Music video analysis – Love story by Taylor Swift

Two characters are focussed on mainly throughout this music video. Taylor Swift is one of these, as well as another young teenage boy. There is a clear theme of love which runs throughout the video between the two characters. The costumes that the characters are wearing are quite significant to the video as it helps to tell the story behind the song.

The video is set in various different locations. The first setting that is occurs in the video is a high school. It then progresses to show the characters situated in a castle, a ballroom, the woods and the park. The scenes and settings in the video very much resemble the Shakespearean play of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as many of them are similar. The video does

follow the main conventions of a pop video as it still consistently cuts to show Taylor Swift singing directly to the camera although there is a clear narrative also running throughout it. The costumes change to show which time periods are present in the video. At the beginning of the video, Taylor Swift is wearing quite casual clothing that you would see a young teenage girl wearing to school and is also wearing quite light makeup. On the other hand, during the scenes where she is dancing with the “prince” and singing inside the castle, she is seen with a dress which would have been worn by women throughout the 18th century. The male

character of the prince is also dressed in the 18th century style as he is wearing a suit and a cravat which is very old fashioned. The style that Taylor Swift has her hair is also significant to the video as

she has it in an up do and looks a lot like how women used to have theirs, especially when attending a ball. The scene in Pride and Prejudice where Mr Darcy is running through the field to Elizabeth is mirrored in the music video when the male character is seen doing the same thing. This has been included due to the romantic storyline which runs throughout Pride and Prejudice and fits well with the lyrics in the song “love story”.

There are a range of different shots used throughout this video ranging from close ups of Taylor Swift and medium shots. This is so that the singer is focussed on and attention is immediately put on her. Mid shots and long shots are used so that the location is mad clear to the audience.

The lighting in the music video changes depending on the mood and the setting which is an important feature. When Taylor Swift and the “prince” ae dancing in the ballroom, the lighting is quite dull which adds to the romantic feel of the scene and makes it much more intimate. It also makes them out to be quite mischievous, as Romeo and Juliet were in the play as they were forbidden to see one another.

From the beginning to the end of the video, the narrative describes an unrequited love between two people who are forbidden to be together but go against the rules because they are in love. The video mirrors the story of Romeo and Juliet. The music video includes both narrative and performance

style as it tells a clear story, although Taylor is still seen following the general pop conventions of an innocent girl singing to the camera. The ball is an iconic element which is included in Pride and Prejudice which has clearly been an influence in the music video. A ball is a traditional place for two people to fall in love as it is very romantic due to the dancing.

There is a close up shot of the two characters’ hands being clasped together like what happens at the beginning of a traditional dance. This is iconic to the time period of the 18th century. The castle is also am important significant location as they have connotations of romance and fairy tale. This is iconic to the love theme running throughout the video and the song as castles are generally romantic. This music video is an example of postmodernism as it includes a bricolage of different genres including modern day, 18th century(Pride and Prejudice) and 15th century(Romeo and Juliet). The lyrics “I’m standing there, on a balcony in summer air” represents an iconic scene in Romeo and Juliet when Romeo is looking up at Juliet on the balcony, it is clear that the video has been influenced by this. The fact that they are gazing into each others eyes while they are dancing is also empathises the genre and shows that they are in love.