Music Video Analysis:

Lana Del Ray – Blue Jeans

Mise en Scene

The main lighting for the video is very low key, however they have used additional lighting (such as the ripple reflection of water) to emphasise the romantic, feminine and natural feel to the video. This effect corresponds with the tone of the song, as it is very slow and gentle, as well as the romantic plot. Placing her under this light emphasises that she is the one in love, and gives her a very innocent look as the lighting is soft and natural.

The whole video is set in one area, that being a garden of a house. This helps to emphasise the natural feel to the song, as it appears almost like a home video. This could also show the romantic plot as they are together in a house; making us assume that they live there. The pool also had incredibly low key lighting, some parts almost undistinguishable which suggests a more sinister side to the song, in contrast to the softer and brighter light at the beginning.

Low Key Lighting suggests a more sinister feeling

Softer, natural light suggests femininity and innocence

Lana Del Rey’s makeup is very old fashioned (black eyeliner, red lips) and adds to the romantic feeling of the video as it is typically related to romance and glamour. It is also a signature for Lana, so including this in the video is appealing for her fans, as this is what they will expect from her. We cannot see what she wears due to the use of close ups, however from what we can see it is a simple, white elegant dress. This is again appealing for her fans as she is not exploiting herself, but keeps an essence of maturity about her. The white also symbolises innocence and purity, contrasting from the other character and dark, low key lighting.

For the other character, he is covered in tattoos and generally shows a very negative ‘bad boy’ look in the video. The use of low key lighting and dark color's then help to show that he isn't as suitable as they think. This image that he has created contrasts strongly from Lara as she is portrayed in a much more disastrous way.

Camera Work

There are many close ups of Lana Del Rey (the artist), more than any other style of shot. This makes the focus of the video strongly on the artist, and adds to the personal feel as the close camera is ‘cozy’ for the characters. Many of these close ups are of her lying on the floor, so the shot is a high angle shot. This is unusual for the artist to be put in this position, however it makes us empathize her as she appears as weaker and more venerable against this man.

A steady cam is used for the majority of the video, the only times that the camera is not still, it is slowly moving around/across. This almost mimics the movement of water, which also emphasises the natural feeling. The steadiness on the shots of the man, and movement on her, could also show how she is weaker than he is. Water is also a theme throughout the video, suggesting its importance and the dark, low key lighting in the water suggests further that it is dangerous/it foreshadows the events.There is a low angle shot of her as well, as she enters the pool. This could show how she has gained some of the power, as she is deciding to come into the pool. It is also the first long shot of the artist, and it presents her has very typically feminine and her body language/facial expressions doesn’t suggest particular happiness or comfort.

Here, we have an extreme close up

Editing

At the beginning of the video, we see a special effect of Lana's head in the reflection of some water. This gives her a very innocent, mysterious look as she gradually fades in and then continues to ‘move’ with the water.