Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud
Textual Analysis
The extreme long shot at the beginning shows how this video will be set in a posh location, because of the red curtains and staging. The dancer also sets the sexual tone of the piece as she is dancing provocatively but professionally, again showing the classy feel to this video.
The whole video has a vintage feel to it, even the camera techniques were vintage and it was filmed in an old style to add to this. The slow editing also fits into this as it is a slow and romantic tone, which reflects the mood of the piece as a whole. One shot at the beginning lasts for 18 seconds, but after 10 the camera zooms in from an extreme long shot to a mid shot. This adds a gentle feel to the video and in a sense creates more passion between them and makes the audience feel as if they're watching two people fall in love, as it happens slowly. The expressions on their faces throughout show that they're in love as well as the proximity.
The camera often refers back to an extreme long shot including a lot of the background, highlighting the classy feel but also the fact that they are alone; these establishing shots also portray a lot of the dancing, which is the only movement that occurs in this music video so it is vital that the audience get to view it.
Having said this there are closer shots of the couple, such as a mid shot at 1:19, which portrays their intimacy but we never get a closer shot than a mid shot, perhaps reflecting how a relationship is a private affair.
The lighting is quite soft and low-key in the background but with a bright spotlight on them both, this sets the mood for the whole video and reflects turning down the lights on a romantic date, and reminds the audience of the classiness. The background lighting comes from a chandelier, illustrating the posh mise-en-scene and high-class mood; where as the spotlights pick out the two lovers out of the whole room showing how they feel as if they are the only two that matter, connoting the idea that love conquers all.
For the first seven seconds of the video backlighting is used to highlight the silhouette of the women's body, emphasising her sexuality.
The first outfit we see is the woman's in a panning medium long shot that follows her as she walks, almost as if the audience are being taken on this journey, like her journey of love with her partner. Her outfit is white, perhaps connoting purity, it is also very modern with the back longer than the front- but there is an elegant feel to this outfit, mimicking the setting and adding to the overall tone of the video.
His outfit first becomes clear after hers, and it does not have an initial close up shot as she did, because it is his story about love and she is the important one not him. The males outfit very much fits with hers, he is wearing a suit to reflect the exclusive environment but is not wearing a blazer, again adding a sense of modern fashion to an otherwise classic outfit; but this also shows how comfortable he is around her, he does not feel he needs to be smart to keep her love.
At 00:46 there is a pan shot around a chic chair, showing more of their environment but this also takes the audience away for a moment and reminds them that this is a personal story about love. By including this shot the main characters seem in their own world, again highlighting the joys of love, linking with the lyrics of the song.
The transitions between shots are cuts, but because all the shorts bar the beginning are in the same location, it does not feel choppy but smooth. Also, having several shots that zoom in makes the transitions seem smoother, for example after the shot around the chair at 00:46, the camera zooms in for 4 seconds before cutting to a medium shot; because the zoom is so smooth and quick it sets the audience up for a close-up shot without there being any disturbance for the audience. The zooming and panning shots that are regularly used fit in with the dance routine as it involves the audience because they are seeing more than one side of the characters and scene.
The background at 1:20 suddenly brightens up a little, though it is still low-key, because the wall lights turn on at the same time as the music kicks in some more which is an important feature as the video must co-inside with the music and lyrics. Just after this occurs the camera then zooms in to a mid shot before lowering into a low angle which show them together as being more powerful, this is really important because the shot, music and lighting are all linking to create the whole video; the transitions are really smooth adding to the elegant tone.
There is no extra sound in this music video, just the non-diegetic song that is added over the top, though it is meant to be in the scene.
The medium, birds eye view shot at 2:09- 2:10 just adds to the wide range of shots used, but again makes the audience feel more involved.
The last shot is an extreme long shot from an almost birds eye view shot, to reiterate how relationships can make you feel like the only two people in the world. Also, the fading out at the end adds to the vintage feel of the music video, but also slowly transitions the audience away from their lives, just as it slowly brought them into it.
The editing, though it cuts fast, is done at a slow pace because this emphasises the classy and romantic feel of the video, which is important because if it was fast with short shots it would not fit in with the genre of music.
Despite this music video being in one location, because of the varied shots and intriguing dance routine the audience don't lose interest, but instead become drawn into the dancing and over all mood of the piece. So when I come to producing my own piece I need to use many different shots for just one location to add continuity but to also keep the interest of my audience.
The whole video has a vintage feel to it, even the camera techniques were vintage and it was filmed in an old style to add to this. The slow editing also fits into this as it is a slow and romantic tone, which reflects the mood of the piece as a whole. One shot at the beginning lasts for 18 seconds, but after 10 the camera zooms in from an extreme long shot to a mid shot. This adds a gentle feel to the video and in a sense creates more passion between them and makes the audience feel as if they're watching two people fall in love, as it happens slowly. The expressions on their faces throughout show that they're in love as well as the proximity.
The camera often refers back to an extreme long shot including a lot of the background, highlighting the classy feel but also the fact that they are alone; these establishing shots also portray a lot of the dancing, which is the only movement that occurs in this music video so it is vital that the audience get to view it.
Having said this there are closer shots of the couple, such as a mid shot at 1:19, which portrays their intimacy but we never get a closer shot than a mid shot, perhaps reflecting how a relationship is a private affair.
The lighting is quite soft and low-key in the background but with a bright spotlight on them both, this sets the mood for the whole video and reflects turning down the lights on a romantic date, and reminds the audience of the classiness. The background lighting comes from a chandelier, illustrating the posh mise-en-scene and high-class mood; where as the spotlights pick out the two lovers out of the whole room showing how they feel as if they are the only two that matter, connoting the idea that love conquers all.
For the first seven seconds of the video backlighting is used to highlight the silhouette of the women's body, emphasising her sexuality.
The first outfit we see is the woman's in a panning medium long shot that follows her as she walks, almost as if the audience are being taken on this journey, like her journey of love with her partner. Her outfit is white, perhaps connoting purity, it is also very modern with the back longer than the front- but there is an elegant feel to this outfit, mimicking the setting and adding to the overall tone of the video.
His outfit first becomes clear after hers, and it does not have an initial close up shot as she did, because it is his story about love and she is the important one not him. The males outfit very much fits with hers, he is wearing a suit to reflect the exclusive environment but is not wearing a blazer, again adding a sense of modern fashion to an otherwise classic outfit; but this also shows how comfortable he is around her, he does not feel he needs to be smart to keep her love.
At 00:46 there is a pan shot around a chic chair, showing more of their environment but this also takes the audience away for a moment and reminds them that this is a personal story about love. By including this shot the main characters seem in their own world, again highlighting the joys of love, linking with the lyrics of the song.
The transitions between shots are cuts, but because all the shorts bar the beginning are in the same location, it does not feel choppy but smooth. Also, having several shots that zoom in makes the transitions seem smoother, for example after the shot around the chair at 00:46, the camera zooms in for 4 seconds before cutting to a medium shot; because the zoom is so smooth and quick it sets the audience up for a close-up shot without there being any disturbance for the audience. The zooming and panning shots that are regularly used fit in with the dance routine as it involves the audience because they are seeing more than one side of the characters and scene.
The background at 1:20 suddenly brightens up a little, though it is still low-key, because the wall lights turn on at the same time as the music kicks in some more which is an important feature as the video must co-inside with the music and lyrics. Just after this occurs the camera then zooms in to a mid shot before lowering into a low angle which show them together as being more powerful, this is really important because the shot, music and lighting are all linking to create the whole video; the transitions are really smooth adding to the elegant tone.
There is no extra sound in this music video, just the non-diegetic song that is added over the top, though it is meant to be in the scene.
The medium, birds eye view shot at 2:09- 2:10 just adds to the wide range of shots used, but again makes the audience feel more involved.
The last shot is an extreme long shot from an almost birds eye view shot, to reiterate how relationships can make you feel like the only two people in the world. Also, the fading out at the end adds to the vintage feel of the music video, but also slowly transitions the audience away from their lives, just as it slowly brought them into it.
The editing, though it cuts fast, is done at a slow pace because this emphasises the classy and romantic feel of the video, which is important because if it was fast with short shots it would not fit in with the genre of music.
Despite this music video being in one location, because of the varied shots and intriguing dance routine the audience don't lose interest, but instead become drawn into the dancing and over all mood of the piece. So when I come to producing my own piece I need to use many different shots for just one location to add continuity but to also keep the interest of my audience.
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