Give me love - Ed Sheeran
Genre: Acoustic
Structure: Narrative
Story/Theme
The theme of this story is love and passion which is shown through the actress being portrayed as ‘cupid’. This is one of the most interesting music videos I have come across due to the abstract filming as well as the successful narrative. The story line in the video is a girl acting as cupid and shooting people who one shot – kisses the first person they see. Towards the end of the video, instead of shooting the individuals with her bow and arrow, she stabs them which I believe conveys more violence. Although there is a theme of love, there is also an atmosphere of darkness. This is conveyed at the very start in the introduction which shows the girl on a bed with an arrow in her neck and she is bleeding – this is then explained through the video and in the ending scene.
Mise en scene
Setting – During the introduction, a warehouse is the first setting shown; it then becomes clear that it is ‘cupids’ home. I believe this urban setting relates to the idea of consumerism and the fact love is now to do with money and the capitalist society. The fact the girl turns in to cupid and lives in such a basic place goes back to the fact true love is based on feelings and basic things, not possession and wealth. Most of the other settings are also in urban places such as shots of ‘cupid’ in a street, on a building, in a tunnel, and in an underground rave. I don’t believe this relates to the narrative but gives a sense of postmodernism to the music video. Another element is that setting relates well to Ed Sheeran as he is generally a modern artist and song writer
Costume
The costume of the individuals including ‘cupid’ is very up to date fashion and modern. As well as this, the main character is also in very urban clothes relating to the setting. When looking at the costume, cupid is wearing very dull and dark colours such as grey and black, this enhances a dark, mysterious mood which is conveyed in the video however it contrasts with the narrative as it is all about ‘love’. These dull colours also contrast with the actress’ hair which is long and blonde – seen to be rather angelic. The wings are also contrast with her clothing as they are pure white. The last element to mention when considering clothing is the tradition sleeve used in archery which she is wearing because of the bow and arrow she is carrying throughout the video.
Lighting
There are two main types of lighting that are shown most in this music video which completely contrast each other. I think this was done to show the warm side of love as well as the dark and harsh side of it. Lighting is a very successful way of conveying those two extremes. The one showing the harsh side to love is done by showing cold, blue lighting at the start, this goes with the fact the audience is being shown cupid shot dead on her bed. This same cold lighting carries on in different clips when is cupid on her own as well as at the end when she has resulting to stabbing the individuals with her arrow – again showing the violent element in the video. The other lighting shown is rather orange and warm which conveys a tranquil atmosphere demonstrating the calming mood to love and passion. Other lighting shown are silhouettes and lighting flares which I believe show mystery to the angel.
Props
There are many props shown throughout this video however two mainly stand out to me. First is the obvious bow and arrow that cupid carries. This is tradition to the role she is acting and actually makes her character clear. The second is the wooden figures shown briefly a few times. These relate strongly to the narrative as they remind me of voodoo dolls – as the angel starts to manipulate them just as she does with the humans.
Sound
The sound is rather simple in this music video as the majority of the music video is non diagetic with the actual song being played. The only diagetic sound heard is 20 seconds during the introduction in which you can hear sirens from the police cars and some radio sounds which then fades in to the start of the song.
Editing
During the video, the edit used most commonly is a jump cut from where one clip is just cut to the next. This is the usual technique used during music videos as well as trailers and movies themselves. There are a few other edits that are used during this music video including a time lapse – this refers to when the camera is filming a still object for time so when the clip is sped up, it would seem as if whatever is around the object is moving very quickly. In this case, the clip is on a clock tower and the clouds seem to be moving very fast. I believe this could relate to the idea of ‘time going by fast when having fun’ or it could be a representation of cupid and how everything seems to be moving fast around her whilst she is staying in the same place. This is also slightly portrayed when the clips have been edited in to slow motion. Another element of the music video which is worth mentioning is the faded edges of some of the clips as well as the smoke sometimes shown – this links in with the idea of mystery behind the girl. Towards the end of the music video there are a lot of quick jump cuts of the girl in different places, this doesn’t necessarily go with the narrative but the fact the music is speeding up.
Camera
The first shot the audience is shown in this music video is a bird’s eye view shot of cupid lying on the bed with an arrow to her neck. I believe this shot is interesting as it could relate to the idea of the girl looking down to herself from heaven or someone looking down to her. It is also a really strong shot to start off the music video. The different angles and compositions used in this music video vary but work well together to portray the narrative intended. These shots include ones such as the camera panning to reveal the girl behind the wall and long shots of her different closed settings such as in a tunnel, this I believe is to portray the mystery of the girl. It also acts as a framing technique which is to create an eye catching effect for the audience. Throughout the whole music video, there is a narrow depth of field were the edges are blurred and in a few shots there is a lighting flare across the camera - again conveying the atmosphere of mystery due to not seeing the whole shot.
Pathetic fallacy is used during ‘Give me love’ as the smoke portrays obscurity which seems to be a main theme as well as the rain showing depression and sadness. This is demonstrated during the close up of the angel’s wing which has a drop of rain falling down it.
Another scene to mention which I believe is important are the few angles of the angel pulling feathers out of her back. They were mixed up of long shots to close ups however the one I found most effective was the one the camera focuses on the feather actually coming out of her skin. This is because it is very strong due to being slightly gruesome and strange which entices the audience as this demonstrates the actress actually turning into cupid - this is what the music video is based around and therefore this shot may be one of the most important ones in the whole sequence.
Finally, a clip that needs to be considered is one during the end which goes along with the tempo of the music getting faster. The shot I am referring to is the extremely quick jump shots of cupid in different positions around the room edited with a stand still shot so it looks as if there is two or more of her. Although this doesn't necessarily connect with the narrative I still believe it is a creative and interesting edit and I wish to do something similar when shooting and editing my music video.
