The music video for Taylor Swift's "Love Story" was produced in 2008 and depicts a Romeo and Juliet-style love story between two young people from feuding families. The video draws from Shakespeare's play by showing Swift and her love interest defying their families' wishes to stay apart. Shots of Swift singing on a balcony directly reference the famous balcony scene. While the song has country pop elements, the lavish costumes and settings portray the characters as upper class. The video aims to promote Taylor Swift's image and appeal to both male and female audiences through romantic and glamorous portrayals of the young couple.

1. Taylor Swift- Love Story
BY KENZA HARDY

2. The Music Video Itself
 The music video was produced by
Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift in
the year 2008. The genre of the song/
video is country pop which there is
not much depiction of the genre in
the music video. There is a dapple
grey horse which can be associated
with the country life and the
instrumentation suggests a country
song. The video falls into both
narrative and performance catagories.

3. Relationship between visuals and Lyrics
When Taylor sings the lyrics “see you
make your way through the crowd and
say hello”, there is a head on shot of
“Romeo” walking through the crowd of
people at the party.

4. Relationship between visuals and Lyrics
Secondly, when the lyrics “and my Daddy
said stay away from Juliet” There is a binary
opposite produced. This is from Strauss's
theory. Romeo and Juliet come together
rather than stay away from each other.
Goodwin's theory of intertextuality can be
seen as there is the narrative of
Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. The
couple know that they can’t be together
but they go against what their parents say.
The screen capture also shows the
flashback from his point of view.

5. Relationship between visuals and Lyrics
continued
 Near the beginning of the music
video there is a shot of Taylor
standing on a balcony. This coincides
with the lyrics “on a balcony in
summer air”. In ways this is against
the stereotype of the country genre
as country usually has guitars or
shows instruments and can often be
associated with lower class people in
America. Where as the video depicts
two upper class families with
expensive houses and costuming.

6. Relationship between visuals and Lyrics
continued
 The shot of her looking out from the
balcony shows that she is waiting for
something. This shows she has a
feeling of expectancy.

7. Relationship between music and visuals
 The music cuts on the beat of the
music. There are two places that it
usually cuts. The music is in four time
and the two places it cuts are on the
first beat of the bar and the second
beat of the bar.
• There are no solo
instrumental parts
illustrated. I have looked
at the other videos by
Taylor Swift and having
no illustrated
instrumentals is unusual
for her.

8. Promotional Aspects
 The record label uses closes ups and
medium shots to promote the artist.
They also show her as an innocent
country artist by using plain colours.
 It could be argued that Mulvey’s Male
Gaze theory is being used and the
theory of Star image. Taylor is
wearing makeup, has a flowing dress
and has her hair done. This is to
appeal to the male audience.

9. Representations
 There are scenes of a party and
dancing at the beginning of the
music video. The dance is a
stately dance which suggests
that the video is supposed to
appeal to an upper class
audience as well as middle and
lower class.