Explain how the representations in the ‘Titanium’ music video are chosen to promote the artist

Within the music video for ‘Titanium,’ representations are used to appeal to people feeling disenfranchised from society and might relate to the boy in a situation where he is being isolated and shut out for something that he cannot change or control. The music video has strong intertextual links to films such as ‘Matilda’ and ‘Home Alone,’ both of which feature a child overcoming adversity and vacant parents and succeeding. There are strong references to ‘Home Alone’ in the similarities between the clothing of the main characters and the fact that they both feel isolated by their families. In the music video the child comes home to see the TV left on but no one home implying that anyone who was there has left him behind to fend for himself.

Throughout the music video there is a theme of leaving childhood behind and starting to fend for yourself, with the stuffed animals representing this change from childhood to adulthood as something that represents childhood innocence and safety is being used in a threatening manner. This is another way in which the video appeals to an audience feeling isolated and forced to grow up too fast.

The use of a homely suburban setting relates to a Spielbergian representation of the 80s as seen in films such as ET and Super 8 – a film that also features Ryan Lee, the main actor in the music video- with a location that should be safe and full of happy families being infiltrated by something supernatural and seemingly dangerous and creating an atmosphere of unrest and fear in the neighbourhood. This also links to the lack of any parental figures within the music video, his parents aren’t there and even the teacher – someone who should be protecting and leading young people – both literally and figuratively shuts him out and leaves him isolated.

The music video could be interpreted as Guetta presenting his own childhood and feelings of isolation and abandonment, as his father was dismissive of his choice to pursue music as a career, yet Guetta overcame this and became massively successful as an artist. The young boy in the music video could be seen as a representation of this as he is isolated and people try to stop him from being himself only for him to overcome them and keep on going. Once again relating to an audience who may feel unsupported and isolated and possibly encouraging its audience to keep going despite this.