Music Video Outline

After considering the lyrics of the song, and the results of my research, I have made a decision as to what to do for my music video.

My plan for the theme is to base it around McDonalds, investigating and revealing some of their less tasteful sides. Although the lyrics of "Turncoat" are directed at the Bush administration, I feel that McDonalds is an adequate theme for the music video in three respects. Firstly McDonalds is globally recognised as a symbol of American commercial power, a situation of economic domination that is in part maintained by US military actions in developing nations. If the US government is indeed, as many would claim, an element of the "corporatocracy", a ruling elite of wealthy business owners, then McDonalds would be the ideal representation of this.

The second reason for focusing upon McDonalds is that, in the UK and across the world, it is presented as a friendly, fun place, especially for children (at whom over 50% of McDonalds advertising is directed)and this carefully manifactured image is one that would be particularly shocking to break.

Thirdly, following along the theme of unpicking McDonalds public image, is that of their mascot, Ronald McDonald. Due to the proliferation of horror fiction, and their grotesque image, clowns are very often associated with the macabre, and it would not be too difficult to turn the idea of the friendly McDonalds clown to a sinister predator, similar to the perception and the truth of the corporation. Use of the "evil clown" theme would allow some interesting visual themes for the music video.


My initial concept for the music video is that it will consist of two types of footage, one of the band performing in a studio, and one of the clown to humourously represent his nefarious deeds. These two types of footage would be linked by titles giving information about McDonalds (similar to the video for This is the end). The shots of the clown will aim to visually represent and parody the actions of McDonalds as a corporation.