Initial Idea for Ellie Goulding - Human

The song Human by Ellie Goulding has the possibility of being made into either an abstract or a conventional music video. Our idea combines abstract with conventional ideas. In our lesson that we had today, we talked about having our actress walking around in various shots either in parks or along side a beach, but she wouldn't be facing the camera - she would always have her back to it. The lyrics of the song are very repetative:

Human, behave yourself

You have burst at the seam

Let it fall out, open your mouth

Often I lie wide awake think of things

I can make but I don't seem to have

The parts to build them

Human, I wonder why you're a better

Make than I could ever build or create

You know not love or hate

I am so scared of what will kill me

In the end for I am not prepared

I hope I will get the chance

To be someone to be human

Look what we've done

Look what we've done

I would give my life to be human

I would give my life to be human

I would give my life to be human

I would give my life to be human

Human, I'm trying to come clean

I will be a better me

I will not drink until I'm dead

I'll make the most of it

I don't know what it's like to be alive

To say goodbye, to cry a thousand tears

Because my ears won't listen

Human, I'm trying not to lose my faith in you

I've sassed out all that

I've seen through, I've sailed an ocean

I am so scared of what I'll look like

In the end for I am not prepared

I hope I will get the chance

To be someone, to be human

Look what we've done

Look what we've done

I would give my life to be human

I would give my life to be human

I would give my life to be human

I would give my life to be human

I used to hear it all so loud

The sound of my heart breaking

The truth is waiting to be found

I trust that I will take it

I would give my life

I would give my life, human

I would give my life, human

I would give my life, human

I would give my life to be human

I would give my life to be human

I would give my life to be human

I would give my life to be human

A possible narritive that we have put together, is a person who either wants to be human e.g. a robot / alien (for the abstract effect) or possibly a human that feels that they are different e.g. grown up in hospital with a disease, so they feel that they aren't normal and therefore they have lost their humanity.

To add a twist to the conventional music video, we would only show the back of the actress and never show her face, or possibly half of her face but only the left or right side leaving the other half covered like it has been burnt and has been disfigured in someway. The lyrics fit the idea that this girl just wants to be treated equal, and not different to everybody, hence the line 'I would give my life to be, human'.

We have thought of a shot where the actress sits on the floor and stays still and people walk past her. this shot is then sped up to make it look like the world is running past her, so sort of a time lapse. This video creates the effect we would like to make: imagine the 'Thomas the tank engine' is our actress, and all the people are walking past it not taking any notice.