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Narrative Analysis: Ed Sheeran 'A Team'

Jun 15, 2015

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Page 2: Narrative Analysis: Ed Sheeran 'A Team'

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 Girl’s life. This could be an indication to the significance to the repeated reference to ‘angels’ in the chorus. The third image on the left denotes 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 her story is told through her eyes i.e. her soul, this also build on the idea of the significance of ‘angels’.

Page 3: Narrative Analysis: Ed Sheeran 'A Team'

In terms of Andrew Goodwin's generic conventions of a music video, A Team doesn’t 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 the star image concept.

However A Team does follow the 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 white footage uses the natural light available to create high contrast but also draw emphasis on the Girls bleak life which is exposed through us seeing how it is she ended up dead. In terms of setting the medium long shot denotes the surrounding trees as bare and lifeless linking to the Women’s life in terms of her situation and emotions. Throughout the majority of the video up until her death she adorns a long black wool coat.

The connotations often being regressive for e.g. villains where as here it denotes her soul and how it’sheavy and burdened and it’s not until her death that she’s free.

Page 4: Narrative Analysis: Ed Sheeran 'A Team'

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 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 isn’t the main motif of the song. As the images on the right denote how the headlights being bright which is emphasised through the black and white footage, contrasts with the young women’s leg and draws attention to her body and her bare legs. Additionally the fact that it is cold and yet she’s 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 she’s framed by the car denoting her as vulnerable. Also by taking off the black coat is a sign of her trying to gain attention of the driver which links in with the dresscode of females in regards to voyeuristic treatment.

Page 5: Narrative Analysis: Ed Sheeran 'A Team'

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 Women’s 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 ‘She’s 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,’ is referring to her battling addiction with drugs.

Page 6: Narrative Analysis: Ed Sheeran 'A Team'

Levi-Strauss described narrative as created by constant conflict of

binary opposites.The A Team has binary opposites

such as:Life and Death- We see the struggle of the young women trying to live and make it through each day. The film started with death and moved onto life when the young women woke up on the bench to a new day with the ambient sounds of vehicles moving in the morning rush hour and then the music video ends with her death where it bean in the first place. This presents the idea of life being incessant regardless of the loss or circumstance.

Black and White- This has more to do with the lighting use to create high contrast images. But also in terms of costume such as the big black coat which was emphasises through the lighting and black and white footage used. Additionally the black and white concept highlights the way things are portrayed by the media as being either black and white. Which is a principle this music video challenges but also conforms to, by using only black and white footage. You could say it also draws more attention to the negative aspects of the young women’s life and makes you as an audience feel more sympathetic.

Page 7: Narrative Analysis: Ed Sheeran 'A Team'