Music Video: Emeli Sande - Star Persona

 

"During my time studying medicine, I found it hard to write, but one of the things that inspired me were the patients and the interaction that they had with their loved ones during their time of illness. When people arrived at the hospital, money, and status became irrelevant and only health mattered, which sparked an honesty between people which was amazing. This interaction, declaration of support and love, was the inspiration"

- Emeli Sandé

Emeli Sandé, born on the 10th March 1987, seems to be very down-to-earth despite being a music star. She has a clear understanding of the many issues that many people experience and shows both sympathy & empathy towards them; e.g. within the music video of 'Heaven'. This is probably because of her dedication and "hunger" for learning where she had studied medicine for five years at Glasgow University. After she had earned a degree in neuroscience, she left the medical career area with confidence that even if her music career failed, she could "fall back on" to the medical career path.

As the quote above highlights, the inspiration for her music was the patients and the many interactions that she; and those around her, had with them. Because of those, I believe she is a compassionate woman and has messages that everyone should listen to.

The female singer, within her music videos, seems more focused on the message she is sharing and wishes for her audience to focus on her messages, as she rarely sings directly into the camera - indicating that she is not the main focus of her songs despite her being the singer. This may present her as humble compared to many other singers who place themselves in the spotlight as the main focus.

Magazines - Covers and Contents Pages

Magazine Covers

Today, most magazine covers generally include an image of a famous and/or popular celebrity that almost everyone recognizes immediately, and text laid out surrounding the image. 

An example is the magazine cover above which includes an image of a popular actress; Jennifer Lawerence, in the center of the cover with a few pieces of text dotted around the image. In this case, the image is a medium close-up shot of the celebrity. 

The magazine cover above has a more black and dark theme to it as the gradient background colour matches with the celebrity's clothing & makeup (mascara) and the brand name at the top of the cover. 

The text itself is simple and targets different groups of the reading audience (i.e. those into fashion - "...best new make-up brands" or those into music, specifically Taylor Swift's music - "Taylor Swift, new album, new look". This method could also draw in a larger reading audience if people notice what is actually featured in the magazine, compelling them to buy it. Another interesting aspect of the text is that it is in a different font and colour from the brand name so that it stands out; however, it also has a range of different sizes and boldness. This makes it easier for the reading audience to identify the different featured articles/stories included as well as the different topics. 

Contents Pages

Contents pages, like magazine covers, generally have an image of a celebrity or famous person. In the example above, it is a medium-wide shot.