Analysis on ‘Titanium’ by David Guetta ft. Sia

Meaghan Barron-Cutts

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

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

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 that she 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

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

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

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 two shots 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

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

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