Heaven Flashcards
When was the music video for Heaven released?
22nd July 2011
How many views does the music video have (as of 2024)?
25 million
Who directed the music video?
Jake Nava, a high-profile director who has worked previously with Beyonce and Kanye West
What 3 types of editing techniques are used within the music video?
Montage editing
Fragmentary editing
Elliptical editing
Creates out of focus glimpses and disrupted narrative, the audience must use their imagination to piece shots together
What 8 key areas of media language should we analyse when looking at music videos?
Camera shots/angles/movement
Editing (cuts, transitions)
Sound (diegetic, non-diegetic)
Narrative structure
Representations (CAGEDS)
Themes
Messages
Values
What do the shots of Sande surrounded by pink flowers and nature connote?
Purity, new beginnings
What genre of music video is Heaven?
Performance-based music video
Why was the success of Heaven’s music video important for Sande?
Heaven was Sande’s debut single and the music video was used to promote her star quality/the song
It was crucial for Sande’s image to appeal to a wide audience to ensure her success
How did Heaven lead to Sande’s rapid rise to fame?
The song/debut album (Our Version of Events) was critically and commercially successful making it one of the best selling albums of 2012
Which iconic places did Sande perform at after the release of Heaven?
The White House and the 2012 London Olympics
How is Sande represented within the music video?
As glamorous (wearing makeup, hair styled, modest outfit, gold jewellery) but not objectified/sexualised, which establishes her star quality
As confident, dominant and strong through the use of low angle shots
How is religious imagery/Catholic iconography used within the music video?
Shots of Sande and a Middle-Eastern man singing up at the sky, eyes closed, hands stretched upwards or holding hands together all represent religion and praying to God up in heaven
A shot of a girl standing against a wall with angel wings graffiti
A shot of a hanging cross pendant/rosary beads
A shot of a young man with angel wings tattooed on his back
A shot of an angel gravestone
A shot of a Virgin Mary figurine
What is the meaning behind the song, according to Sande?
The song is about what it means to be good in this day and age, keeping your heart clean, and the juxtaposing idea of having a “clean” vs a “dirty” heart
What 6 themes are included within the song/music video?
Themes of religion, forgiveness, innocence, drug use, social realism, coexistence of a “good” and “bad” side of London
What binary opposites are included within the music video?
“Clean” vs “dirty” heart
Moral vs immoral
Downbeat, sombre lyrics vs upbeat rhythm
Happiness vs sadness
Innocence vs grittiness
Temptation vs redemption
Purity and innocence of childhood juxtaposed with the grittiness of East London
How is the binary opposition of happiness vs sadness/innocence vs grittiness represented throughout the music video?
Happiness/innocence (children laughing, smiling, playing in the park, woman playing in the street with an umbrella, woman wearing a white dress)
vs
Sadness/grittiness/immorality (people sitting in alleyways alone, depressed facial expressions, young boy sitting alone on a dark staircase, woman in a sexualised red dress walking down a dark staircase, smoking, passing lighters, rough sleeping)
“Oh Heaven / I wait with good intentions / but the day / it always lasts too long”
What themes and binary oppositions are present in this lyric?
Temptation vs redemption; from Sande’s perspective, deep down she wants to be a good person and she has good intentions, but as the day goes on, she is more and more tempted to engage in “immoral” behaviours
This may link to Sande’s personal feelings of guilt towards herself and her morality
What does the contrast between the daytime shots at the beginning of the video and the night time shots at the end connote?
Bright, sunny daytime represents happiness, morality, innocence
Dark, raining night time represents sadness, depression, immorality
Overall, represents Sande’s internal battle with being a “good” vs “bad” person
Where exactly was the music video filmed?
Bethnal Green, East London
How is London represented within the music video?
As urban, gritty, multicultural, metropolitan and complex through the candid shots of working/lower class ordinary people of different races, ages and genders walking down the street, the smoking/drug use/rough sleeping juxtaposed with the children laughing and playing
What does the shot of the birds flying connote?
Freedom and liberation
What does the constant use of extreme close ups connote?
Extreme close ups of eyes represent individuality and the importance of the person (eyes are the window to the soul)
Extreme close ups of faces allows us to see their full expression and emotion, we also see them personally/individually as people
What genre of music is Heaven?
R&B/Soul, breakbeat, gospel, pop, electronic
What is the camerawork like and what effect does this have?
Handheld, shaky, social realism documentary aesthetic makes the video (and therefore Sande herself) seem relatable and down-to-earth, doesn’t try to hide the grittiness of London but instead is embracing it
What type of people feature in the music video alongside Sande?
Regular, ordinary, working-class and lower-class people of different of ages, genders and races
How are CGI and filters used within the music video and what effect do they have?
Lens flares are used to represent the brightness of God/Heaven
A warm, sepia-like filter has been used to represent the warm embrace of heaven
How are the woman in the red dress and the woman in the white dress juxtaposed?
Red = sexualised, lust, danger, anger, maturity; the woman in the red dress is suggested to be a prostitute as she walks down a dark staircase
White = calmness, purity, youth; the woman in the white dress is a complete juxtaposition to the woman in red
What type of lighting is used within the music video?
sophisticated and impressionistic lighting
What was happening in London around the time of the release of Heaven? How does this relate to the song?
2011 London riots following the death of Mark Duggan (killed by police)
The song is about being “good”, being forgiving of others and yourself and turning to God in a time of need; could be referencing the recent violence in London and how people should try to stay calm, be good and forgive others/themselves for their mistakes
What does the long shot of the tunnel signify?
New beginnings, forgiveness
What political ideology could be argued to be included in the video?
A left-leaning ideology as it sympathises with ethnic minorities and lower-class individuals
