Titanium - David Guetta ft. Sia Analysis
I have chosen to analyse David Guetta's song Titanium as the video includes a interesting storyline. The song features the beautiful vocals of Sia. This song was released in 2011 and reached the number one spot in the UK.
Using a close up shot here brings the audience immediately to the centre of the scene. As the boy is using his arms to protect himself signifies that the character is vulnerable.
The opening shots are all close ups. The shots show a boy in a brace position, he is surrounded by rubble which suggests that there was an explosion of some type here. This shows that the boy is in danger.
This extreme long shot shows that the boy is in school. The location shows that there has been an explosion and as the boy is alone it represents the way he feels. The scene connotes how isolated he feels the and the explosion represents how confused he feels.
The facial expression of the woman in the mid shot and mid close up shows there is a reason to be afraid of the boy and it suggests to the audience that he is the reason behind the explosion in the school. This adds a bit of suspense to the video and leaves the audience wondering why the woman is so scared of him. The clothing she is wearing is yellow which is associated with intellect but also caution. She is concerned about her safety and the safety of others within the school due to this one boy.
The boy pulls on a red hat and the colour red is associated with danger, strength, anger and power. As he is pulling the hat over his head it shows that the anger and power takes over his head and he can't control his actions which result in a disaster. The corridor he is travelling down is dark representing the dark path he is taking as he is letting his supernatural powers get the better of him and is now being seen as deviant.
As the boy runs away a police car pulls up and the teacher who was scared of the boy runs out and points the officer in the direction that the boy headed. This shows that the boy has done something wrong and that he is a threat to society. The facial expression of the police officer shows something shocking and confusing.
The next shots show the boy cycling away at an extremely fast speed. The audience gets an idea that maybe something supernatural is occurring. The boy is determined to get away from the disaster that occurred at the school. The accelerating speed of the bike and fast paced editing between different camera angles of the bike matches the tempo of the song at that particular point. Using a range of camera angles to capture this particular scene such as extreme long shots, close ups and mid shots brings the audience up to speed with the boy, allows the video to track the boy along his journey whilst keeping the editing at a fast pace.
As the pace of the song slows so does the speed of the editing and the motion on screen. These shots show two women running, this represents the normal/average area where it is safe. The mid close up of the two women jogging represent the struggles of society and the boy just rides past, totally relaxed and calm which signify that the struggles they have do not effect him.
The boy returns to his house which is captured through an establishing shot. The house is painted white and is a normal suburban property. White connotes goodness and innocence which suggests that what the boy has done was to protect himself not to intentionally hurt anyone. The boy enters the property to see a news report about a 'supernatural occurrence at local school' which confirms what is actually happening in the music video to the audience. It is clear that now the boy is under threat from the police.
These shots show the boy packing his bag as if he is running away to protect himself from the police and the judgemental people around him.
The shots of the shadows through the window are an effective way to built suspense and put the audience on edge. The low angle shot of the boy gives the character authority and power and signifies to the audience that the boy is stronger and and more powerful than the police.
The boy runs to the door and realises he cannot get out. This increases the tension as the audience feel as if they are trapped too. This represents how the boy feels within the town because he is different. He can see the keys but he is under pressure just as he is under pressure to fit in and be 'normal'.
The police break down the door and enter the property this shows that the boy is being treated like a criminal as they police do not understand the circumstance. They point their guns searching for the boy which signifies that he is a serious threat in their eyes.
Here the audience see the boy using his supernatural powers to pick up the keys. This connotes that he uses his 'powers' to get out of difficult situations.
Although the police have guns and search the house to find the boy however once the officer sees the bears flying he looks concerned and scared which shows that the boy threatens the officers. The use of supernatural powers in the video will attract sci-fi fans. This sets the target as men aged 25-40.
The boy then begins to walk through the woods. The trees are leafless because the video is set in the Autumn. The leafless trees and an eary feel which would appeal to the target audience as it adds tension. It makes the boy appear to be more isolated from society. The weather looks cold which represents the reception he gets from the people around him; bitter and cold.
This shot shows the sun setting which shows things are getting worse as soon it will be dark and any comfort found from the light will be gone. The darkness brought by the nighttime connotes evil and misery.
This part of the video is more fast paced as the boy runs through the woods as police chase him. At first you don't see the police themselves but their torches. The bright lights through the trees give a sci-fi effect.
These shots show a very aggressive officer holding large gun. This is an unusual scene as you would not expect to see this being aimed at a child. The boy appears to be scared and is represented as innocent and the officer is the one in the wrong. The facial expression of the officer captured as a mid-close up shows the officer is afraid and angry. This suggests that the character can be slightly trigger happy.
As the armed officers surround the boy, aiming their guns at him, the boy curls up into a brace position. This shows him seeking protection and safety as he is vulnerable and at serious risk. The boy is scared as he is being threatened by several officerswith guns. This extreme long shot shows the boy beginning to glow, signifying to the audience that a build up of strong emotion causes to boy to react uncontrollable using his supernatural ability.
