With reference to Emeli Sande's "Heaven", how realistic are the representations offered by the video? In your answer, you should consider the social and cultural context.

Neila Bazileviciute

With reference to Emeli Sande's "Heaven", how realistic are the representations offered by the video? In your answer, you should consider the social and cultural context. 

Heaven is the debut single from Emeli Sande, the Scottish singer and songwriter. The song was released on 14th August 2011 by Virgin Records, and was the first release from Sande's debut album 'Our Version of Events. This song was released alongside the Heaven music video, which was released onto Emeli Sande's YouTube account. The song was written about the younger generation and how they grow up too fast and are influenced by friends, family members, education and the media. Using Andrew Goodwin's music video theory of the 5 aspects of the music video; the music video is a performance video, as well as a narrative because the singer is seen lip-synching, and the music video tells a story.

In terms of representation in this music video, there are many. Firstly, we could talk about how street life and urban culture is represented. In the mis-en-scene, the video is shown in a montage of people within people, places and events shot in traditionally working-class areas of Bethnal Green, which is where the music video was originally shot. The use of the location Bethnal Green is significant because it's very naturalistic, as well as the people in it and it depicts actual reality and how people actually live; in poverty or under the influence of drugs, and we see that in Emeli Sande's music video. The idea that they used real people for the music video is significant because it can show the real naked face of the world, instead of everything being so perfect, glamorized and sugar-coated, it gives the music video a documentary-like style, which is not as conventional for a music video today and it can also be said that there is no particularly dominant race or ethnicity seen in the music video, it's all inclusive, which would make the target audience feel connected and positive about the message being spread; that everyone is equal. In terms of other elements like the costumes used, the people are seen wearing naturalistic and realistic clothes that everyone would wear in general, such as a hoodie and a pair of jeans with trainers, this is a contrast to other music videos, because usually the people would be wearing very high-end and fashionable clothes, but Emeli Sande's music video rejects this convention. Furthermore, we can see a lot of close-up shots, for example when the camera zooms in on the people; connoting their facial expressions, which makes the music video more realistic, because again, it shows how harsh the world can be. We can also see use of mid-shots, where we can see the people from waist up, as well as the background, which are mostly very urban areas, such as alleyways with dark lighting. The use of dark lighting could signify how the people on street are in a bad place, that they're suffering from either poverty or the influence of drugs, and the use of dark lighting is used a lot throughout the music video.

Another theme that's represented is spirituality and religion. We can see this element through her lyrics; "Oh heaven, I wait with good intentions" which could symbolise Christianity, as it is all about being good and doing good in life, including loving your neighbour and your enemy. Perhaps here, the artist means people are trying to be good in order to reach their destination which is heaven. The lyrics "something's gone inside me and I can't get it back" could signify sins and redemption, that perhaps the people who have committed sins, are trying to redeem themselves and wash away their sins, so that they're given the chance to reach heaven. An even more obvious point that it represents Christianity, could be the use crosses throughout the video as well. There's also an element of angel wings being used in the music video, which could symbolise the people with the angel/angel wing tattoos are the good people, and in terms of religion, angels are seen to be the messengers of God, and that they're beings of light and positivity. Moreover, the people are seen to be constantly looking up in the music video, which could symbolise they're looking at the Gods, even the artist herself is seen looking up at the sky. In terms of more mis-en-scene, the lighting is very bright and naturalistic, which could signify her lyrics "Oh heaven", as the lighting is heavenly and bright. In addition to this, the artist or anyone else in the video is not sexualised, which could relate to religion. 

The final theme we're going to explore is the artist herself and how she is being represented. During the beginning of the music video, she is represented as a sad and vulnerable person, which could be corroborated by the use of dull lighting in the mis-en-scene. She is also seen not making any direct address with her audience, which subverts to the normal conventions of a music video, as normally the artist in the music video would make direct address with the audience. However, at some point, due to the use of a close-up shot, she is indeed seen making direct address once, which could make the target audience feel connected to her. Furthermore, she is not being sexualised, the artist instead, is presented as a respectable admirable and elegant woman, which is not a common form of representation in the music industry. In terms of other representations of her like class, she is
being portrayed as middle class, whereas the man next to her at the end of the video, is low class and could possibly be poor.

In conclusion, Emeli Sande's music video of "Heaven" explores a range of themes which are interesting and deep to think about and explore.