Analysing a Music video

The first music video that I have analysed for my A2 coursework is a song by Ed Sheeran called 'The A Team'. Ed Sheeran is a acoustic, folk, hip-hop and grime artist and his single 'The A Team' is of the Folk Soul genre. The music video was directed, shot and edited by Ruskin Kyle (Rivers Rush Video Production Company).

The music video for 'The A Team' is narrative based focusing on a homeless prostitute who lives on the streets of London. The story starts at the end, when the girl has seemed to have taken an overdose of drugs, this shot fades out starting from the beginning of the day. The faded shot is connecting to the story because the shot zooms out as well and connotes the feeling of her leaving her body and going up to heaven. Also one of the last shots we see is the same as the first shot, this helps the audience to understand that this is a narrative based video, and this girl in the video has died.

Throughout the music video there are lots of scenes where by the surroundings of the main girl in the video is speeding up, this is done to show passing of time. It can also show how the world is going by so fast around her. The shot is also taken from behind her, this gives the audience the sense of voyeurism (a theory devised by Foucault) as they are watching her watch the world go by. This edit is one that I would like to incorporate in my music video, that is why i chose to analyse this music video.

'Class A Team' this phrase is said several times through the song, this can be portrayed in two different ways, the audience could take it as her being addicted to class A drugs, in tern being in the class A team. Also the audience could see this as the girl being not in the class A team. People tend to think class A would mean the best, looking the best and having the best. This lyric backed up with the images of the girl can show the audience how she is not class A as she has nothing and looks dirty, with greasy hair and smudged makeup. This is a link between the lyrics and the visuals which is one of Goodwins theories.

Through the music video, the main girl is shot in close ups. this is done so the audience feel sympathy fro the main girl because her face shows so much emotion and sadness. This is a powerful way of involving the audience in the music video and making them feel for the main girl.

When the girl gets into a car, the singing stops, and a guitar solo starts. This is done because the visuals in the music vide is enough for the audience to take in there is not need for and other singing at this time in the video. After the music drops and the singing comes back again, this is because the audience has had enough time to digest what has happened and what they think is going to happen.

There is lots of scenes in the video where there is a relationship between the visuals and the lyrics a theroy of Goodwin. Throughout the music video when the song says 'angels to fly' in the back ground there is a station called angel, and also a sign that says 'Improving the angel'. These are done to enhance and illustrate the lyrics that are being sung by Ed Sheeran.









Ed Sheeran appears in the video at one point, he gives the girl money for what magazine she is selling. This is done to show Ed Sheeran image and star motifs.


Overall I think this video is a very powerful narrative video. I think this because of the powerful message that it is trying to portray and the way the camera shots and the music make the audience feel sympathy and emotion towards the main girl because they can tell how sad she is because of all the close ups thought the music video.