music video deconstruction

1. Skinny Love - Birdy
Annabel Street

3. • The first shot in this music video has very low key lighting which sets the tone of the song
and video. This is an example of Andrew Goodwin’s theory - there is a link between the
visuals and the tone of the music, which is quite bleak and sombre.
• The light from the top left gets brighter and reveals the rest of the frame as if someone is
entering a dark room. This implies that things/memories have been locked away for
some time and are now being viewed.
• It is a close up shot of a paperweight which is a heavy object that holds things down
securely. This has connotations of things being put in place for a long time and
something big and heavy is stopping whatever is underneath it from being free. The
paper weight also has connotations of a heavy soul.
• There is little colour in this shot and throughout the video which suggests sadness and
lifelessness.
• This first shot is un-stereotypical because we don’t see the artist first and we don’t see a
close up of her face for the first 34 seconds.
• There are no lyrics in this first shot, the only thing we hear is a simple tune on a piano.

5. • This establishing, long shot shows the artist from behind and some of the
building. The first time we see ‘Birdy’, we see the back of her and she is walking
away from us which suggests that she might be shy but it also distances her from
the audience, unlike other artists who look towards the camera making direct
address with the audience. This makes us feel uncomfortable.
• The building looks misty and dirty which is creepy and again discomforts the
audience and might make them wonder why the artist is there and why it doesn't
look very nice. The misty effect also makes her look like a ghostly figure.
• She’s not wearing clothes that you would expect a girl of that age to be wearing.
This makes her look a bit eerie and old-fashioned suggesting that the video may
be set in the past or she is a ghost from the past.
• The lyrics at this point in the video are ‘pour a little salt’ which might suggest she
wants her relationship to heal as salt has healing properties.

7. • We then see the artist in more light. This is a mid shot and it enables us, as
the audience, to see more of the detail in her dress. It looks nice quality
and fairly expensive which makes us question why she is wearing that in
such a dirty, dark place.
• Although this shot is a mid shot, we still cannot really see her face as it is
covered by her hair. This leads us to believe she is a shy character or she is
trying to hide from something, again making her seem distant and we feel
uncomfortable.
• It is a wide shot which allows us to see that she is sitting playing the piano.
This lets the audience believe she is really playing the piano that you hear
in the song. However, it doesn't look well-used or well looked after as it’s
dirty and chipped, further suggesting the idea that she is looking back over
things that have been locked away.

9. • We then get to see her face in this close up shot which finally introduces us to
her, but the lighting is still very low key, making her difficult to see which again
makes us feel tense. However, we can still see that she is not wearing much make
up and her hair looks quite messy. This is unconventional for a female singer as
they are often styled to either make the audience attracted to them or be
inspired to look like them.
• The transition between the previous mid shot with a wide angle and this close up
makes it seem more striking that we can actually see her face. It also makes it
seem more claustrophobic as we are suddenly put right in front of her and not
able to see the surroundings.
• The artist rarely looks into the camera to make contact with us which enhances
her shyness and her distance from us.
• In this shot, she is singing ‘cut out all the ropes and let me fall’ which conveys the
sad message of the song.

11. • There are a few shots of dead animals and broken decorations which is
weird and sad. This disturbing imagery is again adding to the tension which
is un-stereotypical of a music video. These images also have connotations
of life and death, making the audience think deeper into the song. There is
also the continuing idea that these relics that have been forgotten about
and are now being looked at by the artist.
• Throughout the video she is alone and the only thing we see her
interacting with is dead animals, broken decorations and the piano. This
makes us believe that she is lonely and troubled.
• The lyrics ‘at the end of all your lines’ things ending which has connotations
of death.