Adele - Someone Like You
Someone Like You is a great song to compare and contrast our Music Video to, as they both have similarities of relationships, the black and white effects, the female centred character and that sort of melancholy feel about it. We found that our Hiding My Heart Music Video was similar to Adele’s Someone Like You. Some of the camera shots where similar to what we portrayed and the black and white style was used but in a different context. The old style effect is used throughout, the editing is also simple, and there are not camera cuts, only pans, tracks and zooms, all in a hand held style, until the end when we have an overlay and one cut to another scene.
Here we see Adele walking along, lip syncing to the song she isn’t looking at the camera but looking away from it, she looks down now and again. The camera as used a tracking shot, by moving backwards coming around to Adele and then circles her very slowly in front of her, moving from a close up making its way to a long shot. As this happens she looks on the other side of her instead of her left side over to the river, as this would be a better way for her to look else where when the camera isn’t on her right hand side. Her position on the screen is from the centre, as the camera moves to a long shot she is on the left hand side of the screen, allowing the audience to see the Mise-en-scene. This allows to set the scene.
Here Adele looks and continues to sing at the camera, breaking that fourth wall for the audience, letting them into the personal message behind the video, almost connecting to the character/artist on the story and the message. During the process coming to this camera shot, the camera stops moving for a few seconds, pans on Adele following her, before zooming to a close up and tracking her again.
This close up lasts from 1:17 to 1:30 before panning away. This tracking on the Adele while on a close up shows Adele’s whole face taking up majority of the shot, she's still singing to the camera giving the audience that personal let in to the character/artist, it also allows the audience to see Adele’s well known features. Her eyes are one of her best assets, her makeup is one of the biggest advantages, the eyes and the makeup are normally one of the features that grabs an audiences attention, the photo shots keep her eyes somewhere in the middle of the page. This camera shot lasts for a long time (13 seconds) its not a steady camera shot, more of a hand held shot, the little zoom in actions used for the close ups adds to the hand held effect. As she continues to sing, she looks away from the camera now and again and then back at the camera still reminding the audience she is breaking down that fourth wall.
This panning motion is very creative; we don’t see Adele in this shot from 1:30 - 150. This panning shot, in a 360 degree circle allows the audience to establish where the setting is, looking at the Mise-en-scene. We establish Adele is in Paris, France, by the quick view of the Eiffel Tower in the far background at 1:36 - 1:38. Paris is a place of Love and Art, this is ironic as Adele isn’t in love but out of Love, she is heartbroken, as she says "I'll find someone like you, I wish nothing but the best for you, don’t forget me" Is something that is normally said after a break up. The black and white throughout with this old film grain also adds to that sad feeling of the character and also the old film grain adds to the Mise-en-scene of Paris, of Art, Film and Culture. We also get to see the amount of statues on these stone platforms, showing the grand architecture of Paris of its rich culture. We don’t see Adele singing but the track is still playing, but as we see her on the bridge, she as stopped singing.
Here we see Adele walking away from the camera during the process of the camera panning in the 360 degree circle. The camera starts to follow Adele which as allowed the audience to see a front and back view profile of the character/artist. The hair style is also striking, it’s long in a half up half down style and shows the artist’s key features and styles that Adele uses. This shot also allows the audience to see more of the Mise-en-scene and Paris; we get a sense of place, knowing where she is without having to guess. The following shot becomes closer to Adele, before she turns to the side of the bridge and looks out over the river.
Here we see a close up on Adele, with a side view shot of her face, looking sad and miserable. She looks out onto the river from 2:03 - 2:32 this shot is held for 29 seconds. This long pause contains Adele turning towards the edge of the bridge, the camera panning around Adele to her right hand side, Adele putting her hair behind her ears while the camera moves in a sort of bobbing motion, keeping the shot interesting and less boring, trying to keep away from the a still shot, but moving to view more of Adele’s face. At the end of this shot the camera, still on a close up, backs up, tracking her moving forward, walking along the bridge, she looks at the camera again. She doesn’t sing within this part, she looks over the river and the track still continues to play. This gives variety to the video, and giving that edge of experimenting with the song, singing shots and non singing shots, reminds the audience it isn’t live and the character/Artist is lip syncing, or on set could be singing it as it is their song.
Here we see Adele singing to the camera again, after looking out over the bridge and then looking at the camera not singing and then singing to the chorus when it starts. The camera is tracking her in a close up backing up as she walks forward. At 3:04 the camera starts to pan to her right hand side again on an angle still at a close up, Adele still singing into the camera as well as looking away from the camera making it more dramatic on her message she is getting across, not constantly breaking down that fourth wall. She looks away after looking at the camera before she starts to sing, she looks away from the camera, looking over the bridge and looking down and then to the camera.
Here we see the overlaying effect of Adele’s eyes, over the location of the bridge and surrounding area that Adele as been walking, as the camera pans the scene. The track is still playing and after this we don’t see Adele singing again. This allows gives variety to the piece from the constant tracking and no cutting shots. This also shows her makeup and eyes off, asset well known for Adele. After this transition we see a full view of her face on a close up.
Here we see Adele looking in a mirror where we can see the reflection of a guy walking away. This shows the break up and how shocked Adele is from this. During this shot we see a pan of the location she is in, this is the only other location that Adele uses, it’s a coffee bar and shows how devastated Adele must be to have her relationship ended in a public place, or probably somewhere they regularly go to, something that means something to them. We also see, from the panning in the 360 degree angle, the man walking away from the coffee shop and then ending with Adele’s face again looking in the mirror with the man walking away which then fades to black. Adele doesn’t sing in this part either, the track still plays giving that dramatic effect allowing the audience to pay attention to the scene, the track acting as background music to this little scene, allowing the audience to figure out what this scene is about.
Hiding My Heart Music Video (Final Cut)
Here we have a singing shot, me as a character, sat in her bedroom, singing to the camera (Lip syncing). I look at and away from the camera, breaking the fourth wall, allowing the audience to know that I am singing at them letting them into the story and the message behind the video. As you can see it fades into a black and white non singing shot, of me walking on the hills where the windmills are based. The black and white effect is used throughout for majority of the non singing shots. This transition of fading into another scene gives variety to the video and adds more scenes and messages to the story. The track is playing throughout and I am lip syncing to the song. The camera is still, on a tripod on both scenes and both shots zoom out to show more of the mise-en-scene, giving the audience an indication of where the character is.
This black and white shot shows the non singing shot of me looking at a bridal shop, looking at a bridal cake, enforcing the message to the story and the track still playing like a background song to this scene. The camera is still and is from a long shot, not showing my face expression but as though allowing the audience to see what the character is doing during the day/night, giving that sad effect of her not knowing what to do with herself, just walking around, trying to find things to do, visit places they probably have been or places that have significant meaning.
Here we have another singing shot; the camera zooms out, is on a still and tracks my face. This allows the audience to know that I am walking towards the camera and that the character is still walking around places and letting the audience know she is still letting them in. I look at the camera and away from the camera, looking down and looking on my right hand side, giving space to the character and allowing herself to express more with the facial expression.
Another singing shot shows I am singing in my bedroom again, this time the camera is at a long shot, showing more of the mise-en-scene and what is happening in the scene. I am singing to a picture, showing the significance of the song, that the song is related to the person, boyfriend, as the song and its lyrics are relevant to the scene "wake up to your face against the morning sun" shows how she is reminiscing about the past.
Here we have another non singing shot, but in colour, not black and white. The camera zooms in from a mid shot up to close up on the side of my face, looking sad and a look of being in deep thought. The track still plays, acting as a background song, keeping with the variety and keeping the audience watching.
Here the camera at a mid shot as followed me to this memorial statue, which we reveal more of as the video goes on. The camera stops at a long shot of me on the floor of the memorial placing me on the right hand side of the screen, showing the poppies as a significance, just as it did at the beginning of the video, that the boyfriend was or is in the army and she misses him or he as passed away. I am not singing to the camera but to the memorial in away, showing how upset and distressed the character is. This scene gives the audience a look into something personal about the character, without me looking at the character the audience feels as though they are looking into something personal from a distance.
Here we have a performance shot, these are important as it was the only instrument used in the track apart from vocals. These where synced, as I couldn’t play guitar but I tried to strum at the same time as the guitar did in the track. The video used a variety of camera shots of the performance, from different angles of the guitar and a long shot of me playing the guitar on the windowsill in a house (my house). This shows more about the characters personality, she can play guitar and that she can sing about him and that she can write songs by playing the guitar too. The different camera shots gives variety, this stops the audience from getting bored, keeping the video moving along.
Here we have a non singing shot, but we also see another shot of the memorial, eventually revealing what it looks like. This is the part where the continuity comes in, the camera shot starts here and then cuts from this position to the back of me. The last shot is from here and it zooms in on me, to keep away from the camera just being still constantly. This whole scene is in black and white and at the same place it’s raining adding to the effect of this miserable atmosphere, making the audience feel sorry for the character. The track again acts as a background song, giving this feel of the audience watching this from a distance the fourth wall is back up and watching it like scene.
Here it ends with me looking out over a town (Burnley) up on the hills where it’s windy and adds to the feel of loneliness. This shot zooms in past me and into the lights of the town, where it blurs and fades to black. The track is ending with the guitar which complements the final shot of the blurring of the lights and me looking out over the town.
Compare and Evaluate
Both our Music Video or Hiding My Heart and Adele's Someone Like You have their similarities and their differences both having positive and negative aspects.
Firstly our Adele's video majority of it is one big scene, no cutting to any other shots, locations or angles, the camera follows Adele's actions using a variety of shots and a variety of actions performed by Adele. This can also make the video less entertaining, its constant track of following Adele with no other material for the story or the video, can lose the audiences interest. Although creative its lack of editing makes for a less variety given video. The advantage is that as a popular artist, the audience will be more drawn towards what she might do next, people who like her music, style and as a person won't get bored as easily as those who don’t listen to her music or watch her videos.
Our video on the other hand as a lot going on, we have a lot of editing that as been used, cutting from one scene to the other, and the singing shots to non singing shots and to other scenes linked into the story. This gives variety to the audience, keeping them entertained and constantly watching, we keep cutting to different scenes. Although I am not well known, I am just a starting off artist; people may find me less entertaining. This is also due to the dramatic acting, as many people have commented on, from friends on Facebook and Youtube users
(See Facebook Feedback post > http://babybatchloemv.blogspot.com/2012/01/facebook-feedback.html) and
(See Upload Final Cut on Youtube + Feedback! Post > http://babybatchloemv.blogspot.com/2012/02/uploaded-final-cut-of-music-video-to.html )
Adele had no trouble on singing her song and acting within her video, as the song was her own, she wrote it and she is comfortable to sing something she as created. She acts natural and as she walks through the chosen location she knows when to start singing when to look at the camera and what actions to do and when.
Our performance on the over hand proved to be a lot more difficult. I had to learn the song, when to come in when to take a breath how long to hold a note and mime the guitar by trying to strum at the same time as the guitar playing on the track as well as singing and playing the guitar moving my hand along the neck of the guitar to show the changing in notes. Adele doesn’t play an instrument in the video which also give her the advantage to concentrate on when she came in to sing and what action to do next. We also planned what singing shots where going to be where, which locations where the singing and non singing shots. Adele’s, only being one constant scene for the majority of the video was simple and planned to sing at certain spots on the location and when to look at the camera, sometimes big stars can improvise pieces of the music video as they have the budget and the time to make a video. We had a deadline and planning was key for to make a successful music video.
We had shots that where similar to those used in Adele’s piece, that show how both videos have the same idea of sadness and loneliness based around relationships. Adele sings away from the camera looking on either side of her, looking down, as I did in both the bedroom and the scenes in Towneley. We also have the same shot of use both looking out somewhere, I was sat on a bench as Adele was walking along a bridge and looking out over the river, the camera as a close up on us both and we both look out in deep thought looking miserable. This emphasises the loneliness that people can get when relationships become tough or they end, looking out at places, not knowing what to do with themselves. Adele’s camera was on hand held which kept the variety and entertainment factor going, we had stills but our editing showed more cutting to different scenes and locations which was part of our entertainment and variety factor.
Adele’s video was shot throughout in black and white in an old grain effect, with the edges cut into an old film style. We however stick to both colour and black and white, which both represent different meanings, the colour being the singing shots as though being in the present and the black and white shots as though being in the past and representing majority of the non singing shots. Adele’s old film style works effectively, reflecting Paris and its culture of art and film, which ties in with the videos mise-en-scene. On a comment on Youtube
"I really liked the b/w shots, these seemed the most powerful" This positive comment shows how the black and white effect didn’t seem out of place, but fitted the style of the video and how to an audience can seem the most interest and powerful aspect. I think this is because the non singing shots helped with the track acting as a background song, the video dipping into some sort of film scenes of the character, showing what the character has been through and what she has been doing. This also shows in Adele’s video where at the end we see her in a coffee shop and we see the man walking away, Adele looking in a mirror watching him walk away, sums up the video and how it allows the audience to realise how it started out and how the video will finish.
Overall Adele’s video would prove the most successful due to her real artist status, a world wide famous singer, the budget to go to Paris and film on location, her lack of editing would possible be criticised but seems very unlikely as fans love her style and work. Our video's message seems to be brought across successfully and the editing allows the audience to keep watching and give more variety to the story, with the black and white shots, the non singing shots and the performance shots, giving what a typical music video would have in. Our video's negative points would be the lip syncing and the over dramatic acting. The lip syncing deems difficult having to use someone else’s material that you have to adapt to, not something that is your own.
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