Tuesday, 21 October 2014

Music video ananlysis (any genre) "I'm Not The Only One - Sam Smith"



Sam Smith - I'm Not The Only One is a slow paced song. This music video isn't the typical pop video. His face isn't really shown in his videos as much as other pop artists, this goes against Goodwin's theory, as his face is not shown, this must mean that his music is being sold on his voice. Sam Smith compared to pop artists like One Direction, in this video, is completely different, purely to this fact, as in One Directions videos they are constantly on screen, and because there is a group of them they are distributed throughout the whole video, making them the selling point.


The shots are set to be in time with the music beat. The video itself is in slow motion, this adds depth to his video; and because his face is not in it, this helps the audience gather the emotions which he would be showing singing this. There are a lot of close ups used throughout this video, especially with the woman who is apparently getting cheated on by her lover. These close ups show her emotions are are more intense when the lyrics are deep and most meaningful.One of the key close ups I noticed went a lot with the lyrics was when he sung 'for better or for worst', there was a close up of the woman all dressed up,as if going to a wedding, and staking her ring off. Close ups of this ring were continued here and there during the whole video. This gives the audience the feel as if she is questioning her relationship as it is shown a fair bit. 



The lighting throughout the video varies from low key, to high key lighting. this may be a representation of the two personalities, one being dark, gloom, or maybe even uneasy to see, and the other being happy, open and natural. The dark lighting is used mainly when the man is on the screen. This may connote that he is a dark character, and his true personality is comparison to the woman is dark and dingy. This can be backed up with the fact that he is clearly cheating and sneaking or 'hiding' something. The lighting is a juxtaposition of light and dark, this is also a juxtaposition of their personalities maybe. The two lighting differences maintain the same throughout the video. Until the last few second where the woman and man greet each other again the two lighting's are carefully combined, but still keeping quite a boarder between the light differences. 


This shot caught my attention because, this is a shot where the woman is in the dark as well as the light. This gives a clear contrast between the two lighting differences. The juxtaposed lighting could connote that she is trying to cover her eyes from the light, almost contemplating weather she wants to stay in this 'pure' role she is playing.














This is a key shot where sam smith goes against Goodwin's theory. Relying mostly on his voice and music, Sam Smith isn't the typical pop artist using his face to promote himself, but relatable and meaningful lyrics instead. 


This is the end shots where the two light differences are combined. 




This is where the mise-en-scene is used to naturally lighten up the dark elements of the video using the neutral coloured costume. Even at the end of the video, the woman is still in the light and in white, so this may portray her innocence and purity compared to the man, as at the end she is still being lit up. The brightness and the white colours connote purity this is another thing that may be portrayed in the video.The only difference with the lighting now is its not natural like before, so this  may connote that, much like the lighting, her personality is fake. As for the man, at the end he is still in the shadow, maybe connoting the woman still cant see who he really is, and that even when he is home he's still, in a sense, hidden. 


Overall Sam Smith - I'm Not The Only One is a largely narrative video but, as before, does not rely mainly on his face. 

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