Heaven - Emeli Sande Flashcards
What is going on in the video?
-links to homelessness
-images/videos of street life and her singing
-lots of religious imagery
What is the split of narrative and performance?
-it was mostly her performing the song with images/videos of street life
What do the lyrics reflect?
-police/ambulance
-anxiety, stress
-drugs, bad habits insinuated
Is the video mainly narrative or performance based?
-performance based
Where are her parents from?
-her mother is English and her father is Zambian
Where is it filmed?
-filmed in Bethnal Green where she lived at the time
What is the song and who was it released by?
-her Debut Solo single->released by Virgin Records
What does the video reflect?
-reflects marginalised communities and shows how religion brings people together
How is Emeli Sande represented in the video?
-very religious
-presented as a preacher->symbol of hope for the future
Where was she born? Where did she move?
-in Sunderland in the North East of England
-the family moved to Scotland when she was 4
When was ‘Heaven’ released?
-2011
Who was the video directed by?
-Jake Nava
What did Emeli want to capture?
-‘a real British vibe and keep it really simple to emphasise the lyrics’
What does Sande describe the song being about?
-how youth is over too quickly and how young people are easily influenced by friends, family and the media
-the song debates whether these influences are good or bad
How did the song start being written?
-from a conversation with her producer and they wrote it in about half an hour
How many videos does the video have on YouTube?
-25 million
What motifs does the video include?
-religious iconography->cathedral building, an image of a statue of Mary, references to God)
-social iconography->reflecting class, age and race
-it has lots of shots of the sky which could reflect the traditional views about heaven
Is there a clear narrative?
-no->the video combines elements of performance with a conceptual reflection of place characterised through its people and buildings
How has the video been treated to give it the effect of an analogue film?
-several points where the images look over-exposed
-artefacts and grain can be seen
-the beginning and end of video suggest an old film reel pre-roll while the ending suggests and film reaching the end of its spool
What does the song include elements of?
-gospel
-trip hop
-breakbeat
What would Andrew Goodwin say about the video?
-it is deliberately simple which reflects the lyrics
-not really a narrative structure->illustrative
What would Carol Vernallis say about the video?
-she kept the video deliberately simple to represent Britain and emphasise the lyrics->religious reference
How does it support the codes and conventions of music videos?
-filmed in the area she lived in
-sense of community in the video
-majority of it is performance
How does it challenge the codes and conventions of music videos?
-shows lots of marginalised individuals eg homeless
