Give Me Love - Ed Sheeran Analysis

1. Chloe Killin

2.  Sirens can be heard in the distance
which soon is clear is a sound bridge
for the next shot – which prevents the
first few shots from having a
disjointed feel, and introduces the
audience to the pace of the video.
 In the lower left image, we see that
the police officer is walking forwards
in slow motion which is quite striking
when juxtaposed with the sirens
blaring and lights flashing.
 This first section of the video aims to
draw the viewer in and be interested
in finding out the story preceding this
scene.
 Despite the fantasy elements,
verisimilitude is still created by the
use of the police officer’s uniform, the
forensic scientist and who the
audience is likely to assume is a
detective standing over the woman’s
body.
 There is also a, possibly
unintentional, link to popular culture,
as the person standing over the
woman is very similar to Castiel, a
character from the TV series
Supernatural, who is an angel and
relates to the themes in this music
video.

3.  Lens flares are constantly used
throughout the video that are
emphasizing the use of soft focus,
which is intended to give this
character something of a
heavenly glow.
 This composition of these shots is
designed to keep the focus on this
woman throughout, which has
been achieved by placing her
central and also having the
lighting more intense closer to
the centre and faded off at the
sides so that the eye is naturally
drawn to the clearest part of the
shot. Her hair colour and costume
also accompany this.
 This style and use of lighting and
shot composition is consistent
throughout the entire video to
ensure attention is kept on her.

4.  This music video contains a very wide variety of shot types, however the director
has chosen to focus on this angelic character by mostly showing her in medium
shots and close ups.
 The entire video has been shot in a handheld style probably with a stabiliser to
avoid overly shaky shots which gives a more realistic effect as static shots can feel
more staged.

5.  The image below seems to be depicting a
relationship she once had or wishes to
have. This has been introduced very early
as it is the driving force of the video, as
her wish for a happy relationship drives
her and influences her actions from now
onwards.
 The placement of the photograph on the
wall behind her could be figuratively
meaning that this relationship is behind
her as well, as if it is unobtainable or out
of reach.
 Symbolism often finds its way into these
more slowly paced, narrative driven
videos, which make them seem as if they
have quite a depth to them helping in
making them more emotional and having
a stronger impact on the audience.

6.  So far the music video follows the typical conventions of a singer/songwriter music
video, thus adhering to one of the six features of a good music video identified by
Andrew Goodwin.
 We have also been shown the relationship element, which makes the video
relatable to the audience.
 The main target audience is likely to be in their early twenties, and so they can
feel as if they have been acknowledged by the film makers and also, possibly most
importantly in their eyes, by the song writer, as the main character appears to be
around the typical audience member’s age.
 Singer/songwriter music videos are often story based, so the audience feels
familiar with the idea and structure of this one, increasing the likelihood of its
success.

7.  As the shot below is
displayed, the lyric “I just
wanna hold ya”.
 Symbolises the
relationship she wants to
have and is attempting to
obtain.  As the shot above has a
slightly sinister feel, as it
is quite dark around the
edges of the frame and
displays a series of tools.
 Implies to the audience
that she is willing to do
whatever it takes to get
what she wants.
 Again another dark image
with the bloody feather –
perhaps a metaphor
relevant to the narrative –
she thinks for something
good (eg the white
feather), you need to deal
with pain or be
determined to get it,
whatever the cost (eg the
blood).
 The props in this video tend to be symbolic or another
way of representing something important in the story
– like with the photograph on the wall shown
previously and the wooden mannequins, although
quite different visually, represent the same thing.

8.  As her wings begin to grow, the
editing pace quickens so that
we understand how panicked
this has made her. Similarly
the use of jump cuts are not
quite to the beat which brings a
sense of fear and confusion.
 This is mirroring the change in
the music which is picking up
and has reached the chorus.

9.  More use of the soft
focus and some
actually out of focus
shots to emphasize
the heavenly glow
that is present
through the whole
video.
 It is a little over the
top in this short
section to make the
transformation to an
angel or cupid-style
character clear.

10.  Here we see the artist, likely at
the request of the record label,
making a cameo in the video.
Following another stage of
Goodwin’s music video theory.
 This is slightly unusual but not
unheard of in singer/songwriter
videos, as the artist is often the
narrator, but here, Ed Sheeran is
only present for a few seconds.
 Sheeran makes a second
appearance about halfway
through the music video.

11.  The video continues and sees the main
character playing Cupid, shooting arrows at
people making them fall in love.

12.  The video takes place in the
modern day in a large city, likely
to be London, as we know the
artist is British and the main
character appears to take the
DLR in the top image.
 This presents the audience with
a sense of familiarity as it takes
place in the real world (despite
being a fairy tale-like story),
which makes it more relatable.

13.  The editing pace increases as she
enters this club and begins to use the
arrows on lots of people.
 The increased speed of the cuts
suggests that she is using the arrows
excessively but isn’t aware that every
one else is falling in love, she is left
alone.
 This series of shots almost seems as if
it is mirroring an addiction. And
draws the audience’s attention to the
fact that she is getting greedy with
using the arrows/playing Cupid,
making her lose control of herself –
possibly a message for the audience to
think about.

14.  This is placed in
the midst of the
chaos of the party
for only a second
or two. This shot is
particularly
striking, and
probably the most
heavily edited
single shot, as it
consists of many
versions overlaid
flashing in and out
of frame.

15.  In the shot just like the opening one, we
see the main character suddenly open
her eyes as the song ends. To go with
this there is the effect of the arrow
turning to smoke, much like we have
been shown throughout the video when
she made people fall in love with one
another.
 The final shot is a point of view shot,
which we haven’t seen used before in
this video and is quite unusual in this
genre therefore making the ending
memorable.
 The last shot builds a little bit of
suspense as the audience wants to see
the angel awake and want to know if her
arrow worked, and so leaves the
audience wanting more and are more
likely to watch it over again.