covid updated explanation of video

Explanation of Music Video - (COVID Updated)

Originally, my vision for my music video was meant to portray the lives of immigrants living in the UK and some of the struggles that come with living a normal life. It is unfortunately common for immigrants to be perceived as dangerous or people who have come to this country to rob us of our money. This is all supported by the heavy lyrics used in the song 'Paper Planes' such as 'take your money'. Whilst my mother is from Poland herself, I thought it was a really familiar topic to my family as I strongly understand some of the issues that she faces in day-to-day life. It is worth bearing in mind that the original meaning behind 'Paper Planes' is based around those of an ethnic descent, skin colour or exotic name who are perceived as 'other'. However, I would like my video to take into consideration all of those who have come to Britain from any foreign country and the difficulties of living a totally 'normal' life.

Intertextual Reference - Paddington

The children's story of 'Paddington Bear' is widely known as a quintessentially British story, which is recognised hugely by my target audience stated in the brief. Whilst many may know the story of a sweet bear who comes to London in search of a safe home, the creation of Paddington Bear by Michael Bond has an underlying message relating closely to my music video. The movie highlights the story of a young bear, who is in fact an illegal immigrant arriving in London after stowing away on a ship. The 'Brown' family kindly take Paddington bear into their own home after he is neglected and avoided by everybody else. It is worth considering the movies theme of kindness to an outsider from another culture and is hugely valuable for the young people who watch it. This interlinks extremely well with my vision for my music video as I would like to highlight the simple meaning of how those from a different culture, ethnicity, background etc. are just as human as the rest of us, and deserve to be accepted in our society instead of being perceived as a threat of any kind. 

Narrative

Ideally, my idea is going to be based on an individual who is of an ethnic minority - however, due to COVID the individuals in my bubble do not fit this criteria and so I have decided to film the majority of the video in black and white. I would like this form of media language to convey the idea that we are all equal no matter what our skin colour or race. I would also like the black and white to add a sense of hostility to the video as I will be attempting to portray some of the struggles that immigrants face in life. The individual is someone who has arrived to the UK looking for new opportunities for a fresh start in life. This will begin at Paddington station as an intertextual reference to the film, highlighting the similarities of Paddington and the main character in my video as being treated as 'other'. The individual will be dressed in confident, quirky clothing to illustrate the initial confidence they have when arriving to the UK.  However, the video will highlight the stereotypes that this individual faces such as being unable to find a job and being talked down on by employers. Shot types such as 'below the eye level' to emphasise the vulnerability of the individual being alone in a corporate setting and being stared at, judged etc. Another scene will portray members of the public physically avoiding the individual when walking down the street. By the end of the video, the individual will be dressed in 'normal' clothing as a way of attempting to fit in with the rest, however they have clearly lost their confidence. The ending is meant to be open-ended and left to the audience to reflect upon what is being portrayed and perhaps allow them to just understand the struggles of some people in our society that they may not take notice of. The reasoning for not having a resolution is that there still is no 'resolution' to the problems of xenophobia and stereotyping of immigrants; it is still hugely relevant today and not addressed publicly as much as other protests. 

- stereotypes of alcoholism 

- not getting a job because of poor English 

- comments about a 'strong' accent

- treated as 'other' 

- confidence is knocked in a corporate setting and individual becomes shy

- walking down a street and being avoided and tr