NEA

 The Blonde Music Video - 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.

My 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 slowly 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 of colour, and those who don't fit the societal norm in regards of appearance. Research done by Celeste Curington in The Dating Divide: Race and Desire in the Era of Online Romance suggests that users, across all races, often exhibit anti-Black biases, with white women being described in some studies as particularly exclusionary toward Black users. 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 the male love interest, 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.

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. 

Almost 50% of young people report anxiety over their appearance due to social media according to the Mental Health Foundation.