ANALYZING A MUSIC VIDEO- FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE- COSMIC

LOVE

Medium close up shot, fixed camera as we watch Florence follow the ball of light

Analysis

This medium close up, is at eye level as a fixed camera shot, it shows Florence emerging from the bushes looking at a ball of light. The ball of light represents a star, as we hear in the lyrics ‘ a falling star’ this shows that the song is spacy and cosmic, which is what the song title suggests.

Music/lyrics-’A falling star fell from your heart’

No editing, fixed camera shot of her as she emerges from the bushes following a ball of light

medium long shot tracking Florence as she gets up in a contemporary dance type of way, as she is in a room of mirrors and lights.

Analysis

 This medium long shot shows Florence as she dances in the mirrored room with twinkly lights everywhere. This supports the alternative genre that Florence and the machine are. The mirrored room makes Florence look spacy which relates the lyrics to the visuals on screen. The bright lights also have connotations with the bright stars in space but with a twist to fit the bands alternative style.

Music/lyrics- ‘I’m always in this twilight’

cuts to shots of her dancing in the mirrored room with lights

Close up shot Analysis

As we see Florence in this close up shot of her emerging from the bushes, there are lights behind her, which are trying to make her look cosmic, in her alternative genre way. Also you cant see her face clearly, only part of her clothes and the bush that she is going through, this makes me think of someone that is ‘spaced out’ a term given to someone that is high and confused. This screen shot also shows Florence's brand identify of alternative in her location which is mystical and make believe.

Music/lyrics –’I can hear your heart beat’

Cut away shots from Florence going through the bushes and her in the sparkly room with lights and mirrors

Low angle shot. Medium long shot

Analysis

In this shot the lighting changes from the bright glittery mirrored room to the more cosmic looking dark room. Also she has changed her costume, she now looks like an alien moving around the mirrored room with lots of lights in that look like stars. This is alternative, as this is not the conventional sense of something being spacy and cosmic .This is how Florence adds her brand identity.

Music/lyrics- ‘the stars, the moon’

Follows Florence as she spins around the room and has cut away shots to her in another location

Close up shot of Florence's face which is on the left side of the shot

Analysis

In this shot we see Florence almost in a state of slumber and in an almost a limbo state. The background makes it look like she is against the twinkling of the stars. As Florence is in the shadows it almost relates to how she looks like she’s in the shadows and the lights in the background represent the heart

Music/lyrics- “In the shadow of your heart”

The camera pans around Florence's face with cut away shots to her in other locations