NEA

NEA Initial ideas                                                                                                       16/03/2026

I have chosen to focus on the music video brief of an Alternative Music video for Domino Recording Company.

Domino Recording Company explains that the company's ambitions, ethos, and operating procedures have remained the same since being founded in 1993, and they strive to "represent and release music by artists who have no choice but to make music and to draw them to the attention of the world."

They explain that all the artists they signed in the 90s were "acts with a distinct identity that established Domino as a label interested in creativity rather than any particular sound or style", and in 2018, they reinforced that "Domino remains a record label whose characteristics are best represented by its artists: individuality, originality, and total immersion in music's worlds of possibility."

Music artists that are signed to Domino Recording Company include: Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, my bloody valentine, and Wet Leg.

One idea is to do The Blonde by TV Girl

• The song critiques societal obsession with blonde beauty, often highlighting the superficiality of valuing hair colour over personality. This would focus on the obsession with superficial beauty standards upheld by society and how this has become increasingly apparent due to the rise of digitalisation and social media. It would use intertextual references from movies like The Substance (by Coralie Fargeat), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (written by Howard Hawks), as well as references to pretty isn't pretty (by Olivia Rodrigo). The video would follow a blonde girls amongst a group of friends of varying ethnicities and hair colours that reflect the ones mentioned in the song - red hair, brown hair, black hair, and blonde hair. The blonde girl would be seen receiving special treatment solely due to her appearance and we would see how although she is admired by society, she becomes isolated in real life due to animosity building up from this "unearned admiration" she receives, as people overlook her shallow personality for her beauty.
• I want to expand on this meaning and reflect the unjust expectations placed on women who don't fit the societal norm in regards of appearance. I want the music video to highlight the ridiculousness of this standard and emphasise the beauty of all regardless of hair, eye, and skin colour. I plan to use a group of girls ranging in race and hair colour, and have the blonde girl being depicted as the only one who attracts the affection of our society, which will be represented through a faceless character, simply due to her hair colour and no other features like personality.
• Location: music room/recording studio, bedroom, park, bathroom, beach?
• The lyrics below would reference Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and reflect the sheer absurdity of society's view on what defines beauty. I would make this a scene of all the girls in the bathroom in front of a mirror and the blonde walks in and everyone stares at her and it is suddenly apparent that with the blonde just walking in and pushing her way to the front of the mirror that the other girls lose their confidence and begin to stare out of jealousy and admiration. This will be perpetuated through the line "You only need to dye your hair", which will reflect that many girls change themselves just to be seen as beautiful by everyone else, regardless of whether they like how they look or not.

Another idea is to do She Plays Bass by Beabadoobee

• The song is a dedication to her best friend showing appreciation for their friendship and talks about how they were "obsessed with each other".
• It would use intertextual references from movies like Beaches, Thelma & Louise, Frances Ha, and Little Women. As well as references to books like Firefly Lane, Babysitters Club, and Happy Place. The video would follow two girls who have a close lifelong bond and who play in a band together.
• I want the music video to highlight the beauty of friendship and the admiration that best friends have for one another. I plan to use a group of girls for my band and focus on the friendship of two of the girls specifically.
• Location: music room/recording studio, bedroom, park, bathroom, beach?
  
• The lyrics below would reference Thelma & Louise and reflect the idea that no matter what goes on around them or the problems they face, the two girls stay focused on their friendship and the love they have for each other.

 

Audience Research: Target Audience Breakdown                                                17/03/2026

The brief defines the audience as 'A primarily 16-25 year old middle and up market audience of people who like to be engaged.

1. 16-25 year olds:

This will primarily focus on 6th Form and University students who are digital natives, who generally hold more liberal, left-leaning views, especially in terms of social issues. This is particularly evident in young women who are moving further left than young men.

Based on 2025-26 data, 16-25 year olds are the most active social media demographic with usage rates of over 90% in many regions worldwide. 

More than eight in ten 16–34-year-olds (85%) use an online music service weekly and longer people are more than twice as likely to listen to music streaming services compared to those aged 55+ based on an Ofcom report in 2025. This demonstrates that the young demographic of 16-25 year olds have come to see music as a norm in day to day life as a way to pass time or just for pleasure - I am listening to music as I am writing this! This is another reason as to why I believe that music is the perfect way to get this across to young people, especially in the world of technology we live in today. 

2. Middle and up market

The middle and up market would fall into the ABC1 demographic which suggests they have a higher reading age and education and would look for a video that anchors the true meaning behind the lyrics of the song. They are more likely to truly look at the music video and read past the denotations to see what the producers of the music video want them to understand, and even make their own connotations (Barthes Semiotics and Hall Reception). Furthermore, the middle and up market suggests they are looking for a video with higher production quality and intention put into the creation.

3. People who like to be engaged

This suggests that the audience wants a range of shots, mis-en-scene, and characters in the music video in order to provide them with variety and make the video less predictable. The 16-25 year old age range indicates that the audience is Gen Z, who are digital natives and have been increasingly exposed to short form content consumption in recent years from platforms like TikTok, Youtube Shorts, Instagram, and Snapchat. Due to this, 68% of youth participants (13-25 years old) in a study carried out by NTU Singapore reported difficulty focusing or engaging with content lasting more than a minute. This demonstrates that transitions between scenes should be kept short and that the video needs to have a story to follow along with, as well as some other shots of landscapes, lip-syncing, or a band playing in order to engage the target audience.