The video for "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift tells the story of a teenage romance between a high school "geek" and the popular quarterback. Mise-en-scene and camera work are used to distinguish the protagonist from the antagonist. Outfits, lighting, and settings are employed to characterize Taylor Swift's cheerful protagonist and her mean, controlling girlfriend. Shots like close-ups emphasize romantic moments between the "geek" and quarterback to engage the audience's sympathy for the protagonist. The video uses techniques like matching scenes to lyrics to further the storyline.

1. Comparable media
Taylor Swift- ‘You belong with me’
The video clip that I have chosen to analyse is ‘You belong with me’ by Taylor Swift. I have chosen to
use this as I want my video to be similar following a story of a teenage romance. It fits with a softer
genre of music which is the style I have chosen. The storyline is quirky and follows two teenagers
falling in love, it also doesn’t fit with the usual representations of a high school romance combining
the ‘school geek’ with the ‘football jock’, this puts a twist on the conventional story but also make
the audience support the protagonist, the protagonist is played by the artist.
Mise en scene is used to set the scene with use of props and lighting to give an impression. The first
scene is between the two protagonists in their bedrooms talking to each other via note paper
through the windows. The colours which are used in her room are bright and contrasting; this gives
us an impression that she has a bright personality and immediately makes her the likeable character
so the audience will be supporting this character for the happy ending throughout. It is therefore
important to set this impression at the start of the video in order to get the right audience
perception.
By using note paper to show the pair of teenagers communicating in the scene, it gives the audience
a view of their relationship. It shows understanding between the pair and also concern, it is also
quite romantic, it also gives us an immediate view that the male in the scene is the female’s love
interest.
There is a range of outfits throughout the video, this relates to the lyrics, the social hierarchy of high
school, and the individual scenes. The outfits also relate to the different characters in the video and
again make the difference between the likeable protagonist, and the mean antagonist, who in this
video is the boys girlfriend.
In this video, Taylor Swift, the protagonist, wears outfits such as baggy t-shirts, and ‘geeky glasses’.
This relates to the type of character that she is, how she is not the typically, ‘popular cheerleader’
you would expect the jock to have a relationship with. This is in direct contrast to her opposing love
interest who wears much tighter skimpier clothing, this relates to her promiscuous nature which is
later displayed in the video when she is flirting with another jock. She also performs several actions
that also relates to her popularity and status, the removing of her sunglasses shows her popularity,
but also when she drives the car and picks her boyfriend up suggests that she is more in control as it
is usually the other way around, suggesting she is in control of the relationship. In the final scene at
the school party, she is wearing a much more revealing outfit, and a bold colour suggests what her
personality is like. All of this therefore relates to her popularity and how she seems to be the type
that a school geek cannot compare or compete with. There is also a scene showing Taylor Swift as
the protagonist is wearing a series of different outfits, all of which would be considered to be misfits
in modern day high school. In the last scene at the party, she is wearing a much fuller white dress
that highly contrasts the antagonists outfit; the white has connotations of a much more pure
character. The male interest is wearing casual clothes, this makes a more direct contrast by the two
opposing females, and he is more of a neutral stimulus. There is one scene that emphasises the
contrast between the two females which is at a football match where all the characters are in their

2. role. The male, is playing American football, showing his role and his character within high school, it
then cuts between the two females, his girlfriend, who is the cheerleader and supporter, she is
wearing more skimpy clothing in this scene and it emphasises her popularity, it then cuts to Taylor
Swift in the role of the geek, she is in the band supporting the football team, wearing clothes that
cover her up much more, it also shows her being pushed and shoved in the scene, and there is little
space for her, this emphasises her role as the unpopular ‘geek’, compared to the cheerleader who
has plenty of space to perform her cheer.
There is another scene in the video which gives a direct impression of romance when the male
comes and sits beside Taylor Swift as the ‘geek’, where she is sat alone reading a book, and he
moves the hair from her face, therefore giving direct contact to her and showing the connection
between the two.
In the video, Taylor Swift plays both the protagonist and antagonist, this is an idea that I might put
forwards myself in my own video, it shows a much higher contrast, but it also gives an impression of
the two opposite ends of her personality.
Camera is used to emphasise the use of mise-en scene in order to create more of an atmosphere.
The video begins with an establishing shot, showing both houses facing each other, and there is light
at both windows, this is so that the audience is aware of what is going on when the scene
cuts to the pair who are communicating through the windows. Without this camera shot,
the audience would be much more confused at what is going on.
A two shot is then used to switch between the two protagonists in their bedrooms to show their
facial expressions at everything that happens from the notes. However in the same scene,
there are some over the shoulder shots [over the shoulder of Taylor Swift], this is only used
over the shoulder of Taylor Swift so we are aware of who’s point of view we are following,
and we can see what she is seeing.
A wide angle is used when Taylor Swift is dancing around the bedroom, this is so we can see her
jumping around and see the energy that she has. This suggests that the energy that she does
have relates to how strongly she feels about the situation. By using a wide angle we can see
all of what is happening and understand the situation more. Another wide angle is used, in
the scene with the bench, Taylor Swift is sitting in the right of the camera, and due to the
type of shot, the audience is aware that someone is about to sit next to her.
A close up is then used in the same scene to show him moving her hair from her face. This is to
direct the audience’s attention to the action, and it emphasises the connotations of romance
that the action has. Also by using a close up, we see Taylor Swift’s face at the action, which is
filled with delight. Another close up is then used, when his girlfriend arrives in the car, and
he is hugging/kissing her, the close up shows the expression on the girlfriend’s face which is
malice, this therefore creates an immediate dislike to this character and makes the audience
route for the protagonist.
A ped left is used, to in the scene of the football game, to show where the protagonist is standing, in
the scrabble of people, and also gives a quick overview of the scene as no establishing shot is
used in this scene.

3. A high angle is then used to show the problem in the scene, with the male and his girlfriend, from
Taylor Swift’s point of view higher in the stands. By showing this, the audience relates to
what the protagonist is feeling, and it creates empathy both for the protagonist and the
male.
Editing is used to cut between the camera shots; this creates a mood towards the camera, as the
camera would towards the mise en scene.
A blur in is used from the establishing shot at the very start of the video, to the second shot in the
bedrooms, this is to make the video seem much softer rather than harsh, as the music is
much more romantic and it also relates to the ‘pop’ style.
Slow motion editing is used when the male is moving hair from the protagonists face, as well as the
camera shot, this shows that this part of the scene is significant and again draws attention to
the love between the two characters.
A motivational cut is used towards the end of the video when the protagonist looks at the paper on
what she wrote ‘I love you.’, this is because this part is highly significant and it is seeing that
piece of paper that urges the protagonist to change her mind and go to confess her feelings,
by using a motivational cut, we see what she is seeing, but we also feel what she is feeling
and it makes the audience want the right outcome.
Continuity editing is often used in areas where we are not to notice a seam in the video.
A jump cut is used in the scene when the male gets into the car with the antagonist, the scene shows
them together, but then cuts to the football match showing the antagonist in the
cheerleading squad and the protagonist in the band, the scene then cuts back to the car
scene, and continues as if there hadn’t been a cut at all. This draws our attention to that
scene and makes us acknowledge that something significant is happening when it does
eventually go to that scene it was cut to.
The sound is used to often match the scenes and emphasise what is going on, however obviously
this is a music video, and in this case the scenes are used to match the music and to
emphasise the lyrics and music.
Many times in the video, the scenes match the lyrics, and it can often make the video seem
spontaneous and quite quirky. In part of the song, the lyrics say “your on the phone to your
girlfriend, she’s upset”, in this scene it shows Taylor Swift , the protagonist, watching the
male through her window on the phone and seeming quite angry on the phone, this relates
more to the lyrics but also makes the audience aware that the person he is on the phone to,
is his girlfriend.
Another scene it Taylor sings “laughing on a park bench thinking isn’t this easy”, this is displayed
when Taylor Swift and her male, are both sat on the bench, laughing, a close up is then used
to suggest she is thinking, again relating to the lyrics.
Finally, the scenes also relate to the beat in the music, for example, when the music kicks in and
there is a strong beat, there is a strong atmosphere in the scene, in this video, the scene is at

4. a football match and when the music really kicks in, it shows cheerleaders/bands/spectators
jumping up and down.
No special effects are used in this video, therefore it is a good video to analyse as in my music video I
will be using little to no special effects.