2. Paloma Faith’s – Picking up the Pieces is about being a relationship where
one member of the relationship is still recovering from a previous
relationship. This is shown in the lyrics, ‘Do you think of her? When your
with me?’ ‘She’s the other woman?’ She also talks about her trying to
live up to the ex girlfriend, ‘She’s flawless, She’s the other woman,
Shining in her splendour’. This is also shown through the lyrics ‘You look
so happy are you missing, the way it used to be... And these four walls,
still known as hers and yours’. Faith is also wondering if the relationship
is worth the heartbreak she is feeling ‘Tell me please is this worth it? I
deserve it.’
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/palomafaith/pickingupthepieces.html
The video for Picking Up The Pieces is mainly Faith on her own and her
boyfriend with his ex, supporting the narrative of him not being over
his ex.
3. The genre of Faith’s music is generally soul/pop. The first
30 seconds of the video there is no music, instead creating a
dialogue and a narrative for the video. Most of the video is
diegetic as Faith is singing, however when Faith’s boyfriend
and ex are on screen it is non diegetic as they are acting it.
After 30 seconds of silence within the video the music comes
back in very dramatically after Faith’s boyfriend gets mad at
his ex, this shows the relationship between them came to a
stop, and Faith once again became the main person in his life.
4. This medium close up shot of the ex girlfriend
is shown through a mirror, her skin is seen to
be very perfect, implying that she spends a lot
of time on her appearance.
This wide shot shows Faith on a bench with a
grand building in the background, making Faith
seem more alone than she actually is.
This behind the shoulder shot is of a waitress
taking Faith’s boyfriend and his ex a meal,
which could represent that the future of their
relationship depends on someone else (Faith).
5. This close up shot of the ex girlfriends lips
melting implies that all of the affection and
love that she had for him and he for her is
slowly ending, like melting wax.
This medium wide shot shows the Faith and her
boyfriend together. They both take up the same
amount of the screen implying that they are now
both in love with one another the same amount.
This extreme wide shot shows the ex girlfriend
through two doors, which could represent that
the ex and Faith’s boyfriend are growing
further and further apart.
6. The mise-en-scene of the Picking Up The Pieces video has being made to make
it represent Faith’s loneliness. Throughout most of the video Faith is shot
alone, whether it be in car alone, sat on the bench or in an empty woods.
Through the use of costume the ex girlfriend is seen to be very seductive
(red PVC top under blue lace top) whereas Paloma dressed in a nude suit is
seen to very classy and elegant. When Faith’s boyfriend enters the room
where his ex girlfriend is the room becomes brighter and grander than the
room before, implying that she makes him happier than Faith does. The ex
girlfriend towards the end begins to melt like wax, implying that his love
for her is disappearing.
