ed sheeran thinking out loud analysis

4
Megan Hughes Music Video Analysis – Narrative Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp-EO5I60KA Target Audience & Needs Ed Sheeran as an artist has a very widely ranged target audience but the majority I would say are teenagers and young adults. However, this particular song, with it being so mellow and relaxing... It appears appropriate for all age groups because it could be played on Capital FM or even Smooth Radio. The softness of the song helps appeal it to elderly people and older adults as well as teens because it’s something that can adapt to everyone’s preferred music type. I wouldn’t say there was any particular stereo type that would be interested in this song, nor any race or gender because it’s as if it was made to cater for each type of person’s needs. Lyrics (Meaning Implied?) The meaning behind the lyrics to this song obviously resemble the singer’s love for a woman, he sings passionately and deeply about someone he has found love with and he’s saying how no matter what happens they should still love each other the same. Ed uses a woman in his music video to perhaps act in place of his true love to show her how they should be. The lyrics of this song flow smoothly with the beat and pace of the song which helps portray it as a relaxing music video. You can see the emotion behind the singer’s face and almost feel the emotion behind his voice when he sings because he’s made it so personal as if each lyric means something important it’s not just words. Tempo The tempo of the song is very slow moving and delicate which coincides well with the soothing lyrics. Due to this video being based on a romantic dance between a couple, it’s noticeable that the way they move syncs in with the sluggish tempo. The two dance together very softly and emotionally which helps to see the love based behind it which Ed feels, the body language flows to the rhythm of the music and it all appears very easy on your eyes.

Upload: megan-hughes

Post on 28-Jul-2015

733 views

Category:

Education


3 download

TRANSCRIPT

Megan HughesMusic Video Analysis – NarrativeEd Sheeran – Thinking Out Loudhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp-EO5I60KA

Target Audience & Needs

Ed Sheeran as an artist has a very widely ranged target audience but the majority I would say are teenagers and young adults. However, this particular song, with it being so mellow and relaxing... It appears appropriate for all age groups because it could be played on Capital FM or even Smooth Radio. The softness of the song helps appeal it to elderly people and older adults as well as teens because it’s something that can adapt to everyone’s preferred music type. I wouldn’t say there was any particular stereo type that would be interested in this song, nor any race or gender because it’s as if it was made to cater for each type of person’s needs.

Lyrics (Meaning Implied?)

The meaning behind the lyrics to this song obviously resemble the singer’s love for a woman, he sings passionately and deeply about someone he has found love with and he’s saying how no matter what happens they should still love each other the same. Ed uses a woman in his music video to perhaps act in place of his true love to show her how they should be. The lyrics of this song flow smoothly with the beat and pace of the song which helps portray it as a relaxing music video. You can see the emotion behind the singer’s face and almost feel the emotion behind his voice when he sings because he’s made it so personal as if each lyric means something important it’s not just words.

Tempo The tempo of the song is very slow moving and delicate which coincides well with the soothing lyrics. Due to this video being based on a romantic dance between a couple, it’s noticeable that the way they move syncs in with the sluggish tempo. The two dance together very softly and emotionally which helps to see the love based behind it which Ed feels, the body language flows to the rhythm of the music and it all appears very easy on your eyes.

Genre This particular song fits the criteria of a pop/hip hop genre due to the fact it’s easy to sing along and dance to, however, it can also be classed as easy listening due to the soundtrack as well as Ed’s voice being so soothing and mellow. I would say it’s a very relaxing song that most people would listen to when they want to just chill out. From listening to the lyrics and watching the music video it is easy to see strong aspects of romance behind the song due to how intimate and passionate the two characters are when performing with one another.

Megan HughesMusic Video Analysis – NarrativeEd Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud

Camera Technique The camera angles within this video are pretty basic; the majoirty consist of long shots and wide shots which I think is appropraite for this kind of song as it helps to set the scene and get more of a feel for the music. The view of the background helps to support the romantic theme as it shows an empty ballroom containing just the two characters so the fact they’re alone makes it more exciting and wistful. Ariel shots have the same effect as it’s looking down on two subjects in a big empty room. Long shots help us see all their dance moves which helps put the tempo into perspective; it’s easy to analysise that it’s comptemporary dancing from the pace they move and how soft they are, they just let their bodies relax and flow/sway romanticly to the music. There are more mid shots than close ups but you’re still able to see the facial expressions clear enough to see the love and passion going through the characters face’s. Mid shots also make the body languagereally bold and noticable which is particularly good for this type of video as it’s important to see the meaning behind the characters. Tracking and panning techniques are also frequently used within this music video to ensure the characters are always on screen whilst moving around when dancing.

Editing The most noticeable editing technique I saw was the timing of the shots in sync with the lyrics. The music was clearly a pre-reordered track but the shots from the video have been edited and perfected to fit in time with the lyrics when possible. For example when Ed is singing about something on the track, that thing appears on screen… Such as when Ed sings about the female character’s legs, it shows a mid-shot of her legs walking onto the dance floor. In my opinion, the synchronisation of the lyrics and video content makes it more seductive and sensual which applies to the romantic theme. With the video containing shots of a long and short duration, both slow and fast cutting are used to add suspense to the video. As well as this I think a few of the shots of the couple dancing have had their speed increased or decreased to fit the beat of the song, also to show the exoticness and mellowness behind the dancing.

Megan HughesMusic Video Analysis – NarrativeEd Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud

Use of Digital Effects On terms of visual content: I think the lighting/brightness has been adjusted to a lower key setting to try and create a more romantic atmosphere/scenery which I think is more enticing for the audience. Also, for the colour scheme; Lots of reds are used within the background throughout and at the very beginning there’s a large red background which links in as this particular colour can resemble love. Besides this, due to the song being love enthused, the use of the spotlights being made into a love heart shape was very smart and affectionate. It is easy to notice that a lot of things were experimented whilst putting this music video together; the adventure behind it all makes it very appealing to the audience.