'Titanium' by David Guetta featuring Sia was released in December 2011.
In 2011, the song was originally written for Alicia Keys by Sia, but ended up being sung by Sia herself later. The song was written as an anti-bullying empowering tune.
In 2012, almost exactly one year later, a school shooting occurred at Sandy Hooks Elementary School in Connecticut, USA. This resulted in the song being pulled from many American radio stations as it was deemed inappropriate during that time.
In 2023, the music video has amassed over 1.6 billion views on YouTube, making it a massive commercial success.
themes:
- isolation
- abandonment
- growing up
- authoritative figures
- bullying
- school shootings
representation:
- class (the boy doesn't appear to have much money, shown by his house)
- age (youth is mostly represented, a theme of the 80's)
- gender (both men and women are depicted, but mostly men)
- ethnicity (black police officer)
camera (FAM):
- opens with an eye level mid shot of the boy in the foetal position to portray his initial fear and confusion (ends with the boy in the same foetal position - cyclical structure)
- over-the-shoulder shot of police closing in on the boy to show the boy as small and isolated
- close-up low angle shot of the boy right before he uses his powers to depict him as stronger and more powerful than he already has been shown
- angles are mostly slightly high angle to entce the audience to feel bad for the boy and to make him appear vulnerable
- shot reverse shot between him about to use his powers and the keys he plans to grab to create suspense
mise en scene (CLAMPS):
- set in the late 70's/early 80's
- the bobble hat tells the audience its cold outside
- old police uniforms and cars, old tv and posters all allow the audience to understand its set when it is
- facial codes when the boy is riding the bike suggests frustration and determination
- the low-key lighting from the sun when hes running away portrays what he's running from
-his house is messy and neglected, showing he is living on his own
-teddies in his room represent him leaving his childhood
editing (STOPS):
-faster and shorter shots after the climax to build tension
-opens in slow motion to allow the audience to absorb the scene
-fast motion used when hes cyclinh away to spped up the pace of the video
-the audience identifies with the young boy who has the most screen time
-SFX supernatural powers
-desaturated to convey the darker nature of the message
-cyclical structure
sound (GILES):
-electronic instruments - modern tone
-lyrics encourage resilience in the face of bullying
-tempo is optimistic and energizing
-"I am titanium" the strongest metal
-""firing at the one who run" afraid of authority
-"sticks and stones may break my bones" cliche
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