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Camera shot, angle and movement Ordinary to extraordinary “Redemption Days” by Josh Osho

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Camera shot, angle and movement

Ordinary to extraordinary“Redemption Days” by Josh Osho

This long shot of an estate portrays the taking from ordinary to extraordinary. There is high-key lighting and everything is in focus, the sun makes the estate look more aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore the camera pans the estate to emphasize its importance and brilliance. It is a typical convention of this music video for the camera to pan. In addition the sun shining despite the presence of clouds and connote a brighter horizon which is a central message of the song.

Camera shot, angle and movement

The depth of field is purposefully large. The woman is placed in the middle of the frame so that the rest of the kitchen and it’s appliances can be seen. A link is instantly established with the woman and the kitchen. Although a lot of the lighting is low key and apparently bleak a filter is added that can be seen at the top right hand side of the frame and also on her face. This itself makes the ordinary (and even the woman herself) seem extraordinary; also a central message of the song.

The woman is placed to the left of the frame and the MCU shot allows us to see the woman and the ‘French Products’ store behind her. Therefore the audience can presume that there is a link between the woman and the store as the store is not out of focus. The panning of the camera again infers brilliance in the woman’s normality as a working class human being.

Even simply leaving his car is turned from ordinary to extra ordinary. The man and the car share the same frame. The car reflects the sunlight so its aesthetic values are exaggerated. He has big dreams and has achieved a fashionable car pursuing them; he is a living representation of how ‘Redemption’ is for everybody.

Crane Shot

Crane shots are used constantly as a transition technique. Often the shot will ‘crane’ to the sky which connotes themes of reflection, deep thought and hope. These are central messages in the song.

The Crane Shot is used here to first allow the audience to view the surroundings, there is a build up to the singer’s part. This helps to emphasize the singer’s personality as he is shown to have a profound connection with his surroundings. Also the singer is almost omnipresent throughout the song, when the featuring artist’s part ends the audience may be looking forward to seeing the main artist again; the crane shot helps build this suspense.

The video explores the full spectrum of age and class in the neighborhood it is set in. A contrast between high key lighting and low key lighting can be seen in these stills; such as partial lighting in predominantly dark settings. The presence of this light signifies to the audience that we are all the same no matter our background and we all have the same opportunity for ‘redemption’.

-Half light, half shadow- there is more to them than meets the eye.

-The child is ‘behind bars’. Crime is likely to be a problem in the area, it affects the youth. The graffiti in the background signifies the genuine beauty.

She does not smile, she represents the real struggle of youth in her are. The fact he sits outside her house may also connote problems at home. However the song still promises her a bright future.

Genuine happiness in those usually portrayed as ‘thugs’ in the media

Multicoloured stripey background, more than meets the eye (again)

Older man, low key lighting the darkest setting; deliberate filter; there is hope in darkness, sign of the cross.

Kitchen low key lighting, she does not find fulfilment in the kitchen but there is hope still

Happiness in youth, high key lighting, full of hope

Selling Josh Osho• After watching “Redemption Days” by Josh Osho the central message is evident from the very start, the video wishes to

highlight the struggles of everyday people and the importance in persistence. Josh Osho himself was born in Tooting, South London. Redemption Days is a personal song, the title itself holds deep meaning to the singer himself. His becoming a singer is described by The Guardian as “karmic reward for all the suffering Osho has endured in his short life.” Having ‘slept rough’ and gotten ‘badly beaten up’ the transition from such a low position in life to a heightened degree of happiness it is no surprise that this became one of his main selling points.

• Redemption Days explores the hierarchy of society, focusing mainly on those in lower classes. Throughout the song the camera almost refuses to leave Osho’s side, returning to him after every 2-3 seconds of another cut (usually portraying some essence of lower class life). This itself establishes the link between Osho and the lower classes; who are arguably most susceptible to depression.

• The central message is not pity but perseverance. One shot that emphasizes this is the shot with him and his car in the frame; it connotes that he has achieved success in his life but has only done that from first experiencing bouts of failure and then undergoing redemption.

• His personality comes through as bubbly and passionate. The fact that he speaks from experience creates a profound authenticity in his message; allowing audiences to hold a deeper level of respect.

• Osho was raised by a religious family and attended church two times a week. The establishing shots of buildings with the sun shining in the background is almost biblical in itself. The song is deeply emotional and Osho himself acts like a medium between the song and the audience; and being a medium with experience amplifies the effect.