Kendell BurgessMusic Video Analysis

Ed Sheeran – The A Team - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAWcs5H-qgQ Target Audience & Needs

I think the music video for Ed Sheeran’s ‘The A Team’ is aimed at teenagers, young adults and maybe possibly adults who enjoy slow-ish songs that are relaxing. I think the music video isn’t really aimed at anyone specifically.

Lyrics (Meaning Implied?)

The song ‘The A Team’ is a song written about a true story loosely based off a girl who Ed Sheeran met at a homeless shelter. The song is about a homeless prostitute who is addicted to drugs. In the first verse it mentions about “breathing in snowflakes” this could relate to the girl being addicted and taking cocaine. “Long nights, strange men” could relate to the fact that she has to take part in prostitution to try and get some money. In the chorus of the song the words “she’s in the class A Team” this could be a reference to the fact that cocaine is a class A drug, it also mentions in the chorus how she’s “stuck in her daydream” this could be a subtle reference to how she’s high off the drugs and she imagines things. “Been this way since 18” 18 years old being the time she first tried cocaine and started getting addicted to it. “Crumbling like pastries” her life is falling apart because of how she’s ended up. Toward the end of the song the lyrics “Angels to die” are sung, I think this could be a reference to how, because of this addiction, it will slowly kill you in both body and soul.

Tempo The tempo of the song isn’t really upbeat but it isn’t the slowest of songs. The tempo is kind of relaxing considering the strange contrast to the seriousness and depth of what the lyrics truly mean. The music video for ‘The A Team’ sort of follows the tempo of the song as there isn’t really any quick changes or fast movements going on in the video.

Genre The genre of the music video is definitely narrative. This is clear to see as the music video follows the story the lyrics are saying. Because of this I don’t think that it’s hard to tell what is trying to put across to the viewers. The whole music video all the way through is pretty much storytelling, there isn’t a part which suggests otherwise.

Camera Technique One of the camera techniques in Ed Sheeran’s music video for the song ‘The A Team’ is a two shot right at the very beginning where the main woman’s friend finds her dead on the floor after dying of a drug overdose, I think.Another shot we can easily see is a medium shot of the girl’s friend as she cries.The next show we see is a close up of the girls face as she lies on the floor.Right after that shot, the next camera technique used is a zoom. Here the director is zooming out of the girls face.Another technique used would be a tracking shot as the girl is walking just after waking up on a bench.A long shot is used when the girl is sitting on the floor waiting for someone to give her money.

Kendell BurgessMusic Video Analysis

Kendell BurgessMusic Video Analysis

Editing The first obvious editing technique we see in the video is the fact that the whole video is black and white in colour. I think the use of continuous black and white colours throughout the whole video could possibly be a representation of how that is her life. Just complete darkness because of the situation she is unfortunately in.Because this video was pretty much homemade I don’t think there is a lot of editing that was used in this video because it was literally made off £20 so it’s not very edited.

Use of Digital Effects I don’t think there are any visual effects used in this video for the song ‘The A Team.’