The video I will be analyzing is “Heaven” by Beyonce. The video used imagery to point to a  motif of memories. Throughout the whole video it goes back and forth between happy memories and being sad in a church or cemetery.Without the memories there would be no connection made with the viewer. One could conclude that these are memories because there are so many different things going on but the one thing that is constant is the church and cemetery.  Even without listening to the lyrics you can conclude that she has lost a close friend. There are many images of her with a friend going through so many life events. The reoccurrence of memories convey that she is trying to show that she has lost a close friend too soon and how the experience is all so bittersweet.

The first scene I am picking is the first memory shown and unlike some other memories it is Beyonce, the friend and other friends (:42-:46). It is showing them around a bonfire, dancing and laughing. For most of the scene it is a close up shot of a friend shaking champagne. The friend is wearing a bold red bathing suit, which draws the viewer’s attention to her. The rest of the scene is mainly showing the background of the fire and everyone laughing and having a good time. This scene really encapsulates the meaning of this video because everyone is having such a good time doing something so simple. You can tell that they are all close and care for each other and that is why they are enjoying themselves so much. There isn't much of a color scheme in this first scene because it is dark outside, but there is the hue of the fire reflecting off of face, which makes me think of glowing with joy or happiness. The scene really pulls my gaze to the girl dancing with the champagne and also it focuses in on Beyonce to show how happy she is and how close she and the girl were.

Throughout the whole video there is a girl with red hair in each of the memories scenes and you can conclude that that is the friend that Beyonce has lost. They clearly make her hair red so she stands out. Not only does the red hair stand out but it is also different representing how special the friend is. Which leads me to the second memory scene that I’d like to elaborate on. It is a scene of Beyonce and the friend getting tattoos (2:26-2:30). This scene shows that the friend really pushed her to do crazy things. She helped get her out of her comfort zone. Having a friend like that is special and would be hard to lose.

The next scene that stood out to me was the scene at the wedding. Beyonce is right there with the friend at the dinner (1:51-1:56). This scene shows how close they are and not only how special the friend is to Beyonce but how special Beyonce is to the friend. That is the whole meaning of the video, some people are special to others and how special people can be taken too soon. The whole video you see happy memories or you see sad present day times. You can tell they are memories because they are all with the same person and so many important life events happen. They get tattoos, the friend gets married, Beyonce meets the friend’s baby, they go on a road trip, and so many other little things that they are happy to be doing. 

At the end of the video, even though it isn't a memory scene, Beyonce is walking toward the camera in a cemetery and you see the sun in the background (3:18-3:24). You can gather from this scene that she is visiting her friend’s grave. Even though you can tell she is sad, the colors in the background pull your gaze. The sun is in the background and it really stands out because it is contradicting everything else. When I see it, it seems to represent the friend being there in spirit, shining over Beyonce and brightening up Beyonce’s life even while she's gone, just as she did when she was alive. This scene really pulls the whole video together and encapsulates what the video is trying to convey.  

The video is contradicting. There are many scenes of happy times and scenes of sad times. Even though the memories are in the past, they show that the deceased friend lived a full life. She completed all of her goals in her life and even though she died young she had a fulfilling life. This is why the video isn’t sad the whole time. The video conveys that even though the friend was taken too soon she lived fully and made those around her happy. Overall this video makes an emotional statement about death by portraying both happy and sad scenes. The memories throughout the video connects the viewer to the video , and the images help the viewer understand the meaning even without hearing the lyrics. This video is all about a friend being taken too soon but there are clips of memories all throughout the video that make one realize that the video is very bitter sweet. There is much sadness and happiness wrapped into one video portraying a multitude of emotions. 
