LOVE STORY- TAYLOR SWIFT (2009)

TODOROV’S NARRATIVE THEORY

• Where everything is normal and happy at the beginning• The music video opens with an establishing shot of a school/university

location.• The female artist is then shown strolling through this location via mid-

shot• Then, the video cuts to a POV shot highlighting a boy, that is a potential

love interest, sitting down against a tree reading a book. This high angle shot may imply that the female character currently holds dominance over the male- perhaps because of her feelings towards him.

• Then the video cuts to a montage of clips from a ball or dance- where the characters have met before. This shows a close up shot of the two looking into each other’s eyes deeply.

• The music video then shows the male character walking towards the female in a ballroom location.

• There are then a montage of different shot angles of the couple dancing together- with a close up of their hands touching, mid-shots of their faces and long shots highlighting the entire dance hall.

EQUILIBRIUM

• The couple go outside into the garden and the equilibrium continues as close-up shots emphasise the couple as staring into each other eyes, laughing and whispering to each other.

• However, after this the couple are shown upsettingly parting. The long shot highlights the couples hands splitting as the characters must go their separate ways. This then cuts to a close up shot of the male looking in sorrow towards the artist. This close up allows the audience to emphathise with the character and to allow them to see the emotion portrayed in his face clearly. The music video then shows a mid-shot of the females dress as she walks away into the darkness. This moment corresponds with the lyrics “this love is difficult”.

DISRUPTION

• The battle for resolution comes after a montage of shots are shown again of their dance together as a flashback.

• After this, it cuts to the female artist singing alone, corresponding with the lyrics “I got tired of waiting”. Whilst staring into the distance, longing to see her ‘true love’ again.

• The long, zoom out shot emphasises her loneliness in this moment and portrays her as very small in a larger location.

• However, this changes when a long shot of the male running towards her through a grassy field is shown. This shows that the character is battling to achieve his own ‘happy ending’ or resolution.

• With the narrative and song taking inspiration form ‘Romeo and Juliet’ this shows Romeo as challenging their families traditions regardless of the consequences.

BATTLE FOR RESOLUTION

• The female is shown smiling with a close up as soon as she sees her ‘prince’ and runs to meet him in the field. The video cuts to and from the male and female running to each other in a variety of both mid and long shots. As they get closer and closer to each other the music builds more and more.

• There is a close up of shot of the two joining together as they meet showing their restored happiness by being together again.

• The end scene mirrors the start as it returns to the university location with an extreme close up two characters staring into each other eyes.

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