advanced portfolio: textual analysis.

The music video I have chosen to analyse is Ellie Goulding “starry eyed”

 

Camera: shot/angle/movement.

 Visuals and music:

From the beginning of the song a lot of the camera shots are close ups, i believe this is due to the fact that this was Ellie Goulding’s first song and video therefore this is a way of the audience getting to know her. However throughout the video the shots do change which i again believe is to really familiarise with her. A variety of angles are used to keep the audience’s attention, there is a lack of camera movement as it remains quite stationary, keeping the video simple. I believe this is done along with the amount of close ups to help sell the artist as it fits in with the genre as well as creating Ellie Goulding as a product. Close ups are regularly used in the chorus’s during the main performance section to again help establish the artist.

 

Visuals and lyrics:
From the begging the lyrics are heavily matched with the visuals it’s a strong performance based video which throughout shows the artist performing. However there are times when the artist is shown with stars on her when the lyrics “everybody’s starry eyed” there is also other times where the lyrics strongly match the visuals this will be again a way of keeping the audience interested and excited about the song, another way of selling the artist is by making sure that the video is remembered as well as associated with different things.

 

Form and structure:
I think that this is very obvious that it is a music video due to the fact that the artist is heavily featured within the video as well as how heavy the performance side of the video is. There are two dancers featured in the video as well as special effects which are used also help to indentify this as a music video. The video follows a structure as the song plays out.

 

Genre:
I think this video complies with the genre really well as it is simple however has the artist personal twist. With most indie/pop videos they appear to be very low cost however elements of a high budget video have. The dancing and performance based sections heavily convey the typical conventions of the genre. The syncing of the lyrics with the camera work is really good and works really well.

 

 

Mise-en-scene:

 

Visuals and music:
Throughout the video it is a very similar colour scheme the use of blues, gold and silvers are very royal colours and Ellie Goulding is a very mid to high class artist. This is again shown through the setting which is a large grand building and she is wearing very, what look to be expensive, clothes.

 

Visuals and lyrics:
Throughout the song there is regular ties between the mise-en-scene and lyrics, for example when there is references to “starry eyed” or “bright” there is a change in light which helps to connote this. I think this is really effective as it helps to make it feel more tied in as a whole. When the song references to “hit me with lightning” there is again a use of light which shows this. The use of the stars all over the artist relates to the chorus of the song which is again really effective.

 

Form and structure:
 With the help of mise-en-scene it is noticeable that it is a music video due to its special effects as well as the use of setting as there is a strong performance on what appears to be a stage with two backing dancers there is also regular interaction with the camera which makes it obvious to the audience what they are watching a music video.

Genre:

The use of mise-en-scene helps with the conventions of this genre as it shows the artist as the main feature there is a few changes of costume within the video however each outfit is very similar for example every dress is a very vintage dress that again are all royal colours. The location changes within the video to different rooms within the grand building this is very similar to other videos within the genre as its again low budget. The one thing that this video perhaps challenges the conventions with is the lack of props or instruments, this however could be her way of making her unique twist as this video is about her establishing herself as artist.

Editing:

Visuals and music:
The editing throughout the song is very similar to the beats within the song and is quite fast paced when the song picks up. It matches the music more than anything within the song as the cuts are matched to the changes within the beats. This will be used to keep the audience interested as a change with something visually will keep the audience’s attention.

 

Visuals and lyrics:
as well as the editing being matched to the music it also has some relation to lyrics as when the shots are cut they often cut to something that visually matches the words of the song. The shots change a lot to things that are visually interesting which is really effective in making the video smooth running and not boring.

 

Form and structure:
The editing follows a typical form of a music video with editing changes that match the beat and lyrics of the song. With the structure also being really strong as as the song builds so does the pace in editing this is really effective and makes the video work really well.

 

Genre:
The editing is very similar to other videos within this genre there is use of CGI as however is kept to a minimal. The editing also makes the video very similar to the genre it falls under because when looking at other videos it follows the same pace and skills.

Overall i think that this video is 90% performance with 10% conceptual, i think this has been done to help show the artist that Ellie Goulding is and hopes to become and by including the conceptual part she is trying to convey the conventions of her genre.