Heaven Homework Question

With reference to Emeli Sande’s heaven how realistic are the representations offered by the video

 

Emeli Sande’s ‘Heaven’ depicts street life in a working class area of East London. The video itself is filmed in Bethnal Green and includes various representations which are realistic. The three most significant representations are the portrayal of street life in London, the presentation of the individuals and Emeli Sande’s presentation of herself as an artist.

Street life in ‘Heaven’ is significant as the whole video is filmed in a real working class district of East London, Bethnal Green, contributing towards the naturalistic representations. The depiction of poverty is quite realistic seen in the two different shots of men, one who is sleeping on the ground with a blanket, and another seen sitting on a carpet at the side of a street. Both these men represent poverty and homelessness in the working class areas of East London. Individuals in reality can be seen in these areas living on streets and sleeping on grounds, hence the representation here is highly realistic and relatable. Another realistic representation of street life in the video is the shot of a mother at a bus stop on a rainy day feeding her child. This shot may reflect the everyday struggles of a working class mother, who has to work and cater for her child. Many other shots of real and natural situations such as graffiti on walls, children playing outside their homes also adds to the naturalistic representation of street life.

Another realistic portrayal is of the individuals. The video shows a montage of a mix of people from different ethnicities, classes and backgrounds, done through various close ups. One of the first shots is of a young white woman in a red backless dress, presented in an ambiguous way as she seems to be sexualised because the camera focuses on her body, but the fact that she walks away from the camera implies how she herself refuses to be objectified. Another shot is of an elderly man who makes direct eye level contact with the camera, he seems to be speaking for people of his age who perhaps experience issues like poverty, illness. Another realistic portrayal is seen through an extreme close up of a black man with dreadlocks, representing ethnic minorities and diversity in London. The portrayal of individuals in heaven is highly realistic as people are captured in their natural state and setting, they have in no way been glammed up for the camera, which seems to be a true reflection of the diversity of people in London.

The final and perhaps the most significant representation in ‘heaven’ is of the artist herself, Emeli Sande. From the very first shot of her, Emeli is portrayed as an individual who is a part of the world in the video, as she does not break the realism of the video. This can be seen in the very first shot where she looks out of a window looking somewhat unhappy, implying how she herself has had negative experiences, connecting her to all the other individuals’ portrayed in the video. Emeli Sande is dressed is also dressed in a casual manner wearing a black overall, with minimal make up which makes her a character in the video rather than a star performer. Another realistic representation of her is the locations in which she is filmed, in various shots Emeli is seen standing in the middle of streets, inserting herself into the street life of East London. However, it can be said that Emeli Sande is an exception in the video. She is the only one professionally dressed, wearing makeup, and she seems to a level of power no one else does. Her presence in the video is almost godly, which questions the extent of her realistic representation.

Overall, it can be said that the representations offered by Emeli Sande’s Heaven are quite realistic as the whole video depicts a natural way of life in the working class district of East London.  The use of real locations and individuals and Sande’s position in this world all work together to create a genuine representation of street life, individuals and the artist.

 

Heaven Homework Question

With reference to Emeli Sande’s heaven how realistic are the representations offered by the video

 

Emeli Sande’s ‘Heaven’ depicts street life in a working class area of East London. The video itself is filmed in Bethnal Green and includes various representations which are realistic. The three most significant representations are the portrayal of street life in London, the presentation of the individuals and Emeli Sande’s presentation of herself as an artist.

Street life in ‘Heaven’ is significant as the whole video is filmed in a real working class district of East London, Bethnal Green, contributing towards the naturalistic representations. The depiction of poverty is quite realistic seen in the two different shots of men, one who is sleeping on the ground with a blanket, and another seen sitting on a carpet at the side of a street. Both these men represent poverty and homelessness in the working class areas of East London. Individuals in reality can be seen in these areas living on streets and sleeping on grounds, hence the representation here is highly realistic and relatable. Another realistic representation of street life in the video is the shot of a mother at a bus stop on a rainy day feeding her child. This shot may reflect the everyday struggles of a working class mother, who has to work and cater for her child. Many other shots of real and natural situations such as graffiti on walls, children playing outside their homes also adds to the naturalistic representation of street life.

Another realistic portrayal is of the individuals. The video shows a montage of a mix of people from different ethnicities, classes and backgrounds, done through various close ups. One of the first shots is of a young white woman in a red backless dress, presented in an ambiguous way as she seems to be sexualised because the camera focuses on her body, but the fact that she walks away from the camera implies how she herself refuses to be objectified. Another shot is of an elderly man who makes direct eye level contact with the camera, he seems to be speaking for people of his age who perhaps experience issues like poverty, illness. Another realistic portrayal is seen through an extreme close up of a black man with dreadlocks, representing ethnic minorities and diversity in London. The portrayal of individuals in heaven is highly realistic as people are captured in their natural state and setting, they have in no way been glammed up for the camera, which seems to be a true reflection of the diversity of people in London.

The final and perhaps the most significant representation in ‘heaven’ is of the artist herself, Emeli Sande. From the very first shot of her, Emeli is portrayed as an individual who is a part of the world in the video, as she does not break the realism of the video. This can be seen in the very first shot where she looks out of a window looking somewhat unhappy, implying how she herself has had negative experiences, connecting her to all the other individuals’ portrayed in the video. Emeli Sande is dressed is also dressed in a casual manner wearing a black overall, with minimal make up which makes her a character in the video rather than a star performer. Another realistic representation of her is the locations in which she is filmed, in various shots Emeli is seen standing in the middle of streets, inserting herself into the street life of East London. However, it can be said that Emeli Sande is an exception in the video. She is the only one professionally dressed, wearing makeup, and she seems to a level of power no one else does. Her presence in the video is almost godly, which questions the extent of her realistic representation.

Overall, it can be said that the representations offered by Emeli Sande’s Heaven are quite realistic as the whole video depicts a natural way of life in the working class district of East London.  The use of real locations and individuals and Sande’s position in this world all work together to create a genuine representation of street life, individuals and the artist.

 

HW Question

How is media language including intertextuality used in burn the witch to construct representations of groups, message and values?

Burn the witch is a narrative music video by Radiohead which depicts the horrific experiences of a man who observes a tyrannical society concealed under the face of an idealistic British town. The video was released before the EU referendum hence it focuses on themes of social exclusion during the immigration crisis. The video uses aspects of media language such as mise en scene and intertextuality to construct alternative messages and values regarding immigration and social exclusion.

Mise en scene is used in Burn the witch constructs messages about the oppression and the theme of appearance vs reality. The video begins by showing a traditional rural British village where the townspeople and mayor seem to agree on an issue. Shots of citizens carrying out daily tasks such as mowing the lawn, painting the post-box further reinforce the happy and normal village life.  The setting implies feelings of warmth and safety in the town which contradicts the concealed oppression, seen in the shots which follow. A man is seen marking someone’s front door with a red cross, eradicating a member, and waving at him at the end , children joyfully play on a dunking chair traditionally used to punish witches, and a beautifully decorated pastry is seen from which blood is dripping. All of these shots are clear examples of oppression in the town, however they appear in a manner which makes it seem that there is nothing wrong, for example the reality of an animal being slaughtered is neatly hidden under the sheet of pastry. Burn the Witch’s use of mise en scene such as setting location, bright lighting give an important message about the reality of oppression which is often concealed under the appearance of stability.

A significant intertextual reference made in Burn the Witch is to the 1973 film The Wicker man, which shows the journey of Sergeant Howie, an outsider on a remote island.  The reference is clearly seen in the final shots of the video where the townspeople show the tourist a wooden effigy, similar to the one shown in the film. This scene is the final act committed to remove the tourist from the town, hence it is a strong message about social exclusion. Throughout the video thbe mayor of then town is seen leading the tourist and showing him the different acts of oppression practiced in the town. For example, towards the middle of the video a woman is seen tied to a tree and men in swords cover her, two women joyfully are seen decorating some wood with flowers  which turns out to be a hanging rope, showing how normal pubic execution is in in town. However, the tourist not once questions the towns idea of justice and punishment, and his silence eventually leads to his death, as he is burned in the effigy. This intertextual reference is perhaps the bands way of spreading the message of people needing to shed light on injustices.

The final piece of intertextual reference made in Burn the Witch is to 1960s animated children’s programmes; Trumpton and Camberwick Green. Both series depicted idyllist communities, created to teach the young values of social solidarity. However Burn the witch seems to mock such traditions through the dark narrative. The video uses similar bright lighting, slow editing and steady camera work, and even characters such as the mayor to construct the same peaceful world. However, the acts of cruelty committed and normalised during the video, for example, children on dunking chairs, the bloody cow pie and the tourist burned in the effigy criticises the ideal worlds the programmes build. Perhaps the band uses the village as a metaphor to give the message of hidden oppression in society, which people often fail to recognize because they are brainwashed into the idea that they exist in a perfect community.  

Overall it can be said that Radiohead uses three different pieces of media language to construct messages around the idea of community, hidden oppression and social exclusion. The band plays with various elements of genre to not only criticise the stereotypes regarding immigration and exclusion but also build a rather alternative viewpoint.

HW Question

How is media language including intertextuality used in burn the witch to construct representations of groups, message and values?

Burn the witch is a narrative music video by Radiohead which depicts the horrific experiences of a man who observes a tyrannical society concealed under the face of an idealistic British town. The video was released before the EU referendum hence it focuses on themes of social exclusion during the immigration crisis. The video uses aspects of media language such as mise en scene and intertextuality to construct alternative messages and values regarding immigration and social exclusion.

Mise en scene is used in Burn the witch constructs messages about the oppression and the theme of appearance vs reality. The video begins by showing a traditional rural British village where the townspeople and mayor seem to agree on an issue. Shots of citizens carrying out daily tasks such as mowing the lawn, painting the post-box further reinforce the happy and normal village life.  The setting implies feelings of warmth and safety in the town which contradicts the concealed oppression, seen in the shots which follow. A man is seen marking someone’s front door with a red cross, eradicating a member, and waving at him at the end , children joyfully play on a dunking chair traditionally used to punish witches, and a beautifully decorated pastry is seen from which blood is dripping. All of these shots are clear examples of oppression in the town, however they appear in a manner which makes it seem that there is nothing wrong, for example the reality of an animal being slaughtered is neatly hidden under the sheet of pastry. Burn the Witch’s use of mise en scene such as setting location, bright lighting give an important message about the reality of oppression which is often concealed under the appearance of stability.

A significant intertextual reference made in Burn the Witch is to the 1973 film The Wicker man, which shows the journey of Sergeant Howie, an outsider on a remote island.  The reference is clearly seen in the final shots of the video where the townspeople show the tourist a wooden effigy, similar to the one shown in the film. This scene is the final act committed to remove the tourist from the town, hence it is a strong message about social exclusion. Throughout the video thbe mayor of then town is seen leading the tourist and showing him the different acts of oppression practiced in the town. For example, towards the middle of the video a woman is seen tied to a tree and men in swords cover her, two women joyfully are seen decorating some wood with flowers  which turns out to be a hanging rope, showing how normal pubic execution is in in town. However, the tourist not once questions the towns idea of justice and punishment, and his silence eventually leads to his death, as he is burned in the effigy. This intertextual reference is perhaps the bands way of spreading the message of people needing to shed light on injustices.

The final piece of intertextual reference made in Burn the Witch is to 1960s animated children’s programmes; Trumpton and Camberwick Green. Both series depicted idyllist communities, created to teach the young values of social solidarity. However Burn the witch seems to mock such traditions through the dark narrative. The video uses similar bright lighting, slow editing and steady camera work, and even characters such as the mayor to construct the same peaceful world. However, the acts of cruelty committed and normalised during the video, for example, children on dunking chairs, the bloody cow pie and the tourist burned in the effigy criticises the ideal worlds the programmes build. Perhaps the band uses the village as a metaphor to give the message of hidden oppression in society, which people often fail to recognize because they are brainwashed into the idea that they exist in a perfect community.  

Overall it can be said that Radiohead uses three different pieces of media language to construct messages around the idea of community, hidden oppression and social exclusion. The band plays with various elements of genre to not only criticise the stereotypes regarding immigration and exclusion but also build a rather alternative viewpoint.