Song choice (no1)

Metric: Help I'm Alive

Synopsis: The song mainly focuses on the idea of fear, in this case the fear of expressing yourself freely. Because we live in a society in which we are always told what to say or act like, we subconsciously develop a fear of expressing ourselves. Thus, the fear of getting accepted without having to follow certain paradigm can be intimidating for someone. As the lyrics say “Help, I’m alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer” we can notice that the pressure is extremely huge, and the person is developing an anxiety that has to be overcome.

Idea: The story of the video should be of a girl that comes from a family that is very demanding. Her parents want her to be in a certain way and follow a life scripted by them, which doesn’t appeal in the slightest to the girl. Because of this, she grew up being solitary and without friends. She is very depressed because of this and wants to have the ability to express herself without being told what to say. She therefore plans to impress her family and prove them that she is successful without them. To do so, she signs up in a contest and invites her parents. They are not very pleased with their child acting without asking them and thus, they refuse to go to her show. By the end of the video, the viewer acknowledges that she won, as we see her prize left in her parents.

The video should start with the protagonist backstage, looking rather anxious to come on the stage. Here, a series of close ups should follow in order to show her true feelings about the situation. She does not feel ready and to make the viewer aware of how she got there, we see a series of flashbacks in which she is discussing or fighting with her mum. We also see her alone, watching other people having friends and being happy while she is sad and depressed. From the middle of the song, the video should show her on the stage, singing and performing her best. We also see the judges looking rather appalling. However, they are surprised and grant her the first prize. In the end, we should see her trophy on her parent’s bed, with a picture of the protagonist holding it and being surrounded by people congratulating her.

Why this idea: Many teenagers can relate to this kind of situation, in which parents do not let them express themselves. This video would be good in encouraging many people into talking with their parents and convincing them that they are ready to make some decisions for themselves. The upbeat of the song should also give more energy and bump up the adrenaline in peopled body, which can encourage teenagers to discuss with their parents.

Target audience: The target audience should be teenagers, as both the song and the video idea are dealing with subjects such as fear and anxiety.