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1. Notes for Analysis of Narrative Based Music Video 2
Music Video Title:A Thousand Years
Artist:Christina Perri
Duration of Music Video:4:42
Shot Count:90
N.O of shots per minute: 19 (average)
Beats per minute:52
Lyrics and Visuals –
Examples of the visuals complimenting the lyrics:
- “But watching you stand alone?” shows close up of the artist alone in the dark.
- “For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more” whilst the visuals show the artist surrounded by a room
full of lit candles which represent each year she has loved him e.g. a thousand.
- “One step closer” whilst the visuals show the girl walking down the aisle to her fiancé.
Inferring she is getting closer to him in terms of distance and closer to him in terms of
connection as they are getting married, becoming one.
- During the chorus “Darling don't be afraid I have loved you, for a thousand years, I'll love you
for a thousand more” the visuals show the memories/days the couple have spent together.
Music and Visuals –
Examples of the visuals complimenting the music:
- At the beginning the artist walks forward in time to the beat of the piano.
- When the artist starts singing the visuals change to her singing.
- Use of slow editing cuts such as fades/cross fades to reflect the slow pace and softness of
the piano and guitar.
- As the pace of the music increases throughout the pace of editing cuts increases as well so
the visuals are cutting more frequently.
- Towards the end as the pace of the music slows the movement of the camera slows down
too, till right at the end when it’s almost slow motion as the music fades out.
Genres Exist –
The genre is a narrative based music
video.
Generally the genre includes:
- Footage that will attempt to
tell the story through moving
images that matches the
lyrics.

2. - Actors that will tell the story to
the audience.
- Props and locations and mise
en scene also help tell the story
and have to match the codes
and conventions of the genre
to.
- Footage of the artist of them
playing will also be featured
within the video, this creates a relationship with the audience to the artist of knowing who
they are.
Examples in this video are:
- The footage of the couple getting married and then spending time together match the lyrics.
- The footage of the couple is from the film Breaking Dawn and are played by actors.
- The mise en scene of the wedding emphasises the narrative about true love and loving
someone forever, e.g. wedding vows.
- The prop of the numerous candles emphasises the number of years the couple have waited
to be together as one, the blowing out of these candles infers they are now together.
- Cross fades between the narrative and the artist singing throughout.
Artist Close Ups –
Examples of close ups:
There are 17 close ups of the artist in the music video. This creates a connection between the
audience and the artist, as well as creating the star iconography for the music video, through the
visual reminder of who the artist is.
There are 12 close up of the actors in the music video. As it is a narrative based music video there
are also many close ups of the actors/characters in the narrative which allows the audience to
connect with the characters as they are a visual reminder as well the audience can identify with the
characters and apply it to their own life.
Star Iconography –
Examples of branding or unique selling points highlighted:
- The simplicity of the
Performative parts by the artist
- The rawness of the singer just
singing in a simple location,
nothing to distract the
audience when the focus is on
the singer/artist
Voyeurism –
Examples of voyeurism (Artist):

3. - Close up of just the artist’s face at the beginning, revealing emotions and exposing herself to
the audience with the light of the candle highlighting her facial features in the dark.
Examples of voyeurism (location):
- Narrative footage – The wedding, the Honeymoon and the couple’s bedroom
Example of voyeurism (actors):
- The couple in the bed
- The couple naked in the water (Only top half shown of man)
Intertextuality –
Examples of intertextuality:
- The narrative part is footage from the film Breaking Dawn.