Music Video Analysis 1

The music video I’ll be analysing is Love Story by a young country pop artist, Taylor Swift which was directed by Trey Fanjoy who has also directed numerous others of Taylor’s music videos. Love Story is a country pop music based on a typical high school romance which the aspect of Romeo and Juliet is used to reference the love story between them. The instruments used in the video were the drums, banjo, and violin; these instruments are mostly common in country music as it is usually played acoustically.
The lyric used in this song shows the exact visuals to the video, word-by-word, meaning-by-meaning, and act by act.

“See the lights
See the party, the ball gowns
I see you make your way through the crowd
And say hello, little did I know”

During these lyrics, the visual presents the two lovers at a ball gown and showing Romeo walking towards Juliet, passing through the crowd to greet her. This shows an amplify visual as the lyrics are illustrated as it’s told.

“Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story baby just say yes

Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story baby just say yes
Oh oh”

At the chorus of Love Story, it shows and represents direct visuals of the play Romeo and Juliet. As well as the obvious use of “Romeo” in the lyrics, the scene of the video is based in a castle or a highly secured tower, re-acting the scene of the play Romeo and Juliet. The scene when Romeo sneaks into Juliet’s home and Romeo standing below with Juliet standing outside on the balcony, both trying to reach each other’s love, this visual is exactly shown as it’s in the play. Another characteristic that the lyrics relates with the visual are the costume. The costumes worn were in the same style as the year 1500-1600 during the Shakespearean times. The women wore corset tight dresses and the men worse well represented ruffle shirts suits if you were wealthy or the casual look of a rough top and leggings as it was the trend then.

“So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew
So close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while”

As this lyric is sung, the visual amplifies with direct meaning of Romeo and Juliet escaping into the woods, escaping to a place where they can’t be found and spend some time together.

“Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess”

This lyrics refer to the moment in the video when Juliet had to let go of Romeo and head back home again as they was not allowed to be together as it was against the both families policy. Yet again this refers back to the Romeo and Juliet play where the two families would disagree upon their love as they are from two different sides but yet they are both fighting for each other’s love regarding any barriers. However Juliet in the video is crying out her Love Story upon the castle top, which is how it relates to the Shakespeare scene through Romeo and Juliet.



The relationship between the music and visuals communicates with each other so when an upbeat tune is played the visuals of the video are more fast pace and when the motion of the song slows down, the visual of the video is always viewed in a slower pace. Such as at the beginning of the video when it introduces the Taylor walking around the school grounds as well as staring at the boy, this was viewed in a slow motion act with flashbacks of which could be their fantasy in a cross-cutting shot as this represents the history or intimacy they have between those moments of staring into each other’s eyes. Another scene is of Taylor Swift standing on top of the tower, the motion between these scenes is intact with the pace of the music. As the pace was leading through the introduction of the video, the banjo, which was the background instrument, was kept at the same pace as there was no change with the rhythm and the tone and pace of Taylor’s singing was also slow and steady. Throughout the verses the same tune of the banjo playing is constant as this can perform an intense feeling of a story being told, hence by the song title Love Story. As the music leads towards the chorus, the visual becomes more fast pace and cross-cutting camera shots are made often as the visual of the relationship between the characters of the boy and girl aka Romeo and Juliet builds.

Throughout the video there are numerous of close-up shots taken of Taylor Swift such as at the beginning of the video where flashbacks were shown, the image of Taylor with a fan covering her face but the eyes, represents a strong contact with the audience as well as to represent as though she was looking directly at the boy. Close-up shots was also taken of Taylor and her lover at the ball gown dancing together but only the view of them two holding hands were made clear as a representation of their love. As the music video follows from the high school building to Taylor’s fantasy of her up on the castle balcony, a focus close-up image of just her face was fixed on just her for a while as this love story is about her so the main role will be focused on Taylor and her love story that she is telling. By Taylor Swift performing her own style of a Romeo and Juliet love story, the company is looking to reach out to her fans and audience who listens to her music and see something unique and different about her video and herself, as in this love story it ends with a happily ever after rather than a deadly, depressing end such as the play. This could also reach out to those who are interested in the Shakespeare genre and their style.
Throughout the music video it does not display any notion of looking or sexual display in any way so therefore there’s also no references of ‘looking’.
The whole music video and lyrics used are linked with reference of the play Romeo and Juliet and their teenage love story they experienced throughout the Shakespearean times and their fought for each other’s love. The costumes and background settings used in the video was referring to the style of the play yet relating to modern times today as a typical love story between two young high school teenagers and their fantasy for a perfect happy ending.
Throughout the video it displays a concept-base performance of both narrative and performance. Most of the time during the video it focus on a narrative-base role as most of the camera work was focus on Taylor Swift up on the tower, waiting for her prince Romeo to save her but involved hardly any movements or performance yet there was various flashback shots of their fantasy in the ball gown dancing together however the Love Story had no other performance-base displayed therefore it was more narrative base.
In conclusion, after viewing the concepts of the music video, Love Story by Taylor Swift, this video was drawn to create a typical romance genre in a style of which mostly everyone knows the famous story, Romeo and Juliet, to relate a typical love story of two lovers fighting for what they can’t have or want but in this love story, they do live happily ever after.

I believe that what made the video become a typical love story was especially the use of camera works. At the introduction of the video it displays an establishing shot of a high school, which could reveal to the audiences an obvious hint of the scenario of a love story, as a high school building is a typical scene. Another obvious statement of the use of the cameras was the cross-cutting shot that was focused only on the boy and girl, and the continuous shot of the two looking at each other, catching each other’s eyes and a quick flash back of their fantasy, this gives the audience an obvious view of the whole story of boy meets girl, girl meets boy and they both lived happily ever after.

After the introduction of the video, the scene then moves along and focuses on the intertextual reference of Romeo and Juliet for most of the video. This is shown through the characters costume in the style of 1500, Romeo and Juliet. The camera used are repeated throughout the scene of her fantasy in the ball and the display of Taylor Swift standing on the tower with a reverse shot viewing continuous back and forth shots of the two scene at the ball and of Taylor standing on the tower. A close up was also focused on Taylor on the tower, which represents an introduction of the characters as well as the obvious view that it is her fantasy, love story that she is telling. Another close-up shot of the boy to represent the other character. There are numerous views of Taylor Swift on the tower, displaying two-shot, close-up shot, long –shot, and low angle-shots to view the emotions and feelings she is revealing from this love story. During the ball scene, a two-shot was displayed numerous of times to represent the intimacy and sparks between the lovers, the commitment. This also represent a typical style of a happy ending romance. Another statement of a typical love story used in the video was the statue of an angel that was quickly viewed when it was moving along to the scene of the fantasy and being back to reality. The angel used can represent happiness and fortunate events, which in this video represents the fortunate opportunity of the two lovers finding each other.
During the end of the video, it shows a long-shot of the two running towards each other in the field to represent a feeling of happiness, commitment and passion between Romeo and Juliet that the two characters and representing. But without a deadly ending, her fantasy came true and lived happily ever after with each other.

At the end of the music video it goes back to reality at the high school scene and shows a mid shot of Taylor Swift, where the scene of the high school left off, showing her looking at the boy which then brings in a close-up shot of the boy, which represents the image of the perfect guy for her, and fall into a two shot of the two finally coming together. During these scenes it displays reverse shot to the fantasy of the Romeo and Juliet scene of Taylor Swift upon the tower balcony and back to reality, to represent the intertextual reference of Romeo and Juliet as the theme based on the 1845 love story of the famous play about the lovers. To end the video it displays a close-up shot, focusing on Taylor Swift, as she is the artist and main role as it is her fantasy, her love story.



Overall, after bringing my thoughts and analysis together, the music video is a typical intertextual romance video and I review that it was a well attempt and an enjoyable song to listen to as well as to watch. It also includes well representation of the reference and brings the audience into the whole play scene again. Most preferable, the song is suitable for those who like country pop music, listeners who could connect to the lyrics and most of all, her fans.