Adele's music video for "Someone Like You" features her dressed casually walking alone through Paris, emphasized through black and white cinematography. Close-ups show her facial expressions of pain and hurt over a lost love. Wide shots depict her isolation as she watches her former partner walk away, conveying her depressed and gloomy state after the relationship ends. The simple editing and cinematography help communicate Adele's feelings of heartbreak and loneliness.
2. Institutional Information
Artist : Adele Laurie Blue Adkins
Song : Someone Like You
Released: 24th January, 2011
Producers: Adele & Dan Wilson
Genre: Soul & Pop
Type: Narrative
3. Mise En Scene Used:
Throughout the music video, Adele is dressed in a simple coat showing
casualness. Her hair and make are also very natural and simple.
Location used is also vital to show the meaning behind Adele's music video as
she is walking alone in Paris. A city that is known for romance and love.
This is shown by the Eiffel tower being present in her video.
The black and white effect on the music video shown continuously
throughout the whole video emphasises on her sad, miserable like life.
4. Camera techniques
Many simple edits were used in this music video, in order to stress the fact
that Adele is lonely and upset.
Close Up: allows the audience to see Adele's facial expression. The close up to
her eyes, shows pain within her and so the audience are able to
acknowledge that she is hurting.
The use of direct address, allows
Adele to communicate to her
audience, which again stressed on her
emotional depressing feeling of losing
her loved one.
5. Camera techniques continued...
Wide shot: allows the audience to see Adele's surroundings where we see
that she is walking alone by herself. This adds to the effect of the message
that she is trying to put across by showing that she is isolated and
abandoned.
Two shot: allows us to see that Adele is
watching the man as he walks away from
her, as if he is symbolising that he is
walking away from her life. The medium
close up also allows the audience to see
Adeles facial expression, where we see
that she is depressed and gloomy. The
grey scale also ands to that message as is
shows and represents a lifeless vibe.
6. Conclusion
Overall, I think that the effects and camera
techniques helped Adele put across her
message of being heart broken. The narrative
side of the music video allows Adele to show a
story throughout, where the audience are
continuously updated and reminded of the
message that Adele is putting across.