Statement of Intent

For my coursework I am using the song ‘Gatekeeper’, by Jessie Reyez in order to produce a music video that is relevant to the theme of protest by opposing the exploitation of women in the entertainment industry. This would appeal to the demographic of mainstream 16-25 year olds, especially those who have a desire to peruse a career in acting or music, as it creates awareness for the dark side to the more ‘luxurious’ industry that media presents as being so awe-inspiring. It therefore may also appeal to those in the feminist movement, as it breaks the perfect image that men portray in order to conceal their true actions and intentions. Whilst some may not be a part of this movement, the majority of this demographic will have knowledge and desire to change the inappropriate conduct of men in order to exploit women to their own advantage due to the high emphasis of such issue in young modern culture. 

 

There would be a more niche representation of social groups throughout the music video, with emphasis on gender representation due to the need to show the contrasts between male and female behaviour. Men will be illustrated as having obvious dominance and coercive in nature, manipulating those to serve his needs whilst appearing to care and help them progress with their careers. On the other hand, the woman in video would initially be presented as suppressed and fully controlled, but as the narrative progresses she would realise the reality of her situation, re-living her experiences through flashbacks, and begin to develop independence and assertion against her exploiters. Additionally with the gender representations, the woman would have clear emphasis on her appearance in order for the audience to get personally involved with her and her story, whereas the men’s appearance will stay anonymous in order to create a sense of unnerving and present the men as all the same. The woman is the only female character in the video in order to keep emphasis on her story and the fact that she feels like she is alone in a world of oppressive men, whereas there are three different men throughout the narrative, but are all dressed the same and their faces are never revealed as previously mentioned. The majority of the video will be a narrative, but towards the end some elements become performative, reciting the words that apply to them and their values. 

 

The narrative of the video, as previously mentioned, would be the progression of the woman’s realisation whilst she is attacked with flashbacks of her experiences, which makes her refute the role that she has been allocated and stand up for herself. The video would begin in the woman’s apartment as she forces herself to get ready into the provocative clothes and makeup that the men expect her to wear. Through the stages of her applying her makeup and getting dressed, she recalls memories, that appear in black and white to contrast with the present-day scene, that progressively get more sinister and revealing of the industry’s true nature. The resolution of the narrative is that she refuses to conform to the role she has been forced into, and starts to dress how she wishes too, contrasting massively with the revealing, luxurious outfits, and upon the man’s arrival to her door she cuts the ties with her exploiters. The memories are initially positive but with dark undertones which emphasises the false image that the industry wishes to present, and then progresses to more dark ones that reveal the men’s true intentions. Often, the darker memories are those of the more positive ones but with focus on the more sinister aspects, such as a memory of her in a recording studio which gradually reveals the man in the shadows of the background. Other memories include that of being uncomfortable around the men that she works with, being distressed over the way they treat her, and having to put on a false front in public whist accepting her submissive role. Whilst some on their own may not seem so sinister, the overall picture presented by the flashbacks shows the severity of the woman’s situation and reinforces the message that the industry’s covert behaviour is something that needs to be addressed and changed. 

 

There will be one, key setting throughout the music video which is the woman’s apartment, specifically her bedroom due to emphasis on mirrors, makeup and clothing. The mirror is of central importance due to it being the main element that helps the woman see herself for how she truly is; a victim of exploitation. Other settings, that are included in the memories, are a recording studio, an office, and a stairway or elevator above a luxurious lobby. The lighting in the video has a consistent dark tone but had a huge focus on contrast in shots, especially close ups and flashback shots, in order to draw attention to the desired component of that scene. The memories will be shot in black in white in order or the audience to easily distinguish between the present day and the flashbacks, whilst also making lighting contrasts easier to portray.  The colour choice of the memories also create consistency between each one, showing that she experiences the same things everyday, and reflects her emotions; that she is now passive to the effects of her exploitation. The costumes for the women have a strong contrast, to distinguish between who the industry wants her to be and who she wants to be, such as expensive, revealing dresses with high heels and excessive makeup, and casual loungewear with no makeup and hair in a messy bun. On the other hand, the men wear the same outfit throughout the video, a suit, in order to present them all as the same and as the desired appearance for the industry. The overall look of the shots will coincide with the artist’s synergy of rich colours and luxurious themes. Most sounds in the video would be non-dietetic, excluding the scenes in which the men are lip syncing to some lyrics, in order to convey the message that the women feels silenced. In order to break this at the end of the narrative, upon slamming the door in the man’s face, the sound will becomes diegetic, signifying her freedom from the industry.   

 

When edited, the video will have a range of shots. There will be a high focus on extreme close ups and close ups in order to convey emotion and bring the audience in as more personally involved. Towards the end of the video there will be more long and mid shots in order to showcase the woman as a person, rather than parts the industry have put together to make her in their image. With the flashbacks, they are initially separated with longer shots of the present day, but as the narrative progresses they become much shorter, creating the illusion of them attacking her all at once, blurring together the present day and the memories. Transitions from the beginning memories begin slowly, such as her present day eye fading into the same shot of her eye in the past and cigarette smoke creating a bridge from present to past. Towards the end, with the shorter shots, there are no transitions in order to reinforce the idea that she cannot stop thinking about them. 

 

I am going to intertextuality reference Pulp Fiction’s iconic shot of Mia Wallace lying on her stomach on a bed, with a cigarette in one hand and a magazines in the other. In my replication, the woman would be lying on her bed in her casual outfit after her realisation, waiting for the man to show up. In one hand would be the cigarette, but I will replace the magazines with her phone. I chose this reference as it is culturally known, so the demographic would be aware of its relevance. Additionally, Uma Thurman’s female character is known as being assertive and independent, reinforcing the message that the woman is now free of her exploiter’s control.