Music Video revision lesson 2

 Locations: 

• Mainly outdoor shots- gives it an urban feel and realistic
• As we move through the video we see religious connotations- church etc
• The focus becomes less on her and more on the people around her and the environment which shows that she is sentimental and she is giving a message
• Ending scene is dark which may represent sins or negativity in today's society
• Starting scene- she is inside which connotates that she is trapped or hidden

Media language terms:

• Cross cutting- 12
• Close up-5
• Tracking shot-3
• Low angle-9
• Rule of Thirds-7
• dissolve-1
• juxtaposition-2
• fade-6
• Jump cut-11
• Graphic match-10
• action match-4
• connotations-8

Heaven- Emeli Sande

• Intended star image- she is a strong, independent and authentic artist who could be using religion to get her out of a dark place
• She is unique and different from other celebrities- shes very urban and is familiar with environments and social groups who aren't rich and happy

How does the video for Heaven use media language to construct Emeli Sande's star image?

Sande is portrayed as a person with good morals, unique and independent, associated with the values of religion and recovery. This is usually unconventional for celebrities, who are interested in fame, so this makes Sande stand out amongst others for her music career. The use of the urban setting and lighting create a sense of vulnerability and remorse for the audience, as well as Sande and the characters in her video. The video is set in an urban setting, with an emphasis on street life. This shows a focus on people, specifically in deprived areas. This reflects the life of ordinary people during their day to day lives, in locations such as busy streets, parks, shops, homes and housing estates. The notion of it being a more deprived area is particularly honed in on and shows that everyone is the same as others. Similarly, the variety of different lighting creates a dramatic effect. Sande can be seen surrounded by darness, suggesting sinister and sins, but other times such as when she is standing looking up to the sky with a church building in the background, it is sunny, clear blue skies which could amplify that she has come out of a dark place and that religion has helped her. The dark lighting which also overcasts on the different characters could represent addictions or problems, such as drugs or even prostitution. The retro feel to the video, and the vintage style gives Sande an authentic view from the audience, and thus couldve been intended to show her unique side. As this was a debut single of an artist formally seen as a backing singer, it was important to create this impression using the media language in the music video and the representation it gives off. It portrays a strong and impactful message for the audience about today's troubled society, and Sande was able to create the impression which was important to her.