Research - Music Video Analysis 1

Ed Sheeran - Music Video Analysis

The video begins with the actress in front of a red curtain background and she begins with a small dance. The actress is a silhouette which creates a sense of mystery to the video and draws the audience in. The video then fades out and fades back in to a close up of the female's body. This is an example of voyeurism which is a typical convention of a pop music video. We then see a long shot of the two characters walking towards each other. The lighting is dark which is a typical convention of a pop ballad music video. However there is two single spotlights which shine on the two characters, which shows they are the main focus of the video. Because of this lighting we are unable to see their faces, which carries on this sense of mystery, encouraging the viewer to carry on watching. The camera movement begins to pan into the characters as they walk towards us. This movement fits the pace of the music. This is a typical convention of a music video. The whole video is set in the same setting and is a dance routine. This is quite common in a pop ballad music video, as the tempo of the video is often calm and slow. The dance moves do often match the lyrics of the video which is typical convention. For example 'take me into your loving arms'. At this point the artist, gestures towards his partners arm and then pulls her in and hugs her. This also shows the dance is a narrative and represents the female as the damsel in distress. This is a typical convention of a music video. The females costume in the video is a plain white dress and the male is a in a black suit. The white dress symbolises purity, which again makes the female come across as the damsel in distress. The costume is also is quite revealing which is another typical convention and allows for the male gaze, which is included in many pop music videos. The males black suit represents him as the dominant character as the colour black represents power, however we do notice throughout the video that the female leads the dance. This creates a juxtaposition within the video, and goes against the typical conventions of the male being in the lead. Through out the course of the video, the lighting becomes brighter and brighter, as the music and the lyrics become stronger, so does the lighting. The lighting getting brighter could represent his love getting stronger. The lyrics also reference the stars quite a lot, and there are fairy lights placed around the room. This setting and lights could represent the stars he talks about in the lyrics. The camera movements throughout the video are slow panning motions and there are not many cuts. This again goes with the pace and tempo of the music and makes it look aesthetically pleasing. The use of long shots also allow us to see the body language and the movement of the actors, which help visualise the lyrics. Some shots also pan from behind objects, such as the sofa and the chandelier, and creates a sense the audience are watching them sneakily and may want to carry on watching as it makes the audience feel they have a personal insight on the artist. There are no costume or scene changes in this video which goes against the typical conventions of a pop music video, but as due to the tempo and theme of the song, there is no need for any changes.