This is the music video Back to Black by Amy Winehouse.
I think this video gives a good insight to how the mise en scene can be used effectively to relate to a song's lyrics and give a strong impact to the way the song is seen.
Mise en scene.
The video is based around a funeral of a person and everyone is dressed in dark colours. The scene depicts a mournfulness which is reflected in the tone and lyrics of the song. The music has an almost funeral-like sound with the bells which is matched by the story that the video is telling.
The video itself is quite intriguing as it makes the audience want to know what is actually happening and whose funeral it is, in which they are all going to.
Editing.
The music video is in black and white the whole way through; which again reflects the mournful tone of the music and lyrics. The overall pace of the video is pretty slow compared to others I have seen - also matching the downbeat reflectiveness of the song.
There is one part in the video which I find to be the most effective. This is when Amy Winehouse drops the flower on to the coffin of a loved one and at the exact time the flower hits the coffin ; a funeral-like bell chimes. It adds the the heaviness of the mood and the flower that is being dropped. It is very effective because it emphasizes the music and makes it more emotive.
I like this video because it thoroughly portrays the emotion well from the lyrics and puts it into context for the audience to view on screen. However, it did not sell as well as other Amy Winehouse songs, so it could mean that this type of video is subjective in the audience it attracts.
