Textual Analysis

Jessie Ware & Sampha - Valentine

The first few shots of this video are extremely random and consists of things like a shot of a plant, a map of the Thames and a shot of a statue of a bird. The shots are simple, either on a white background or with little in behind them, which enhances the simple beat at the start of the music.

Once the singing starts, there is lip syncing with Jessie Ware. It is a simple close up of her in front of a black background. The shot cuts from being closer and further away which is inspiring because it adds a variation to the shot instead of it just being of her singing.

It then cuts to more shots of random images but cuts back to Jessie Ware when she is singing. The simplicity continues and cuts to her with a white background at then cuts back to the black background which adds more variation to the shots.

When Sampha starts singing there is lip syncing with him in a similar way to Jessie Ware with the background cutting between black and white.

The whole video is in black and white which continues to enhance the simplicity of the video; it enables the audience to be more focused on the lyrics to the song and heightens the angelic feel about the song.

Ed Sheeran - A Team

The video starts with a long shot of the main character waking up on a park bench, this sets the scene and tells the audience a lot about her which is continued in the next few shots. There are many tracking shots and close ups of her strolling around the park. The tracking shots enable the audience to see her clothing, which consists of ripped tights and a big overcoat. This shows the audience that she is quite hobo like and spends a lot of time outside with little clothing to change into. The close ups enable the audience to focus on her facial expressions, while not being distracted by the background and surroundings.

This is followed by her crossing the street wrapped in a dirty blanket; the long shot enables the audience to see that she is not being acknowledged by passers-by, this theme is continued as she is selling the big issue. Once someone finally stops and talk’s to her there is a close up of the smile on her face, as if it is something that doesn’t happen very often. Throughout these shots, the audience are getting to know the main character in more detail as she goes about her days. This is inspiring because the audience feel more involved and become connected and sympathetic towards the main character.

The lighting in the next scene is dull apart from the strong light on her. This singles her out on the street and is extremely inspiring because it adds variation and it is contrasting that she is in the spot light.

The entire video is in black and white which enhances the mysterious and dark feel that is displayed in the song.

The main aim of the video is to tell the story which is well done with the simple shots and plain editing because it enables the audience to focus more on the story.