The document provides analysis of music videos by Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and Sia. It summarizes key elements of each video, such as their narrative structures, themes relating to gender and social issues, and how they engage their target audiences. Common techniques discussed include the use of close-ups to elicit sympathy, symbolic costumes, choreography linking to lyrics, and incorporating star power to attract viewers. Sia's "The Greatest" video specifically references the Orlando nightclub shooting and represents the 49 victims at the end.

1. Real Media Research
Harriet Davies-McLeod

2. Ed Sheeran – The A
Team
At the start and then throughout
the video there are numerous
close ups on the protagonist. This
enables us to have deeper
sympathy with the character as
the lyrics of the song link to the
story she is telling.
At the end of the opening, before the
song starts, the camera zooms out, out
of focus showing us that something has
happened to the character and we will
have to watch the video to watch the
story unfold.
The music video uses a narrative structure
as there is no artist performance.
The video is also shown in a circular way as
the video starts at the end of the story.
When the song begins the first shot
we see is a long shot of a girl
sleeping on a bench with a sleeping
bag. This suggests that she is
homeless and makes the audience
sympathise with her as she is also a
young girl living on the streets.

3. Because the protagonist is a young girl these shots put all
the focus on her as its quite uncommon to see young girls
living on the streets. This also creates more questions as
the audience are curios about her life.
The outfit the protagonist is wearing
throughout the video suggests that she has had
to turn to prostitution which is later confirmed
in the video when the girl is seen putting on
makeup in a flat and then a long shot showing
her getting into the car and taking off her
jacket. This makes the audience really
sympathise with her because at such a young
age she has had to turn to a life like that.
The target audience for this video are the younger generation, between the ages 15 - 25, this is
similar to the Protagonists age. The song is about drugs and this is a topic that young people get
caught up in. This video attracts it's target audience because they are people who could be
involved in this type of life. The circular structure intrigues the target audience causing them to be
attracted to the video.

4. Rhianna – Where Have You Been
The opening to the video shows the artist Rhianna arising
from the water wearing only a bikini. This fits the
stereotypes of female artist music videos as they are often
exposed sexually to attract men.
There isn’t a set narrative to this music video however
by using the types of costumes, the choreography and
the many different locations the video links very well
with the lyrics of the song because they all show that
Rhianna is looking for love.
One way in which the video could be seen as challenging conventions is the
Rhianna is seen as a strong, powerful women but in society women are often
still seen as weak and need dominant men in their lives.
By doing this Rhianna brings in a young female audience as she is seen as a
role model and inspiring.

5. Beyonce – Pretty Hurts
The aim of this video was to expose
society's beauty standards and female body
image.
Throughout the video there are a series of
shots that show the women getting ready.
The shots show them taking diet pills,
making themselves sick, fake tanning,
whitening their teeth, pulling at their skin,
getting weighed and getting measured and
so on. All of these show how these women
feel the need to be perfect in order to fit
into todays society and the pressures put
on women to look a certain way.

6. The video is reatable to so many women
both of the younger and the older
generation as she is relatable to women
that are struggling with their body image
and the pressures to look a certain way.
Beyonce is showing that even though she is
extremely famous she still struggles with
insecurities just like every other girl or even
boy.
All the characters in the video show this as
they are seen throughout the video they
show the pressures they have to succeed in
the beauty pageant.

7. Taylor Swift – Bad
Blood Throughout the video there is a continuous use of
violence and weapons. The fact that Taylor Swift is
using these weapons shows her dominance and
power which could reflect the dominance and power
she has in the music industry.
Taylor is always followed throughout the video, this shows her importance as she
needs to stand out from all the other well known stars that are also in the video.
This could again reflect her position in the music industry as she was the audience
to have their whole focus on her.
A way in which this music video fits with the
stereotypes of a female pop artist music video is
that some aspects are about female
empowerment and many female stars aim to
promote this.

8. Although it is clear to see that Taylor is the main
character in this music video, due to the way the
camera focuses on her and that she is the centre
of the frame, the use of star power in the video
can be perceived in many ways.
Firstly it fits with the running theme of Taylors
power and dominance in the music industry as
she is able to have all these stars take time to be
in her video.
Secondly this could also be used as a selling
point because all audiences could be curious to
the stars involved in the video.

9. Sia – The
Greatest
Before the song begins there is an eiree in the background
of the montage of shots. The sound is quite creepy and
really adds a sinister tone to the video and also builds up
tension that something is going to happen.
The main character in the music video is the only one seen with out grey face
point on and she comes across as the leader of the groups and that her job is to
pick people up from the ground which is shown throughout the video. This may
reflect the message Sia was trying to get across about members of the LGBTQ
community being equal in society.

10. There is no known message of what this video is actually about but the message
it gives is that it is aimed towards the LGBTQ community and their and their fight
for both freedom and equality. This is supported when the main dancer in the
video drags her fingers down her cheeks leaving stripes of rainbow colour. There
is evidence that this video relates to the Orlando Shooting at a Gay night club
that left 49 people dead.
This is shown at the end of the video where 49
bodies are shown lying in a pile on the floor
which may represent the deaths of the 49 people
on the night of the shooting