Textual Analysis 2: Taylor Swift - "Safe and Sound"

Written by:  Taylor Swift, Joy Williams, John Paul White, T-Bone Burnett

Director: Philip Andelman

Genre: Country/Folk
Structure: Abstract

The structure of this music video is definitely abstract as it has many hidden meanings that aren't obvious .But the video does represent its themes of war, hope, loss and love and many other things like I will explain below. Another thing to mention is that this song was written for the soundtrack of the 2012 film, The Hunger Games, so obviously a lot of the inspiration for the song will come from that.

Like the Miranda Lambert video, the narrative is developed through connotations, symbols and motifs that aren't obvious to the viewer. This gives the music video much more depth and represents the theme of hope in a much more unique and personal way. I will talk about these symbols separately.

The white dress - Usually a costume would be discussed in the mise-en-scene part of the analysis. But after watching the music video a few times, I feel the white dress that the artist, Taylor Swift, is wearing is a symbol itself. First of all the colour of the dress has many different connotations, its is associated with hope, peace, innocence, naivety. As she stays in this costume for the entirety of the music video, while travelling through many locations, it suggests that she is the only form of hope left. The fact that the video is set in a dystopian (a shattered and destructive world) universe and setting also backs this point up. The contrast between the white and the many locations she is travelling through, some of which have been destroyed, and in some shots you can see that the trees are still on fire, is symbolic that not all is lost in the universe and that one small spark of hope may have a chance to increase and make the world a better place. Another theory I have aside from the character being a symbol of hope, is that she's infact an angel, the way she appears upset in the video could suggest she died there long ago and is re-visiting as an angel. Another thing that supports it is when she is sitting on a old gravestone, maybe this is her grave? The white dress also supports this theory as angels traditionally wear white.

The deer - The deer only appears in the video for a very short amount of time at the end, but I believe it is very important and symbolises a lot. In the video, Swift sees this deer and smiles, the only time she has smiled in the entire video, this could be another symbol of hope or faith, as deers are seen as very graceful and peaceful creatures. Furthermore, the fact that Swift's character smiles suggests that there may be a spiritual connection as well between her and the deer. Although, a little bit later in the video, the deer starts to disintegrate into the air and disappears, Swift's character then appears to be shocked and upset to see this. I think it represents the loss of hope, as Swift's character appeared happy of its presence before, maybe because it showed her that there was some hope left, but the deer's disintegration shows that all the hope is now lost and things won't get better, which can be considered depressing.

Although the video conveys a darker tone than the typical country music video, it still shares the same natural conventions  The setting is a common convention as country videos are usually associated with nature, in this video, the same setting is kept throughout and it is in a woodland. In most country videos, the artist is either in a field or a wood in a part of the video at least. In this music video there is two indoor setting with all the rest being outdoors, this includes burnt woods, clearing and fields, a river and a hill that includes an ancient gravestone. The season this video was shot in also represents the sadness and tragedy of the song's deep meaning. Typically, country music videos are shot in the summer as sunlight is associated with happiness, which suggests that the average country song is upbeat and positive  While it follows the setting convention it could be argued that this is unconventional in the sense as this video was shot in the late winter (February).

Another unconventional feature of the music video is the artist's choice of costume. Usually, due to most country music videos being shot in the summer, the choice of attire is usually appropriate for this season e.g sundresses, plaid shirts, jean shorts, jeans, cowboy hats etc. A very common and important piece of country-style clothing, cowboy boots, are also omitted due to the nature of the video (themes of death, deep meaning etc). The dress that Swift is wearing in the video is long, white and old fashioned, which is unconventional as it is. But the fact that it is impractical for the season the video was shot in (winter) emphasies the unconventionality.

In terms of mise-en-scene, there are many settings and locations in this video, I will start with the indoor ones. The first indoor location is a cabin that the featured artists, The Civil Wars, are performing in. The cabin is very conventional to country music as it is very traditional and made of wood, and tradition is very important to the country genre. The inside of the cabin is very simple with only two chairs in front of the fireplace, where The Civil Wars sit, singing and playing their instruments. Playing instruments, in particular a guitar, is also a very common convention of a country music video. The other indoor location has much less screen time, but it is very important. It is inside a an abandoned house. Swift's character wanders into this house and explores during the climax of the song and finds that everything inside of it has been burnt and destroyed, she sits on the bed imagining and remembering the people who had lived there. This doesn't only represent death, but also shocks the audience as it gives them an insight into what some people suffer in their lives.

Like I mentioned earlier, a nature based setting is a common convention of country music. There is strong pathetic fallacy with this setting as the weather reflects the mood. Alongside the dark, and the leafless trees which you would usually associate with depression and sadness. There is also the use of mist or fog. As the song and video is about death, the fog is very good at representing the sadness in the music video. It also makes the setting much more ethereal and spiritual, as fog in some way is similar to how you'd expect ghosts to look.

This video challenges John Berger's "Ways of Seeing" theory, as there is no way at all that the artist's appearance could be interpreted sexually. Mainly because she doesn't show much skin and dresses modest. So the artist's appearance isn't necessary meant to entice the viewer in a sexual way.

The cinematography in the video is very smooth, so it seems to have been shot with either a steadicam or a track. Since the majority of the shots of Swift are of her walking, the track is designed to keep the shots still on her and allows the audience's focus to be completely on her. The smooth cinematography gives the music video a very ethereal and spiritual tone, which is suitable as the song and the video is essentially about death.

Aside from the framing, angles is also used. A high angle is used a few times in the music video, most notably when she is walking down the hill. This represents Swift's character as vulnerable and small now her loved one is lost. It could also say that she has lost her strength and confidence and has become weak as a result of her being alone and isolated due to the death of her loved one.

In terms of editing, the video is cut in continuity, which means it is telling a story with narrative continuity. The smooth flow from shot to shot helps the audience make sense of the actions as well as being able to keep up with the story. Continuity editing also creates realism as the edit is invisible so the action appears real instead of constructed. The verisimilitude is very important for this music video as the aim is to make you feel the same way as the character is feeling. The more real it appears, the more likely the audience is to believe it and engage with the emotions of the song.

Another editing technique I picked up on was the use of slow motion. This isn't entirely obvious but I noticed this starting with the horse. I felt that this was used to again make the video seem ethereal which fits in with the song and music video's theme of death. To add slow motion effectively in a way where the artist is still lip-syncing in time, the artist has to lip-sync to the song twice as fast. The slow motion doesn't just represent the theme but it also fits with the pace and rhythm of the song, as it is of a slow rhythm, there is more realism.

Textual Analysis 1: Miranda Lambert - "Over You"

Written by: Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton

Director: Trey Fanjoy

Genre: Country
Structure: Abstract/Narrative

Its difficult to clarify the structure of this music video, but I would place it inbetween abstract and narrative. As the hidden meaning of the song is a narrative but the style in which its represented is abstract. If the target audience didn't know the backstory to the song, then it would appear as an abstract music video only conveying the theme of death and loss.

The artist, Miranda Lambert, wrote this song with her husband, Blake Shelton, who is also a famous country singer. It is about a personal experience Shelton had as a teenage when his older brother was killed in a car accident. Shelton let Lambert record the song because of his emotional connection to the song. According to Lambert: "Blake said he couldn’t record it for himself or sing it onstage every night, but he would be honored for me to."

The narrative is developed through connotations, symbols and motifs that aren't obvious to the viewer. This gives the music video much more depth and represents the theme of death in a much more unique and personal way. This way only the artist's most loyal fans will understand the meaning which makes it very personal. I will talk about these symbols separately.

The white horse - The use of the horse in the music video could symbolise the spirit of her lost one. So looking into the meaning of the song it is symbolic of her husband, Blake Shelton's brother, so her brother-in-law. Although the character that Lambert is playing is emotional over this death, it suggests that Lambert is either playing a character that has someone or she is conveying her husband's feelings of his brother's death. The way Lambert interacts with the horse in the video shows familiarity, which emphasises my main point that the horse is a spirit. As many graves are shown at the end of the video, the horse kneeling on the ground shows respect and suggests that its spirit may have known some of the other deceased. Finally, horses are very beautiful, graceful, kind, peaceful and associated with hope. So its appropriate that a spirit is presented in this form as it means that the deceased person is resting in peace.

The two young boys - The two young boys in the video are playing until one of them suddenly disappears, the other boy is left alone and appears upset and hurt. The meaning of this song clearly represents the reason behind this symbol. The boy to disappear is obviously a representation of Shelton's older brother who died when he was younger. The younger boy to be left alone is supposed to be Shelton as a child. This was created in order to make the audience feel what the writer, Shelton, was feeling when his brother passed away. This tactic is very successful in making the video memorable and drawing in the audience. Another bit of evidence to suggest that my previous point on the horse being a spirit, is when there is a close up of the brother, who is upset that his brother has disappeared. Straight after that shot, there is one of the white horse running, running represents freedom so this backs up my previous point.

Although the video conveys a darker tone than the typical country music video, it still shares the same natural conventions. The setting is a common convention as country videos are usually associated with nature, in this video, the same setting is kept throughout and it is in a woodland. In most country videos, the artist is either in a field or a wood in a part of the video at least. The season this video was shot in also represents the sadness and tragedy of the song's deep meaning. Typically, country music videos are shot in the summer as sunlight is associated with happiness, which suggests that the average country song is upbeat and positive  While it follows the setting convention it could be argued that this is unconventional in the sense as the video is shot in the winter.

Another unconventional feature of the music video is the artist's choice of costume. Usually, due to most country music videos being shot in the summer, the choice of attire is usually appropriate for this season e.g sundresses, plaid shirts, jean shorts, jeans, cowboy hats etc. A very common and important piece of country-style clothing, cowboy boots, are also omitted due to the nature of the video (themes of death, deep meaning etc) It could be argued that the clothing is only different to adjust to the season in which the video was shot in (winter), but at the same time the costume isn't at all suitable for winter. 

In terms of mise-en-scene, the major and only setting for this music video is the wooded forest. Like I mentioned earlier, a nature based setting is a common convention of country music. There is strong pathetic fallacy with this setting as the weather reflects the mood. Alongside the dark, leafless trees and the snow, which you would usually associate with depression and sadness. There is also the use of mist or fog. As the song and video is about death, the fog is very good at representing the sadness in the music video. It also makes the setting much more ethereal and spiritual, as fog in some way is similar to how you'd expect ghosts to look.

Looking closely into costume, it is Victorian inspired. It includes black laced boots, a long white ruffle dress with a corset, and a black lace coat and jewellery including a ring and a choker necklace, she also has a black lace parasol. Analysing this costume further, it seems to be a "mourning" choice of attire (people wear black when someone close to them has passed away). But linking to John Berger's theory of "Ways if seeing" this makes me see the attire in an entirely different way. While the costume seems respectful, it is provocative as it accentuates the bust area. This makes it seem that the her gaze is meant to entice the viewer despite the song being very serious with no suggestion of this.

The cinematography in the video is very smooth, so it seems to have been shot with either a steadicam or a track. Since the majority of the shots of Lambert are of her walking, the track is designed to keep the shots still on her and allows the audience's focus to be completely on her. The smooth cinematography gives the music video a very ethereal and spiritual tone, which is suitable as the song and the video is essentially about death. It fits along with the spiritual symbol of the white horse to give an unearthly tone to the music video.

As the artist, Miranda Lambert, walking is the focal point of the music video in terms of cinematography. A wide variety of framing is used in the video on her in particular. I've noticed close-ups are used to show her expressions and reaction to things that happen in the video. For example, at the beginning when she sees the white horse (or spirit) and looks closer and realises it is gone. Another example is her smile when she sees the two boys playing which represents happiness between them. The most emotional version of the close up is when Lambert reaches the graveyard and sees the grave of her loved one. Unlike previouses uses of the close up, this one has a slight zoom in which allows us to feel the pain that she is feeling as the zoom represents the sudden change of her emotions by seeing the gravestone. Lambert also uses direct mode of address by looking straight into the camera while singing the most emotional lines, like "You went away, how dare you! I miss you" Medium close ups and medium shots are also used while Lambert is walking, but for no reason but to establish her presence. Although another notable use of a close up is when the boy's brother disappears, the camera goes in on his face to show and emphasise the pain he's feeling of his brother's disappearance.

Aside from the framing, angles is also used. A high angle is used a few times in the music video, most notably at the the end when she leaves the graveyard. This represents Lambert's character as vulnerable and small now her loved one is lost. It could also say that she has lost her strength and confidence and has become weak as a result of her being alone and isolated due to the death of her loved one.

In terms of editing, the video is cut in continuity, which means it is telling a story with narrative continuity. The smooth flow from shot to shot helps the audience make sense of the actions as well as being able to keep up with the story. Continuity editing also creates realism as the edit is invisible so the action appears real instead of constructed. The verisimilitude is very important for this music video as the aim is to make you feel the same way as the character is feeling. The more real it appears, the more likely the audience is to believe it and engage with the emotions of the song.

Another editing technique I picked up on was the use of slow motion. This isn't entirely obvious but I noticed this starting with the horse. I felt that this was used to again make the video seem ethereal which fits in with the song and music video's theme of death. To add slow motion effectively in a way where the artist is still lip-syncing in time, the artist has to lip-sync to the song twice as fast. The slow motion doesn't just represent the theme but it also fits with the pace and rhythm of the song, as it is of a slow rhythm, there is more realism.

Improvements to make:

• How it appeals to target audience

Establishing the Genre

Following Barry Keith's (1995) theory about how genres are divided up into more specific categories in order for the audiences to identify them, I will further establish the "specific category" that I plan to use for my music video in this post.

As previously mentioned in my earlier posts, I have decided that my genre will be country. The idea of a "traditional" country music video would be a light-hearted, up tempo with a simple narrative that has a happy ending. It would also include a huge amount of cliche and stereotypical mise-en-scene associated with the country genre, such as: cowboy boots, fields, trucks, natural lighting, guitars, sundresses etc. It would also be at one with nature.

Here is an example of a "Traditional country" music video:

On the other hand, the "specific category" of the country genre that I want to use for my music video is what I would call "tragedy" This is because unlike other country songs and music videos, it has a much slower tempo and it is not light-hearted with a happy ending. Other characteristics include the fact that they don't necessarily have a story narrative, it tends to be abstract. Additionally, this "tragedy" category tends to follow depressing themes of death, war and pain. So it is unlike anything a traditional country music video would be. What makes it still country and not rock, pop, indie etc is the fact that the traditional country musical instruments are still used, like guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo etc, but usually a full orchestra backs these up to express the strong emotion of these songs. Also, it still uses a lot of the traditional country mise-en-scene like the settings of a wood or a field, cowboy boot, the strong association with nature etc but instead it is filmed on a more gloomy day and usually in the Autumn/Winter seasons as this kind of weather would represent the music video as much more depressing. Wheras traditional country music videos tend to shoot in Spring/Summer as the flowers and bright sunlight is associated with happiness.

Here is an example of a "Tragedy country" music video, this in particular is about a losing a loved one, so it is very powerful and emotional:

Chosen song: "Girl On Fire"

After much thinking and deliberation I have chosen the song for my music video. 

"Girl On Fire" by Ella Mae Bowen

Along with the fact that it doesn't have an existing music video, I chose this challenging song as I felt it is a lot deeper and powerful than most country songs. The others I shortlisted are very light-hearted and mild. I'm also up for a challenge as the song is 5 minutes and 17 seconds long. Also, while its roots are country it also possesses an incredible power that is comparable to a ballad.

As for a bit more history on the artist and the song. Ella Mae Bowen is an 18 year old singer-songwriter and country singer formerly signed to country music label "Big Machine Records" Which also holds artists like Taylor Swift. Bowen signed to the label at 15 and she contributed to the 2011 film Footloose's soundtrack with a country remake of Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For a Hero" While recording her mainstream album, Bowen released demos on her website for fans to download. 

The song "Girl On Fire" is inspired by the book "The Hunger Games" and it was initially meant to be on the soundtrack/companion album for the film version in 2012, but it was taken off last minute. Bowen released the song online anyway as a lyric video, and it was well received, with Bowen's songwriting being critically acclaimed.

 In June 2013, Bowen announced via Facebook that she is no longer with "Big Machine Records" after 2 years of "learning and growing" She also announced she is now an independent artist and she is working on her debut album, due in late 2013. She has since found success by opening for artists like Hunter Hayes and having some of her songs featured on popular country music channel CMT.

Choosing a song

Over the summer holidays I have been brain-storming and have finally decided on a shortlist of songs. I will choose one of these to be the song for my music video. All of these songs are in the country genre, like stated in my earlier post. 4 out of 7 of these songs don't already have an existing music video which I see as a good thing as it'll mean there will be nothing to compare it to. Because of this, I will most likely pick one of these 4.

The songs are:

Carrie Underwood - "See You Again"
Danielle Bradbery - "Who I Am"
Sara Evans - "Born To Fly"
The Band Perry - "All Your Life"
Kacey Musgraves - "Merry Go Round"
Ella Mae Bowen - "Girl On Fire"
Emily Reid - "The River"