The purpose of record labels are to ensure that an artist is promoting themselves to become as successful as possible. They a manage the artist they have signed, and create links with other media successes in a way to help promote the artist and make them become more established and recognised in a successful way. Some artists manage to pursue their career without a record label, however, when reaching a certain stage of success a record label could be necessary. Record labels are able to invest money into an artist, resulting them in releasing better quality products and a more successful reputation and career in the music industry. All of the aspects of artist success and promotion for example the marketing, producing of the record, tour arrangements and distribution of the products the artist creates is all handled by the label.
Currently, there are many numerous UK major record labels that are existent today. Three of which include Island Records, Columbia Records and EMI Records. Island Records
Island Records was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall and Leslie Kong in Jamaica and has been based in the UK since 1962. 'My Boy Lollipop' by Millie Small was the labels first success in the UK which also lead to a world tour as a result. There are a large amount of artists that are managed by this label, whether that be past or present, diversity is still clearly displayed. The label are open to new music and tend to want to build long-term careers in the industry, rather than short lived ones. Some of the past artists they have signed are Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, Etta James and Amy Winehouse - which whilst being very unique from one another, are very successful individuals in the industry. Some of the current artists they manage are Robbie Williams, Dizzee Rascal, Duffy and Leona Lewis. The artist's they have managed/are managing are very successful and some are widely recognised on a global scale. This label has collectively owned over 45 subsidiary labels, however, only a few of them now are still owned by them. These include labels such as Mercury which has been owned by them since 2014. Mercury manages artists such as Jake Bugg, Fall Out Boy and Paul McCartney all of which have demonstrated success which would have very much have been influenced by the success of Island Records. It is not clear that there are any direct and main links within media, however there would be which is reflected in how successful the artists that they manage are.
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is the oldest surviving brand name in recorded sound and was founded in 1887. There are a large number of artists that are managed by this company for example, Ella Henderson, The Script, One Direction and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) to name a few. Success has been greatly achieved by these artists, likewise with the artists who are managed by Columbia's subsidiary companies. One of their subsidiaries are Kemosabe Records who manage global star, Ke$ha. There are links within media as the parent company of Columbia, Sony Music is also linked to television and so can retrieve contacts through this connection.
EMI Records
EMI Records was founded in 1972 by Sir Joseph Lockwood. Virgin EMI Records are one of the subsidiaries of EMI Records and they manage UK artists such as Elton John and Pixie Lott. These artists have proved to be successful in the industry from the numerous hit singles that they have collectively released. It could be said that EMI Records is not as major as the other labels I have written about above, however, they still produce successful artists that are relevant in today's music industry. There are also links within media as EMI Records have links to TV and magazines too, increasing their contacts within the media.
Independent Record Labels also exist in the industry and they operate one or a few music labels. Regardless of their funds and lacking of what a major record could provide, they can still be successful however just operate from a smaller company base. Traditionally, they produce more unique and organic music rather than manufactured mainstream that is more released from major labels.
Angular Recording Corporation
Angular Recording Corporation is a UK independent record label, originally based in South East London. It was set up by two ex-Goldsmiths college students, Joe Daniel and Joe Margetts, in June 2003. The label was able to finance its debut release in November 2003 due to gaining funds through medical testing. This was published in NME magazine (a successful and popular magazine based around music) 'The New Cross : An Angular Sampler'. Ahead of many major label releases, NME made Angular Recording Corporation the lead review in the magazine. The label manages artists such as Crystal Stilts and Gyratory System. Crystal Stilts are a post punk band who managed to go on tour due to their success to share their material on a broader and wider scale. Gyratory System are a three-piece music band based in London. 'The Sound-Board Breathes' was the band's debut album, which was very much praised by BBC critic, John Doran who stated, 'superb album, sounding like little else released this year' and was rated 8 out of 10 by NME. This shows that even though independent companies may not have other companies that support them or bigger and larger company funds and contacts, the artists that are signed can still achieve success. Some artists managed by the major labels do not always achieve more success than the independent label's artists. Sony Vista Music
Sony Vista Music is a UK independent label that was founded in Kingston upon Hull in 2005. The label does however, have many business connections in Canada and Japan. The general kind of genre that the artists they sign are situated in different types of rock. Artists which they manage include Dropshard and Fonda 500. Dropshard are a progressive rock band founded in 2007. They have released 2 EP's and 2 studio albums which have done well in the industry, especially for a rock band. Fonda 500 are a British band that was founded in the same area as the label was - Kingston upon Hull. Their music was very successful in the industry and even in television from the way some of their material was found on the soundtrack of television programmes such as 'Teachers' on Channel 4 and also on E4's 'Skins'. Altogether the band have released 6 albums, so even with an independent record label, the same amount of content can be created and released, just like a major record label could do.
From a music, as well as an industry point of view I don't think it is right that 4 companies dominate the music industry. This is because not every talent may be able to get recognised, as stated earlier in the blog, independent record labels seem to produce unique and organic artists. Talents like these may not be recognised by major record labels as they may be more focussed on finding artists from a particular more popular genre such as pop to guarantee and ensure of success. This would therefore leave a talent unnoticed that could have pursued in the industry as a success. Furthermore, because of the contacts and accessibility of the major record labels, in a way their artists have an advantage due to the fact that most of their resources are already handed to them. This could mean that they put in less work but still become acknowledged maybe higher than an independent label artist would. Even if an independent label artist was more talented than a major record label artist, this would mean that the major record label could still promote and market them in a way to attempt to make them a success. This creates an imbalance in the industry as an effect due to the fact that major record labels tend to go for new and current artists displaying a more niche idea of genre. In addition, the major record labels have more power in competing against more low-key artists from independent labels. An independent artist promoting their material through YouTube can't get as much promotion as a major record label artist as they do not have as much funding as this. By having the major record labels dominating the industry means that there are going to be more recognised artists from a particular genre than others. For example, mostly pop artists such as Ke$ha are recognised because of the major aspect of their record label and so they have the funding to seek more opportunities and promotions that independent artists may not be able to reach out to. There are less recognised independent label artists as a result of this. Success is judged by how well an artist feels they have done themselves. If an artist releases a single this could be seen as being successful, regardless of how well the single does in the industry. The artist could see themselves wing successful from performing at small concerts/gigs which could (to them) be successful and something to feel proud of. Major record label artists seem to be more greedy when it comes to their aspirations due to the opportunities that are open to them. This can make them more disappointed if these unrealistic 'successes' are not met. Independent record label artists tend to be more realistic and genuine. The independent record label artists however, can still reach great success, even taking over major record label artists in some cases. For example Sony Vista Music expanded their label as far across the world as Japan which enabled them for their artists to be recognised on a wider scale. securing slots are popular and well known mini tours, as well as large festivals. Therefore, for this reason I think that independent record labels are just as successful as major record labels in different ways. Independent record labels offer more diversity into the industry from the different and unique kinds of artists they sign, which is very much lacked from major record labels. They're normally a lot more raw and tend to have more musical talent as they often have arguably worked harder than artists from the major record labels. This can make them appear more talented and dedicated to the industry, in addition, the independent record labels have time and dedication to the artists in which they sign. They tend to have more dedication to developing, naturing and moulding the artist into who they want to be, giving them the opportunity to flaunt their talents in the way they wish to be represented. Independent record labels tend to also welcome the ideas from the artist and offer more choice and support to them whereas, major record labels can be quite demanding and want to create an artist that the artist may not be satisfied as being. The major record labels seem to want to uphold more of a successful and money making reputation and so, can appear sometimes to care less for the artist themselves but more for the money that they can make out of them. The major record label artists can face pressure and appear rushed in a way that the major record labels have so many artists to manage that they may not feel ann evenly distributed and dedicated time to each artist. If an artist appears to be slightly inconsiderate and unsuccessful in view of the major record label, they can be dropped instantly with no leeway for understanding for the artist.
The artist I am going to create a music video for is Adele. Adele as an artist is known very much for her soulful ballads however, does also have material situated in the pop genre too - this alone makes her interesting because it shows her versatility. Her cockney accent abundantly changes into a smooth and soulful voice when she sings, which allows her to express emotion in a distinct and effective way, making her captivating and engaging for the audience to listen to. Having this type of voice is fairly unique and makes her a more outlined artist in the industry, especially because of the contrast between her talking and singing voice. The fact that there are so many artists within the industry means it's important to have a distinct identity and qualities that help you stand out from the rest. I also find that Adele is relatable to a lot of people which probably makes her as likeable as she is. By singing content that people can relate to, it builds a connection between her and the audience. This therefore, ensures that the audience are satisfied and are able to find a way to express their emotions through her songs. The way she presents herself as being genuinely normal and like a regular person which the audience would recognise as being a good trait as they can relate to her. Going with the genre of soul, I wanted to find an artist to choose to do the music video for who was well known for this genre and one I could explore into and develop ideas from. All of Adele's songs have an in-depth meaning to them whether that relate to love or just her personal experiences in general. This enables me to use the emotion she expresses in her songs, to reflect an effective image in my video as the versatility of the ideas can be explored. Other soul artists such as Amy Winehouse also deliver emotion within their songs, however, most of hers have a jazz vibe that isn't present in Adele's which makes Adele more of a definite soul artist. Furthermore, some of Adele's videos are fairly simple such as 'Someone Like You' which shows her walking around London in a constant handheld, flowing camera movement. I wanted to make it my challenge be able to create something fresh and unique and so, choosing Adele seemed like the best option.
Adele
Adele (Adele Laurie Blue Adkins) was born on the 5th of May, 1988 in Tottenham, London. From the age of 4, her passion for singing continued to blossom until she soon became a talented, young singer/songwriter at the age of 16 - writing and composing her first single, 'Hometown Glory'. In 2006, she graduated from The BRIT School and was soon offered a recording contract from XL Recordings (still in 2006) after being noticed on MySpace (even though she had had this account from the end of 2004). XL Recordings were keen to sign her as soon as possible and so, organised a meeting to discuss her signing which Adele attended with a friend for moral support. Once all was discussed and confirmed, her manager, Jonathan Dickens was assigned to her and she soon after met her producer, Jim Abbiss, whom she still works with today. Before, recording her own material with the label, she provided vocals for other works such as 'My Yvonne' by Jame Penate. In October 2007, her breakthrough single 'Hometown Glory' was released. It became such a success that she was named Number One Breakthrough Act of that year in a BBC poll. In addition to this, in the same year, she won a Brit Award for Critics Choice. Her first album '19' was released in 2008 which quickly became a great success becoming certified 4 times platinum in the UK and double platinum in the US. Later in January 2011, Adele's album '21' was released which was another soaring success, helping increase the financial balance of XL Recordings rise from £3 million to £32 million... in only the space of 12 months. Although Adele has many popular and successful songs, the one that she is probably most renowned for 'Someone Like You' from her album '21'. It was released as a single around the same time as the album was released, strategically to boost album sales and give the audience a sense of her material. It's popularity gained it a number one in the UK for a consecutive 5 weeks and also reached the top in numerous other countries such as Ireland, New Zealand, France and Italy. This was her second number one in the US after 'Hometown Glory' was her first. The Official Chart's Company's 60th anniversary released a list of favourite singles of the last 60 years in the UK. This list was created through public voting, which collectively granted Adele's 'Someone Like You' reach the 3rd most favourite single over the past 60 years.
Make You Feel My Love
Adele's version of 'Make You Feel My Love' (originally by Bob Dylan) was released in October 2008. It peaked at number 26 in the UK singles chart, however, had a higher number of sales during 2010 - 2011 due to television, radio and live performances that helped it get the recognition she was hoping for. It then went on to feature in various films such as 'When In Rome' and television programmes such as 'Waterloo Road'. The cover was granted joint 16th longest runner of all time, due to its total of 55 weeks present in the UK Top 75.
Dyer's star theory is used in the video from the particular way in which the artist is represented. Throughout the video Adele is shown to be sad, lonely and could possibly be seen as rejected. The way she seems to constantly continue to watch her phone to see if someone replies to her message could also show her as needy and dependant. As the time shows 4:02am and the fact that everyone else in the hotel/apartment has their curtains closed, it reflects the how much she loves the person she is texting and the extent of her love. Therefore, she is represented as being so in love to the point that she could be called besotted. In this video, the artist cannot really be seen as a product. She doesn't promote anything in-particular or commit anything that would be seen as being influential to others. The video is fairly simple, which also makes it effective and enables the audience to understand the narrative clearly without the risk of influence. Adele is portrayed as being ordinary in this video, not extraordinary. This is because she acts in a way that could be relatable to others, where she is up all night thinking about someone and can't seem to function without them. She is generally illustrated as being a normal, average person where no glamour or hint of fame is demonstrated. The video places fans against hegemony as the artist is shown as being unhappy and discontent which the audience don't want to be and so are not influenced into being this and choose to copy this.
In addition to Dyer's theory, Goodwin's theory is also illustrated in the video. Firstly, the fact that the video sticks to being generically conventional is one reason. It does this by complying with the typical low-key lighting and restriction from bright colours featured in a soul genre music video. Low-key lighting in videos such as this one can either be created through simply the time of day, lights or particular filters. In this video, it seems as if it has been created through the way it has been filmed in the evening time, however, the clock states 4:02am. This dull atmosphere creates more of an emphasis on the negative feelings that the artist expresses. The audience can sympathise with her as they connect with her emotions a lot more easily from the fact that the lighting reinforces the tone and feelings of the artist. This is reflective and conventional to the soul genre as most of the lyrics portray deeper meaning and are related to personal, emotive experiences that mirror deep emotion. Therefore, the audience feel that they are engaged to watch songs from the soul genre from the raw emotion that is retrieved.
Another aspect of Goodwin's theory that is demonstrated in this video is the fact that the record label demands for close ups of artist. Many of these are scattered throughout the video to express Adele's emotions and intricately show the audience the expressions on her face. Due to the personal nature of soul songs, getting the artist's emotions across is vital in creating a connection between the artist and the audience. Without this connection, the video may lack the effectiveness that it intends to create, therefore not making the audience feel as engaged as they could be. The emotions reflect expression that could become relatable to many audience members, depending on the particular individual which is viewing the video. Adele's situation is very common and can be very relatable among a large majority of audience members, which makes them feel as if they are more like Adele. Furthermore, they feel like Adele can empathise with them, which makes her seem more ordinary and more likeable for her rawness. Having close ups in the soul genre music videos are conventional as it helps convey emotions that the song illustrates. Soul songs are generally based on personal experiences that mean a lot personally to the artist and so, with the help of close ups, the artist is able to reflect this onto the audience.
The target audience for Adele at this time would have been around 16 - 30 years old and female. This is because the content of her songs were often based around the theme of love which only a certain number of audience members would have been able to relate to. The maturity of her songs means that under the age of 16 may not understand the content, nor the feelings in which she reflects. The different experiences she sings about may not be familiar or relatable to younger generations which means that they won't be as engaged in the video for this reason. As a result, the video will not be as successful in this sense, so having the target audience at a higher age prevents this risk of becoming disengaging. This target audience also seems to be around the age that soul genre fans are, due to the sophistication of the content within the songs from this genre. Because Adele is also female, what she sings about will be more relatable to other females are they are more likely to come across a situation such as hers or like hers, more than male.
The video is predominantly performance in style, however, within the performance there is also a narrative. This is very conventional to the soul genre as it allows the artist to express the emotions in the song whilst also being able to tell a story, keeping the audience hooked. Additionally, having the artist act in the narrative can also be conventional to the genre of soul as it creates a more personal effect that the audience an empathise with. With this strengthened personal manner, the connection between the artist and the audience is also stronger as the audience feel more included in the artist's life from being familiar with the emotions they portray. The audience appeal to this style of music video as it enables them to see the artist doing what they are comfortable with (performing) whilst reflecting a story that compliments the lyrics and performance which adds diversity and interest. Being able to show this in one scene in reference to this video, makes it unique and creative as the audience still manage to stay engaged even without a change of setting or scenery. The effective use of mise-en-scene is noticeably evident throughout this video.
The first element of mise-en-scene which I am going to discuss is the setting and iconography used within. As demonstrated in the screenshot, the setting is based in a city hotel/apartment. The artist is alone in the room and is clearly the only one awake at this time in the morning. As an audience, we can see this from the shot of her in the room whilst all the other hotel rooms have their curtains shut. We know she is situated in a city from the very first shots of displayed in the video (shown in the second screenshot). Having this at the very start introduces the audience to the setting and clearly 'sets the scene'. Although we can clearly see this is a city, it is also showing a lack of life from the typical buzzing and busy city that you would expect to see. However, a police siren is still sounded at the beginning whilst these shots are being displayed onscreen, which makes it more realistic as a city always has some type of movement and life going on - whatever the time. Apart from this, due to the unexpected quiet nature of the city, it reinforces the time and the extent the artist has gone to in order to receive attention and a reply from the person she has texted which is inferred to be a loved one. This is conventional as a hotel is a relatable place for the artist to be situated and also because of its simplicity, it does not draw the audience away from the serious topic that the artist may be singing about. Virtually all of the audience would have visited a hotel before which makes the audience feel that they are more included as they feel empathetic towards Adele or feel like they could be in one of the other rooms with the curtains closed. It's ironic because most people don't stay in a hotel alone and so the fact that she is alone and that everyone else is asleep, emphasises the fact of this and could possibly reflect the way she feels - alone. This makes the audience feel sympathetic to the artist as she seems so isolated from everyone else and even isolated from the slight illustration of life that is below her as she looks out of the window. Consequently, because the audience feel so involved in the way she is so far from everyone, this makes them feel engaged to watch, to see how she goes about dealing with the situation she is in.
Moving onto iconography (which is part of the same element), I want to particularly talk about the relevance of the phone that is used in the video. This is the way that Adele contacts the inferred loved one by sending them a message. Throughout the video, Adele's attention is distracted by the phone as she can't seem to take her mind off getting a reply. The use of this iconography shows that if anything were to happen to the phone, the artist would have no way of contacting the person she has messaged. Therefore, this shows the importance of the phone being present in the video as the whole video is really based around it. The use of iconography in a way that it can be a focus for the artist is conventional to the soul genre because it emphasises the relevance of it. If the phone was not in the scene it would be difficult to think of what the video would revolve around, seeing as the artist is just longing for a reply to her initial message that she sent on the phone. This could though, be reinforcing the relevance of technology and its value to the generation of today. Even though this was filmed in 2008, mobiles were still depended on like today and so this is something the audience can acknowledge and recognise. This makes her relatable because the way she depends on her phone is likewise with the majority of the audience who are watching.
Another element of mise-en-scene is costume, hair and makeup. The costume that the artist is wearing consists of a plain nightshirt though, she later puts on a hooded cardigan. This obviously shows that she would have tried to go to sleep before staying up and thinking to message someone. The plainness of the nightshirt could connote purity and innocence, representing the artist as being associated with these. As she puts the hooded cardigan on, it is inferred to the audience that she is willing to stay up longer to receive a message back. This reflects her dedication and loyalty to this person which the audience can recognise and appreciate. Because of the relatable nature of the costume, it becomes conventional to the soul genre as many can relate. The audience feel as though they can empathise with the artist as they would have been in her position before.
For the majority of the video, Adele is sat positioned in the middle of her bed. This also places her central in the shots taken of her. It ensures that all of the attention is on herself and that the audience are not distracted in any way. Attracting the focus to her allows the audience to be able to watch how she performs and also expresses the narrative, enabling them to see the facial expressions and/or body language that she may happen to commit. The central area of the screen is where the eyes naturally look to and so, it is appropriate to place the artist here if the attention is solely intended to stay on them. This is conventional to the genre of soul because the emotion is able to be perceived by the audience, strengthening the bond between the audience and artist. At a point in the video, Adele gets up from the bed and looks out of the window. This could be inferred that she is seeking something else to focus on other than thinking of the person she has messaged. Otherwise, it could also mean that emphasis is being created on the fact that the person she has texted is someone out there whilst she is the only one in her room and the only one awake. This reinforces her loneliness and needy nature as it is as if she is longing to find someone out there that will listen to her. The emphasis makes it easier for the audience to understand and interact with the artist.
Lighting is also part of mise-en-scene. There is low-key lighting throughout with the only source of light being from the phone. With this in mind, the light form the phone could symbolise the person who she messaged being the only light in the artist's life, which gives a sense of hope to her. Furthermore, it emphasises the phone's presence even more and the audience are also enabled to see what the artist is doing on the phone. The low-key lighting is conventional to the soul genre as the mood becomes quite dull and deep which is a common mood type for a soul genre music video due to the content within the songs. This means that the audience feel more engaged as they have to pay more attention with low-key lighting as particular things may not be as clear.
Facial expressions and body language is the next element of mise-en-scene. Throughout the video, Adele is fairly neutral in regards to her expression. This makes her appear natural on camera as it shows that her miming is good and in time, as well as being believable making it more realistic. She is holding her arms when she sits on the bed which is quite closed body language and is fairly reserved. This could show that she doesn't want to open up or that she has low self esteem as she doesn't want to give the impression of exposing herself in any way. She shows facial expressions that do reflect the sadness of the song which is conventional to the soul genre because most soul genre songs are sad in some way. In this particular shot, the backlight emphasises the sadness and discontent nature of what Adele is expressing as the light hits the particular parts of the face to illuminate this. The fairly neutral nature of her performance could be seen as being unconventional to the soul genre as it i not displaying as much emphasis on emotion. However, it still shows realism and the rawness that a real performance should provide and so is still classed as being conventional to the soul genre. The audience appeal to this because they are able to see her doing what she loves and expressing that through the way she has taken it so seriously and believable.
There are many various main cinematography techniques illustrated throughout. There are frequent high angle shots which help to display the setting and reinforce the idea that Adele is the only one awake. As shown in the screenshot, the shot displays the artist in her room whilst all the other hotel rooms have their curtains closed, implying that they are asleep. The high angle also makes her appear as being smaller, especially in comparison to the surroundings. Having this not only symbolises that she is the minority who is up at this particular time but also reflects a lack of dominance. The audience having to look down on the artist shows that they are feeling low, lacking a sense of happy emotion. High angle shots are used to reinforce a level of status or authority in soul genre music videos as it tends to help the idea of how low the artist is feeling or trying to convey as being.
Another cinematography technique is handheld movement. The use of this camera movement makes the audience feel as if they are in the scenes and are filming the artist themselves. It could also express the way in which she represents herself in the way that the handheld suggests that she is unstable and alone. This is emphasised in the video through this shot as it compliments the neutral expressions that she portrays. It also allows the audience to feel sympathetic towards her from the way that they feel as if they cannot reach out to relieve her from the situation that she is in. This type of movement also creates diversity and interest within the video as it prevents the repetition of the standard still shots. This is conventional to the genre of soul through the way that the movement portrays the artist's emotions and the deeper meaning to the reason behind using handheld camera movements.
An editing technique commonly used in the video is shot-reverse-shot. In this particular one shown in the screenshots below, Adele is seen in a close up, singing. After this a shot f her from the back is displayed where she is looking out of the window. Following this is a shot back to Adele singing. This type of shot gives another perspective to the video, as the second shot gives the audience a glimpse of what the artist can see out the window. It also allows the audience to see what emotions the artist is conveying whilst they look out of the window. This is conventional to the genre as it allows the audience to see two things at once which also helps to link the performance and the narrative together. For the same reason, this is why it appeals to the audience.
A further editing technique used in Adele's video is the use of a light filter which gives a slight blue tone to the look of the video. This emphasises the sad and depressing emotion that she expresses in the song and video. Due to the fact that blue connotes sadness and being 'down', this filter has been applied to reinforce the nature of the emotions of this video. It also gives the artist a paler look, which matches the neutral tone of her initial emotions. Death is also associated with being pale and so, by giving her this look, it makes her look as if her situation has drained the life out of her. This makes the audience feel weary of her emotions and understand the artist more, maybe in a more sensitive way. This type of editing is very conventional to the soul genre as most topics of soul songs are based on personal experiences relating to negative situations or effects. The coldness of this filter, when complimented with low-key lighting creates a sombre tone that most soul genre music videos have in order to stay conventional to the genre.
Chasing Pavements
'Chasing Pavements' was Adele's second single after 'Hometown Glory'. It became the 27th best selling single of 2008 in the UK, receiving over 280,000 sales. As of October 2011, the single had sold over 1,200,000 copies making it Adele's first top 40 hit on the 'BillBoard Hot 100'. Although it was released over 7 years ago, people still are familiar with the song and it is still played on some radios today - even when the fact is that Adele is hiding from the industry at the moment as she has been working on a new album.
Dyer's star theory is used in the video clearly. The artist is represented as being quite helpless from the way that she is in one of the cars that have been b
obstructed by the car crash. Furthermore, when the two injured are being seen to, she stands there and performs as though the other characters are unaware of her presence. From the way that she doesn't help could present her as being narrator-like, especially as the characters didn't seem to acknowledge her. She is shown as being both ordinary and extraordinary. She is shown as being ordinary from the way that she is in a car waiting because of someone who has crashed ahead of her. This unfortunately is a common type of accident that does affect other drivers, her happening to be in this video but in real life it could be anyone, so she is relatable - which is further reinforced through the way she is dressed casually. Though, she is also shown as extraordinary from the way she doesn't have to get involved or feel the need to. She just stands there and watches over the events which seems to make her seem like she has power and authority. She cannot particularly be viewed as a product and the video places fans against hegemony. She doesn't do anything that could be influenced and so this is the reason why.
Goodwin's theory is used in various ways in the video. For example, the way that there is a link between the music and the visuals. This is shown through the way that in the video there is a plane crash where a couple are on the floor injured and not moving. However, each time Adele sings the chorus, they 'come alive' and begin to dance with one another whilst telling a story of inferably how they met and how their relationship blossomed. Having this occur on the liveliest and upbeat parts of the song emphasises the movements of the dancing and also creates emphasis on the way they 'come alive' as it seems to make it more prominent and magical. Everyone else can see them just injured motionless on the floor, however, at these times in the song they do come alive. Doing it in this way helps to break up the movements slightly but also create an effective performance. As well as this, it makes it conventional as it gives it a unique twist that soul artists tend to do so that their videos are original and are not too typical to the state where it looks similar to something else.
A further way in which Goodwin's theory is used is from the way that there is a high number of close ups of the artist which would have been demanded by the record label. They make sure they include lots of this type of shot so that the audience can familiarise a lot better with the artist meaning that they are more likely to recognise them when seeing them elsewhere. This is important to the label as it helps ensure that Adele's audience is being satisfied and connected with. It is further important to the audience as they feel more close to her and they are also able to pick up on any particular features, characteristics or motifs that she may display across her work. Consequently, this gives her an identity and when the audience see her do a motif (if they do) they can link it to her as it is a unique feature of hers. This is conventional to the soul genre as close ups help to display the emotion that the serious issue wants to address. The emotion is therefore put across to the audience a lot better as they can see the expressions she makes a lot more clearly.
The target audience for Adele is 16 - 30 years old and female. They are female as they can relate to her situation a lot more easily as it is from a woman's perspective, making it more empathetic. Furthermore, the situation she is singing about is that she doesn't know whether to give up on someone or carry on pursuing something with them even if nothing is to come out of it. This is most likely a situation that would not have occurred to someone under the age of 16 which is conventional to the soul genre as most of the songs are based around the theme of love. Also the way she has written this about a persona experience makes her more relatable which is a further convention of the soul genre and appeals to the audience as they can empathise with her better.
The style of the music video is narrative and performance - an equal balance of both. The music video enters a scene of a car crash where there is a man and woman laying on the floor clearly injured as a result. Adele is placed in one of the cars with a man in with her, in which has been obstructed due to the crash. Adele looks out of her window to the man and woman on the floor and sings the song with a fairly mutual expression. This is mirrored by the motionless individuals on the floor and so the emphasis on their lack of movement is evident here. However, when the choruses are sung the man and woman begin to dance and it is clear that they are a couple at this point. Each time they dance, it demonstrates the building of their relationship from when they first met, to the crash. It shows the man picking up a scarf which she had dropped as a meeting point, and then we see him find a letter suggesting that she has cheated but then it seems they got back together again, started building the relationship up again and then the crash occurs. Adele is positioned by a tree when the paramedics are seeing to the couple which makes her like a narrator as the characters do not acknowledge her in the scene. She performs in the parts where the couple are not dancing and so doesn't distract the attention away from either movement.
Mise-en-scene is used effectively in the video. For example, the way that the setting is relatable in the way that it is a public place the audience can associate with. It is shown as being in a regular street that any audience member could come across. It is set in London but actually in fact was filmed in Los Angeles. The popularity of the city means that the audience appeal to the setting as it makes it seem more luxurious. However, the simplistic nature shows it as being fairly basic which means the attention of the audience is not deterred. Therefore, they can solely focus on the performance and the narrative. This is conventional to the genre of soul as it is intended that the attention is upheld in order to put across the seriousness of the emotion that the topic of the song is based around. The audience can familiarise with the setting and focus on the artist which appeals to them because they are able to get the most out of the video as possible.
The costume, hair and makeup is another element of miss-en-scene. As shown in the screenshot, Adele is wearing casual clothing in the video. This fits the narrative that she is simply just someone who has been stopped in her car because of an occurred car crash. It makes her seem more like a regular person which appeals to the audience as they feel they can relate to her more. Presenting her also as being a normal person makes her appeal to the audience because she could be seen as being inspiring. From making her seem like a normal, regular person, likewise to an audience member makes her inspiring for the way she has achieved so much success. This makes the audience believe that they can do the same and that no dream is unreachable to live. Being relatable to the audience also makes her conventional to the soul genre as she appeals to the audience as they feel empathetic towards her. The positioning of the characters are used in a particularly effective way in the video. Adele is seen standing by a tree at the edge of what is going on with the paramedics and the injured individuals. She acts as a narrator here as they do not show any sign of knowing that she is present. She is looking over the scene and what is going on whilst in a way could be observing. This makes her seem fairly dominant, especially in the way that she is not involved and that she doesn't feel the need to get involved. This is conventional to the soul genre as the artist is shown to be the dominating feature in the video. This appeals to the audience as they are able to focus on the artist but also see what is going on in the scene in an equal balance. The lighting used throughout is fairly neutral. This gives the video a realistic vibe and that the audience feel more involved and included from the way that this is. However, before the couple get taken away by paramedics in separate directions, the lighting is positioned aiming upwards which outlines shadows of other couples dancing. This reinforces an idea that because you cannot see the identity of the shadows, it lacks a knowing of identity. It fundamentally shows that generally, people who become injured are just a lot of people under a category of being injured. This shows that at the end of the day, even though the couple had complications in the relationship which was then resolved, they are still striated in the same way which results them in parting ways anyway. The lighting shows the lack of identity and so a lacking of distinction between the individuals featured. This appeals to the audience as they feel sympathetic towards the couple and also helps them to understand the narrative more. As well as this, it is conventional to the genre of soul due to the fact that the lighting has helped emphasise an idea or create a particular emotion. The facial expressions and body language used throughout are effective in different ways. The body language of the couple that dance on the floor is very significant from the way that they show emotion through the way in which they act. The body language shown like in the screenshot helps to display them in their 'good place' in their relationship. It shows how much they love each other and the passion they feel as being this close shows how comfortable they are with one another. This is conventional as this body language helps to display the emotion that is intended and reinforces the conventional theme of love. This appeals to the audience as it gives a twist on showing feelings, creating interest and engagement within the video.
There are many different effective cinematography techniques displayed throughout the video. For example, this aerial shot is featured mostly when the man and woman appear dancing. This type of shot enable to audience to see the narrative that is being portrayed more clearly as the characters are acting on the floor whilst making it look different from the perspective that is shown to the audience. The audience see the narrative unroll as if the man and woman are standing normally upright. This gives a twist on the look of the scene that makes the audience feel engaged from the way they may have never seen anything like it before in reference to the particular way that the narrative is being displayed to them. This is conventional to the genre of soul to include this type of shot as it also creates a representation of status. The audience looking down on the scene makes them seem more superior from the higher angles at which they are based. The characters then appear smaller and therefore represents them as being weaker which mirrors the way in which they are in fact really just laying on the floor motionless.
Eye level shots are also included in the video, like the one screenshotted. This makes the audience feel as if they are in the scene looking at the characters in real life from the level that the scene is shown in. The audience also feel more relatable to the characters as they can roughly see what they would be able to see also. This makes the audience build a relationship between the characters as they feel more involved in the scene. A relationship between the artist and audience is also built as the lyrics create a chilled atmosphere at this point which also makes the audience feel relaxed whilst watching. This is conventional to the genre of soul as the relatable nature of using the eye level shot makes the audience feel more involved which is typically conventional.
One of the editing techniques used in this video is slow timing of shots. This is shown in one part of the video where the artist is walking along a path next to a park. This emphasises the way that the artist is walking away from the situation that she could potentially involve herself in and help the injured couple. It also could show how irony is displayed. This is through the way that even though the lyrics in the chorus remark the way that she is 'chasing pavements' the slowness of her action contrasts to this as 'chasing' is associated with fast movement. The way that Adele is walking so slow allows the audience to also see the intricate detail of the gestures she may make and the features she may continually repeat. This type of editing is very typical of being conventional of soul genre music videos from the way that they display more detail for the audience to witness. It also creates a more relaxed vibe to the video which is what soul genre artists want to create as the topic of the songs may be more complex and so this creates a balance between the two.
The continuity of shots it shown in the editing also within the video, as shown in the screenshots below:
This is clearly shown through the way that the video features various straight cuts of the artist in the same position and situation in a scene. She is shown at different angles and perspectives which are put together to form a continuity of shots. This type of editing allows the audience to witness different perspectives and looks of the artist which makes them build more of a connection with her as they become more familiar with her. It also creates interest within the video and allows the audience to stay engaged which may prove to be difficult if the scene just stuck with on general shot to film the artist. This is conventional to the genre of soul as the audience can stay engaged in the subject that she is singing about.
This research into my chosen artist, Adele, will assist me with planning my own music video as it has outlined the particular ways in which they tend to 'go about' their music videos. I will use different techniques that are displayed in both for example the close ups. I will use this type of shot through the way that they are very effective in easily portraying the emotion of the artist. Moreover, the slow-pace editing used helps to emphasise particular movements which is conventional to the soul genre. Overall in both videos, Adele is quite neutral in emotion which is quite engaging because the audience feel the need to focus on her more because of this. The idea of using lighting to portray emotion is an idea that will very much influence my music video as it tends to create a definite effect.
I have chosen to create a music video from the genre of soul. I feel that this genre allows an effective narrative to be created and a connection with audience can be achieved. A lot of soul artists tend to have a deeper meaning behind their lyrics and so, I feel that music videos from this genre act as a way to express them in a unique and distinct way. It's important to establish a genre before choosing an artist because it allows you to get familiar with the genre and allows you to explore a range of artists before narrowing it down to one. I have chosen the artist Adele as I believe that she has real depth and meaning to her songs that can be elaborated and explored. Her song 'Hometown Glory' appeals to me the most at the moment as I feel that the nostalgia that she expresses in the song can be created effectively through the visuals of a music video.
Likewise with Adele, Amy Winehouse is another artist from the genre of soul. Her songs are very authentic and have a unique recognition from the way her voice is quite different from other artists not just in the genre, but also in the industry.
One of Amy's most successful singles was 'Back to Black' which was released in 2007 as the second single from her third studio album. The music video was nominated for a Music of Black Origin Award in 2007 for the category of 'Best Video' but just lost out to Kanye West's 'Stronger'. In overview, the video is about the artist attending her own funeral however, there was a clip included in the video showing her mourning over a grave which read 'RIP the heart of Amy Winehouse' but this was edited out of the video after her death which commenced in 2011.
The video displays many conventions of the soul genre throughout.
Firstly, a highly typical convention of the soul genre is having a filter or a monotone colour applied to the video. In this video, a black and white filter has been applied which is definitely the most common type of filter for a music video of this genre. The black and white helps reflect the mood of the video and to help ensure that the intended atmosphere is created. Because of the simplicity, but also dullness of the black and white filter, a sombre tone is created as a result which is expected of this video - especially as the video is based around a funeral. Black connotes death and mourning, whilst being a typical colour of which you would attend to a funeral in. However, white represents purity, innocence and hope and so, we know that at this time when the video was released, the artist had not yet passed. The white could show that there is still hope and that all is not dark, dull and depressing and that it actually helps balance out the darkness of the black. The filter of the video also matches the song's name, 'Back to Black', and the content within. The song has a personal meaning to Amy as she wrote it referring to her relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil who left her for an ex-girlfriend. Her reaction to this was going back to 'black' which could be interpreted in many different ways, however, is mostly inferred as being a reference to heroin which she was openly addicted to. 'Black' is also a common street name for heroin, which strengthens this interpretation of what she is referring to. This is conventional to the soul genre as most of the content of the songs are based around personal aspects or experiences of the artist's life - most of which are depressing or negative in a way, for example if a song is about love, it's normally associated with heartbreak. In this case, it demonstrates this and the effect of the artist going back to 'black' is a negative thought as an addiction is hard to break out of - the filter helps to display the negative effect of this. It's as though a sense of foreboding is created as, an addiction can become so serious that it takes your life away, so the video is essentially predicting the outcome of going back to 'black'. The audience feel sympathetic towards the artist as, heartbreak is a fairly common feeling that a large majority of people go through at least once in their life. It is seen as being a negative one that can cause your mindset to act in a way it may normally not or turn a person to act in a way they may normally not such as by turning to alcohol or drugs which then can turn into an addiction. As a viewer, you feel slightly helpless as you can't do anything to help the artist but know the negativity and distress of the bad situation in which they are in.
A further convention of the soul genre is slow-pace editing which features all the way through this music video, making its conventionality to the soul genre stronger. The particular place where slow editing is used in which has been screenshotted, is near the beginning of the video as the artist is walking down the stairs, about to go outside into the funeral car to take her away to mourn over the grave. The slow-pace editing used here builds suspense as, it is unclear what is to happen next. Slight tension is also created because the shots switch back and fourth between her coming down the stairs and pondering near the stairs whilst showing other shots of the men dressed in black who are going in the cars with her are waiting for her outside. This shows priority to the artist and a clear owning of dominance here which also goes against dominant ideology as she is a woman and men are waiting for her. The slowness of the clip prolongs this time for them to wait and prolongs the time that she reaches the car and her time of getting to the grave. It could be seen as being reflective of the reluctant she may feel from going to the grave and visiting her death, so when put into context, it could show that she doesn't want to go back to 'black' but she can't help it and will do eventually, even if it is a slow process. This helps the audience to understand how she feels a bit more and also understand the meaning behind the song. The slow-pace nature also helps emphasise the movements that occur in the video which further develops the audience's understanding which is conventional to the soul genre as sometimes the narrative needs to be emphasised in a way that the audience can fully understand. Narrative's included in music videos from the soul genre is extremely common and conventional and so, this is also why the slow-pace editing is conventional to the soul genre - it helps to reinforce and emphasise the narrative.
As well as the previous conventions that I have just discussed above, another code of the soul genre is the fact that there are no special effects used. The only effect used is a filter and the only editing is general - the majority being shot-reverse-shot's and jump cut's. There is no obscurity with the way the scenes are viewed, for example, there isn't a distorted effect, a changing colour effect applied to the video or even the use of green screen. Green screen is not a conventionally used in soul genre music videos as soul videos are usually based around personal events with a deep meaning. The green screen would remove the rawness and purity, likewise with the other special effects, making it not seem as realistic and natural as it would without them. The way that realism is achieved is through the use of filters and the way in which the artist expresses the emotion of the song throughout. Having no special effects also is actually engaging for the audience to watch as it allows them to solely focus on the narrative and performance from the artist without the distraction that special effects could possibly cause. Therefore, without using special effects, the video becomes more deeper, personal, real and authentic which are ideal qualities and characteristics of a soul genre music video. Mise-en-scene is used effectively throughout the video to ensure that it is creating the intended effects but also complying with soul genre conventions.
Firstly, the setting is based in a house at the beginning but graduates to the resulting of being at a graveyard, which I believe is more meaningful in this video. Because of the fact that the people in the video (including the artist) are attending her funeral means that having the setting in a graveyard at this point is very much appropriate and realistic. The funeral is not a typical one in a church, but one that commences outside as they bury the ashes of the passed individual. The way that this is referring to the death of Amy's heart, shows the effect that her partner's doing had had on her. Being set in a graveyard around other graves makes it all seem so real and that she really is so hurt and distraught by the situation. The graveyard can also associated with the living dead such as spirits or ghosts, so having Amy stand to mourn over her own grave could be seen as though as an audience member we can see her but the men in the video cannot and that she is in fact a type of spirit. The tense atmosphere is carried through here as death is a tender subject that everyone will eventually be lead to however, most unwillingly. Graveyard's are not associated as being a positive setting because of this, they are more represented as being negative, depressing and sorrowful. This is conventional to the soul genre - having a setting such as this one, because it combines with the narrative perfectly in the way that it helps to create the sad and forlorn atmosphere that is intended to be created in this video. Soul genre videos normally have a place where the artist is present that can relate to the audience, this particular one can relate to the audience as it is rare to find someone who has not had a passing loved one or visited a graveyard. The audience feel empathetic and also sympathetic for the artist as the negativity of their thoughts is emphasised by the depressing setting of a graveyard, which also further portrays the extent of their feelings.
The positioning of characters is another element of mise-en-scene. In this video, the positioning of characters shows dominance and focus on the artist particularly towards the end of the video. As displayed in the screenshot, all the people in the video surround the artist who is standing in front of her grave, throwing down a flower on it. From the way that the artist is shown having everyone standing around her, shows the relevance of her presence in the scene. It acts as being that everything is revolving around her at that point and so making her central also makes her literally the centre of attention. This is expected from the way that it is her that they are mourning over and so this fits in with the narrative nicely and flows with the understanding of what is going on. Having her dominant also appeals to the audience as it is as if the video shows that if she were to pass that many people would mourn over her. The way there are mostly men present at the scene that stand around her could show that there were other men that would wait on her and would treat her better than her partner did. Prioritising the artist in this scene is conventional to the soul genre, as it helps to ensure that the video shows how personal the song is and that the attention and authority is owned by her. Having her clearly shown as being the centre of attention helps to reinforce this personal effect that the song has.
Another element of mise-en-scene is hair, makeup and costume. Amy is known for her statement winged eyeliner and her signature beehive hair style which is still shown in this video. This automatically ensures the audience of her identity and reinforces her symbolic features in which she has and is recognised for. Having this is satisfying for the audience as they are able to immediately identify who the artist is and the style of her look. It is common for an artist to have a signature feature of theirs to help give them an identity and allow them to potentially stand out for being slightly different or for having a reoccurring image. For example, Olly Murs is renowned for wearing a trilby hat and Michael Jackson is known for wearing a white glove and doing particular dance moves. Soul artist's tend to be quite quirky, making it not uncommon for them to have a distinct colour hair or particular movement that is unique just to them. Having this makes the artist more memorable and recognisable as audiences start to associate their feature with them and remember them for it. The costume used in the music video are all coloured black. This reflects the narrative of the fact that they are mourning and attending a funeral but also mirrors the literal 'black' of the title. Having black clothing adds to the dreariness and dull negativity of the atmosphere present in the scenes which help the audience feel the emotively sad situation that the artist is in.
Lighting is the next element of mise-en-scene that I am going to discuss. As shown in the screenshot, when Amy is sitting on the bed in a bedroom the only source of light is from the window. Other than this, in the bedroom there is dim, low-key lighting. The way she is all alone in (what looks like) a small room, could be a representation of her feelings in the way that she could feel trapped. The light could symbolise freedom and hope and in this case a break from the addiction and situation that she is in. By having the light source not in the room shows that it is external and that she is not in a physical position to share the positivity that the light could bring. Furthermore, the way that she does not move from the position she is in on the bed in this scene could portray her as accepting her entrapment and a lacking of motivation to break past the addiction and all the negativity in her life. The lighting helps to reflect this as not even all the lighting actually hits but, but it is visibly hitting her face which could represent exposure of her feelings in the way that she feels but also literally for the audience. The way that lighting is used to help illustrate particular emotions is conventional to the soul genre as many of the songs from the genre are linked to deeper meanings and connotations than the literal denotations may initially show. The audience appeal to this as they are helped to understand the emotion of the artist.
Facial expressions and body language are another part of mise-en-scene. When the lyric remarks 'I died a hundred times' this is the facial expression which the artist pulls. It clearly shows passion with an underlying emotion of anger which is expected because it fits in with the idea of her anger at her partner for leaving her. The fact that he had gone back to an ex-girlfriend would have made the situation worse for the artist who clearly wants to show how resentful she feels. Facial expressions shown by the artist of any music video help the audience to understand the artist's emotions and feelings from the way they interpret certain parts of a song. However, songs from the soul genre need to show passion and emotion from the way the content is deeply personal and can be emotional. Also, committing these type of facial expressions on certain parts of the song like this one emphasises the part and its relevance to being in the song. Saying that she 'died a hundred times' shows that the artist was not just hurt once, that it was more and that she is actually angry about this. Having an emotive song to express definitely helps when facial expressions are involved as the audience get to retrieve the raw emotion from the artist.
There are many different camera styles featured throughout the video, one of them being close ups. The close up shots help to show the artist's feelings and emotions as she sings the song. This helps the audience understand her, building a stronger relationship with her as they begin to understand the situation she is in. They also allow the audience to see the intricate detail on her emotions and also features of them they may not have noticed before such as Amy's lip piercing. In most of the close ups, the artist is performing the song whist looking into the camera. When complimenting this with the way that the artist is so close to the screen, this conveys the message of the song more to the audience and the person she is singing about as it makes it more direct. The audience feel engaged at this as they feel more involved in the video and more acknowledged by the artist. Close ups are conventional to the soul genre in order for them to demonstrate the particular emotions that the song expresses. They are used in many genres to help get the artist's thoughts and feelings across to the audience.
Another common camera style used in this music video is high angle and bird's eye view shots. In the screenshot, a bird's eye view shot is displayed. It shows the artist getting out of the funeral car, about to go to the grave to bury the ashes. The way that the audience are situated above as if they are looking down on the artist and other characters, puts them in a dominant position. As the artist is in a position where she is feeling down and depressed over the situation she is in, it shows weakness with a lack of strength to motivate her to carry on leading a positive life. This weakness lowers her authority and power that she may have once had and so, this camera shot helps to display and reinforce that idea as visually, she appears smaller. It also puts in perspective the size of the car in comparison to her. The car is the vehicle that carried her (and ashes) to the graveyard which could represent the journey she has been on to get to where she has ended up. The way in which you can see the reflection of the trees and the sky on the top of the car could represent the way that her journey has lead her is reflective of heaven and could seek her to a better place, where the tree could perhaps symbolise new life. Having bird's eye view shots or high angle shots in a soul genre music video is conventional as it helps to show dominance and status. Deeper meanings and ideas such as the reflection in the car can also be outlined so that many different interpretations can be made of the video and what it is trying to show. As an audience, this is appealing as this type of shot enables you to interpret the situation in your own way.
One of the main editing styles that is featured within is a jump cut. When Amy is displaying a sad and sorrowful looking emotion, as the beat commences, the shot jumps to an extreme close up of her eyes. This emphasises the emotion that she is expressing, paying particular attention to her eyes. Eyes are known for showing emotion themselves even without other features on the face giving anything away. People can usually tell by someone's eyes if they are happy or sad, sad emotions tend to cause teary, watery eyes that infer that someone wants to cry. As shown in the top screenshot, the light is in just the right place to show the watery nature of the artist's eyes. The fact that she isn't actually crying could either show that she has been through so much hurt and cried so much already that she cannot cry any more or that she is on the verge of tears. It could also show that she is trying to stay strong but it is proving to be difficult for her to hide her emotions. This rawness is very conventional to the soul genre because it makes the artist seem genuine and the audience are made to feel genuinely sympathetic for the artist as the emotion looks so realistic. This is emphasised by the way that the jump cut cuts to this particular shot of the eyes because it gives the audience a closer look into her emotions.
One other main editing style featured in this video is shot-reverse-shots. This particular shot-reverse-shot technique goes from the artist sitting alone in a bedroom to her ashes being buried. At this point in the song, the repetition of 'black' is sung. This shot-reverse-shot technique is used here to demonstrate that wherever she is, dead or alive she will still feel 'black'. Whether this 'black' is referring to depression and a dark place or to her addiction, she is reinforcing the fact that no matter what happens to her, it will still be negative. She looks quite mutual in relation to her expressions at this point which could suggest that she has accepted the fact that she will always feel like this. It makes the audience feel useless as although they want to help the artist, they can't due to the way they simply are. This type of shot is used widely in soul genre music videos as it links the performance sections with the narrative sections which are styles used in the majority of soul genre music videos. Having this link helps to build a connection between the two meaning that they clearly have association and a tie between them. This makes it easier for the audience to understand the link of what they are singing about and the narrative that would comply with this. The audience therefore appeal to this as they are enabled to witness the performing of the artist at essentially the same time as the narrative which the artist appears in both of the different scenes.
The target audience for Amy at this time would have been roughly 16 - 30 years old. This is because some of the content would not be appropriate and understandable for the younger generations. In addition to this, the music video could be hard for someone so young to understand, especially is the topic is one they would not of experienced.
Throughout the video, the artist maintains their dominance in comparison to the other characters and so, is represented as being a dominant figure. She is also shown as being quite content in the way that she doesn't have an extreme of emotions that are displayed in the video. Even though this is a tender subject, the way she doesn't show too much exposure to extreme of emotion illustrates that she could be viewed as being quite strong which links with her dominance.
The style of the music video is narrative and performance. The performance is mostly directed straight into the camera making her delivery a more direct one to the audience. The narrative displays the artist attending her own funeral by burying her ashes alongside other characters who have chosen to attend as well. The two styles interlink throughout the video through switches between the different scenes and shots that demonstrate each style.
Goodwin's theory is demonstrated throughout the video. One example of this is through voyeuristic treatment of the female body. This is illustrated through the way that the camera pans upwards towards the head of the artist. As the artist is wearing revealing clothing, the audience are able to see her exposed in this way and the artist is unaware of this as she is looking upwards and not at the camera. Therefore, it's not as if she appears to know that the camera/audience is there. The audience look at the artist in a voyeuristic way which isn't as conventional in soul genre music videos as it is in other genres such as pop. This doesn't mean that it doesn't occur in soul genre videos though, it still does, it is just not as commonly featured in them. The audience appeal to this as they see the artist in a different light which could either change their perception of the artist or not.
Another artist from the genre of soul is Sam Smith. He is a globally successful artist who is widely recognised in the present day. 'I'm Not The Only One' is a single of his, the fourth one from his debut studio album, 'In The Lonely Hour' which was released in August 2014.
There are many different conventions of the soul genre shown throughout the video. Firstly, the fact that the narrative is based on love and the negative side of it which is very stereotypical of a soul genre music video. The narrative shows how a man cheats on his wife which the wife clearly knows about as she decides to conceal her pain by consuming endless bottles of alcohol and crying uncontrollably. It is inferred by the video that this is a common and daily occurrence due to the fact that the video starts and ends in a similar way making it seem like it would be repetitive. As an audience, you are able to see the day spent by the woman and the day spent by the man, where he is supposedly meant to be going to work but in actual fact goes to a bar to cheat on the wife. This is a typical heartbreaking love story which helps reinforce the lyrics of the song which match what is going on in the scene where the artist sings in relation to how the woman in the video is feeling.
Another convention of the genre of soul is shown through the use of the setting of where the husband and woman he is having an affair with are. Soul genre videos tend to use low-key lighted setting such as bars, clubs or bedrooms. The low-key nature of the setting shows how the husband thinks he is hidden and unexposed to what he is doing to his wife. These types of setting are more mature and serious, meaning that it helps portray the narrative as being more raw and genuine. It also helps emphasise the display of contrast between the setting the wife is at, and the setting the husband and woman are at. Reinforcement of how different the emotions of both spouses are is created. It is also ironic how the setting that the wife is at is bright, high key-lighted and there is sunshine in the scenes whereas, in the scenes with the husband and woman, the setting is dark, dim and low-key lighted. The setting full of light, where the wife is, suggests happiness and contentment, however, the low-key lighted setting, where the husband and woman are, infers sadness and maybe depression. This creates irony as the emotions of the characters are reflected to be the opposite of the atmosphere of the setting they are in. This appeals to the audience as it creates a twist and different way of looking at the settings that they may not have before. It also creates interest and a clear contrast in the two ways in which the spouses are currently living. It is conventional to the soul genre to have this type of setting at the maturity is accepted and acknowledged by the audience and emotion can be distinctively retrieved from the vibe a particular setting creates.
Deep or shallow focus shots are also conventional to the soul genre are they help to attract attention to a particular person, object or aspect of the video. They are used in soul to ensure that something in-particular has extra emphasis made on it to ensure that an intended effect is created. For example, in the screenshot, their is a deep focus on the car as it leaves the house. The wife is shown in a blur which was previously the focus but only as the car leaves the focus changes to the car. This shows the relevance of his leaving and could also show a deeper meaning. It could show how when the husband is there at the house with the wife, she is seen as relevant to him. However, when he leaves, the way the focus becomes off of the wife, it could show that he doesn't think about her when they are not together and that she literally becomes a 'blur' to him. It shows that he is not dedicated and committed to her which is an underlaying idea that may not be noticed from an initial viewing of the video. This appeals to the audience because it allows the video to outline the particular aspects that are of an importance that they may have not naturally focused on. It allows them to watch the video in full, not missing out any important particular parts.
The mise-en-scene illustrated in this music video helps it stay conventional to the soul genre. The main setting is in a house which is shown to be nicely presented and likely to be worht a lot of money. When you first seen the couple, you expect them to be wealthy from the way in which they visually look and are presented. The house in which the couple live in acts as a symbol of their successes as a couple, it's as if because it is so nice, it is an achievement for them to own and live in it. There is a pool featured in a few scenes with the woman in which also demonstrates that it is most likely situated somewhere luxurious which makes the house seem even more appealing. However, it seems as though the man goes to work whilst the woman is a housewife. This is the place where she feels the pain of her husband cheating and this is where she cries and lets out all of her pain, which is probably one of the reasons she gets out the house to drive somewhere - to try and escape from the pain. Though, she only makes it to the local shop to buy alcoholic beverages in which to drown her sorrows. Therefore, this house would mean something different to the woman than it would to the man. To the woman it would remind her of the immoral, cheating husband that she has and the pain that it causes her but for the man it is just somewhere he spends the night with his 'wife', but doesn't stay at in the day. Having a setting that represents something or has a meaning to someone is conventional to the soul genre as soul songs are filled with personal and deep meanings. Even though it is not the artist who is displaying this idea, within the narrative the woman character is still displaying this and so, still acts as a convention to the soul genre. The audience appeal tot his as it allows them to see the different ways in which each character interprets and views the house and so by having it in a nice, relatable setting it creates emphasis on its importance in the video.
The iconography use of a wedding ring is conventional to the soul genre as it it related to love. The way that the woman goes to take the ring off is also conventional as it displays personal emotion that she feels so negative in her love situation to the extent that she would end her marriage. However, the next shot of her shows how she actually didn't remove the ring which demonstrates to the audience how in love she is in which slightly portrays a message that love hurts. The audience also get to realise what type of person she is and that she obviously finds it hard to put herself first and create an equal balance and consideration between what her heart and head are saying.
The positioning of characters is a further element of mise-en-scene. As it is visible in the screenshot, the man and woman he is having an affair with in the front of the shot in focus. This particular shallow focus shot shows how close they are becoming and a sense of foreboding is created as you hope not to but expect more to happen between the two of them. Out of focus in the background, the artist is visible who is singing the song as the man and woman stand and flirt at the bar. This positioning of the characters demonstrates the couple getting close but because of the artist's position in the middle in the background of the shot, it displays how if you are to commit something bad such as cheating, they will always get found out in the end. The blurred nature of him shows that the characters may not acknowledge him but the artist definitely acknowledges them and knows the wrong of their doing. This positioning shows that the artist is dominant, as although he is not shown clearly in this shot, she is still present in-between the two of them. This essentially is breaking the bond between them as the artist acts as a barrier, as well as the fact you can see in the man's expression that he knows what he is doing is wrong but still carries on anyway. Having the positioning of characters in this particular way shows the interference of the artist between them which is conventional to the soul genre as it is demonstrating the cheating that the man is committing but is being attempted to be broken or weakened by the artist. Because of the occurrence of this theme in soul genre music videos, having a way to break or strengthen the bond between characters is commonly used by the positioning of characters for it's effectiveness. The audience appeal to this as they can not only see the character's but also the artist in the background that they know has acknowledged what is going on in the scene. This is satisfying for the audience as it's almost as like they feel relieved for the artist for he is not involved in the actual narrative but it still means that they feel sympathetic towards the wife at home as, although the artist knows what's going on in this scene, she doesn't (specifically and in detail).
Costume, hair and makeup is the next element of mise-en-scene. Specifically, I would like to talk about makeup. At the beginning of the video, the woman is clearly shown as having perfect makeup, along with a neat up-do hairstyle. This is what she looks like before the husband leaves the house, which is when you think, as an audience viewer, that she seems like a happy and content woman. It's only once the husband leaves that you soon realise she is not as happy and content as you initially appeared her to be. When she starts expressing the pain and the hurt that the husband causes her, her makeup begins to run. This shows that not just mentally, but also physically he is affecting her - in a negative way. The makeup acts as an evidential mark and exposure of her inner emotion. As an audience, you feel sympathetic towards her because it is clear that she is so in love with the husband that she will seem to forgive him no matter what he does - even if it does hurt her. It is clear that she tries to hide the exposure of her feelings when he is around by making sure that her makeup is back to being full-faced and pristine. This is conventional to the genre of soul to have makeup such as this as it helps to show different emotions in which the character feels. This also appeals to the audience as they can visually tell how the character is feeling which is easier than trying to work it out.
The next element of mise-en-scene is lighting. It is used in this video to display morality. In the scenes where the man is cheating there is low-key light which reflects a negative tone on the scenes. This could further show that he is being immoral from the way that the negativity when connect with what he is doing is showing immorality. The audience can immediately recognise this from the way the wife is home or in the car alone and he is out with another woman at a bar. Whilst this is going on, the scenes interweave between the husband and wife. The wife is shown driving home in her car in which the light is shining on her which could be interpreted as representing innocence. However, she puts her hand up to shield the light from her eyes which although is literally to keep the light away from her eyes could also have a deeper meaning. That being that she is trying to shield the innocence from herself so it is acting like she is blaming herself for the husband's wrong doing. A lot of victims of cheating tend to do this as they sometimes believe there is something wrong with themselves if their partner feels the need to cheat on them which can later develop insecurity, for example. So, she could be thinking that she is in denial of being innocent and that it is more to do with her which is reflected in the way that when the husband returns home, she acts as if everything is the same which then turns into a vicious circle. Using lighting to represent something else, is conventional to the genre of soul, as it helps portray the deeper meaning to the audience.
Facial expressions and body language is the final element of mise-en-scene. When the husband is just leaving and the wife is waving him goodbye, she seems happy and he seems fine to leave her in this way. However, when his car is gone her face drops immediately. It's as though she has just realised what is to come, which is can be quite sad for an audience member to watch. Her expression here very much reflects how she really feels about the way she knows he has gone off to be with another woman. This is conventional to the soul genre as there is normally a change in emotion that occurs within the video narrative. In this case, the audience are able to recognise that she is in a way being false about her emotions and hiding the way she truly feels, particularly in-front of her husband. Therefore, although facial expressions can be used to show expression, they can also be used to show a lack of expression or a lacking of a particular emotion that they may have been present with in other parts of the video.
One of the main camera styles is the high use of medium shots. For example, the artist is shown to be singing in the bar in various different medium shots. The advantage of medium shots is that you can not only just show expression through facial expression but you can also illustrate it through body language as the shot has slightly more in frame. This is a conventional shot from this genre because expression and emotion is one of the main things in soul music that actually make it so soulful. This is appealing to the audience as they are more likely to understand the emotion of the artist. They can also witness the way the artist tends to perform and are able to create links between certain characteristics the artist has throughout their work.
Another main camera style is over the shoulder/close up shots like the one in the screenshot. Although this shot doesn't allow you to see the emotion and expression of the woman, you are able to see what she has done and what is going on in-front of her. It makes the audience feel as if they are standing behind her, consequently making them feel more engaged and involved in the video. At this point the woman has thrown all of the husband's clothes onto a fire and is standing watching them burn away. The way that the fire is in front of her in this shot outlines her and emphasises her presence in the central area of the shot which attracts all the attention on her at this point. Having the audience so engaged in this through this type of shot is conventional to the soul genre as it makes the audience feel more engaged and therefore, more connected and deeper into the narrative they become.
An editing style included in the video is at the very beginning where the artist's name and the name of the song is shown. This creates an immediate recognition of the video to the artist and also gives the artist an identity and chance for familiarisation to occur between them and the audience. This also helps the audience recognise this as Sam's video, particularly as he is not featured in the first part of it or the narrative in a major way. Therefore, this appeals to the audience for the above reasons. This is conventional to the soul genre, as artists tend to have this to create a sort of watermark on their work. It helps promote themselves and build a relationship between them and the audience as they associate what the image is on screen with the title and name, with the artist.
Slow-pace editing is another style demonstrated in this video. In the majority of the shots of the husband with the woman he is having an affair with, they are slow-paced edited. In this particular shot, they are laughing together, about to walk out of the bar that they are in. The way this has been slow-pace edited emphasises the emotion that the woman is feeling and also reflects the relaxed nature of the husband's lifestyle. The way he has the flexibility of being with two women, clearly satisfies him as he hasn't shown any sign of making a change to his actions. Moreover, the way that nearly all of the shots of the husband and woman together are slow-paced edited whilst the wife on her own are in normal speed creates an effective result. It clearly demonstrates the difference in emotions and the way in which the time for the man is going slow and smoothly, whereas the wife is 'living in the moment' and it's as if she is living the harsh reality. The target audience appeal to this as they feel sympathetic towards the woman as dramatic irony is created, for, the audience know exactly what the husband is doing when he is out. Although the woman has an idea, she doesn't exactly know where he goes to and who with, which makes it quite sad as a viewer to watch. This is conventional to the soul genre as it makes the audience feel more involved when they know more than the characters do. It also helps them connect with the affected character a lot more as they are more likely to feel sympathetic and some kind of emotion for them. Soul genre music videos sometimes have narratives that do not include the artist being the protagonist. Therefore, it is important for the audience to connect with the character that is featured as they would not be familiar with their situation, mannerisms or characteristics.
The target audience for Sam around this time was fairly mass in size. Narrowing it down, I would say that his target audience was roughly 16 - 30 also, like Amy Winehouse. This is because the topic will not be relatable to anyone under the age of 16.
The artist is represented as being all-knowing. Although he does not feature much in the video, when he does, he shows how he knows about the situation that is occurring. This makes him quite weary of particular characters that may concern him, also causing him to be represented as wise.
The style of the video is primarily narrative based, however, is performance and concept too. A brief of the narrative is that there is a couple who seem to be living happily, only to find that the man cheats on a daily basis that the woman knows about which causes her to down her sorrows and let out all her negative emotions in their family home. Sam is seen performing throughout the video, not as much so at the beginning. The concept of the video illustrates that if you are not happy within a relationship, it's better to break out of it altogether because you may not realise the amount of hurt that you are causing upon someone. Furthermore, it's also not to judge on the outside and consider others.
Goodwin's theory is displayed within the video for example, through there being a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. As the artist sings 'denying every tear' the woman in the video wipes the tears from her face. Tears are produced from and crying and crying occurs at either a sad or happy moment. Clearly, in this case it is a sad one due to the heartbreak she is experiencing caused by her husband. This is obviously a particular lyric that the artist or director of the video felt the need to emphasise and outline. This help to emphasise the extent of her hurt and sad emotions that has been forced upon her. It could also suggest just although she is 'denying every tear' the audience are the only ones who can really how much she is crying and consequently how much she has been hurt. This makes the audience build a relationship with the character as they feel a sense of trust and honour as they feel as if they are the only ones who know how sad and broken the woman feels. However, this also makes them feel sympathetic towards the woman as she should tell someone about her feelings - in-particularly her husband, but the way she holds it in from anyone means that she won't be able to break out of the habit of feeling this way.
Further evidence to support Goodwin's theory is demonstrated through the high use of close ups of the artist, that would have been demanded by the record label. Although the artist is not primarily involved in the narrative, he is still featured within to ensure familiarity and expression from the artist themselves. The close ups help to display the emotion the song intends to provide and allows the audience to connect with the artist as they are able to see them in a more intricate way. As well as connecting better to the artist, the audience are also able to create a better connection with the song as the meaning behind it is retrieved a lot more easily and maybe from a different perspective from what they would initially think. This appeals to the audience as it overall gives them a better experience of watching the video as they can take full advantage of the artist's presence as well as being able to watch a narrative unroll at the same time. It makes the audience appeal more to the artist too as how familiar they are with them is strengthened. Soul genre songs are often based on personal experiences that display heaps of emotion. This makes using lots of close ups of the artist conventional to the genre of soul as this helps get across the emotion from the artist, to the audience.
My research on my chosen music genre of soul will assist me with the planning of my own music video for this genre as it has helped me outline the main conventions of soul and the characteristics that are included which create the most effects. I like the use of the filter as I believe it is a really good and effective way of creating an intended mood for a video. As well as this, I like the use of the lighting to help create an intended effect such as a feel of immorality with Sam Smith's video.
