Ed Sheeran's "Drunk" music video tells the story of him dealing with a bad breakup through narrative and conceptual elements. It shows him getting drunk and having flashbacks of his ex-girlfriend. An unconventional aspect is a cat that communicates with him using subtitles, representing his loneliness. The dark lighting and blue color grading in the house and bar scenes reflect his sadness. The target audience is likely young adults, as the video portrays people solving problems through drinking.

1. Ed Sheeran - Drunk
Music Video Analysis

2. Generic Codes, Convention & Form of music video
• Genre = Pop/Folk (Indie) Director = Saman Keshavarz Video released = January 2012
• The video is mainly a narrative that tells the story of Ed’s troubles dealing with a bad break
up
• However it can be seen as conceptual due to comedic side of the video, the use of cats is
especially interesting as it takes a ideology of lonely people confiding in pets to a new
extreme whilst intertwining with the lyrics of the song.
• The music video reflects the genre as it shows the average person dealing with a break up by
getting drunk and having flashbacks with bright lights of a girl in the frame however it also
has unconventional aspects such as a cat that communicates with Ed Sheeran, which can be
understood by the audience with the use of subtitles

3. Cinematography, Editing & Effects
Initial long shot of a series of pictures on the
living room wall which then transitions into
an close up of some of the pictures on the
wall in which we see Ed’s ex girlfriend and the
cause of his wish to be “drunk when [he]
wakes up”
Close up of Ed’s face, shows
regret which links into why
he’s looking at wall and the
lyrics of the song

4. Bright lighting on the
wall with pictures on
it, highlighting the
importance of it, also in
this medium long shot
we see Ed opening a
can of beer which links
to the song
Flashback cut which is
in a different colour
filter to show the
difference in the video’s
real time. Close up of
the girl, who is also in
the pictures on the wall
suggesting she is the ex
girlfriend
The possibility of
her being the ex
girlfriend is
further reinforced
in this close up
shot in which her
expression is one
of anger.
Subtitles have
been edited in for
when the cat
speaks a clever
way to show that
Ed is
drunk, medium
shot of the cat
shows it’s on the
sofa next to
Ed, the contrast
of lighting during
the present time
and flashbacks is
evident, present
time has more of
a blue filtered
coloured
Extreme close
up of the
opening of a
beer can
which is
repetitive
throughout
the video

5. Mise-en-scene
The video is shot in mainly two
locations, the house and the bar. In the
house we as well as bar the lighting is
mostly dark, signifying Ed’s sadness and
loneliness. He is also wearing a blue
hooded jumper and jeans, a potential
comment on his state, the blue could
also represent melancholy.
This long shot is at the bar with a similar
blue lighting as the frames in the house, the
rule of thirds separates/conveys the
difference between the house and club.
Shot glasses on the table and other people’s
legs in the background.

6. Relationship between sound and images + Audience
• The Target audience is similar to Tom Odell’s Another
Love both songs are about similar topics in a sense
which would mean it’s aimed at young adults.
• The lyrics link the images as it depicts Ed constantly
drinking with his cat due to his bad break up with his
former girlfriend, occasionally cutting to flashbacks of
his girlfriend
• The use of the cat comedic feature and spins the
conventional comfort in pets after a break up and
almost makes it a caricature in the video as you don’t
drink alcohol with your cat.

7. Institutions & Representations
• Label = Warner Music Group
• Song off of debut album although Ed Sheeran at
this point had been highly exposed and had a
large fan base.
• Features another upcoming artist making a
cameo who supported Ed Sheeran on tour last
year, Nina Nesbitt.
• Young adults are represented as
fragile, emotional people who solve life problems
by drinking which can is somewhat of a
stereotype being adhered to in this video