A Team by Ed Sheeran Music Video Analysis

The mise-en-scene throughout the video has very similar themes portrayed. The young woman, who is the protagonist of the video, is shown to be troubled. This is conveyed through her costume and what her attire consists of. She wears old and tainted clothing, including a hoodie and dark trousers. These articles suggest that she is misfortunate and of a lower class due to the poor quality of her appearance. She also wears large, hooped earrings which are normally associated with people of this class. Her make-up throughout the video is messy suggesting that she has been crying a lot. As the narrative progresses, she changes her make-up and puts on more and changes her look to appear much older than she truly she is suggesting her want or need to be mature. Also, she goes out at night and is shown wearing revealing clothing instead of the ratty, old clothes. This conveys the idea that she is troubled further as it is a completely different contrast to what she was pictured wearing previously.

There are various different settings used within this video. She is first shown sleeping on a bench in a park. This suggests the idea that she may be homeless and draws the audience’s attention to the idea that she may be dealing with poverty. She is also shown sitting down in the middle of a high street, watching the world pass by. It shows how she is alone amongst the rest of society and the setting conveys how the character is different to the rest. The props are used to further show her life. She is pictured carrying a blanket wrapped around her to keep herself warm. This shows the audience how vulnerable she is. Later on in the video, there is also drugs and money shown. This completes the audience’s assumptions as to why she is the way she is, and they are clear in showing what the character is actually in need and want of.

The camera work used throughout the music video is effective in conveying the idea of the troubled character. The opening scene is a close up of a girl, who appears to be shocked and crying at something. The shot is then followed by a medium shot of the girl sitting above another girl whom is lying on the floor lifeless. This image created causes the audience to question what has happened and forms a mysterious atmosphere for the narrative. A long shot is used to establish where the protagonist is sleeping, which is in a park on a bench. This causes the audience to wonder why she is there and appears to be homeless. There is also use of a handheld camera when she is walking through the high street. This gives the audience an insight into her point of view and the jumbled effect conveys how the character may be feeling mentally. A two shot is used when Ed Sheeran appears and sits down with the girl. It contrasts the pair as he appears to be a normal, friendly person whereas she is a poor and lost girl. Two time lapses are used one after another. These are successful in conveying the characters current thoughts and feelings as it appears that she is stuck in this current state whereas the rest of the world passes by without any notice. These different shots used throughout the video are all creative and successful in showing the audience more to the characters life and troubling story surrounding it.

The majority of the sound used within the music video is non-diegetic, with the soundtrack being the only sound heard. Although, at the beginning of the video there is some non-diegetic sound of birds singing, which contrasts with the sound music as it is more of n upbeat tune. The editing used within the video is effective in portraying the idea of flashbacks and memories. The whole video is shot in black and white, which creates a dark atmosphere along with a depressing atmosphere conveyed to the audience. There is a blur used between shots when the narrative is flashing back in time, which is a creative way of showing this idea. Near the end of the video, where the character has retrieved her drugs, the footage is sped up. The speed of her actions quicken her pace and suggest to the audience the urgency of her needing her next fix of drugs.