Creative Analysis of Similar Product 2

CameraworkThe main shot types that were used in the video of Ed Sheeran – Small Bump was close ups, long shots and extreme close ups. The first shot we see is a close up of the environment that the video is set in – a hospital, this lets the audience know that something has happened and that is what the song is relating to. Other close ups of props such as a hospital bed and a clock were also used at the start or the video. The rest of the video is then shot in one type long scene, the use of zooming in and out when going down the long corridor has a good effect on the audience as it gives the feeling that he is waiting or anticipating something bad. I think the most effective shot type that was used at the end of the video, the extreme close up of the artists face showed that he had been crying as his eyes were red and puffy, and as the song is about a baby not being born it is clear for the audience to see that it is not a happy, upbeat song. I think that for a music video to be successful it needs to be able to connote the different emotions and feelings that were felt when writing the actual song, therefore if it is a happy upbeat song, the video will then reflect on that. The composition of the music video is also quite important in relation to the actual lyrics, there is a clear authoritative figure which is the doctor, at the start the doctor is standing and the artist is sitting down behind him, this an show how vulnerable he actually is compared to the other person.

Editing

The first thing I noticed about this music video was that apart from the 3 cuts at the beginning of the video, all of the editing is one long take. I think this is a good way in which to compose a music video like this because using fast paced editing it would have made the some appear a lot different than what its actually meant to mean, for example the small upbeat part of the song at the beginning was shown through 3 fast cuts, showing the hospitals facilities so that the audience can see where he is, then after that it is one shot, a long take down a corridor that shows different patients with different emergencies, they then fade out after a couple of seconds of being in the shot, this is a good way of showing time going by because the main character is still sitting in the same place, meaning he is waiting for something important or has found out something that he didn’t want to hear.

Mise – en – Scene

The costume that was used in this music video was very stereotypical of a music video in this genre of song. The artist was dressed in jeans and a hoody, showing that he is still just like an ordinary person, the patients that played a small part in the video were also wearing what we would consider ‘normal’ clothes and therefore making it a lot easier for the audience to relate to. The lighting was all low key, this is a typical convention of a music video that has lyrics that show unhappiness. Also, hospitals usually have fairly bright lighting, and the fact that the lighting in the video was not represents the common idea that hospitals are not a nice place to be.The props that are used throughout the video are ones that you would expect to be in a hospital, for example a hospital bed and monitors next to it, yellow boxes with ‘Danger’ on them, doctors cloaks and a stethoscope, all of these props helped create a sense of realism in the video.

Sound

The type of sound that was used in the video was mainly diegetic. At the start of the video matched with the cutting was the non diegetic sound of the instruments that are played in the song, after that, we see the artist singing to the audience, although he is in a setting that we wouldn’t normally associate with performing, we then see that the people around him couldn’t hear him sing, so therefore meaning that he is more isolated than ever, and showing that he is singing with people around him but no one is responding could show that he feels alone and lonely, waiting for hear what he doctor has to say.

Conventions

I think this video matches the conventions of a music video associated with this genre. The lighting is low key and there is no big performance which is what you may see on a song with a big beat. Folk rock is usually more civil and modest, and the artist wears ordinary clothes and is trying to tell the story that is behind their lyrics. Another convention of this sort of music video is the artist being included in it, some genres, the artist or band does not get filmed into the video, but because with this sort of song a story is being told, then the artist like to do it themselves.