1) The music video begins with close-up shots of Taylor Swift that portray her as the central figure and establish a romantic narrative between her and an unseen male character. 2) Through a series of shots that alternate between Taylor and the man in different settings, it becomes clear they are reminiscing about happier times in their past relationship while physically separated. 3) Taylor is shown trying to distance herself from the man and her feelings for him through shots of her alone in the woods, but the video suggests her feelings for him remain strong as it builds to their potential reconnection by the end.

1. Taylor Swift - Style
First 30 seconds analysis
BY OLIVIA SEYMOUR

2. SHOT
1
The video begins with a close up shot of the side of Taylor Swift’s head and neck; close ups help to create
a star image and lets the audience know instantly that she is the important one in the video. The
background is quite plain and dark but gets lighter around Taylor which almost makes her look like she is
glowing, portraying her as almost angelic. This again, helps to portray the star image.

3. SHOT
2
There is a fade into this shot. Where Taylor’s brain would be is an image of a man on a beach
which indicates that he is who she is thinking about and that this is a memory of happier times.
The blue sky and scenic setting of the beach contrasts with the grey background around
Taylor’s head which draws the audiences attention to the man.

4. SHOT 3
Taylor’s head then fades away and the grey surrounding is replaced by a cave on the beach.
This setting is quite typical of a romantic/girly genre music video as you can associate the
beach with happiness and summer romance.

5. SHOT
4
The video then cuts to a closer shot of the man – although we cannot see his face. This
makes him seem mysterious and even lost. The fact that Taylor was framed alone and
now this man is framed alone indicates that the lyrics and the narrative are based
around these two characters. This helps to create the diegesis of the video.

6. SHOT 5
There is then an extreme close up of Taylor’s nose and eyes, although it is blurred. She also
only takes up half the frame and it appears as if someone else is in the background. It makes it
seem like she is trying to ignore the fact that he is there but she cannot get rid of the memory
of him completely.

7. SHOT 6
Before this point, the song has not started which means the background of the story
has built up. As the music starts, this shot of grass moving in front of a lake/river
appears with a purple/pink filter which creates a romantic feel. The sun is shining on
the water which suggests happiness as opposed to upset and hurt.

8. SHOT 7
We then see Taylor again but further away. The lighting makes it seem as if this is a
memory. She is looking back at the camera but perhaps we are supposed to be looking
at her through the man’s eyes. She is dressed in white clothing which suggests purity
and may represent the new innocent romance.

9. SHOT 8
The video then cuts to the man on the beach. These two people in the video
have still not been framed together but it highlights how they are both
reminiscing of the time they spent together. Although the man is dark in this
shot, the background is light which maybe suggests that things can be fixed.

10. SHOT 9
Taylor is seen holding a necklace which the camera focusses on. This necklace is clearly
of some significance to their relationship and the way that she is holding it instead of
wearing it suggests that their relationship is on the rocks/over.

11. SHOT 10
This shot is another close-up of Taylor. We have not yet seen a close up of the
man and although he is obviously of great significance to the story, the fact that
we have seen Taylor’s face a few times before we see the man’s shows how she is
the most important. The background of this is light. It almost suggests that her
and the man are making things more complicated than they need to be.

12. SHOT 11
This is the first close-up of the man’s face in which he looks sad and alone. It
is similar to the first shot of Taylor in which she is facing the other way. The
purple background highlights how things may not be as bad as he thinks
they are and how there still may be hope.

13. SHOT 12
This shot of Taylor’s feet makes it seem like she is trying to get away from something,
perhaps her feelings for this male character. The fact that she is bare foot highlights
how she isn’t serious about leaving for good though as she wouldn’t be able to get far
without shoes.

14. SHOT 13
This woodland setting compared with the beach setting makes it look as if the two
characters are worlds apart but still thinking about each other. She is not facing the
camera which shows how she is trying to hide from the truth.

15. SHOT 14
This shot is again just of Taylor. We have not seen the male character in the past few
shots which could show how she has managed to rid herself of him temporarily. Although
her facial expressions suggest she is still not best pleased. She is wearing this white dress
again which almost looks like a wedding dress. She looks as if she is holding on to
something, perhaps this shows how she is holding on to hope.

16. SHOT 15
This shot is not clear. It seems as if she has let him back into her mind again as the next
few shots are very quick and the pace of the video speeds up. She looks confused and
the background is not clear.

17. SHOT 16
This is the first shot of the man for a while and he appears to be in the same place,
although looks more sad. This could highlight the differences between how the two
are grieving; Taylor is trying to run from the problems whilst he is trying to deal with
them.

18. SHOT 17
In this shot, Taylor is wearing the white dress again standing in the woodland setting with
the sun shining and blocking out most of the background – the focus is on here. She
appears to be waiting for someone/something.

19. SHOT 18
This close up of the man shows him looking like he is more willing to get up and
do something about his problems. The fact that his back is turned shows how this
could be hard for him. The light on his face could link to the light from the
previous shot and how he knows that this girl is the only option for his happiness.

20. SHOT 19
This shot is similar to the first shot of the music video although in this one she is looking at
the camera with no real expression on her face. This shot fades into another woodland
shot. This highlights how time has passed (as she has a different hairstyle) but she is still
thinking the same and reminiscing.