Screen shots of the video

Analysis of shots, angles and mise-en-scene

When looking for locations for the video, I searched Virginia Water for a long branched tree for my main performer to sit as she sang for one of the performance shots. The tree that I found resembled the tree Alice in wonderland was sitting on before she fell down the rabbit hole. This mirrors the emotionally calmer state of my performer before she gets really lost in the forest.

I wanted the shots in this location to be a long shot of her as it is depicts a lonely soul, distant from the world and far apart from the audience. The second shot would be a slightly high angled medium long shot of the main performer.

This allows the audience to gain a closer perspective of the artist whilst maintaining distance.

I came across this image of Alice looking into a mirror. Visually you get a dual sense of personality/ split being. However in this shot I blacked out all natural light apart from a thin strip behind her at the top. This connoted a small bit of hope however rather high and hard to get to. The only other lighting created was a medium flashing strobe light creating the illusion of her fading in and out.

The black and white images of my main performer and her on screen boyfriend depict a happier and more complete part of her life. The locations used in my home create an open and uncongested feel to their relationship. I chose specifically the kitchen and bedroom as those are the places in the home that are considered the ‘heart of the home’ – and the heart of their relationship. The main performer in the flashback shots take up less of the screen as the focus is placed on her boyfriend- the key to her happiness.

The shots are intentionally designed for the main performer and her on screen boyfriend to be positioned very close to one another, roughly in the center of the screen. This is to depict a very close and comfortable relationship. Especially as in the forest scenes, the main performer is seen as very alone and distant, I needed to make it very clear that she was able to be close to another person and intimate. The audience is now able to see that her loneliness may be as result of her insinuated relationship breakdown.

The performance shots of my main performer when on steps in the city locations were positioned in dead center of the screen. This is to allow for the audience to see the environment that she is in which is appealing to the eye as the stone creates the appearance of a higher class. Also the attention of directed solely on the performer, meaning that it is difficult for the eye of the audience to wonder or be distracted. The high angle shot here also to create the effect that the audience has a ‘fly on the wall’ view of the performer, gaining an honest and personal view of the main performer when singing her emotions. To blend the city locations and the forest locations, I mad sure when filming I

captured some trees/greenery in the shot.

By using the Great Portland Street location, I have created a gated courtyard for the main performer to look lost in- this became her city landscape.The gates also created opulence, which minuses the reasoning for the main performers depression. If she was walking in a torn down area, the audience may excuse her emotional/ psychological state as due to her economic surroundings ,taking away from the flashbacks.

The wall was a great place to shoot as the performer is walking down an alley way from light into darkness, which is reflective of her personal battles.

By fading the sky shots of the bird and the forest scene I was able to formulate a woodland atmosphere that created a depressed and unknowing setting.

The bird in flight is symbolism of the main performer escaping/ freedom and so when the second bird follows behind, it could be interpreted by the audience as the soul or memory of the main performers boyfriend always with her. The bird imagery is visual closure for the audience and represents resolution for the main performer.

The courtyard look was created when we positioned the main performer in-between to hedges. This reminded of the walkway of bushes and flowers in Alice in Wonderland. Towards the end of the video, the main performer is considerably small which creates an emptiness to the screen however as her back is towards the camera and she is walking away concluding the

journey created in the video. The size of her compared to the surrounding shrubbery, connotes that everything is quite overwhelming as everything is larger and taller than her.

The main performer’s boyfriend looking behind the curtain through the window as if he whilst with her is distant and maybe living a secretive life.

The main performer’s boyfriend holding her looks intimate and special however the way in which the main performer is positioned hides a lot of her face her face making it seem as if she is upset or in emotional pain/ crying.

Within the moss grown forest, my main performer looks lost and overpowered by the many tall trees. This reflects the Alice in Wonderland imagery, however with a blue/ grey tone to the shot, the forest scene looks more grim.

As the main performer runs away from ‘ the unknown’ she looks as if there is no exit to the forest- almost like a maze. Again by filming the long shot of the main performer she remains inferior to her surroundings. As the forest represents her mind and the lost feeling she has within, she is inferior to her own thoughts.

I managed to find an old rotting tree in Virginia water that looked like the big tree in Alice in Wonderland. The tarnished look builds the mise-en-scene of the video allowing the audience to identify the dithering emotions of the main performer.

The beginning of the video, there is a small intro where there is a voice over of “THIS WILL END” “THEY SAY THE TRUTH IS IN THE GOSPEL” which highlights the content of the music video. It fades away in tie with the voice over as if it is the main performer talking to the audience herself. “THEY SAY THE TRUTH IS IN THE GOSPEL” leaves the video open for questioning… whether “this will end” refers to the end of a relationship or whether “the truth” refers to her finding out about her partners promiscuities and finally whether “the gospel” refers to closure and rejoice or has religious reference