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.
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.
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