Mandisa’s music video “Overcomer” is enlightening and encouraging. Her video is effective as she uses visuals in a smart and strategic way. By including common people who are easy to relate to she achieves her theme. Her message is: no matter the hardships you can become an overcomer if you set your mind to it. The visual element of Filmic Language contributes to the theme and is seen in many ways throughout the video. The video uses filmic language elements and their components such as close ups, establishing shots, and bug’s eye view.  The use of camera shots in Mandisa’s Overcomer illustrates the theme of overcoming hardships across the video. 

Close up shots are seen in videos where a subject is the major focus in a frame. This aids in Mandisa’s theme as it shows a close view of a subject’s face during their initial process of overcoming. In the opening 8 seconds of Mandisa’s video there is a close up of an individual who appears to be an athlete. Both his sweat and his focus are emphasized in the images which are easily associated with hard work. When working hard an individual tends to sweat and keep a serious face, and emphasizing this through images causes the individual to appear focused. 

In the music video, another significant close up is in use. The close up is of a woman’s face as she is about to cry (28). This type of shot is close enough to see the pain in the woman’s eyes allowing us to relate to the individual. Everybody has felt pain in some way and has cried as she has. This scene allows for sympathy with the individual. The purpose of these images are to grab attention and relate to the pain the individual is portraying through her expression. These close ups are used in the beginning to acknowledge the actors on a deeper level while also causing them to relate to their pain hardships they are facing. This element contributes to Mandisa’s theme as it shows the pain and hardship prior to becoming an overcomer. These close ups lead into to the next type of shots, establishing shots.

Establishing shots show a broad spectrum of a whole scene by being zoomed out. This kind of shot seen in Mandisa’s video contributes to the theme of overcoming by showing the environment necessary for each to succeed after we initially see the close up shot of the subject. The music video includes establishing shots that include the people from the close ups. In the establishing shots, Mandisa pinpoints where these individuals are located. It is evident in a different shot of the same woman that she is crying in a hospital (43). The establishing shot displays this and is also a wide shot so the scene can be fully witnessed. Then 10 seconds later you see that same woman in a gym/rehab area (53). The shot captures the equipment in the background so that it’s obvious where she is. This hints at the theme that crying and doing nothing will not solve problems. The crying woman has now wiped her tears and is seen in a gym trying to become stronger and work towards a goal. Farther on into the video, the establishing shot displays the woman to be back at work with a smile on her face (1:22). These establishing shots help to emphasize the theme that the woman is on the track to overcoming her obstacles. The woman was not being lazy around the house, she was at a rehab center working on her strength to better herself. The establishing shots contribute to Mandisa’s theme as it shows the environment necessary to defeat obstacles and achieve goals. The message is that an individual should surround themselves in an area where they can improve and be successful. 

In addition to establishing shot, a bug’s eye view is used in the video as well. A bug’s eye view is a shot from the ground looking up towards a subject. This type of shot illustrates the success after overcoming obstacles, it serves as a way to give the actor strength. The actors are seen as ones who have risen above their hardship. In the video, the woman who defeated her illness is seen from the bugs eye view shaking people’s hands and has a huge smile on her face (3:22). This depicts her as a role model as the audience is looking up to her. The camera has given her a high position as she is placed higher than the audience. This helps prove Mandisa’s theme. It shows that with hard work, one can become an overcomer. The bug’s eye view shows that one can have a higher status if he or she works hard and overcomes the pain that was bearing down on them. 

The goal of the bug’s eye view shot is also evident in 3.5 minutes into the video as well. It is of the woman who wanted to lose weight (3:5). She didn’t let her size affect her from working out, she instead used it as motivation to overcome it. The camera positions her higher up as she is in the gym working hard. This too puts the camera in a position where it is looking up to her. This also serves to show how he or she can achieve their goals if they work hard like the woman in the gym. The angle of both the woman who defeated her illness and the woman who lost weight helps Mandisa’s claim that one can overcome obstacles and even be seen as a role model to others. 

Altogether Mandisa’s music video, Overcomer, can relate to many people. Whether it is someone having trouble with an illness, weight, athletics, or other issues- they all can take something from this video. Mandisa achieves her theme as she expresses through visuals that anyone can become an overcomer no matter their hardship- as long as they set their mind to it. The close ups caused views to feel the emotions as it brought the camera to a close enough distance to see the actor’s eyes and sense what they were going through. This reinforced the establishing shots that depicted the actors’ environment that helped them to better themselves. With the bug’s eye view, it led the actor to having more power as they did their best to improve. All these elements from filmic language develop Mandisa’s point about hardships. No matter the obstacle, we can all be overcomers if we work hard and not let our emotions and pain get the best of us. 