2. Background Information
S ‘Another Love’ is a song by British singer-songwriter, Tom
Odell, which featured in his debut album ‘Songs from
Another Love’ (2012)
S The song was released in the UK as a digital download
on 17th June 2013
S It became Odell’s first top UK hit when it reached number
10 in the single chart on 29th June 2013
S Odell’s genre of music can be described as folk, indie
pop
S He is under the label of Columbia Records, and In The
Name Of
3. Lyrics and meaning of the
song
S This song is describing the pain that the singer is going
through by not being able to love the woman in his new
relationship because of negative feelings caused by his
previous relationship, such as trust issues and sadness
S This is why the fact he is staring straight down the
camera for the duration of the video, and that he is
ignoring his girlfriend show him affection, and show anger
towards him etc., shows that he is completely caught up
in his past relationship
4. Lyrics and meaning of the
song
Some examples how the singer’s point comes is displayed:
S The chorus – ‘On another love, another love. All my tears have
been used up’
S The verses – ‘And if somebody hurts you, I wanna fight. But my
hands been broken, one too many times’… ‘I wanna sing a
song, that'd be just ours. But I sang 'em all to another heart’.
6. Camerawork
S Throughout the video Odell is seen to be staring straight
down the camera, whilst seeming to ignore what is going
on around him
S He stays in the same position
throughout the video, which
adds to the eeriness of it
S For example…
7. Camerawork
S The camera position does not move throughout the
whole video. Tracking shots, POV shots or cutaway shots
are featured in the video
S The use of a few similar shots throughout the video, e.g.
close ups, medium shots, two shots and medium-long
shots, enhances the singers focus on what he is singing
about; in this case, about how his previous relationship is
haunting him and affecting his current relationship
S The only slight variation of camerawork through the
duration of the video is the use of some panning shots
and the slow zooming out, which allows the audience to
gain more of an idea of the location as the video
progresses on
8. Camerawork
S The final shot resorts back to the beginning shot, with
another extreme close-up
of the singer’s face
S This technique of
repeating a shot during
a music video is common.
S The singers face acts as an
anchoring motif for the
audience, which also
promotes the artist
9. Editing
S First minute and a half of the music video, there doesn’t
seem to be very obvious uses of technical editing due to
there being no cuts throughout the whole video
S At the beginning, during the extreme close up on the
singers face, there seems to be a blue coloured tint to the
shot, until the spotlight shines onto his face
S The first visible use of editing is when the female
character fades out and then quickly after the bookshelf
and cupboards fade in
10. Mise-en-Scene
Costumes
S The singer is dressed very casually in a jumper and
trousers
S The female character, however, is seen to be in a series
of different outfits and changes throughout the video
S This could enhance the fact that she is trying to impress
the singer, and trying to grab his attention but he is not
interested due to his previous love
S This also shows the difference in their attitude within their
relationship that she is making an effort with her
appearance, whereas he is not making an effort at all
11. Mise-en-Scene
Location
S The setting of the video seems to be in a run down flat,
which is in very bad condition as you can see the cracks
in the walls and the missing paintwork etc…
S Nearer the end of the video where the bookcase and the
other furniture fades into the picture, that could be
interpreted as what the flat looked like before the girl left
him
S It also enhances the extent to which he has been affected
by this previous relationship because when the girlfriend
is wrecking the flat, he is just staring straight down the
camera without taking any notice
12. Lighting
S Low-key lighting is used at the beginning of the video,
then it seems to gradually get lighter, which may be a
connotation of the progression from nighttime to sunrise
S Throughout most of the
video there is a spotlight to
the right of the singers face,
which causes shadowing
on the left side, which
enhances the eeriness of
the mood
13. Lighting
S As the tempo increases with the song, the lighting dims,
which I interpreted as it progressing into the evening
S The lighting has a slight orange tinge to it, which makes
the surrounding location look more authentic
S As the song is finishing, it goes back to the very low-key
lighting with the blue tint to it, the same as to which the
song started
S This could connote the cycle of a day, where it went from
dusk, to sunrise, to daylight, to the evening with lamplight
then back to dusk
14. Theory in the video
E.A. Kaplan in Rocking around the Clock: Music Television,
Postmodernism and Consumer Culture (1987)
S Kaplan explains the necessity and requirement of returning to
a close up of the singer’s face during the music video
S Kaplan describes the reason for this as the singer’s face acts
as a key anchoring motif, which us subsequently resulted as
being a visual hook for the audience
S This theory is used throughout the whole music video as Odell
consistently looks straight down the camera
S There are also close up’s of Odell’s face which are featured at
the opening and closing seconds of the video
15. Theory in the video
Laura Mulvey in ‘Visual Pleasures and Narrative
Cinema’ Screen Vol.16 No.3 (1975)
S Mulvey describes the concept of scopophilia, which is
where images of women are created and incorporated for
the gratification of men
S This is seen when the female
character is seen to undress
herself, whereby you can
see the back of her in the
reflection in the mirror.
