Francesca Boote

-Title/artist Leona Lewis-Bleeding love

Genre Chart/pop

Target audience

13-25

Lyrics The music ties in with the video and I think it works really well. ‘I don’t care what they say I’m in love with you’ – Whatever heartbreak the men have put the women through they will always love them. The next few seconds cut back and forth between Leona Lewis singing in the hall ways, and to the young girl on the bed as she looks through photos of happier times. The next part of this story is when the blond girl from the sofa is able to confront the man about the underwear.He doesn’t seem to make much of an excuse and so it turns into a fight. A mid-shot of both the girl and the boy allows us as the audience to see it from her point of view, the camera is behind her.The camera cuts back to Leona Lewis where again

the lyrics are very relevant to the video and work well together. ‘yet everyone around me think that I’m going crazy’ – I interpreted these lyrics as people that she trust and cares for have told her that this man is not honest however she still puts her trust in him even though everyone knows he will let her down. He shows his emotions, which the audience genuinely believe to be him upset that he has been caught, however we find out these are just ‘crocodile tears’ as he then composes himself before he finds his way into another women’s flat just moments later. The camera then shows a close up of the women face, she is clearly very upset and was obviously in love with this man.

NarrativeThe opening shot is an establishing, low angle shot of a block of flats. From the background we can see it is dark and the moon in the top left represents it is night time. The camera then cuts into a close up of one window, this shows that the main focus of the video is on what is happening in the flat.

We then see Leona Lewis for the first time; the camera zooms into her showing a full body shot. The camera cuts to another girl who is lying on a bed surrounded by photos of herself and her boyfriend/lover. This makes clear the genre and themes of the song and the video-Love and romance, heart break of women.

Francesca Boote

The next shoot tracks along past a young lady that has been crying, it is an establishing shit allowing the audience to recognise she is alone on the sofa. Then we see a close up of her face which again shows she has been crying. It also tells us that she has a lot of makeup on and therefore was planning on going out. This is the beginning of the story line and I feel opens the video well. The story that

the girl is waiting for her boyfriend/husband/lover to come home because she has found another women’s underwear in the flat. This represents women positively but also shows men negatively stereotyping it’s always men that let women down.

The next part cuts to an establishing shot of 4 flats, I think this is a very clever picture that they can create showing the audience what each girl is experiencing and how they are being treated by their partners. Again this gives a negative representation of men. In the top left image we can see Leona Lewis on the floor, alone all dressed up this could represent she is in the same position as the other girls, where she has been let down by a man who she is waiting for. In the bottom left photo the girl is still on the bed, very upset and has started to destroy the photos.

Francesca Boote

This represents women through sex, beauty and I believe this also gives women a negative view as she is allowing a man to come into her home for sex. We see her just after the lyrics ‘they try to fill me with doubts’ I think this proves the men in this video very untrustworthy and very uncaring proving they cannot be trusted.

Then the audience are introduced to a new girl, also very young helping for the song to appeal to young girls.

This shot is very well made, we can see she is also dressed up; she is very anxious which is shown through her body language. Also she is watching the door hoping that someone will be coming for her very soon.

I think this split screen shot of Leona Lewis singing ‘I keep, keep bleeding the love’ kelps explain and tell the story of the way the girl feels, how she has been let down by someone she truly loves and trusted. At this point, the man that has turned up at the women’s house, her partner comes home to find she is in bed with the other man. Now the story starts to portray women just as badly as men, that they are also capable of cheating and that they are not as innocent as they have been represented in the other story lines the audience follow. This then starts a fight between the two men, just before it breaks out in a fight we cut to the other girl burning the photo of her and her boyfriend.

Again the split screen shows the audience Leona Lewis narrating the story of the lives of all these couples and she does it through the lyrics of the song. I think it is very clever how well the lyrics work with the video.

The camera then quickly cuts between all 4 girls and how they are left. One girl burning photos, another girl caught in a fight because she is having an affair/cheating on her boyfriend, the next girl attempting to drown herself because she has been forgotten, and finally back

Francesca Boote

to Leona.

These four pictures from the video show how there lives of the 3 people are all connected and that they all have been treated badly by a partner. I think the lyric work well with these short scenes and Leona tells the story very well through her lyrics.

Themes Love and romance.heart breakLust over men and womenCheating and affairs

Ideology Beautiful womenMen that cheatWomen can’t stay loyal to their husbandsStory ends with a happy ending-fairy tale endingAs the song is finishing our faith in men is restored when he turns up at her door with flowers, he was never with another women cheating, he didn’t leave her waiting all night and he was just late.The video then is on Leona Lewis as she finishes the song, she smiles at the last line. The camera then cuts away and slowly zooms out on the same image as the video opened on.This all happened in one night.

Representation of gender within this

video

Female MaleYoung girls a vulnerableSome seen as sex objectsNo commitment to a manVery emotional and attached Left waiting- they are easily lead on

CheatingUntrusting in relationshipsLiesCan be romantic (man with flowers)Use women for sex

Technical codes

Camera work: Pans across the empty sofa, I think this shows she’s alone, making the room look empty and shows she’s sad.

Shot reverse shot of the girl in the bath and the boy at the door. Makes the audience wonder what’s going to happen. Creating a suspense feeling among the audience.

Sound effects: In the beginning the loud base sound reminds me of a heart beat ‘keep bleeding’ relating to the song well. Creates a theme flowing throughout the video. No Diegetic sound from the narration is in the video, no doors slamming is heard, no shouting during the fights. I think this works because it keeps the audience wanting to understand everything that is happening so they keep watching.

Francesca Boote

Symbolic codes Wearing jewellery and the sparkling dress suggests she is dressed up. She has all her hair perfect and makeup is done. Costume and makeup are important in this video. All the girls seem very dressed up as if they are waiting for a boy. Not only does the boy ruin their night but as she cry’s she is ruining her makeup.

The importance of the quick shot of a phone then a cut to her checking the time again shows the audience she is waiting for someone to ring or meet her.

Audience readings Preferred reading I believe is the way I have understood the video, I believe it’s a

serious video and does not want to make people laugh however nor does it want to offend people. It has a serious message and she is signing about something she is passionate about.

My overall opinion about this music video is very positive; I think it works well together with the song and with the narrative. I think she is a very successful artist and she is creative with her song choice and video.