Research Into Chosen Artist - Miss Miller

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.