Analysis Of A Music Video:Narrative

Sam Smith: Lay Me Down◦ This music video is filmed in one take, I feel as though this makes the story flow and makes it

easier for the viewer to understand.

◦ In the video, Sam is mourning the loss of his husband. At first, we see him standing at the end of the aisle where everyone is dressed in black and are crying. From this we can understand that he is at a funeral although its unclear at first, who has died.

◦ Next he begins to lip sync and the camera continues to pan down the aisle focusing on certain people (family members) to a change of scenery however still in the same church.

◦ We then see a close up of two men holding hands and a pan up to where the vicar is speaking and they kiss, making it clear that they are married. The camera then continues to pan around to a now empty church, which shows Sam sitting alone, by himself which suggests that it is a while after the funeral and he has gone to pray/ remember his husband.

◦ Although this may not be possible for me, I feel as though a music video filmed in one take through the use of tracking and pans makes the narrative of the video easier for the viewer to understand and grasp.