2. In the establishing shot of the televised bard music video
‘Titanium’ we see a little boy crouching, covered in dust
as the camera slowly tracks his shocked, slow movements
in a close-up. The dust we can see on the boy could
connote mystery, destruction and ruin. This shot conveys
to the audience that this character could be involved in a
dangerous or dramatic situation and is heightened by the
slow camera movements and the slow tempo of the song
to show the panic on the boys face. The grey colour also
connotes the themes of misery and death, suggesting to
the audience that this is what the boy could bring.
Shot 1
3. In this next shot we see the boy sitting up, consuming the
damage that has been made to a school corridor. This
long shot shows the isolation of the boy because he is
crammed into a small, destroyed place that is
surrounded by bleak and plain colours, conveying no
emotions or strong feelings, still only the colour grey. The
lyrics say ‘you shout it loud, but I can’t hear a word you
say’ highlighting the isolation, portraying that the boy
could be trapped because of his separation from
everyone else.
Shot 2
4. In the next shot it shows a
woman being petrified
as this young boy walks
past, and on eye
contact she rushes to
shut the door and seems
to be screaming down
the phone. This medium
shot allows the audience
to see the panicked
expression and body
language that the
woman is presenting.
The fact that she is also wearing bright yellow signifies
thatshe is of a major difference to the boy because of the
contracts of the plain grey colour and the bright yellow.
The yellow signifies happiness and joy, however the young
boys dark clothing signifies dirt, and could convey
corruption as he puts the woman in happy colours in an
uncomfortable position.
Shot 3
5. In this shot the boy walks out of the school and pulls his coat
in tighter, presenting an insecurity as a medium shot is
shown of him passing a police car, indicating to the
audience that he could be guilty of something, perhaps
the destruction caused inside the school. His red hat also
signifies danger, however, the hat itself contains childhood
innocence because of the bobble on top, making him
look younger than he probably is. This juxtaposition of
ideas creates a complex character for the audience.
Shot 4
6. In this shot we see him throwing some stuffed animals off
off his bed and into the air, this movement could
resemble the boys’ lack of innocence as he seems to
be throwing away a symbol of childhood, however he
still has his hat on. This suggests that, despite his guilty,
tough persona, he holds some childhood innocence.
Shot 5
7. A shot-reverse-shot is used to show the boy’s panic at the
approaching police, presumably coming for him. This close
up of the boys’ hand struggling to open the door is shown
beside the shot of the medium shot of the door. These
twoshots are used together to show that each shot means
a different thing for the boy and the police
approaching, for example, that door is a means of escape
for the boy, whereas for the police it is a way they can
capture the boy.
Shot 6
8. In this shot the boy is running away from the police and a
variety of shots is used in time with the fast-paced music to
build tension and heighten his isolation and how he might
be caught and is shown by the policemen getting closer
and the lights of their torches getting closer. The contrast of
the darkness of the woods and their lights disrupting it
portrays their unwelcomed presence.
Shot 7
9. Theories
There could be confusion over which part of Andrew Goodwin’s
theory can apply to this video, whether it be amplification or
disjuncture. There is evidence of it relating to disjuncture because
most of the lyrics don’t correspond to what’s being seen. For
example ‘You shout it out, but I can’t hear a word you say. I’m
talking loud not saying much.’ When these lyrics are sung, we see a
young boy sitting down in a ruined hallway of a school, he then
slowly stands up, overwhelmed by the ruin. There is evidence of
amplification in the sense that the themes relate to the images, for
example the whole concept of being ‘bulletproof’ is portrayed by
the imagery of the little boy defeating the police supernaturally. (This
can be seen in picture 1)
Sven Carlsson tells us that this video is a televised bard. This is a
modern mythic embodiment that tells a
story during the music video. This video
doesn’t necessarily conform to the pop
genre as it tells a story, rather than
showing off the artist.
Picture 1
