Alicia Keys

I have chosen 3 possible music videos to analyse, I have included links for all 3.

Click on the songs to view the videos

• Try sleeping with a broken heart- I decided to add an analysis of this video, to show more effects and editing that has been used.

• Like you’ll never seen me again

• Fallin’- This is the song I have chosen to analyse. I think this best portrays people and locations giving us ideas that we could use for our own videos.

The video begins with a close up shot of the artist. We can clearly see her facial expressions giving us a in-depth view of how she is feeling including her emotional attachment with this song.

A full length shot has been used to show the area/ location the singer is in. The image shows a downtown image of a run-down area. Here we can also see what the artist is wearing, we are able to view her full image.

The next view shows a close up shot of props the artist has used to add effect to her video adding an alternative to her music. We see multiple close-ups of the piano suggesting importance and its relation to the song.

Here is a medium close-up of the artist playing the piano, this image is repeated throughout the video. The image of playing the piano sets a mood, we would normally relate playing the piano with older singers this is not generally an aspect involved in R'n'B videos.

Here is another medium close-up of the artist walking down the street, we can see people as normal in the background, they add an effect to the video and shows the video is not affected by them. Continuity editing is again used here for when she is walking showing continuous filming.

This shot represents a gang of people in the video this could be used to reflect the type of location the video has been set in or could be used as an influence for the song itself. This offers pleasure to the viewer as they can see the group having fun.

A zoomed out shot has been used to show a location and the bus as a prop showing her change of place. This adds to the rhythm movement in the song. This can also be used to show continuity editing as this is shown on a continuous line, this is called a track movement.

The artist is looking out of the bus window, we can guess she might be reflecting the past, we can tell this from her facial expression. This could be an anxious feeling from what she is about to do next. This image has been shown to make it appear like she is moving.

Fallin’-

The mise-en scene of this pictures shows a group of women on a bus, this image has been added for a reason. This leads on to the build up of the video where the artist goes to visit her love in prison.

This image gives off innocence and could have been added to reflect the past. This is a zoom in shot, we can clearly see the baby’s face. This could also have been added to represent the man in his younger years.

A full length shot has been used to show everything in the frame, the photos are of importance and the artist wants us to know this. This can also be seen as a fun photo as the photos are spread all over the floor.

Another close up shot of the artists face shows passion and feeling through her emotion. This emphasises the feeling in the song. A pan movement adds to the effect as this follows her face movement while singing.

The spray of images could have been added to show past memories, looking through their past reflecting on their life. We notice the last image is of the guy she is going to visit in prison this is significant. The camera looks down on the images like we would imagine she is looking down. This way we see what she is looking at.

A zoom out shot reflects the location, the mise-en scene in this shot shows the bus and the people wearing orange is significant as this gives us some clue as to where she may be heading, gives us an insight into what is happening. We have the feeling the image is dark due to the dark sky in the background behind the tall trees.

The sky darkens the mood in this picture as there are dark grey clouds. This could have been used on purpose as this could be representing the people working below this shows some bad in the video, we know why they are there.

The speakers we can see in the shot here starts off the video, this projects the music that we are about to hear. The camera slowly hovers and then zooms in on the speakers when we see the singer turning the radio on and the music begin playing.

Try sleeping with a broken heart

The video begins with the effect of purple waves this shows a continuous movement as the camera follows the waves for a few minutes before showing a transition to the artist lying on a bed. For the first few minutes the bed is her main prop, this is where the movement and song starts. The bed deliberately has silk purple sheets on to allow the movement to flow and appear like the same image. This then reveals the artist with a medium close-up shot, at this point there is no singing just music playing in the background.

Props have been used for this shot, the bed and the window. The song begins with her wearing this outfit which she changes more than once through the video. The camera tilts vertically upright following the artist as she moves from lying down to sitting up this is a continuous movement. The windows in the background show light on the artist adding brightness to the shot.

This is the first of many split screens used in this video, this effects allows you to view two different shots at the same time, they can be taken from the same or different locations. In this particular shot we can see her eyes and can see they are very heavily made up, we think the other shot could be showing what she is looking at.

Here is another split screen but this time the split is down the middle rather than from left to right. One image is showing a medium close-up shot of the artist, the other is showing a close up of a pattern on her back, this could have been done deliberately to ensure the viewer sees this. For this image we notice her top has a low back delibertaely to show the patterns/picture she has on her big this is a significant part of the shot.

This is a darker shot, dark at the top and light bursting in through the bottom. The camera is looking down at the movement of the artist going down the stairs showing a continuous movement. This also switches to the next shot of her walking out of the door. This shows a change of location we switch from a dark screen to a bright screen, she is now outside. We can tell this image has been taken in a run down area by the graffiti on the walls and the look of the bins surrounding in the right hand bottom corner.

The artists appears to have gone back to an old location here, again the spot light is on her and the rest of the shot is dark. The camera appears to have been positioned at the top of the stairs looking down on the artist showing a full length shot. At this point she has her face away from the camera, looking down at the ground by pointing the camera down this gives of that effect.

We notice mise-en scene in this photo, the iconic background the props that have been included to suit the appropriate background e.g. the graffiti and the bins. This shot shows a track movement of the artist walking down the street this shows a continuous movement. This is used a lot throughout the video. All shots have been edited to flow as a full continuous movements one shots switches to another.

In these shots we notice she is wearing a jacket this is her main prop throughout the video along with her sunglasses which cover her eyes giving a hint of mystery, although we notice she changes her outfit several times. The camera switches to a front medium close-up of the artist. Switching from a side view to a front view. Gradually making circles round the artist giving the watcher a view from either side. This close up shot is used in multiple scenes throughout the video.

The Mise-en scene in this shot shows her wearing a different outfit, she is no longer wearing sunglasses at this point. Here the camera switches back to a previous location the full shot view of her at the bottom of the stairs then to a medium close up of her face showing her movement in line with the camera. This again is a split screen which has been split vertically allowing us to view two different shots at the same time.

This shot shows another split screen but this time showing two different locations. Or could be the same location but shown at two different times. The light is reflecting on one location creating a divide between shots. This shows a horizontal split.

They have edited in a split screen at this point, this shows a medium shot from two different angles. At first the camera reflect the side of her walking again by using a track shot then switches to a front shot of the artist where you personally walk forward with her. This allows you to see what is behind her again showing you a location from a different point in the video.

This shot is mainly showing the weather during the video, we can see it is sunny this shows a bursting ray of sunshine. This helps when adding lighting into the shot, this would be easy as this is not something you have to consider yourself the weather is already built in for you.

The Mise-en scene changes a lot for this shot, here there are two women both looking identical in outfits and positioning. We notice they are both riding motorcycles. This shot switches from one looking at the other then showing us who/what they are looking at. This then shows a circular shot.

For this image we notice the artist has changed her outfit again, this time her outfit suits the mood she is in. We notice she is wearing a bright purple jumpsuit the colour stands out from the dull grey background this is significant. Again this is a split screen on one side we have a view of buildings possibly in new York we think and on the other side we have her standing on top of one of these buildings, the shot switches from two points in time.