Ed Sheeran

Music videos

Genre
Following genre conventions
(esp. early in career to target specific audiences)
Experimenting with genres
(e.g. after a fan base has been established)
Adapting genres to meet new fans/fads
Mixing genres (hybrids)
Genre and brand image

Representation
Reinforcing/subverting stereotypes
Marginalisation
The Beauty Myth (Wolf, 1991)
Over/under representation
Brand image
Appealing to specific audiences
(identifying with others)

Why is genre important to the music

industry?
RECORD LABELS

AUDIENCES

Why is genre important to the music

industry?
RECORD LABELS
It allows them to create a
brand image
It is easier to market artists
who belong to specific
genres (e.g. get them
featured in certain kinds of
magazine and played on
certain radio stations)
They can call on their
previous expertise to shape,
produce and market them.
Helps them create a
recognisable product

AUDIENCES
They know what they like.
It helps them form a sense of
personal identity.
It helps create imagined
communities (Shaun Moore,
1998). audience feel that
they have something in
common with other imagined
members of the audience.
It helps them find new artists
(I like this genre so I will
probably like this music)

Andrew Goodwins 6 Features of Music Videos

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
(e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for
boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop). [this is also known as
iconography]
There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics
are represented with images.(either illustrative, amplifying,
contradicting).
There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone
and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music (either
illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
The demands of the record label will include the need for lots
of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs
which recur across their work (a visual style).
There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens
within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly
voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv
programmes, other music videos etc).

Past EXAMINATION Questions ON

GENRE
To what extent are your chosen texts typical of
their genre? (PP)
How do your chosen texts reinforce or challenge
typical genre conventions? (PP)
Considering your chosen industry, is genre still
important when creating a media text?
Are there any new genres? Consider this in the
context of your chosen texts.

The A Team
Watch
How do your chosen texts reinforce or challenge
typical genre conventions?
Music video conventions (Goodwin)
Narrative, characters, iconography, setting, tech/ audio
codes
Indie conventions
Links to Audience and Industry
Debates/ Theory
5 mins write intro

Narrative
Explore the narrative structure of
your three main texts.
How important are characters to the
narrative of your three main texts?

In terms of Andrew Goodwin's generic

conventions of a music video, A Team doesnt
fall into the category of there being close ups
of the artist to emphasise the star image of
Ed Sheeran though he does feature in
several scenes as a passer by and as a
member of the public which juxtaposes with
star image
concept.
However A Team does follow thethe
generic
convention
of their being a relationship between the lyrics and
song. In this video illustration is used as when the
song starts the Women wakes up and the medium
long shot captures the early morning rush hour and
you hear the ambient sound of vehicles denoting
the day has begun. Furthermore the black and
The connotations
white footage uses the natural light available to
create high contrast but also draw emphasis on the often being regressive
for e.g. villains where
Girls bleak life which is exposed through us seeing
how it is she ended up dead. In terms of setting the as here it denotes her
medium long shot denotes the surrounding trees as soul and how its
heavy and burdened
bare and lifeless linking to the Womens life in
and its not until her
terms of her situation and emotions. Throughout
death that shes free.
the majority of the video up until her death she

The music video A Team has a circular

structure as it starts with the young Woman
being found dead and takes us through how
she ended up dead as the music starts up
with the guitar solo.
It has a non-linear structure with the
flashback to how the Girl got to being found
dead in her apartment.
Additionally the structure could be single
strand, as the music video could be told from
the narrative thread of a person watching the
Girls life. This could be an indication to the
significance to the repeated reference to
angels in the chorus.
A high angle shot connoting the young
Women as vulnerable but also the close up
emphasises her eyes. This leads to the idea of
the eyes being windows to the soul and that

The reasons behind using illustration is that the

fans are able to relate to a story more in terms of
the relationship between the music and visuals ,
rather than it revolving around Ed Sheeran doing a
stage performance. Again, this is influenced by the
sub-genre of the song which in this case is indie
folk and soul. Also the lyrics have a powerful
message (ideologies)revolving around drugs
predominantly but also prostitution which is why
using illustration is a very effective concept in the
way fans will receive the song.
Another predominant generic convention is the
voyeuristic treatment of the female body which is
featured through the subject of prostitution but isnt
the main motif of the song. As the images denote
how the headlights being bright which is
emphasised through the black and white footage,
contrasts with the young womens leg and draws
attention to her body and her bare legs.
Additionally the fact that it is cold and yet shes not
covered denotes how desperate she is for money
and how she makes herself vulnerable because of it
again drawing attention to the bleakness of her life.
In terms of rule of thirds you can see how her eyes
are on the main line of interest and that shes
framed by the car denoting her as vulnerable. Also
by taking off the black coat is a sign of her trying to

In terms of Barthes perspective of narrative

being a series of codes , he outlines several
features:

Action Code- The narrative is interpreted by the audience through

clear obvious actions. So we see a Women mourning over a young
Womens body connoting they must have had an existing relationship
and have been close to one another.
Enigma Code- The narrative involves something hidden from the
audience. This would be how and why the young women died and what
occurred leading up to her death. As it gives the audience a enigma to
solve. Drawing the audience in, in order to find the answers to the
proposed unsaid questions.
Symbolic Code- Something that the audience recognise through
connotations or something that symbolises a more abstract concept.
There are multiple threads to this one being the black and white
footage used throughout connoting the young women's life as beak
and desolate. Her costume in terms of the long black wool coat could
be a reflection of her soul being tired and burdened and wasted.
Cultural Code- Something that is interpreted with understanding due
to cultural awareness. This could be in terms of lyrical analysis. As
Shes in the Class A Team, is reference to her abusing Class A drugs
as well as being promiscuous. More over Go mad for a couple grams,

Levi-Strauss described narrative as

created by constant conflict of binary
opposites.
The A Team has binary opposites suchBlack and White- This has more
as:
to do with the lighting use to create
Life and Death- We see the
high contrast images. But also in
struggle of the young women
terms of costume such as the big
trying to live and make it through
black coat which was emphasises
each day. The film started with
through the lighting and black and
death and moved onto life when
white footage used. Additionally
the young women woke up on the
the black and white concept
bench to a new day with the
highlights the way things are
ambient sounds of vehicles
portrayed by the media as being
moving in the morning rush hour
either black and white. Which is a
and then the music video ends
principle this music video
with her death where it bean in
challenges but also conforms to, by
the first place. This presents the
using only black and white footage.
idea of life being incessant
You could say it also draws more
regardless of the loss or
attention to the negative aspects of
circumstance.

Representation
The A Team

WHO is being represented?

Dependent on the question
HOW are they being represented?
Describe the rep. Think of adjectives to describe.
HOW is the representation constructed?
THIS is the big one. Think of the whole representation as a house or a
building. We need to identify the 'bricks'- the individual aspects or
SIGNIFIERS - which create the representation. To do this, you need to
revisit your TEXTUAL ANALYSIS SKILLS.
Why?
Genre, Audience, Industry (hegemony/ ideologies)

PAST QUESTIONS
Explore the different representations
ofeitherwomenorethnicity in your chosen
texts. (PP)
Explore the key representations in your
chosen texts. (PP)
How stereotypical are the representations
of gender in your chosen text? (PP)
Explore the different representations
ofeithermenorage within your three main
texts. (PP)

Femininity and Masculinity labels

Competitive
male or female?
Rational men?
Strong men?
Supportive
women?
Sensitive
women?
Passive women?
Emotional
women?
Weak women?

Domesticate
d women?
Independent
male or
female?
Ruthless
male or
female?..!
Aggressive
male of
female?

Men TRADITIONAL
STEREOTYPES
Strong, powerful, well-built, incontrol
Logical and unemotional
Not concerned with appearance
Sporty
Aggressive
men act and women appear (John
Berger)

Women Traditional

The A Team
How stereotypical are the
representations of gender in your
chosen text?
Men
Women
Traditional/ modern representations
Conform/ subvert stereotypes why?

WHY Ed Sheerans Work (AND THE Indie GENRE)

REINFORCE (And subvert) MALE STEREOTYPES?
It may reinforce/ subvert traditional stereotypes of men/ women
because the genre is primarily targeted towards? (provides an
empowered role model).
Music industry is a male dominated industry and therefore women
will always be under-represented and men will often appear to be in
control. Indie Alternative may go against?
Because Ed mixes up the genres and because he doesnt officially
belong to a particular style hybrid grime, soul, pop, hip hop, folk,
rock he is allowed freedom to subvert these stereotypes
Ed may be expressing discontent with traditional male/ female
stereotypes, which may be why hes using music with a diverse
range of representations

Does the indie rock genre subvert

stereotypes of men? WHY?
The alternative or Indie genre will attempt to
be different from the mainstream and therefore
offer us representations that break from
tradition.
The music is more soulful/emotional and
therefore it wouldnt be appropriate to reinforce
many of the male stereotypes (e.g. that men
are unemotional).
This appeals to a teenage target audience, who
may identify with the intense emotions that are
being expressed.

Analysis

Audience
Genre
Narrative
Representation Age, gender,
ethnicity, issues (binge drinking,
drugs, prostitution, miscarriage)
Music stars (relatable)

A summary of Richard Dyer's Star Theory

http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/Music/music.php?pageID=popstar
The difference between a "Pop Performer" and a "Pop Star"
POP PERFORMER: May/may not be famous. Just performs music
POP STAR: Image constructed to audience

1) STARS AS CONSTRUCTIONS
Constructed, artificial images - advertising, magazines, films and music. Good if they have a Unique Selling Point
which makes them different
Record companies groom stars (artificial constructions) - we have more respect for them if they groom themselves
We want to believe that stars convey their real emotions to us

2) INDUSTRY AND AUDIENCES

Stars - manufactured to make money from audience for record labels.
"X Factor" - 'photocopied stars' who repeatedly churn out what they think we want
Whole markets of audience who want something different - record labels have to cater to these different audiences
-Mirror branding-e.g. Rage Against The Machine & Joe McElderry - both part of the same record company (Sony
Music).

3) IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE

Stars - cultural values and attitudes - audiences may share these beliefs -e.g. The Jonas Brothers - wearing of purity
rings
A star may initiate a fashion trend/hairstyle/clothing/copied by audience -e.g. Jennifer Aniston - "The Rachel" in the
1990s
Forms of media dedicated to celebrity gossip where fans can catch up with the lives of favourite stars.

4) CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY

Presented as 'real' human beings
Stars support hegemony/dominant ideology of their time/ generation - glorified versions of 'us'
Stars are representations of the contradictions/reinforced ideas of the music industry.
When we see a star's life in magazines - we feel closer to them -e.g. Britney Spears' troubled few years breakdowns

Analysis of Drunk by Ed
Sheeran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2fOum_KWQU

Aamna

Technical areas #1 - Camera Work

(part 1)
The close up of the cat used when the
writing of pass that beer over is
shown (superimposition) adds a
humours feel to the music video
because the idea of a cat drinking
alcohol will amuse the target audience.
This makes the video down to earth as
some music videos try and add too
many things into it to make it appealing
but this has a simple technique which
In this
part
of the music
video, a point of
can
entertain
the audience.
view shot is used when Ed Sheeran is
looking at the text he has received. This
will help the target audience to
understand what has happened (his
girlfriend has broken up with him). This
will then allow them to easily figure out
why he is getting drunk.

Camera Work (part 2)

This two shot is used after the man on the left takes
a picture of Ed Sheeran drinking. This could be
interpreted (by the target audience) as aspects of
celebrity life. This is because when you are a
celebrity there are generally cameras everywhere
(paparazzi) therefore that could be the connotation

Sound
The type of Sound used in this music video is diegetic sound.
That is the type of sound used throughout the music video,
however, at the beginning and end of the music video no sound
is used and just action is shown.
This type of song is classed as indie pop and folk rock and is a
type of song which people would love to dance to. Also, the
video is fun and uses humour which makes the song more
appealing.
Ed Sheeran also uses illustration in his video because when his
lyrics state that he wants to get drunk again it shows him
getting drunk. Amplification is also used when he sings the words
all by myself he is shown to be on a bed by himself but his ex
girlfriend is still going through his mind.
There is use of Intertexuality as a lego house made in the shape of a
love heart is broken. This represents and would remind the audience
of Ed Sheerans other song, Lego House. (illustration, amplification and
intertexuality are some of the features stated in Andrew Goodwins
theory)

Technical Area #2 Editing (part 1)

One of the types of Editing used in the

video
is a graphic match because on the
picture on the left hand side, the girl is
shown to be throwing water which then
cuts to Ed Sheeran (on the right) with
water getting thrown at him. The effect
of this is that it allows the audience to

Editing (part 2)
In this part of the music video, the
cat playing on the controller has
been sped up a little bit using
editing. This again adds a
humours effect to the music video
and help the target audience to
construct a narrative and
understand that he is so drunk
that he is hallucinating.
Another type of Editing
technique used is an eyeline
match. This shows Ed
looking at a glass of beer
which lets the audience
know that his drinking
amount is increasing. This
makes him more relatable to

Technical Area #3 - Mise En Scene

(part 1)

One of the types of mise en

scene used is the guitar. This
shows that although the focus of
the video is Ed Sheeran getting
drunk, it still shows him playing
his guitar. This shows how much
he loves music and cares about
it which makes him a passionate
artist.
The
guitars
here also
emphasizes
the point
above.

Mise En Scene (part 2)

Another one of the types of mise
en scene used is Ed Sheerans
casual clothes and the game
controller in his hand. This
makes Ed look like a typical
teenage boy and lets the
audience know that he does not
take himself seriously. In other
videos other artists may have
leather jackets on and be in posh
bars but in this video, the bar is
in a home and he is not
represented as living a rock star
life. This will make the target
audience relate to him as they
will feel just like him. That is one
of the ways he is represented as
an artist: being relatable.

Mise En Scene (part 3)

Another type of mise en scene used is the

photographs on the wall. This shows pictures of
Ed Sheerans relationship. The recurring theme in
this video is that he is portrayed as being
relatable, emotional and down to earth because
these pictures show a normal relationship and are
pictures that every teenage couple would take.

Target Audience
The target audience of this video is mostly teenagers as it
shows Ed getting drunk and having a party which is what
teenagers sterotypically mostly do.
This is how the narrative of the storyline relates to the
music video (because it represents teenage problems)
however, the target audience is also people who like his
genre of music (acoustic, folk, grime). This particular song
can be classed as indie pop and folk rock therefore this
target audience can also be people who like indie music.

Narrative
The narrative of this video is that Ed has just been dumped by a girl
who he really liked, by a text message.
He is hurt and upset, because of that so he tries to get drunk in order
to make him feel better and to forget about his problems. During
this he hallucinates as his cat is talking to him. The video
basically shows the process of him trying to feel better by using
alcohol. Message Drinking is good/ Bad?
Enigma
Action codes conflict (action/ reaction)
Structure todorov, Straus Binary oppotion
Props Character types
Restricted/ Ominous narrative

Representation
In this video, Ed Sheeran has been represented as a normal
teenager. This is because he is getting drunk in the music video
because of a problem he is having with his girlfriend. He has just
broken up with her and many people tend to use alcohol as a way to
try and make them feel better which is what Ed is trying to do
therefore he is shown to be relatable. The other ways that he is shown to
be
relatable is the pictures on the wall at the beginning of the video. The way
that he is dressed (casual clothes) show that he is down to earth and does
not
take himself seriously. This type of a clothing is a recurring theme in his
music videos. At some points of the video, he also has his guitar with
him and decides to play it. This shows that although the
main focus of the video is him getting drunk and trying to forget
about a relationship, he still cares about his music.

What we have learnt from this video

From this video, conventions of an indie genre music video
(such as guitars, performances, darker colours and some
uncommon conventions which Ed has used such as humour)
but we have also learnt different types of techniques such as
superimposition to create humour, a graphic match to create
links, and speeding up certain bits to also create humour.
We have learnt how to represent an artist to be relatable by
using mise en scene techniques such as pictures on the wall
and the type of clothing used (everyday clothing such as jeans
and a jumper rather than fancy clothing). Additionally, In order
to convey passion - emphasis on instruments such as guitars.
Ed appeals to his target audience - conventions of an indie
genre, relatability and editing techniques

Small Bump - Watch

Audience
females, who might be able to relate to the
tragedy of losing a child and who might be
able to associate to the lyrics. Fans of the
artist would be excited to hear this track by Ed
if there are already his fans. Men - He gives
the opportunity for people to think about a
deep meaningful matter which would be too
sensitive to bring up in normal conversation
but in the form of a song the subject can be
discussed.

Genre
As is typical in Ed Sheeran songs, the
closing lines always leave the listener with
a lasting impression that sums up the
overall message
The opening shots are a series of cuts
showing different things you would find in
an A+E (iconography) area of a hospital,
all of the shots are dark and out-standing
showing the seriousness of the song.
Urban gritty realism/Themes- genre)

Narrative
of this song is about his friend losing her child
For the purpose of the song, Ed imagined that
it was his child, allowing the track to become
racked with tear-jerking lines and imagery.
Ed is great at drawing on reality to create
acoustic masterpieces like this. Its relatively
simple, backed by a slow beat, piano,
acoustic guitar and it tells you nothing but
truth. Eds vocals are pure with a touch of
innocent maturity to his tone.

Representation Subvert traditional

Men
There is then a slow zoom towards Ed as he
stares at the floor showing how deeply into
thought he is about the prospecting prospect of
losing a child. The camera then pans slowly back
and forth Ed as he is sat there with a gloomy
look upon his face. There is no action in this
video yet is still very intense and the lyrics
(Goodwin Theory) engage the audience into the
horrific feelings that Ed is feeling, Rep Men
emotional/ sensitive (modern rep of men Genre
Indie) Audience (reflect changes in society)

Lego House
Watch
Analyse ( G R A I N)
Read

HW
How do your chosen texts reinforce or
challenge typical genre conventions?
How stereotypical are the representations
of gender in your chosen text?
How do your chosen texts attract their
audiences?
Refer to a CD & Music video of Ed Sheerans
Research Richard Dyers Star theory and apply

Part of Sheeran's popularity seems to stem from his fans' belief

that he represents something authentic and unspun in the world
of pop. "I was on some TV shows with Lady Gaga the other
week, and you could see the difference in reaction between her
fans and my fans outside. She comes out and she looks like a
star and the reaction is just tears, crying, people going, Oh my
God, Oh my God. My fans are like: 'Alright, Ed.' I dress like them,
I'm not in a wig and a load of glitter, I speak like them, use the
same slang words, watch the same TV programmes, do all the
normal shit."

http://www.theguardian.com/music/20
11/sep/08/ed-sheeran-plus-review

http://webcache.googleusercontent.c
om/search?
q=cache:XsLZ6PhdVuIJ:www.theguard
ian.com/music/2012/feb/16/edsheeran-i-apologise-for-myfans+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk