HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY –
GIVEON
Textual Analysis 2
CASTING
For this music video, Giveon casted himself as one of the
main characters that is presented. This is done to make sure
that the artist is presented in their music video so audiences
can easily depict who the singer is.
• Giveon
• Samantha Logan
Target audiences for this music video would be teenagers
and young adults. For this reason, audiences of that
demographic would easily identify Samantha Logan who
starred in popular TV Shows such as 13 Reasons Why as well
as the well known film Truth or Dare. This would attract fans
of the actress therefore expanding the target audience.
LOCATIONS AND
COSTUMES
In this music video there is a total of 8 different
location which is shown. This includes a train track, car
park, and the different room inside a house. As this
music video is based on an older couple in the young
20s, the locations are associated with where young
adult couples would typically go out an explore. As
this is a heart break song, there is the stereotypical
assumption that when someone is heartbroken they
would drive to an empty space at night and listen to
music in their car. This is shown in the music video
when Giveon had driven to an empty car park space.
Looking at the type of car used, we can assume that
the music video is based off on the early 2000s.
Therefore, we can see that the outfits used in the
video are styles which may have been popular in the
2000s such as Jordan 1 which also a popular fashion
trend today as well.
NARRATIVE
• This particular music video
depicts the story of a
relationship from finding love
together to the breakup and its
aftermath
• This ballad finds Giveon still
missing his ex on the first
anniversary of their break up
• But he still wonders if his
former lover still thinks about
him, and he hopes she might
return
• The music video is both
performance and narrative
based
LYRICS
• “Balloons are deflatin’ guess they look
lifeless like me”
• The lack of furniture in the room and
lightning represents the lyrics of how he is
‘lifeless’ as there is no light within him
• This makes the audience feel sympathy
towards him as he feels incomplete
without his girlfriend.
• This use of the simile shows evidence of
Andrew Goodwin’s theory of there being a
relationship between the visuals and the
lyrics
• It also goes against he stereotypes of men
when it comes to heartbreaks as men are
normally depicted to be aggressive or
consume alcohol
LYRICS
• “Just like the day that I met you”
• When singing this line, as there is a
reference to the past, a flashback scene is
produced in black and white rather than
colour to represent the past
• This scene is contrasting the previous
shots of the couple arguing as it is looking
back in time as to when they were happy
• This assumption reinforces Barthes
semiotics theory that the media constructs
meaning through the process of
denotation and connotation, in which we
read the media imagery in the same way
we read conventional language
• This is something that I particularly liked
and wish to incorporate the feature of a
flashback into my own music video
CAMERA SHOTS
• Silhouettes are predominately used through out
this music video
• This may demonstrate how empty they feel after
the breakup and how they would enter a dark
period of their life until they’ve found love again
which would result into the silhouettes featuring
colour instead
• I find this technique very impactful when
generating emotions and creating a narrative
that would construct the audience to possess
and dominate reading
EDITING
• When comparing the shots, we can see that the
scenes which refer to the flash back have a
smaller frame than the ones which represent
present day
• It can be suggested that this is done to make
the flashbacks appear as they are being played
on an old television screen with a smaller frame.
As in the past music videos were only available
on MTV music video channel on TV
SOUNDTRACK
• During the opening scene diegetic sound of the train passing by is present. This could have
been done to demonstrate that heartbreak is something that happens in real life and not just
in movies and tv shows. It also brings light to the area that they live in a more lower middle
class environment.
• When comparing the soundtrack to the visuals, most of the scenes tend to change on the
third beat of the bar that is being played to help develop emotion

Heartbreak Anniversary Textual Analysis

  • 1.
  • 2.
    CASTING For this musicvideo, Giveon casted himself as one of the main characters that is presented. This is done to make sure that the artist is presented in their music video so audiences can easily depict who the singer is. • Giveon • Samantha Logan Target audiences for this music video would be teenagers and young adults. For this reason, audiences of that demographic would easily identify Samantha Logan who starred in popular TV Shows such as 13 Reasons Why as well as the well known film Truth or Dare. This would attract fans of the actress therefore expanding the target audience.
  • 3.
    LOCATIONS AND COSTUMES In thismusic video there is a total of 8 different location which is shown. This includes a train track, car park, and the different room inside a house. As this music video is based on an older couple in the young 20s, the locations are associated with where young adult couples would typically go out an explore. As this is a heart break song, there is the stereotypical assumption that when someone is heartbroken they would drive to an empty space at night and listen to music in their car. This is shown in the music video when Giveon had driven to an empty car park space. Looking at the type of car used, we can assume that the music video is based off on the early 2000s. Therefore, we can see that the outfits used in the video are styles which may have been popular in the 2000s such as Jordan 1 which also a popular fashion trend today as well.
  • 4.
    NARRATIVE • This particularmusic video depicts the story of a relationship from finding love together to the breakup and its aftermath • This ballad finds Giveon still missing his ex on the first anniversary of their break up • But he still wonders if his former lover still thinks about him, and he hopes she might return • The music video is both performance and narrative based
  • 5.
    LYRICS • “Balloons aredeflatin’ guess they look lifeless like me” • The lack of furniture in the room and lightning represents the lyrics of how he is ‘lifeless’ as there is no light within him • This makes the audience feel sympathy towards him as he feels incomplete without his girlfriend. • This use of the simile shows evidence of Andrew Goodwin’s theory of there being a relationship between the visuals and the lyrics • It also goes against he stereotypes of men when it comes to heartbreaks as men are normally depicted to be aggressive or consume alcohol
  • 6.
    LYRICS • “Just likethe day that I met you” • When singing this line, as there is a reference to the past, a flashback scene is produced in black and white rather than colour to represent the past • This scene is contrasting the previous shots of the couple arguing as it is looking back in time as to when they were happy • This assumption reinforces Barthes semiotics theory that the media constructs meaning through the process of denotation and connotation, in which we read the media imagery in the same way we read conventional language • This is something that I particularly liked and wish to incorporate the feature of a flashback into my own music video
  • 7.
    CAMERA SHOTS • Silhouettesare predominately used through out this music video • This may demonstrate how empty they feel after the breakup and how they would enter a dark period of their life until they’ve found love again which would result into the silhouettes featuring colour instead • I find this technique very impactful when generating emotions and creating a narrative that would construct the audience to possess and dominate reading
  • 8.
    EDITING • When comparingthe shots, we can see that the scenes which refer to the flash back have a smaller frame than the ones which represent present day • It can be suggested that this is done to make the flashbacks appear as they are being played on an old television screen with a smaller frame. As in the past music videos were only available on MTV music video channel on TV
  • 9.
    SOUNDTRACK • During theopening scene diegetic sound of the train passing by is present. This could have been done to demonstrate that heartbreak is something that happens in real life and not just in movies and tv shows. It also brings light to the area that they live in a more lower middle class environment. • When comparing the soundtrack to the visuals, most of the scenes tend to change on the third beat of the bar that is being played to help develop emotion