Music Video Analysis

Taylor Swift- Look What You Made Me Do

                     

1. Fast Pace Editing

Towards the end of the music video, there are fast pace montages such as the one on the left. This is done to follow the pace and tone of the song just before the dramatic finish, leaving a greater impact on the audience.  As well as being cut to the beat, there is a 180 degree angle change between two shots, which would be unusual in a film but gives this music video a dramatic finish.     

2. Cutting to the Beat        

There are several examples of cutting to the beat in this music video. The example to the left stood out to me as the cut is also shows a complete change in mise-en-scene, despite the camera angle and framing being the same as the previous shot. The cutting to the beat allows the change in the shot to be more prominent while allowing narrative to change.                               

3. Varied and Fast Changing Mise-en-scene   

In this clip, there are four consecutive shots all with completely different mise-en-scene, allowing a non-linear structure to be formed. This allows the broken narratives to come together towards the end of the video. This allows different versions of Taylor Swift in different costume and make up to be shown, a typical convention of music videos.

4. Beauty Shot

A beauty shot or close up is also very common in a music video. This CU shot of the artist, Taylor Swift with a make up, is a convention of music videos as it adds an aesthetically pleasing element. It is also an example of direct address as Taylor Swift is looking directly into the camera, allowing the audience to be engaged early in in the video. 

5. Visual Depiction of Lyrics

This shot is of Taylor Swift making a gun sign with her hand. This follows what is said in the lyrics of the song during this shot. The lyrics are: "You said the gun was mine". This allows the video to illustrate the video in this moment, allowing the lyrics to become more prominent.