse of the song a second character is represented, yet this time with a different personal issue. Anna, 18 is a victim of child neglect, due to lack of income she leads a life of prostitution. The shot begins with a male walking into a room with lights and bedsheets, she leaves the room covered in lights with smoke in the background, signifying her vulnerability. The wall in the room appears covered in bedsheets making the lights brighter and highlighting her issue. Towards the end of the shot she looks up towards the camera and the lights.
Finally, the final verse introduces the final character Yioda who is battling with depression and insecurities about her body image. After being bullied at school and constantly called names, she spirals into sadness and a state of self hatred. Moreover, when she arrives home from school, out of rage and frustration he smashes her mirror. Yioda is followed running a bath filled with red liquid in which she submerges her whole body. As she lifts her head above the water her face appears stained red and red splashes of water to represent her pain and suffering from self harm to the excessive bullying. Moreover, as she enters a room, projections of models and the 'ideal' body image appear on the wall to connote how body perception has gone too far and teenagers worldwide are suffering from deep insecurities.
The new equilibrium of the video consists of all three of the characters being seen together in the church, after an insight into each of their lives it appears that they have stopped doing drugs and are still listening to this figure of hope. Each teenagers difficult situation appears to be resolved as they are seen to reform. Anna is seen applying for a job. Jason returns to the shop to take back the stolen vodka, and Yioda is seen to wash the red dye off her skin. After this, close up shots of the eyes of the three teenagers while smiling, signifying their strength and happiness of having the ability to overcome their troubles.
Key Scenes
Key scene one: Begins with long shot of church isle with mysterious character dressed in white at the head of the church. Cut to establishing panning shot church from outside. As the lyrics begin ('loving someone' repeated 4 times) cutting close up shots of various eyes of people in society are shown; including the three protagonists e.g. old, young, teenage, middle age. We are then introduced to 3 main protagonists via close ups and cuts of them walking towards and breaking into a church. The cutting shots of the teens breaking into the church are spread out across the three chorus' which state "Loving Someone" in order to connote, not only their mental struggle but physical struggle in finding that person they should be loving; in this case the holy figure who guides them.
Key Scene Two: This scene begins with a close up shot of Jason smoking, showing a tracking shot of smoke drifting into the air highlighted by low key lighting. It shows him sat on a bench in distress while trying to take out a cigarette. A close up shot reveals his hands shaking causing him to drop the cigarette onto the floor. It then cuts to a mid shot of him standing up, allowing the audience to see that he is wearing a black hoodie and jeans. A tracking shot then follows him from behind into a local convenient store. With the tracking shot from behind his shoulder continuing to follow him through the isles of the store, a close up shot of alcohol makes it apparent for the audience that he is going to shop lift. There is then a close up shot from the front of him sneaking vodka into his jacket pocket.
Key Scene Three: Focuses on Anna, a prostitute who is reliant on her business for income. Long shot of female standing on a street corner, wearing provocative clothing and is waiting for a client to arrive in his car. Once he arrives, an over the shoulder shot across the male sees the female enter his car, and highlights her vulnerability. Cut to a time-lapse shot of cars on the road, to signify how lost and alone she is in the world. Cut to a close up establishing shot of a bedroom interrupted by Anna leading a male to the bed covered in fairy lights. a blurred over the shoulder shot displays the male on the bed whilst Anna is covered in high key colourful fairy lights. A slow zoom in shot see's him walk over and stands behind her body. The rule of thirds is applied here as she is placed in the middle section of the three framed shot in order to display her to the audience as the primary image and main character of this particular scene. Anna slowly looks towards the camera as she closes her eyes cut shots displaying of child neglect and her alone in a room as a child appear. Anna opens her eyes and directly addresses the camera as the man behind switches off the lights representing all control over her as a prostitute.
Key Scene Four: Towards the end of the music video, a close up of the three characters faces appear in high key lighting highlighting their shocked facial expressions, staring into huge beam of holy light. Each teenagers situation is revealed
Character Profiles:
Jason: 18 year old white teen, dark hair and beard. His mental state is unstable due to use of drugs and constant smoking. Throughout the video he shoplifts stealing alcohol displaying his desperate lifestyle.
Yioda: 18 year old white teen, dark brown hair, petite. Victim of bullying and name calling results to depression and self harm.
Anna:18 year old white teen, brown hair. Being abused as a child has lead her to a life of prostitution.
Target audience:
The target audience for our music video consists fans of the indie genre and The 1975. A stereotypical audience member would be a female aged between 16 and 18. Despite the stereotypical audience of female we have also decided to target male by making one of our characters male in order for this particular audience to relate to. Both genders would belong to the E demographic, as many will be students watching our music video in their free time or if they follow the band; music videos are part of their daily viewing habits as they find the content of the videos either aspirational or relatable and as a means of escapism. Teenagers nowadays use social media very often and follow many artists in order to keep updated with tours and song releases hence why we have decided to target 16-18 year olds. This means that the Uses and Gratification theory can be applied as viewers will watch the video for different purposes for example for pleasure or escapism or to help highlight social issues which are included within the production e.g depression and prostitution. The psychographics for the target audience are Explorers and Reformers. Explorers prefer discovery, challenges and new frontiers therefore will love the variation of enigma's weaved into our production. Furthermore, a Reformer has there own independent judgement meaning if they enjoy the narrative they are more likely to get attached; here we can apply the hypodermic needle theory, as due to our intriguing narrative the audience want to watch on in order to view the outcome. However in order to apply our film to a mass audience we shall include conventions of the Indie genre for example pale colours, use of smoke and drugs and a location which is familiar to the audience targeted.
Certification:
Our film is classified as a 15, as our target audience is teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 18. According to the BBFC guidelines our film is classed as a 15 due to the scenes of drug taking which will be shown but the work as a whole does not promote or encourage drug misuse, brief scenes of sexual activity and snippets of self harm and body abuse. Drug taking and substance abuse is portrayed when Jason is seen outside the shop smoking a cigarette and when he is drinking alcohol in the ally way, this substance abuse motif is seen throughout through cuts of smoke and constant use of alcohol.
Moreover, sexual activity is briefly suggested throughout Anna's prostitution scene as she leads a man into a room however this is displayed with the use of lights and no strong detail is displayed. These scenes could be influential to younger children and could frighten them due to their lack of understanding. Finally, the use of self harm and body abuse within Yioda's scene as she battles through bullying and depression, this kind of activity should not be exposed to young vulnerable children as it could make them think that self hatred is the only way out of being bullied and may think harming themselves is permitted because they may not understand the concept of depression.
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