54th Grammy Awards

This video I took with my computer is a closeup of me, pans to a far away shot of my roommate, and then back to a closeup of me. It was taken in our common room in McAuley Hall (see the movie posters on the wall behind me!) during the first hour of watching the awards ceremony.

Last night, February 12, 2012, the 54th Grammy Awards were held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. As was to be expected, Whitney Houston was honored by various artists and the host, LL Cool J, throughout the night. Her death was tragic and those feelings were raw at the awards ceremony. Here is a picture I took while watching the awards in my room of LL's opening monologue as he speaks about Houston. Dressed in his tuxedo and topped with a fashion-statement hat, LL's face is clearly somber and he spoke for everyone in the room and declared a night to celebrate music and remember the life of a hero in the industry.

Later in the night, American Idol star Jennifer Hudson performed Houston's hit "I Will Always Love You" in dedication of the late singer. The lighting was dark and the spotlight was on Hudson. The image starts far away and slowly moves to a closeup of her. The camera shot used is a master shot, rhythmically changing between closeups and far shots of Hudson, using a slow pan to switch. This slowness added to the sorrowful mood. It ended in a really creative way, the camera circling around Hudson in a far shot, as we see her back, the audience and the lights streaming down from the ceiling, giving it an almost heavenly effect. Whitney Houston was indeed looking down on everyone last night, and they up at her, on the night that celebrates accomplishments in music. This is the feeling that was portrayed to me in the ending shot of this beautiful performance. I would really also like to comment on the sounds in this video, not only of Jennifer Hudson's stunning voice, but on the reverence that is clearly present in the silence of the audience as they look on. They do cheer at one point in the middle of the performance, but it is not wild or out of control, simply a cheer to recognize and agree that Whitney, we will always love you. The same can be said of the cheers and standing ovation at the end of the performance.

(brandonmetoyer1, 2012)

On a happier note...
Countless artists were present in the audience, and as we all know, with awards shows, fashion is always a topic of interest. This is especially true when Lady Gaga is in the house. Though she didn't perform last night or arrive via egg like last year, her outfit was still outlandish. Her face was covered in a fishnet-like material, and her outfit made her look like she was from the future. I can't really tell, but it looks like her outfit is very stiff - made out of a hard material. To top it all off, she carried a gold staff in her hand. She is always unpredictable!

 (JustJared, 2012)

And how about that Nicki Minaj! She gave GaGa a run for her money last night by bringing "the Pope" with her and performing an outlandish song called "Roman Holiday"in which an exorcism was acted out. Controversy over this is already arising, but I'm sure there will be even more to come. 

 (E!Online, 2012)

This "Pope" looks pretty authentic to me - hat, robe, all the garments included. Minaj is dressed in a big red dress with what I'm assuming is Satan's face on the front. A picture of her performance during the "exorcism" is below. Ironically, she sort of looks possessed in it. You can see the "choir boy" dancers and the elaborate red lighting used to set the tone of the performance. She really took a risk, but it was not a good one. 

Another surprise came with the fact that, not only was Chris Brown present, but he performed TWICE and won best R&B album! I really always liked his music, so I was happy to see him there. I just wish he were a better person because he is so talented. His performance of "Turn Up the Music" and "Beautiful People" was another visually stunning performance. The use of a master shot cutting from closeups of him singing to far shots of the entire stage allowed for viewers at home to take in the psychedelic lighting on the stage (which was constantly changing colors) and the set itself. It also allowed for the viewing of  each of his and his backups' dance moves as they moon-walked and moved across and up and down from different level platforms. Sometimes the shots would even cut to side or back views of the stage to show the many levels and intricacies of the set. Chris Brown really has no fear if he can jump all over those things! It was extremely impressive. Performing live is really hard, so to be able to add all those intricate dance moves really shows talent.

 (JoseeePanessoo, 2012)

Another great performance and impressive set came with Bruno Mars. He sang "Runaway Baby," and the color scheme of his performance was gold and black and had an almost old Hollywood classic feel. The set included a marquis with yellow lights and his name on it. The unique setup of this performance and the wide camera shots that were used allowed the entire band to be seen throughout most of the performance. A few times, the camera even panned over the audience. Most of the shots would cut from closeups of Bruno to a faraway shot, but some side view pan shots were used, giving the viewer at home a more full experience.

 (bellaofthewilted, 2012)

The ever-popular and sweet Taylor Swift performed her hit "Mean." Her outfit fit the barn set exactly. She wore a peasant dress, had her hair tied loose, and strummed on the banjo as she sang her heart out about a former love gone wrong. 

To get a different take on the "sound" aspect of the night, I took a "video" of my roommates' reactions to her performance as it was happening. They are all Taylor Swift fans, but they weren't so impressed with this rendition of one of their favorite songs. They didn't think this song fit the tone of the night either. Have a listen below...

The big winner of the night, though, was Adele, who took away the Grammys for both Record of the Year (for "Rolling in the Deep") and Album of the Year (for "21"). I took a sound video of the final acceptance speech of the night, hers for winning Album of the Year. Adele was so overwhelmed that she could not control her emotion, and the crowd shows their appreciation for her and their agreement in her deserving the award. Her genuine nature is evident in this speech for sure, and that is the type of person who should win - someone who truly appreciates how far they have come and the recognition of that fact. Congratulations, Adele!

This night was about celebrating music in general, not just the hit artists of today. So I will end here with a video of Sir Paul McCartney's wonderful performance of "Golden Slumber" and "Carry That Weight." He never disappoints. The lighting started low as he sat at his piano, but as the music and energy picked up, and he and his backup singers gathered around the microphones, brighter lighting was used, with orange bars and screens of light on in the background. A series of closeup one-shots on both him and his band members, along with intermittent two-shots of him and his drummer together were used in the beginning of the performance, but as the energy picked up and they moved, the long-shots, which would cut to closeups, became more frequent. As the performance ended, the camera panned up and out away from the stage.

 (nora92twilight, 2012)

All in all, the Grammys were a success. There was a great mix of all different types of performers, so the show could appeal to a variety of people. I just wish they would actually present more awards and not focus so so much on the performance aspect. I really enjoyed watching them, though, and it was by far the best homework assignment I have ever had!