Textual Analysis of Music Video from any Genre.

Below is the textual analysis of a music video in the pop genre called "We Are Never ever getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift. I was given corrections from the teacher which we changed.

In this textual analysis the music video I will be analysing is “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by country/pop artist Taylor Swift. Although Taylor Swift is mainly a country artist her music often is mixed with the pop genre, however this video is only within the pop genre. The type of video is a hybrid, being both a narrative and performance video. As Taylor Swift has a very large fan base of both genders and a wide range of ages (roughly from around 8 years old to adulthood) it is easy to say that her potential target audience would be both male and females from all over the world and also of all ages.

To explain how the above areas I have mentioned are conducted in this pop video I will be focusing on three micro areas, Camerawork, Editing, Mise-en-scene and also the special effects used. I will also then compare the video to Goodwin’s theory to show if the codes and conventions match up to what o have mentioned in the above paragraph.

The camerawork in “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” has a very complex look in the video; however the main camera work is very basic. A stedi-cam is used to get around the set of the video; this is evident as it is very smooth camerawork. The movement is sometime quite natural and some minor shakes are obvious in concentration. There are a wide range of shot types in this video; however the most common shot used is a medium shot. This is typical of the pop genre as in many pop videos they use many different shot types because they are usually happy and fast paced songs so the audience gets a better view of what’s happening.

   There is literally no editing in this video. It was clearly shot in one continuous take so there is no use of cuts; however the transitions come naturally with the set design which helps the video to run smoother than it would if there were transition edits. However colour correction could have been used to make colours more vibrant to stand out more which is again typical of the pop genre. In the pop genre the shot duration is usually short as pop is quite upbeat and fast paced however because this is a continuing shot it is obviously the opposite which is long shot duration which challenges the codes and conventions of the pop genre. The obvious point of editing however is where the post productions team put together the image and sound, so that it is unclear the artist is lip-syncing.

  The Mise-en-scene for this video can be talked about very widely especially in the areas of costume, makeup, location, props and performance and movement. The costume used in this video varies for the different scenes displayed in the video. There are a total of five costume changes in the music video and they are all changed in between scene changes. It is obvious in some parts of the music video that the artist disappears to ensure she is in time for her costume change. Various costumes are again very typical of the pop genre as there can be many different scenes in a pop video which obviously require different costumes. The makeup in this video is simple and very typical of the artist as that is her usual look even to the public which could have been chosen to reach out to her fan base/target audience. It is kept the same the whole way through the video as there is no time to change the makeup because it is a continuous shot video. The location in this video changes very often but the most used location is the house area. This could be stereotypical of the pop genre as it again shows many different scene changes and a different side to the narrative. The props used in this video are kept simple as they are only really used when it’s necessary for the music and lyrics, for example when the artist is talking on the phone on her bed the music changes to talking and it is slightly muffled showing the difference in scene. And finally the performance and movement in this video is kept very upbeat throughout the whole video as that is how the music is, so when the music changes and slows done so does the performing and the amount of movement the artist does. This could also be quite typical of the pop genre but also how the artist is portrayed to her target audience.

  The special effects used in this video were kept quite minimal as it seems however there was an obvious use of green screen when the scene changed to the car. It is clearly obvious when the ‘woodland animals’ are dancing in the boot of the car, the green screen is used to make it seem as if they travelling down the road still as there performing in the car which they obviously aren’t. Another special effect used was on the TV screen to show the artist performing but on the TV. That could have also been green screen and then the effect of her actually being on TV was added in post-production.

In response to Goodwin’s theory there is a clear relationship between the lyrics and visuals, music and visuals, also shown through the music video are the genre characteristics, performance and narrative side of the video and finally the demands of the record label.

  Goodwin’s idea of the relationship between the lyrics and visuals suggests that all videos have some relationship with the lyrics and the visuals on screen, is shown quite clearly through the video. One of the main places it is seen is where the artist picks up the phone and immediately sings “You called me up again tonight” this is a clear link, it also shows that its night time as the man on the other side of the phone is in a “dirty” club which people obviously visit at night-time.

  Goodwin also suggests there is a link between the music and visuals; this is also seen in the video in the scene I mentioned before, when the artist is lying on her bed talking on the phone. The voice clearly changes in that particular scene as it changes from singing to talking but also sounds echoed and muffled as it would if you listening in to a phone conversation. As it is only one take, the visuals and music are complimented by the use of Mise-en-scene such as the set design and the use of smooth transitions to each ‘scene’.

  The next part of Goodwin’s theory is the genre characteristics which suggests that all music videos have the same characteristics according to their genre, in this particular genre, the pop genre, it is quite clear from watching the music video that a lot of the pop characteristics are very similar to other videos in this genre. It is especially clear in the movement as energy levels displayed in the video are very high which is typical of the pop genre, also (as mentioned before) the many costume and set changes also are major characteristics to the pop genre. But there are also elements of this video which could oppose the genre characteristics especially because there is no major and evident editing and it is a long shot duration which is the opposite of the pop genre.

   Goodwin also mentions the type of music video, in this case it is a hybrid of a narrative and performance video. The narrative of this video is clearly a teenager that has been in a serious relationship that has broken down and now she is telling the story of how the guy won’t take no as an answer and keeps coming back to her then braking it off again so she is telling he they are ‘never ever getting back together’. This narrative is very typical of Taylor Swift as basically every one of her songs is about a relationship she has been in and all comes from personal experience so it represents her as being very open and honest with her fans in giving them the message that even her life isn’t perfect even though she is a big award winning, famous singer. The performance side of the video is very good at representing Taylor’s personality as she is viewed as a very sweet and all around happy girl. The performance is also quite exaggerated especially because many hand movement are used which makes it seem very melodramatic but also still shows the upbeat personality of the artist and almost how she is completely over this guy she’s singing about.

  One the final parts of Goodwin’s theory that is seen in this music video is the demands of the record label, which is obviously how the record label want the artist to be viewed. As Taylor Swift’s audience ranges from 8 years old to adults she has to be an example for everyone but especially the younger fan base. In most of her videos and especially this one she is very happy-go-lucky and charming throughout the whole video which could be a demand as they want her to be viewed as a positive role model for young fans. Another way this is shown particularly in her music videos is the way her clothing is always modest, showing her morals and how she wants to be viewed by other people. Even the music she writes could be viewed as a demand from the record label as they might want her to be viewed as a very strong person that can be an example or role model to girls who, for example, are going through a break up after a long relationship.

  Other parts of Goodwin’s theory are intertexual references and notions of looking; however neither of these occurs or are extremely evident in this video by this particular artist.

To summarise this textual analysis it is clear that through all that has been analysed including Goodwin’s theory’s and the micro areas, that this music video by Taylor Swift has hit a lot of the codes and conventions that go with the pop genre, particularly in the Mise-en-scene and special effects however it is also clear that this video also challenges the pop genre especially in the micro-area of editing. However it is clear that from the video it is not obviously a regular video and there aren’t many like it which is why the producers may have felt that going against the typical codes and conventions of the pop genre would be a good choice.