Media Language
Media Studies: Eduqas GCSE, topic 5.4.2
Superheroes - Media Language
'Superheroes' is a song from Stormzy's second album, Heavy is the Head. The animated music video premiered on September 9, 2020.
Narrative structure & conventions
- 'Superheroes' subverts music-video norms.
- It does not use performance shots.
- Instead, the entire video is narrative-based.
- Stormzy acts as a mentor/hero, guiding the boy.
- The narrative shows different characters discovering their gifts or superpowers.
- The lyrics narrate the story, while the visuals include real people and cultural events from 2020.
Colour palette & symbolism
- The video uses soft pastel shades to create a positive, uplifting atmosphere.
- Pink sky = hope, optimism
- Gold glow on Stormzy and the boy = inner strength & courage
- Colour is used deliberately to reinforce the empowering message of the song.
Iconography & black empowerment
- Empowering imagery
- Protest imagery: Placards and raised fists
- These are symbols closely linked to Black pride, power, and resistance.
- Final message
- Stormzy places the world in the boy’s hands.
- This symbolises the potential of ‘young Black kings and queens’ to shape the future.
Costume & character design
- Stormzy wears a black outfit, symbolising:
- Black identity
- Strength
- Empowerment
- The boy wears an Adidas tracksuit, chosen to mirror styles in Stormzy’s Sounds of the Skeng video.
- This adds authenticity and makes the character relatable to young audiences.
Propp & character roles
- The “young Black kings and queens” can be read as heroes in Propp’s narrative theory.
- Stormzy acts as both:
- Helper (supports the boy)
- Hero (rescues him mid-flight)
- There is empowerment through narrative.
- The structure encourages viewers to see themselves as capable, powerful, and connected to a wider community.
Test yourself on Media Language
What does the pink sky in the video symbolise?
What does the final image of Stormzy placing the world in the boy’s hands represent?