Bad Blood music video analysis

1. Sophie Perry
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Taylor Swift – Bad Blood
The Lyrics
The lyrics themselves use the same theme throughout the whole song; there is a theme of
blame towards another person.
Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes,
You say sorry just for show.
This example shows Taylors feelings towards whoever has done her wrong, and her shifting
responsibility to the other person. The words ‘bullet holes’ relates to the visual themes in
the video; weapons and futuristic spy conventions are used throughout. The lyrics are
brought in after the 30 second fight scene at the beginning of the video, presenting Taylor
Swift and Selena Gomez. When the lyrics are brought in, it is A Capella style – the lyrics are
therefore the main focal point all the way through.
The Music
The lyrics are a huge part of this music video; this fits the conventions as the lyrics are
usually the focal point for the narrative in the video. The music is revealed slowly through
the 7 second intro; this fits into the key concept of sound in Carol Vernallis’ Music Video
Theory. Like the lyrics, there is a key theme throughout the narrative of the video which
relates to what Taylor Swift is singing about. The music heard in the opening 30 seconds is
powerful and could represent the theme of ‘girl power’, which is seen during the video.
Even behind Kendrick Lamar’s rap (the only male character in the whole video), Taylor is
heard as a backing vocal to remain relevant to the video. This is an example of an up-beat
music video – both these and slower songs are conventional of Taylor’s style of pop.
The Narrative
The narrative is definitely a visual response to the
lyrics and music in the video; the use of futuristic
weapons gives the idea of revenge and hate. The
video poses questions, relating to Carol Vernallis’
Music Video Theory – for example, what is her
relation to Arsyn (played by Selena Gomez)? This
question, along with others are not answered at
all and so fit the conventions of leaving the audience unsure. Subverting Steve Archer’s
theory, the video doesn’t cut between a narrative and a performance; these are entwined

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into each other, but Taylor is never seen stood in front of a microphone singing with a band
behind her. There is also no choreographed dance sequences in the video; the closest we
see to this is the end scene of the 2 girl ‘squads’ walking together simultaneously.
The Camerawork
The majority of the camera shots are mid shots and close ups of Taylor and the characters
when they are introduced. Alongside the close-ups we see the name of each character,
allowing us as an audience to relate to each one
individually. However, even when characters are
shown close up or when Kendrick Lamar is
rapping, we still see Taylor Swift in the
background or standing alongside. This helps
Taylor to still be the focal point of the whole
video. Even after she is pushed through the
window at the beginning of the video, we still see
Taylor’s reflection in the shards of glass flying
through the air. So although Selena Gomez is the
main focal point of the shot, Taylor is still able to
be seen and so is still the focal point. Through the
close ups and mid shots the camera allows Taylor
to be the star attraction throughout. At the end of the video, the camerawork accompanies
the walking sequence – the close up of the legs and feet allows to emphasise the
conventions of females, for example, the women are wearing heels which may convey
sexiness. This relates to the theory of the ‘male gaze’ –
music videos are choreographed through the view of a heterosexual man.
The Mise-En-Scene
Being a pop video, the audience would naturally expect there to be choreographed dance
sequences at points of the video. However, Bad Blood subverts these conventions due to
there being no set dance sequences – the closest to this are the marching sequences
towards the end of the video used to connote power and domination.
The costumes are as expected for a female
pop idol; leather, short and they show off the
women’s bodies. These represent a
sexualised industry, and although the theme
running through the video is that of ‘girl
power’, men are still able to objectify the
female stars. This adheres to Jonathan
Schroeder’s theory, as he notes 'Film has been called an instrument of the male gaze,
producing representations of women, the good life, and sexual fantasy from a male point of
view' (Schroeder 1998). Some theorists say that the sexualizing of women’s bodies happens

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even in situations when female sexiness has nothing to do with the products being
advertised; the costumes themselves technically have nothing to do with the lyrics of Bad
Blood but are used to enhance the characters’ bodies in a way that would appeal to male
viewers.
During the length of the video, we can see
conventions of females being adhered to and also
subverted. We see the use of make-up products
being used, maybe to represent the stereotypes
of women in today’s society. However, running
alongside this are scenes of weapons and
fighting; this completely subverts the innocent
and vulnerable stereotype of women.
Voyeurism/Looking
As mentioned above, women are often sexualised in many aspects of the media including
music videos. Mulvey proposed the idea that because most directors are male (seen at the
start of the video is ‘A Joseph Kahn Film’, relating to the heavily-
male role), we see female characters in film (and extending to
areas like music videos) to solely have the purpose of display for a male audience. The
theory suggests that the male gaze denies women human identity, relegating them to the
status of objects to be admired for physical appearance. The close up on legs during the
walking sequence at the end of the video shows the women as passive and an object of
desire to a male audience. However, the desire to be a voyeur is a crucial part of the music
video; the pleasures being either aspirational or lustful.
The Editing
The editing mirrors the beat of the song, especially when the word ‘hey’ is heard. Taylor
motivates the editing, and is the prevalent character all the way through, even when other
characters are shown on screen. This is needed for Taylor to remain focal. The fast editing
reflects the theme running throughout the music video; the futuristic spy theme
Star Image
Taylor Swift is shown as independent in the video; as she is role model to a younger
generation; she needs to be shown in a positive light as to appeal to the widest
demographic possible. Alongside this, she is shown as powerful; this is fully mirrored in the
theme of the video. The fact there is no men in the video except Kendrick Lamar could show
a female dominated video – unusual in today’s industry (relating to Laura Mulvey’s theory of

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the male gaze). By using a lot of female stars in her video, she is helping to widen her
audience reach and appealing to a lot more people than just 1 age group.