Everyday we are told what we should look like, what we should wear and how we should be in the outside world. Look up and there’s a billboard of a woman with perfect skin promoting a little plastic pot of gold. Turn on the TV and there’s a new line of skin coloured liquid promising to cover up all your insecurities. Go on social media and a perfectly shaped influencer is selling you on a dress from a shop with sizing far too small.
The pressure to be perfect is boxed up, taped and sold to us for £9.99.
When the going gets tough, she utters these simple words. When she falls back into negative cycles, she utters these simple words. When she calls herself ugly or compares herself to the people she sees on Instagram, she utters these simple words. These simple words give her freedom. A freedom we see play out on screen.
“Jordan 4s or Jordan 1s. Rolexes, I’ve got more than one”, lyrics from the recent Dave & Stormzy hit, Clash. Music and fashion - different sides of the same coin of culture. The two go hand in hand and continually influence one another. References to clothes, shoes, jewellery and brands can be heard throughout the UK Rap world and to be a rapper, you must look the part. In the age of social media, it takes more than your lyrics to get by in the music game. With ‘drip’ becoming the new currency, I want to explore the image side of the rap game - the good, the bad and the ugly. How much does it cost to get the look? How much influence do artists have on urban fashion culture? Can you really make it in the rap world without wearing the latest trends? Is there pressure to look a certain way in the game and does this pressure ever become unbearable? Ultimately, the key question I want to answer is what is the role of fashion in the UK Rap game today?
Notes of Resistance is inspired by the idea that from oppression comes creativity. The hardships that communities faced led them to produce beautiful things that gave them a voice even when they felt no one was listening. As the saying goes "to know who you are is to know where you came from." Genres such as rap, dancehall and afro-swing are able to top charts and dominate social media because of the efforts of previous genres. This film is a thank you letter to the music.
Record stores today are like museums for music. You can learn so much about music's history by stepping into one of these shops. This has inspired me to set Notes of Resistance in record stores. I hope I can encourage more people to learn about the history of our culture today.
Many things are left unsaid and people drift apart for reasons that communication could have helped fixed.
Young love in the 21st century has been shaped by technological developments. Dating has been replaced with ‘the talking stage’ and letter writing has been replaced with text messages. They say the art of communication is dead but was it really technology that killed it? I want this video to highlight how easy it is to theoretically pick up the phone and call someone you are interested in. However the reality is that in relationships, egos and fear create an ever-growing space between individuals.
What happens when we decide to let go of all the things getting in the way of us picking up the phone to talk to that special someone?
Exclusive drops are the biggest craze at the moment. People lose their minds at the chance to own something high value that not many have. [Redacted]'s sauce is a hot commodity, everyone wants it but no one can replicate it - that is until [redacted]. [Redacted] announces the drop on socials and within a few hours a crowd has formed at the top secret location.
This is a high energy track with sounds reminiscent of classic football moments like the Joga Bonito 98 advert. I want to capture and recreate the passion of this era in a street football match between two teams led by [the artists]. The two of them are managers of teams made up of a mix of professional freestylers and recognisable faces from social media/music who we will draft to make cameos. This playful and energy packed video will follow a narrative inspired by football match proceedings with interwoven performance shots from all three of our artists. Crash zooms, whip pans, snorricams and a handheld camera will be used to create movements that will make audiences feel as if they are on the sideline watching ‘The Beautiful Game.’
We’re back on the pitch for verse two and the game is heating up. A player goes down after a bad tackle from the opposing team. As they lay on the floor, the tackle causes an argument between the referee and the two teams. We cut to the audience who are reacting to the tackle calling for a red card to be given. The referee gets involved to calm both sides down but doesn't give the player a red or yellow card so one of the boys takes the card out of the Ref’s pocket and sends him off. Here, I’d like to reference an iconic world cup moment such as the Zidane headbutt as a nod to the upcoming tournament. I want to keep this scene quite comedic with dramatic reactions and references to similar moments in football.
To add to the gritty, old school vibe of this video, the grade will have a vintage vibe to it which will lean more to the warm side for a nod to the joy that football brings to its fans.