'Give Me Love' Music Video Analysis

8/10/2019 'Give Me Love' Music Video Analysis

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Harriet Denial Coopers Company and Coborn Sixth From A2 MediaCoursework

Give Me ove !d Sheeran Musi"#ideo Analysis

$here are many di%erent shots within !d Sheeran&s 'Give Me ove& musi"

video that ( )nd interestin*+ and would like to in"lude within my A2 musi" video,

$o be*in with+ we "an see that there is a very vinta*e+ "ross -ade )lter pla"ed

over the top o- the video, .y doin* this+ di%erent "olours are intensi)ed and a

darker -rame with intense shadows is "reated, $his also helps to draw the

attention to the main "hara"ter+ the 'an*el& or '"upid&+ to keep the attention

-o"used on the middle o- the s"reen, .y usin* bri*ht li*htin* with this e%e"t+ a

sense o- inno"en"e and vulnerability is "reated to hook the audien"e&s attention

to the musi" video to )nd it en/oyable+ thus -urther promotin* the son* and the

artist,My interpretation o- this musi" video is that the main "hara"ter had that

the *irl has always had these distorted ideas o- love+ meanin* that she both

understood it and we "apable o- it+ but no one will love her ba"k, She is -ull o-

love+ too mu"h love+ whi"h leads to her sel- destru"tion and deterioration a-ter

settin* out to )nd it, $o be*in with+ she starts to physi"ally s"ulpt the kind o-

person she wants+ but its not enou*h -or her so she sets out to )nd it wherever

she "an, $his then -orms her into be"omin* a '"upid&+ shootin* people in the

hope that they&re "apable o- lovin* her ba"k, !a"h time she tries+ she -ails, $his

makes her -eel even worse be"ause the people she is surrounded by then -all in

love without tryin*+ while she is still not able to do so, As the pa"e o- the musi"builds up+ she be"omes *reedy and blinded by the -alse reality o- love+ strikin*

as many people as possible to *ain some sort o- a%e"tion, She -eels down and is

desperate and the "on"ept o- love turns into a dru*, She tries everythin* that

"an *ive her the 'hi*h& o- love, 0hen all o- her attempts -ail and she is still

unloved+ she is broken and hurtin* so she shoots hersel- with an arrow hopin*

that+ i- no one "an love her+ maybe she "ould love hersel-+ whi"h later leads to

her death, ater+ when she doesn&t expe"t it+ love )nds her and she awakens,

$he messa*e o- this is that love "an overpower all,

(n this shot+ we "an see the 'an*el&sittin* alone in a messy dull room, .y

shootin* this mid shot -rom the -ront+ the

artist is able to "reate a sense o-

sympathy and sorrow -or the a"tor+ as

well as revealin* the lo"ation+ and her

emotions, 0e "an see that within this

shot+ the 'an*el& looks upset+ whi"h

-ollows the lyri"s 'pain splattered tears on

my shirt,& .y "onne"tin* to the lyri"s in this way+ the audien"e is -or"ed to ask

themselves 1uestions about her "ir"umstan"e+ -urthermore makin* them wat"hthe video the whole way throu*h+ -urther promotin* the artist, .y usin* the white


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"olours o- her appearan"e hair and out)t3+ as well as the white beddin*+ as well

as havin* an un-o"used+ dark ba"k*round+ all attention is immediately drawn to

the a"tress and her a"tions, $his use o- "olour also su**ests the idea o-

inno"en"e and purity, .y doin* this+ as well as havin* slow movements+ the

video is able to "onne"t with the son* to

allow a "reative and *ood narrative to be"reated, $his shot is then -ollowed by a

"lose up shot o- a photo*raph o- two people

kissin*, $his photo*raph is in bla"k and

white and has a vinta*e -eel to it+

-urthermore relatin* it to the )lter whi"h is

pla"ed over the top o- the entire video, $his

photo -urther relates ba"k to the theme o-love+ and *ives a su**estion that she is

'"upid&, A *ritty -eel is "reated throu*h low key

li*htin* and poor -o"us+ whi"h then -urther

relates to the positionin* o- the *irl within the next lon* shot+ whi"h a*ain keeps

to the idea o- pla"ement in the middle o- the s"reen whi"h "onveys mat"h "uts+

helps "reate the sense that the main "hara"ter is lonely and isolated -rom the

world+ thus "reatin* a sense o- realism and su**ests what it is like -or those

people who are alienated -rom the world, As this is not somethin* that a pop

musi" video normally does+ it is breakin* the "onventions and movin* into a

more alternative -eel to the *enre, .y usin* a '4oomin* out& movement with the"amera+ this sense o- isolation is -urther in"reased whi"h "an allow the audien"e

to "reate a link between their own experien"es with loneliness with the

"hara"ters+ thus -ormin* "hara"ter5audien"e intera"tion,

$here are two shots in this musi"

video whi"h -o"us on numerous+

potentially harm-ul tools+ su**estin* that

some sort o- tra*edy will happen,

Followin* on -rom this is a shot whi"h

"ontains a shot o- two wooden art models+

shaped into a position to express love, .y

doin* this+ we "an *uess that this

impendin* doom o- a tra*edy happenin*

o""urs be"ause o- love, 6sin* "lose up mid shots o- these items allows the

audien"e to *et a stron* look at them to -urther relate them to up"omin* s"enes,

$he video then "uts to many di%erent medium "lose up shots o- what

looks like the -emale tryin* to s"rat"h and hurt hersel-, She then pulls a -eather

-rom underneath her skin and holds it up in-ront o- her, .y pla"in* this in a "lose

up shot+ our attention is immediately drawn to the red blood+ due to the -a"t that

it stands out a*ainst the li*ht "olours o- her skin+ her hair and the -eather, $heuse o- these li*ht "olours implies the idea o- inno"en"e+ whi"h "ontrasts the idea


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o- the impendin* doom to make the tra*edy more extereme, However+ -ollowin*

this+ we "an see a lon* shot o- the "hara"ter standin* with a pair o- win*s, $his

shot is un-o"used to "reate a more warmin* and an*eli" -eel, $his works with the

use o- low key li*htin* and a spotli*ht on the *irl to emphasise her inno"en"e

and purity+ as well as her importan"e to the storyline, $his use o- li*htin* is a

reo""urin* moti- throu*hout the musi" video+ and appears a*ain in a -ollowin*shot where she is standin* in a

poorly lit stree

0e are then shown a short "lip o- the

*irl sittin* in a "a-7, $his "a-7 is well lit whi"h

shows the idea that she is returnin* to a sense o- normality and reality+ and no

lon*er is sear"hin* -or love, As the "amera pans round+ we "an "learly see a shot

o- !d Sheeran+ the artist o- the son*, $his is the only time in the musi" video, $he

idea o- only momentarily showin* !d is a "ommon theme used in his other

videos su"h as 'A $eam& and 'e*o House&, $his te"hni1ue is used to keep the

audien"e -o"used on the storyline rather than the artist+ thus meanin* that it is

not a very stron* promotion te"hni1ue, However+ Sheeran is known to want

people to "onne"t with the lyri"s o- his musi"+ as well as the heavy storylines+

whi"h promotes him to be deeply intele"tual, His 1ui"k appearan"e is simply

added to remind the audien"e o- who sin*s the son*,


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A medium shot o- the main *irl "arvin* arrows

with the previously shown tools then appears next+

-ollowed by the arrows bein* aimed and ready to be

)red, A lon* shot is used to show this+ -urthermore

emphasisin* the brutal nature o- the bow and arrow+

thus addin* moretension and

suspense to the video, $his shot also helps to

represent the prota*onist as "upid+ as she

still has win*s and is "arryin* "upids "hosen

weapon to "reate love+ -urthermore "reatin* a

narrative with a "onnotation o- the theme o-

love+ whi"h is a "onventional theme o- musi"

videos throu*hout all *enres+ as well as meetin* the theme o- the son*,

However+ this musi" video works to show a mu"h darker and lonelier side o- love+

throu*h the low li*htin*+ whi"h *ives o% a dull and lonely -eel+ as well as the-emale&s "onstant depressed -a"ial expression, $his idea "ontrasts to the usual

theme o- love shown within musi" videos+ thus makin* it stand out a*ainst

others and makin* it memorable,


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$he audien"e is then shown a -ew shots o- di%erent people bein* shot by

arrows+ desperately -allin* in love with whoever the )rst person they see is+ in

some "ases+ this in"ludes "omplete stran*ers, $his also in"ludes same8sex

"ouples+ thus promotin* the artist to be one o- e1uality+ showin* him to be a

role model kind o- a interwoven promotion, $he -a"t that+ on"e shot by the

arrows+ ea"h person be"omes desperate -or love+ the storyline immediatelybe"omes a modern day twist o- the ori*inal myth o- "upid, Followin* is a shot o-

the *irl standin* at the side o- the railway waitin* -or an on"omin* train, $he use

o- publi" areas helps to "onne"t the audien"e+ su**estin* that an element o- the

*irls thirst -or love hides in all o- us, $he various "lose up and medium shots o-

people that have been stru"k by the arrows+ kissin* ea"h other a*ain helps to

add to the theme o- love+ a*ain emphasisin* the loneliness o- the main

"hara"ter, $he low an*le mid shot o- her standin* on top o- the buildin* -ollowin*

this helps to su**est that she has both power and dominan"e within her /ob as

"upid+ but the -a"t that she is alone -urther emphasises the -a"t that she is yet to

)nd lover hersel-,

!ven thou*h her inno"en"e is shown within this shot throu*h the use o-

"ostume+ the darkness surroundin* her o- the stormy "louds works well to

"ontrast this inno"en"e o- this supposedly an*eli" "reature+ -urther showin* a

more demoni" side to her+ one whi"h is more -or"e-ul and "ontrollin*+ -ollowin*

the demandin* nature o- the lyri"s when they say 'Give me love&, $here are

several shots shown where this dominan"e is shown within a ni*ht "lub+ in whi"h

her desperation -or love is at its hi*hest+ meanin* that she *oes around shootin*

everyone near her with arrows lookin* -or the 'hi*h& that she *ets throu*h other

peoples momentary love,

As the tempo o- the son* pi"ks up to its "limax+ the editin* pa"e pi"ks up, $hisallows more "lose up shots to be shown o- "ouples *ettin* stru"k and bein*


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blinded by love as the prota*onist strikes them with arrows, $he blue tint+ alon*

with the li*htin* and the smoky atmosphere *ive o% a *ritty -eel "reatin* a sense

o- realism to the video, 9ot many musi" videos o- this *enre show verisimilitude+

breakin* the "onventions o- its *enre+ makin* it seem like a more 'indie& or

arthouse in:uen"ed musi" video, $he editin* within this se1uen"e -ollows the

-ast beat o- the son*+ as well as "ausin* the musi" video to *row tense+ he"ti"and heavy when the "limax is buildin* up,

;n"e the "limax has been rea"herd+ the pa"e o- the musi" video slowly

"alms down+ returnin* to the ori*inal :ow with a "lose up pro)le shot o- the main

"hara"ter holdin* an arrow to her throat, $his is then -ollowed by a "ut ba"k to

the ori*inal s"ene shown at the be*innin* o- the musi"

video+ with the key poli"e o

'Give Me Love' Music Video Analysis

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