At the beginning of the music video, low key lighting is used to create an instantly dark tone in the music video. As there is no audio accompanying this first low key image, it makes the audience focus on the image and the low key and almost lack of lighting is blatantly obvious. As the music starts, the camera reveals the artists (James Bay) sat in a room that the camera begins to track towards. The fact the music seems quite upbeat and binary opposition is used (conforming to Sven E Carlssons theory) with the high key contrasting the low, the lighting suggests that Bay has hope. As the camera continues to track and the shot gradually changes from a long shot to a close up, more high key lighting is revealed. Natural lighting through the window is almost used as a spotlight highlighting to the audience that the song and lyrics are about Bay himself. Also, the assistance of lyrics like ‘walking home and talking loads’ and ‘seeing shows in evening clothes with you’ makes the light seem like ‘you’ was providing the light in his life. It could also imply that he still has hope for the relationship that the audience assume has ended because of the low key lighting, which takes up the larger proportion of the frame, having connotations of doom.
As the audience realise through the lyrics that Bay is talking about a relationship through lyrics like ‘sleeping in our bed holding something we don’t need’ the high key lighting takes up more of the screen due to the tracking to reveal more of Bays face on which the spotlight is focused on. The fact the lighting is more high key when he begins using personal pronouns like ‘we and our’ the audience realise he is beginning to open up to them and let them understand his feelings towards the relationship more. It suggests he viewed the relationship as something to celebrate and be happy about but now it has changed.
As the lyrics say ‘so come on let it go’ the camera begins to track to the left around Bay revealing more low key lighting with Bay himself as a block to the high key lighting. This can suggest to the audience that he sees himself as the reason the relationship didn’t have hope and that he wasn’t happy about the relationship ending.
When the camera zooms in and out using a graphic match with the black screen, it reveals a mid-shot of Bay sat foregrounded in front of a window. The fact that the horizon/landscape is in the background of Bays head and the sky, which is producing the high key lighting, is above his head. This can symbolise the potential and hope of Bay for the relationship to have worked but as it is visually not in connection with him, it can suggest how it is out of his reach.
As the camera continues to arc around Bay, it also continues to move further away and closer again. This can symbolise how repetitive and cyclical the relationship was and considering he is talking about a breakup; this could be reference for the arguments. As the camera moves physically closer to Bay again (continuing the arc) to a close up of his face, a fire is revealed in the background. The lyrics ‘I’m throwing clothes across the floor’ assisted with the fire can symbolise his passion he used to have for the relationship and how he was fighting to keep it going. However, as the arc continues the fire is visually moved through the foreground and out of shot as the audience hear the lyrics ‘why are we doing, doing, doing it anymore’ which is assisted with the fire leaving the frame which can symbolise the loss of that passion. This is also assisted with the introduction of past tense words like ‘I used to’ and the change of personal pronouns from ‘We’ and ‘Our’ to ‘I’ and ‘myself’ suggesting the breakup was in the past and he has moved on.
As the camera uses the same transition as previously, a mid-shot of Bay is used with a reflective mirror in the background. This can suggest that he is beginning to see and find himself again after everything that has happened in the past. Also, the change in lighting in the background, outside of the window that has been consistent throughout every location is significant. The lighting outside becoming consistently more low key can be a representation for the realisation Bay has around hope for the relationship; he has come to the realisation he doesn’t need to dwell on the relationship anymore. This can also be reflected through the lyrics ‘I think I better walk away’.
As Bay begins to walk away, the fire that was initially represented as the hope Bay had for the relationship, is now replaced by a fire which is destroying the house. This can suggest that the relationship was destructive and he is realising he needs to walk away from it. When he reaches outside, the fire lets of big flames but Bay is foregrounded in front of it with his back facing it as he walks away. This can again represent his realisation that he needs to walk away from the destructive relationship that is no longer being represented as something he desired.
Overall the lighting throughout this video is used as a representation of something that is referred to in the lyrics. This conforms to Goodwin’s’ theory. The lighting is used to help the artist tell a story and has been utilised to create an artistic video.
How will this help me?
After analysing this video, I realise that lighting can be used as a symbolism to portray an artist’s emotions. Not only this, but it can be used in artistic videos with deeper meaning to have subtle connotations to an audience rather than the lyrics and audio directly telling the audience how the artist is feeling. I also realise that lighting can be used as a subtle way to challenge stereotypes whilst keeping up with an artists brand identity. For example, James Bay has a cool and calm aura and conforms to the stereotypes that males are emotionless. Therefore, using lighting to represent an artist emotions challenges this stereotype without changing their image.
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