Sia- Chandelier
Lyrics:
The lyrics in the song represents the emptiness and pain you get with alcoholism and substance abuse, which is something that the artiste had gone through as when she was a child all her parents brought home was drink and she would then party to block out the pain. The phrase used "I'm gonna swing from the chandelier" is a metaphor for partying to the extreme or suggests the thought of suicide, saying things like "keep my glass full until morning light, 'cause I'm just holding on for tonight. Help me, I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes".
Music:
The music goes with the video as the dancing is in time and the camera cuts in time with the beats to make smooth transitions that go with the tempo of the music. The style of the music is quite celebratory sounding which juxtaposes with the theme of the lyrics telling quite a sad story.
The music goes with the video as the dancing is in time and the camera cuts in time with the beats to make smooth transitions that go with the tempo of the music. The style of the music is quite celebratory sounding which juxtaposes with the theme of the lyrics telling quite a sad story.
Genre and mise en scene:
The genre of Chandelier is pop and that is the usual genre of Sias' music. The video is set in a house that almost looks abandoned with the minimal furniture and old looking style, this goes with the message of the song and video, showing how she didn't grow up with much and it wasn't a very comfortable life. The lighting is quite dull with only neutral colours and lighting to go with the pain in the song as it is not about something happy and bright. The girl is wearing a wig which is the same as the one the artiste wears as she is meant to be playing Sia as a child. She is also wearing a skin coloured leotard, almost making her look naked, it seems this has been done deliberately to add a sense on vulnerability having her looking exposed.
The genre of Chandelier is pop and that is the usual genre of Sias' music. The video is set in a house that almost looks abandoned with the minimal furniture and old looking style, this goes with the message of the song and video, showing how she didn't grow up with much and it wasn't a very comfortable life. The lighting is quite dull with only neutral colours and lighting to go with the pain in the song as it is not about something happy and bright. The girl is wearing a wig which is the same as the one the artiste wears as she is meant to be playing Sia as a child. She is also wearing a skin coloured leotard, almost making her look naked, it seems this has been done deliberately to add a sense on vulnerability having her looking exposed.
Cinematography:
There are a lot of long shots to follow the dancing and at some points the camera is a bit slow following the dancing to make it look more manic. There are long shots to show the dancers whole body to see everything she is doing throughout the song. Close ups are used too, showing the facial expressions to add emotion and medium shots to show some things to pay attention to, like when the girl is rubbing her tummy, this is as the song is about the artistes life as a child in ways.
There are a lot of long shots to follow the dancing and at some points the camera is a bit slow following the dancing to make it look more manic. There are long shots to show the dancers whole body to see everything she is doing throughout the song. Close ups are used too, showing the facial expressions to add emotion and medium shots to show some things to pay attention to, like when the girl is rubbing her tummy, this is as the song is about the artistes life as a child in ways.
Editing:
There are mainly long takes used following the dancer round the house, with only a few cuts in places where they aren't very obvious to still seem like the camera hadn't cut, this is to show how she is moving from room to room and that no movements are missed in the clip. The long takes are extremely unusual for a music video as the camera is allowed to move round the house capturing her dancing in different areas.
There are mainly long takes used following the dancer round the house, with only a few cuts in places where they aren't very obvious to still seem like the camera hadn't cut, this is to show how she is moving from room to room and that no movements are missed in the clip. The long takes are extremely unusual for a music video as the camera is allowed to move round the house capturing her dancing in different areas.
Intertextuality:
There isn't any intertextuality in the music video as it is a unique, abstract video following a dance routine to go with the song
There isn't any intertextuality in the music video as it is a unique, abstract video following a dance routine to go with the song
Narrative:
The video is quite abstract in the dance going with the song but in ways the narrative does go with the lyrics, as at points the dancer does actions that in a way shows the story being told, she performs the lyrics of the song through the medium of dance. For example, when the girl walks to the kitchen rubbing her tummy and sitting down with no food in front of her indicates how Sia felt as a child when her parents would just bring home alcohol a lot. The dancing itself is beautifully choreographed- combining grace and fluidity with some more unusual jerky and staccato movements suggesting the spontaneity of a child.
Performance:
There isn't performance in the way that it has the artiste in the video or with lip sincing but the performance is the girl dancing as at points she looks at the camera and how she curtsies and the end looks like she was performing.
There isn't performance in the way that it has the artiste in the video or with lip sincing but the performance is the girl dancing as at points she looks at the camera and how she curtsies and the end looks like she was performing.
Star image/ the brand:
Even though Sia is not in the video the song and the video portrays the pain she had been through and using a child, wearing a wig like the one she wears, represents that child is her and the audience get an insight of what she had been through, being shown in quite an abstract way.
Even though Sia is not in the video the song and the video portrays the pain she had been through and using a child, wearing a wig like the one she wears, represents that child is her and the audience get an insight of what she had been through, being shown in quite an abstract way.
Voyeurism:
The audience are watching an abstract dance that in parts relates to the video to present the way the artiste Sia felt growing up as a child in her life. We are watching her perform seemingly without her knowledge making the video very voyeuristic until the end when she curtsies to the camera, suggesting she knew we were watching the whole time, perhaps she had been manipulating us to see what she wanted us to see about her life.
The audience are watching an abstract dance that in parts relates to the video to present the way the artiste Sia felt growing up as a child in her life. We are watching her perform seemingly without her knowledge making the video very voyeuristic until the end when she curtsies to the camera, suggesting she knew we were watching the whole time, perhaps she had been manipulating us to see what she wanted us to see about her life.
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