Similar Product Research 7 (Music Video: Teardrops On My Guitar) Framing

Teardrops On My Guitar- Taylor Swift

The establishing shot of this music video is shown in a natural frame to give the impression that Taylor Swift is just having a regular day at school. Taylor and her love interest have their backs turned towards the lockers at the left of the frame to give the viewer the experience of actually being with them in the natural school setting. It is shown as a point of view shot as the hallways are crowded and this makes the audience feel as though they are involved in the scene in the point of view as a student at the school. Before the introduction of the song there is a dialogue between the two main characters in the video which establishes the conflicts and issue that this music video is centred around.

Taylor is centre frame here which is very effective especially with the slightly vignette look surrounding the shot. She is the focus of this particular shot and her dress is accentuated as it drapes off of the bed. The lighting in this scene seems to be artificially lit and pointed straight at Taylor Swift and since she is centre frame this further highlights Taylor as being the centre of attention. Furthermore, the guitar is also lit up which highlights it as not only a sign for Country Music but one of the main words in the title of her song.

This shot is obviously set in a science class as there are many indicators such as the test tubes and goggles. This helps Taylor's target audience relate to her and her situation. It also helps that she is right of frame since it reveals more of the background. The background is blurred and the pull focus is on Taylor which is a convention of any music video especially if the artist is singing into camera since this draws the attention of the audience onto the main character in the video and the story instead of getting distracted by the vivid background. I've noticed how the director used the rule of thirds to position taylor in the perfect position for this shot.

Towards the end of the video and especially during the bridge of the song Taylor is in the centre frames of most of the shots wearing many extravagant gowns. By showing her standing in the middle of the frame it allows the reader to focus on Taylor and her image. It shows her power and is a huge contrast to the sad beginning of the song where the audience feels sympathetic for Taylor laying helplessly on her bed. The view has also changed since the beginning of the video and the camera is shooting from a lower angle which makes Taylor look more hopeful and determined to get over her crush. This is completely different to the beginning of the video where the camera is shot at a very high angle which makes the audience believe that she is totally overpowered by her emotions and heartbreak.

In this shot Taylor is right of frame exposing the mise en scene of the bed and the bed side cabinet. Shortly after, the camera starts panning to reveal more of the room. The camera pans a lot in this video which in my opinion creates a whimsical atmosphere and goes well with all of the long notes in the song.

Taylor is left of frame in this shot as well as being filmed in a close up which really exposes her facial expression. In this particular shot she doesn't appear to be very distraught which indicates to the audience that this story has a happy ending. However in the next shot, and very last scene she is shown to be hidden which could suggest that she is just hiding her true feelings.

The very last scene in the video ends with this shot of Taylor hidden with half of her face covered by her guitar (which is what the pull focus is on). The way she is blurred out suggests that she is still hurting from what he did to her.