Ed Sheeran A Team Music Video Analysis

This music video uses narrative structure throughout the video and there is no band performance. The narrative is told in a circular way, the video starts at the end. It is told from another perspective, a person watching the girl’s life.

Within the video there are many close ups of the protagonist. This creates a feeling of sympathy from the audience towards the protagonist because the lyrics link to what we are seeing, a wasted life. The target audience for this video are the younger generation, between the ages 15 - 25; this is similar to the singer’s age. The song is about drugs and this is a topic that young people get caught up in. The music video appeals to both genders because, although it is only a female in the video. It targets both because the song is about drugs which relates to both genders.

 The music begins when it has been established that drugs have killed the girl lying in the room. The shot when the music does start is a long shot of a girl lying on a bench with a sleeping bag. This suggests that she is unfortunate and doesn't have a place to live or sleep. This puts all focus on the protagonist as the audience want to know more about her and they ask questions about why she is there and what has happened to her. They are curious about her life. There is then a close up of her wiping her face and pulling the sleeping bag in around her which shows the audience she is cold, creating the audience to feel more sympathy for her.

 

The mise en scene also suggests that the girl is unfortunate because the costume she is wearing. She is wearing ripped tights and also a man’s coat which is too big for her. Along with this she has thick make up on which suggests she has been trying anything for money. This is also shown later on the video when there is a series of close ups of the girl putting make up on in a dodgy flat and then the long shot of her showing her legs to get the car to stop. It shows that the girl has turned to prostitution, making the audience sympathize yet again because she must be desperate to be doing that. The lighting is very natural all the way through the video which makes it realistic. However, there is key lighting is on her face which shows her negative expression. The protagonist has no power in the video, she is a damsel in distress and the drugs are there to take her away from reality.

 

 

When the girl is walking up a hill on her own and there is nobody around her creates a sense of panic for the girl. This shows because she starts to look around as if anyone is following her. It soon changes when she looks up to the sky and smiles and then changes to a mid-shot of her opening her arms. This gives the sense of freedom which contrasts with the rest of the video. The close ups in the video contrast with this shot because they are very closed in and we feel like the girl is trying to escape but can't. This is the reason that she takes an overdose at the end of the video.

This video attracts its target audience because they are people who could be involved and trapped and it shows that it isn't a way out. The circular structure intrigues the target audience causing them to be attracted to the video.