MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS SHEET Textual Analysis

Now that you have chosen a genre and song, you will need to produce at least three individual detailed analyses of similar products for you main task.

Analyse 1 (more you do, more marks) music videos of your choice in relation to cinematography, sound, mise-en-scene, editing and conventions (remember Goodwins. Genre and technical).

Task 1 -

Use the grid below to analyse your chosen music video. Remember you need to analyse how shot types, camerawork, Mise en Scene, editing, intertextuality and representation are used to make the video appeal to the target audience. Don’t describe what you see, analyse how it’s being presented to you.

Take screenshots from the video to illustrate your analysis and use a website like www.lyrics.com to find the lyrics. Write the lyric that matches the screenshot below it. If it’s a musical break then describe it, for example, ‘Drum solo and guitar feedback’. In the section called ‘Shot type and movement’ describe what the frame is and if the camera is still or moving then analyse the effect of this. In the box labelled ‘analysis’ you need to look at everything you see in the screenshot and talk about why it’s there and how it appeals to an audience. For the box marked ‘Edits’ you should note what sort of edit or transition is used. There’s an example below.

MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS Rolo Tomassi – Party Wounds

Remember – Don’t just describe. You need to analyse the effect it has too. Always try and link it back to how it appeals to audience.

Music Video Textual Analysis The Killers, When we were young

Shot type and camera movement: Mid shot showing the lead guitarist and his instrument.

Analysis

The mid shot is a cutaway shot from the main narrative of the love story which is taking place. This is a typical convention of the pop rock genre as there is often a narrative alongside a live performance.

Music/lyrics: Guitar solo Edit/transitions: Short take and it lasts for only about 2 seconds before it cuts to a close up, low angle on the guitarists face. Cutaway.

Shot type and camera movement: High angle, tilt

Analysis

The high angle shot shows the man as a key figure in the narrative of the story. Along with the lyrics, It creates the idea that he may not be perfect but he is still ‘the one’

Music/lyrics: ‘He doesn’t look a thing like jesus’

Edit/transitions: Cut to a short take

Shot type and camera movement: Long shot and handheld

Analysis

Rule of thirds is used to emphasise the background which shows the mountains. This is a graphic match to the lyrics and put emphasis on the meaning of the lyrics. The lyrics refer to the struggle of love and the fact they have to get over troubled times.

Music/lyrics: ‘Can we climb this mountain, I don’t know’

Edit/transitions: Long take

Shot type and camera movement: Mid shot and zoom

Analysis

The action match of the lyrics working together with the image of her closing her eyes helps the song match and work alongside the narrative. The fact she closes her eyes matches the emotion of the song. The song carries onto mention how she is young and tries to help her through the pain of love as she is only young.

Music/lyrics: ‘Sometimes you close your eyes’

Edit/transitions: Zooms into the face of the woman

Shot type and camera movement: Close up Analysis

The graphic match where it cuts from her feet being cleaned, showing her cleaning her ffet show her as being pure. The fact this is followed by a close up of a mans shoes shows him as being the pure, loving man she needs in her life.

Music/lyrics: But you can dip your feet, every once in a while’

Edit/transitions cut and a short take

Shot type and camera movementLong shot, also an establishing shot

Analysis

The long shot which is also an establishing shot is used at the be-ginning to tell the audience what the music video is going to involve and ulti-mately set the scene. This shot is used ef-fectively because it suggests suddenly that the song is not going to be upbeat and the genre of the song will be a quiet and slow tempo kind of song. Ed Sheeran is prepared as very down to earth and this seems to be a perfect setting for him when he is pursuing a girl however thinks he will be unsuccessful which is a common storyline of a lot of music videos for suc-cessful artists. The long shot is also ef-fective due to the

lighting which high-lights that the only thing that matters is the two characters, when the spotlights merge together it gives you a feeling that this is the point at which the two charac-ters are coming to-gether as a con-sequence of this.

Music/lyrics‘And I can’t sweep you up off your feet’

Edit/transitionsLong take

Shot type and camera movementLong Shot and pan

Analysis

This long shot is a contrast from the other long shot which showed both the man and the women separated, however in this scene it shows both of them together with a   spotlight on them which shows that they cannot be separated, this is because the rest of the hall is not shown clearly which makes you look at the two dancing. This makes you feel as if they are the most important thing to the music video and gives Ed Sheeran a role of being the star as he is shown to be the dominant person contradicting the dancing. Also the soundtrack is re-enacting the lyrics within the song when Ed Sheeran sings ‘Take me into your loving arms’ this is when you see them two hugging part way through the dance.

Music/lyrics ‘Take me into your loving arms’ Edit/transitionsCut away

Shot type and camera movementLong shot- Aerial shot- pan

Analysis

The long shot must have been taken from the roof as this gives an effect of an aerial shot and makes both characters look weak

and vulnerable as they are both shown to be in love due to the heart shape spotlight. The spotlight used is a very good effect as it gives a feeling of nothing else matters as the floor is lit up in contrast with the two bodies on the floor. When they are both on the floor this could be a connota-tion of them being old as they are relaxing and not moving much which is reiterated through the lyrics when Ed Sheeran says ‘When my hairs all grey and my memor-ies fade’.

Music/lyrics ‘When my hairs all grey and my memories fade’

Edit/transitionsPan

Shot type and camera movementLong Shot- pan

Analysis

The deep focus of the long shot is import-ant in the aspects of the music video makes relevance to the importance of the setting of the music video. This is because the old fashioned setting is same in com-parison to the old fashioned dancing and situation as this is not expected of a mod-ern indie artist which helps to set his mu-sic video apart from others. The light in the background represents a spark which lights up their relationship and this is why they work so well together, also shadows are a typical convention of an indie music video as so is bright lighting.

Music/lyrics Kiss me under the light of a thou-sand stars

Edit/transitions Cut away

Shot type and camera movementLong shot

Analysis

This long shot also links to the lyrics when Ed Sheeran says ‘We found love right where we are’ it gives you a sense that the place they are at right now might be where they first met or came in the past, this complies to Goodwin’s theory. The spotlight is a vital part of the shot as they are surrounded by a love heart and the background is dull and dark this shows that when they are together they seem untouchable and this type of story is typical of an indie type of genre as it usu-ally revolves around a love story which will feature the artist. When the shot fades out at the end it gives us the feeling that they are almost in a dream together and it is a fantasy.

Music/lyrics ‘We found love right where we are’ Edit/transitions Fade out

In conclusion to this i would say that i have learnt from this music video that in the indie genre the majority of the shots used are Long takes, therefore the editing techniques used match the mood and tempo of the song which is very slow and unhappy. I have also learnt that when i do my music video i will base the camera shots and editing techniques predominately on the tempo of the song and the type of mood that the song shows us.