Sam Smith- 'Too good at goodbyes' Analysis

Sam Smith- ‘Too good at goodbyes’

Performance

There are three different locations: the alley, the pub and the park which are predominantly white and green. There are four different mise en scene locations and costumes with a big focus on ambient lighting with the alley shot being filmed during different parts of the day and the pub has low key lighting. Direct address is used to involve the audience as well as a collection of close ups, medium close ups, long shots and medium shots. The camera tracks forwards and backwards with the last instance of tracking backwards signifying the end of the video. The depth of the field is in shallow focus to emphasise that Sam is the star of the video and the emotions he is conveying in the video. 

Narrative

There are two shots of different characters and a large range of camera angles demonstrates the characters hugging each other with sad facial expressions exposing the audience to the tragic story line. The key editing technique is all the videos being in slow motion which contrasts with the performance segment of the video. There is a clear theme of break-up, loss, friendship and lack of commitment. This music video has a large range of diversity though gay and lesbian relationships across white, black and mixed race individuals which breaks heteronormative societal normalities. There is a large representation of negative emotions as connoted through symbols such as flowers signifying loss. As these emotional scenes take place, the camera is closer. Lastly, as Sam Smith himself is a part of the narrative, it reinforces the concept of stardom as he is in both the narrative and the performance shots signifying that he is the centre focus.