1. This is the opening shot for the
music video ‘Love Story’ it sets the
scene in this wide establishing shot
of an American high school, we
presume this is where the video will
be set.
The video tells the story of Taylor’s character imagining
a series of fantasies with the boy she has seen at high
school, we know she is at a high school from the
opening establishing shot, who we see at the beginning
he is looking at Taylor. This particular scene is a
medium shot of a relatively attractive young man. He is
the only one in the frame, wearing a simple black t-shirt
to draw the audience’s attention to only him and not
something else going on around him.
2. It then moves on to show short flashbacks of
shots of them two together at a Victorian style
ball then back to the boy squinting as the
camera focuses on him, suggesting he is
aware he knows this girl but is unsure where
he has seen her before, then the audience are
shown how he knows her with the camera
cutting to clips of them both, which fits into the
lyrics of ‘and the flashbacks start’ as she is
stood looking over a balcony ‘I’m standing
there, on a balcony in summer air’.
This is a second establishing shot, but instead
is varies from the first. It appears to be a
castle, which could be a signifier for the
narrative the audience should expect from the
music video, and already from the name itself it
indicates a ‘love story’. The dim lighting, and
low angle could suggest that the castle has
significant power over whoever is in the tower
and that the time of day/lighting also signifies
the negative mood that someone (a princess)
may need rescuing.
3. Progressing, we are now inside a hall filled with lots of
people in ball gowns and suits, ‘See the party, the ball
gowns
I see you make your way through the crowd’
See the party, the ball gowns’ this has direct link to the
narrative of the music video and the lyrics. This shot is
when the audience can make the link between the boy at
the beginning and the relationship they have. The shot is
a pull focus, further drawing the attention to this
boy, showing the significance he is towards Taylor and the
music video despite the amount of people in the hall, they
are not relevant or in her eyes they are not because we
assume this is the view from Taylor.
The video then begins to show their relationship progress, the begin
dancing and more intimate, ‘That you were Romeo, you were throwing
pebbles’ the audience are now aware of the character and love story
between Romeo and Juliet before it even begins as it is predetermined
what Is going to happen if it fits with the story people know from William
Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’
The lyrics next at this point are ‘And my daddy said stay away from
Juliet’ which counters what is going on in the clip, they’re getting closer
as we are being told Romeo is supposed to stay away, which shows to
the audience he cares a lot for Juliet, who we are now fully aware is
‘Taylor’ as when she says ‘from Juliet’ we are shown a close up of
Taylor singing. During these clips, it cuts from high angles looking down
on the group of people dancing, to close ups and medium shots of
Taylor singing, back to long/medium shots of the dance and the two
together.
4. Later on in the music video, she says ‘Romeo, take me
somewhere we can be alone’ whilst in the video they
are passing through a dark looking environment, as she
is holding up a lantern to light up the way and they
appear to be alone like the lyrics suggest. This medium
close up shot of their upper body shows they are
dressed like a fairytale ‘princess and prince’ with the
long elegant dress and the smart suit which she refers
to a number of times in her chorus ‘you’ll be the prince
and il be the princess’ which therefore does link into the
story in the music video visuals itself.
‘Marry me, Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone’ they are
reunited at the end when Juliet thinks that he is not
going to return to her, which is a contrast and
alternative different ending a more ‘happily ever after’
than the story most are familiar with. The bright setting
sets the happy tone and mood for this particular
moment, the sun shining behind them as they are close
to one another having a intimate romantic moment in
this medium shot.
