Research: Similar product research 8. Taylor Swift 'Love Story'

The establishing shot shows a large school framed by two trees. This appears to set the scene of the narrative that we are about to see in the music video. Verisimilitude is created as school children slowly walk around the school grounds and we then see the protagonist (played by Taylor Swift) walking with a back pack on while hugging her books close to her chest which are the typical indexical signs of a student.

However, the audience is surprised as it is becomes obvious that we have traveled back in time to a Victorian Period which is clear from the hair and costumes worn by the protagonist. By showing Taylor Swift in her 21st Century clothes first, the audience becomes aware that the following scenes will take place ambiguous in time, within Swift's imagination. I like this close up shot which shows Taylor Swift holding an embroidered fan up to her face, as this as well as her hair frames her eyes and therefore her direct eye contact with camera becomes more noticeable. The detail on the fan also makes the audience aware that this is set in an earlier time period

This music video is heavily post modern. This is because the video is being filmed in the 21st Century however the narrative is set in the Victorian Period, more specifically the story and song is based upon Romeo and Juliet. Taylor Swifts character represents Juliet. The audience can see this because she is filmed here in long shot on a balcony. This location has purposefully been used because of the very famous scene in Romeo and Juliet were Romeo declares his love for Juliet from the ground while she is on her balcony. Taylor Swift's corset style dress is also symbolic of the Victorian era.

Taylor Swift sings 'my daddy said stay away from Juliet'. This mirrors the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet as their love was forbidden by their parents. Making this story relevant to modern relationships in the 21st century were family members may not approve of partner choices means that many people can relate while still enjoying the retell of this classic love story with the costumes props and beautiful scenery, therefore this is a successful use of post modernism.

This low angle shot appears to be a POV shot from the prospective of her lover (Romeo), the angle suggests that she is unattainable although he pining desperately for her. I love the way that the sun is perfectly framed by the left window.

this high angle shot shows a classic dance hall. The flamboyant Victorian dress with flared sleeves, tight up do's with platted around the head  as well as the candlesticks makes the music video more believable in its time period. Lining up in front of their partners as the men bowed was also tradition.

A cut on action while bowing shows Taylor Swifts love interest (Romeo). As Propp suggests many of these characters fit into specific roles to create the narrative. For example the handsome man and the beautiful woman of whom heart he must win and the villain being the Father who wont let them be together. Without him the audience would not root for these characters and therefore the joy when they eventually overcome these issues will not be as strong. This man is represented as being very attractive especially in this particular shot, as he looks up from the floor and makes eye contact with the camera and therefore the audience they are supposed to swoon. His eyes are piercing and his hair is a luxurious well groomed brown. I believe this character's purpose is to be an object of Greene's 'female gaze', a theory which suggests that females also objectify men because of their looks and this video takes advantage of that.

Here, the protagonist is represented as being a stereotypical classical woman. She is seen in this reverse over the shoulder shot remaining in a situation and position which she is neither comfortable nor happy with and waiting for a man to rescue her.

I love this artistic shot of the hand holding in the background which is symbolic of love with the plants in the foreground. This makes the two characters love appear natural and pure. We can also see Taylor Swift's period piece dress in more detail in this shot. I would love to recreate a shot like this

This shot almost looks like someone is watching her without her knowledge and the audience may question if it is Romeo watching over her despite not being able to be with her. I also really like the way the archway frames Swift looking out into the distance.

This is a beautiful shot and I would like to do something similar in the way they have perfectly framed the sun in the archway of the castle. The castle looks very large and impressive from this low castle and it is therefore very dominant and eye catching within the shot.

The sun is a very prominant feature within this music video and the constant use of natural lighting places it perfectly in the time period where there would have been no electricity and everything would have been natural hence the field in the closing scenes of the video. The audeince will ultimately rejoice when they see the two lovers excitedly reuniting.

The lovers finally embrace in this shot.

This shot then takes us back to the student version of Taylor Swifts character. Their position and seeming eventual embrace mimics that of Swift's imagination.  This narrative supports Todorov's theory of equilibrium in the beginning followed by something that disrupts Taylor Swifts characters happiness e.g the disapproving Father which is eventually resolved and equilibrium is reached once more.

How this research has influenced my planning and creativity:

• This music video has showed me how I can use the positioning of the sun to create beautifully shots on location using natural lighting. 
• It has also given me ideas on how to use archways in order to frame a shot as well as allowing me to see post modernism in a Pop music video.
• Theorist used: Propps character roles.