My statement of intent

I have chosen to use ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ by Pink Floyd as I have seen ‘The Wall’, the film that accompanies it. ‘The Wall’ provides a narrative to the fictional character ‘Pink’ and his life, fabricated by Barrett and Water, two band members. 

Some of Barrett’s tough life experiences have been portrayed in the film, including his mental breakdown, due to psychedelic drugs and substance abuse leading him to leave the band. This caused him to become erratic and develop schizophrenia and contributed to pancreatic cancer and other events. These events make up the metaphorical “bricks” (events in life that shape our future) in “the wall”.

The first “brick” refers to Pink’s father leaving the family for war, and the second, marks his school experiences, of being mocked and ridiculed by his teacher.

Having heard the full album, I have chosen to focus on “Another Brick in The Wall – Pt 2”, as it seems most relevant to the 16-25 target audience as the original message of the video is protesting bullying and maltreatment in the education system. I felt this song would also appeal to the socially conscious, middle to upmarket demographic as it is a very popular current movement advocating mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression and lack of support in the education system. 

Although it’s not all biographical, some events are factual, and may be indirectly pointing out small events in one’s life can may have long lasting mental affects.

On the other hand, some audience members may interpret it as a protest against exams and the education system itself. The emphasis on learning a syllabus and mark scheme inside out instead of learning creatively may make students enjoy school less. This is evident in the lyrics “we don’t need no thought control”. This is further emphasised as children chant ‘no dark sarcasm in the classroom”, referring to the teachers that don’t help them, but instead mock them, and make them less confident to learn.

In my video I would like to use a range of settings, backgrounds and classrooms within the school to incorporate intertextuality of “the wall” referencing the artist’s original video. I have also made the aesthetic decision to experiment with chiaroscuro lighting to fit with the psychedelic/rock genre to create atmospheric lighting in the school. Using props and uniform to fit the song lyrics being about school and emphasis that school is “just another brick in the wall”.

At the end of the movie, the protagonist (Pink) is shown to have developed mental illnesses as a result of past events. As previously mentioned, these topics would have relevancy to the target audience, with some in education and having experienced bullying or unfair treatment. 

To portray children in a position of power, eye-level shots will be used, to give the sense of child’s perspective. High angle shots will challenge the audience as it normally conveys inferiority, weakness and vulnerability. I would like it to be clear to the audience, the camera angles show children collectively ganging up on teachers to become a powerful force. It will also show empowerment. 

I hope to represent different groups of society, possibly adult vs teenagers, both male and female students and if possible, different ethnicities depending on the availability of actors for the music video.