http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijel4Vcqd9g

Paloma Faith’s – Picking up the Pieces is about being a relationship where one member of the relationship is still recovering from a previous

relationship. This is shown in the lyrics, ‘Do you think of her? When your with me?’ ‘She’s the other woman?’ She also talks about her trying to live up to the ex girlfriend, ‘She’s flawless, She’s the other woman,

Shining in her splendour’. This is also shown through the lyrics ‘You look so happy are you missing, the way it used to be... And these four walls,

still known as hers and yours’. Faith is also wondering if the relationship is worth the heartbreak she is feeling ‘Tell me please is this worth it? I

deserve it.’

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/palomafaith/pickingupthepieces.html

The video for Picking Up The Pieces is mainly Faith on her own and her boyfriend with his ex, supporting the narrative of him not being over

his ex.

The genre of Faith’s music is generally soul/pop. The first 30 seconds of the video there is no music, instead creating a dialogue and a narrative for the video. Most of the video is diegetic as Faith is singing, however when Faith’s boyfriend and ex are on screen it is non diegetic as they are acting it. After 30 seconds of silence within the video the music comes back in very dramatically after Faith’s boyfriend gets mad at

his ex, this shows the relationship between them came to a stop, and Faith once again became the main person in his life.

This medium close up shot of the ex girlfriend is shown through a mirror, her skin is seen to be very perfect, implying that she spends a lot

of time on her appearance.

This wide shot shows Faith on a bench with a grand building in the background, making Faith

seem more alone than she actually is.

This behind the shoulder shot is of a waitress taking Faith’s boyfriend and his ex a meal, which could represent that the future of their relationship depends on someone else (Faith).

This close up shot of the ex girlfriends lips melting implies that all of the affection and love that she had for him and he for her is

slowly ending, like melting wax.

This medium wide shot shows the Faith and her boyfriend together. They both take up the same amount of the screen implying that they are now both in love with one another the same amount.

This extreme wide shot shows the ex girlfriend through two doors, which could represent that the ex and Faith’s boyfriend are growing

further and further apart.

The mise-en-scene of the Picking Up The Pieces video has being made to make it represent Faith’s loneliness. Throughout most of the video Faith is shot alone, whether it be in car alone, sat on the bench or in an empty woods. Through the use of costume the ex girlfriend is seen to be very seductive (red PVC top under blue lace top) whereas Paloma dressed in a nude suit is seen to very classy and elegant. When Faith’s boyfriend enters the room where his ex girlfriend is the room becomes brighter and grander than the room before, implying that she makes him happier than Faith does. The ex

girlfriend towards the end begins to melt like wax, implying that his love for her is disappearing.