Music Video Research - Textual Analysis of Existing Products #1

As part of my planning and preparation for my music video I have conducted a textual analysis of 3 existing media texts, in the same genre as my chosen brief. In my analysis I have looked for conventions of my selected genre, the use of editing and cinematography, connotations, how the narrative is developed and how the text appeals to the audience.

Song: 'The A Team'
Artist: Ed Sheeran
Director: Ruskin Kyle
Producer: Jake Gosling
Reasons for analysing:
The genre and narrative of the video and song are similar to the selected choices for my own task.

Analysis:
The music video for this song is strictly narrative based and has absolutely no performances in it which makes it difficult to identify conventions of this specific genre. The narrative, which follows the story first introduced through the lyrics, is done in a non-chronological order of events. At the beginning we are shown a girls dead body being found, the video then goes on to tell the viewer the story of how she died and the days leading up to her demise, which reveals the girls descent into drug use and prostitution. It could be argued that the lead character is a physical embodiment of the song itself. This can be seen in the beginning of the video when her body is discovered as the only sound that can be heard is the diegetic tweeting of birds and the music only begins when the flashback does then ends as she inhales from her crack pipe. This leaves the viewer to assume that, that was the fatal moment of her death. This also coincides with the lyrics "angels to die" as we see a mid shot of the girl, falling back on her bed in a drugged up stupor. This video contains several connotations towards angels. The main character ('Angel') is shown in a long shot to be stood directly under a sign for a train station which is aptly named "Angel Station". In this shot, Angel is the only character that is fully lit, with a light shining down on her, connoting that heaven is shining down on her or that she is a fallen angel. This video gives off a positive image of Ed Sheeran to his fans because he makes a cameo as a passer by who stops to help Angel and sit with her and talk. This shows Ed Sheeran to be a kind, caring person.

mise-en-scene

Stereotypically, the main character is wearing several layers and can be seen to be carrying a sleeping bag around. This is the classic attire expected of a homeless person and it is presented in this stereotypical manner to avoid confusion with the viewer and therefore develop the narrative quicker. The character can also be seen to be wearing large hoop earrings which connote “chaviness”. Her ripped tights also suggest that she can’t afford and/or does not own any other pairs. The fact that the mirror she is looking in is dirty connotes that her perception of herself is muddied and she is beginning to lose track of who she is.

cinematography
When Angel is shown out on an open filed, away from the stresses of her life she is filmed from a low, canted angle. This provides connotations of the freedom she feels. The same shot is used again when she is stood on a bridge except it is filmed in a straight angle, this shows that her freedom has vanished and, yet again, she is back worrying about her life.

editing
A close up of Angel quickly cuts to a close up of her crying, this shows the viewer how quickly her life is taking a turn for the worst. At one point in the video Angel can be seen sat on a corner, begging for money, the rest of the people in shot have all been sped up. This refelcts Angel's outlook on life as she feels it is passing her by. A prostitute can also been seen in this shot, she is sped up too but not as quickly as the other members of the public, Angel can be seen looking towards her direction. This shows how close she is to turning towards prostitution. This is then shown to be true as the video progresses to show her descent into selling her body.

sound
The lyrics (dominant non-diegetic sound) correspond with the imagery that can be seen in this video. for example, the lyrics "Too cold outside" correspond with a mid-shot of Angel shivering and "go mad for a couple grams" shows her holding a bag of white crystals. This provides cohesion with the song and the video. 

To analyse this video I used the classic grid method (second picture) where i divide the page into four sections, mise-en-scene, editing, cinematogrpahy and sound. I then wrote notes on another page (first picture) which were based on the representation and narrative as opposed to the four main sections used in the second picture.