Analysis of Music Videos

     

Adele- Rolling in the Deep

   

              


Genre
Soul and rhythm&blues is clearly shown in this song as the audience are told to focus mainly on Adele's voice.

Representation
Adele in this video is signifying strong, sophisticated women can cope with tough events. Also is showing that she has matured in her album '21' in comparison to the songs on her previous album '19'. She also clearly represents her talented voice and that women can be powerful in their own way.

Mood
The song reflects a very sad and and revengeful sense and this is shown through straight facial expressions whilst the lyrics are saying 'don't underestimate the things that i will do'. This is also represented through the smashing of glass to illustrate anger. Secondly, this is also demonstrated within the use of little colour and the dim low key lighting throughout. There is also no performance elements or costume changes in this video and this coincides with the reflections of the song showing it as very static and blunt with the storyline its trying to portray.

Theme
I believe the theme of this song is relationships and 'lost love' as the lyrics represent anger towards an old boyfriend. This is shown through the still medium shots of her sitting on the chair with no lip syncing going on to show her true emotions without having to sing to express that.

• 'I'm gonna make your head burn'
• 'You had my heart inside of your hand'

Relationship

There are little moments where we see a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals keeping it very realistic and basic. The one relationship is shown when Adele is singing about 'crystal clear' and 'rolling in the deep' a room full of glasses are shown to correlate the transparency of water with what occurs in relationships.

Camera

Close ups of Adele is shown in the build up to the chorus of her face to show the emotion and power she feels for her own song and the story it's portraying. The camera is usually zooming in and out of Adele from various different angles to show her sat in the same place through the entirety of the video. This is a clear way to show her emotions towards what she is singing about. Cutaways to another scene where a women is in snow with a sword. This could illustrate how Adele is feeling inside and her inner emotions being portrayed as destructive and angry. The audience also see shots of glass being thrown at a wall as well as the pile of broken plate on the floor. This may also connote her anger being expressed outwardly.   

Editing

The pace of the video speeds up towards the end and within the chorus and this is shown through the quick blunt cuts to various scenes keeping the audience engaged in whats going on. Secondly, the drum beat that runs throughout the whole music video is very influential in the visuals we see  as well as the pace of the editing itself.

Mis-en-scene

• Muted colours such as beige and natural browns however the primary interest is the contrast between black and white.
• There is a clear difference between the light and dark colours creating enigmatic codes for the audience to work out what they are illustrating which could connote good and evil.
• The chairs surrounding her are all covered up which signifies she is moving house, however the one she is sitting on is shown which could represent defiance.
• The smashed plates could demonstrate the relationship fighting and when we see the pile of it all smashed up this could illustrate how hurt the fights make the artist feel.

Andrew Goodwin

This video clearly supports Goodwin's theory as their is relationship between the lyrics and the visuals however some of this is shown metaphorically making the audience work it out for themselves which keeps them fully engaged.

Uses and Gratifications

This video allows the audience to make a relationship with Adele as some people could relate to the story she is telling and others may empathise for her. Personal identity is also shown as the primary audience may position themselves in society; Adele is portrayed as an elegant, mature, sophisticated women this may allow the audience to reflect on themselves.