Textual Analysis: Music Video

Everytime by Britney Spears

Shot TypesMany shot types are used in the video. It open with an establishing shot to set the scene, the shot is an aerial shot as its taken/giving the impression it is taken from a helicopter, we know this as you can hear the sound of the helicopter. Medium/long shots are used throughout, often to show body language. Close ups are used to show emotion on the face, especially the singers. High angle shots are used when walking through the paparazzi, this gives the impression she is overpowered by them and they make her feel intimidated and small.

Long Shot Medium Shot Establishing/aerial shot

High Angle Shot

Over the Shoulder shot

Close Up

Mise-En-SceneThe video is set in Las Vegas, in the celebrities hotel. Many props are used

throughout, such as boxes being kicked, vases getting smashed etc. Their costumes express the characters personality, she is wearing all white which connotes to

cleanliness and innocent, therefore her costume represent to the audience that she is pure and innocent. Whereas, he is wearing black and red, these colours often

connote danger representing his character to be aggressive and dangerous. These representations are continued throughout. Another thing which represents the

character is the lighting when in the hotel room he is shown in a dim room, representing his dark personality whereas she is in the bathroom which is white and

bright, continuing to represent her innocence and goodness. Although before she goes into the bathroom she is in the dark, this may represent her dark thoughts and

depression, which is suggested to us after when she smashes the mirror.

Effects Many of the video appears to be in slow motion. This may suggest the characters thoughts and feelings. The character is possibly under a lot of pressure and has feelings of anxiety and depression, perhaps this is making her feel slow and lightheaded due to the amount of things, represented through slow motion. This effect could also represent confusion, or that she simply just wants things to be calmer and simpler. When the male character throw the vase at the mirror it appears to be in slow motion, this may be to show the aggression and make the shot look more effective.

IdeologiesThroughout the video there is a continuous use of the colour white. The colour white has many connotations, purity, heaven, angellic, cleanliness etc. The main character is shown wearing white, possibly to represent her as pure and good to the audience, therefore making them feel for her throughout the video. She also appears is a white corridor, you can see anything but white walls. She is there on her own wearing the same white clothes, looking sad. The audience may think of this place as heaven, especially after she drowns.

IdeologiesThe scene when she drowns in the bath shows us her realising her head is cut, then going underwater. It in unclear whether she’s purposely gone under to try and commit suicide or if

she's just passed out and gone under. Either way, the scene allows the audience to feel her pain and how bad things have got. The lyric ‘my weakness caused you pain’ suggest it was

done purposely due to her becoming ‘weak’ and fed up

IdeologiesAfter the drowning scene, she is shown running through the white corridors away from what appears to be a bright light. A bright light is often linked to when you die and people can see a bright light, this idea relates to the video, she has just

drowned, the scene of her running from the light may represent she doesn’t want to go, she has made a mistake

and is getting away from it. On the other hand it may represent her as running away from all her problems. As she

gets closer to the camera we see the look of worry on her face, suggesting shes scared, either of her past (running away from past) or to die (running away from the light)

IdeologiesThe white corridor she is in becomes more clear, nurses and police are there, changing the mysterious, bright white corridor to a hospital, this may suggest the white used throughout represents cleanliness in the hospital, giving enigma codes of something happening resulting in hospital, as well as her being good. This also suggest the white light she was running away from was death and we think she is now okay, until

we see the image of her stood watching what appear to be herself be resuscitated, showing that she is a spirit, again represing the white has been an enigma code of this.

IdeolgoiesThe male who earlier in the video was shown to be bad and dangerous and who audience may have put the blame on for her suicide is shown picking her body up from the bath, desperately grabbing and shaking her, praying she will be okay. This scene may change the audiences opinions of this character as he is trying to save her and is worried. If she doesn’t die, he may be to thanks as her got her out just in time. The lyric ‘I guess I need you baby’ may suggest she needed him to come at that time for her to be okay, maybe he saved her.

IdeologiesTowards the end of the video she is seen running again, although this time back into the light, this could suggest she is running to ‘heaven’ and has realised she needs to go and get away from the badness, or the light may not represent heaven but represent goodness, she may be running back to make things good, to try and be happy. After this, a scene of a

woman givi g birth and holding her new born baby is shown, this may represent new life and happiness, reasons why life is good and beautiful.

IdeologiesAt the end we see her rise from the bath, completely fine and smiling. This changes all our thoughts on

certain things. The part of her drowning and being is hospital may not have even happened, all of it

might have just been the dark thoughts in her head, thinking of

being silly but then realising, it isn’t worth it and there are much more

things to life (birth image). The scene where she is running away from the light may be that she is

running from them dark thoughts, and when she is running back to the

light, she is running to good thoughts. The whole thing was a

single thought and made her realise not everything is bad and she needs to stay positive. Her smile at the end suggests she has realised this and is

thinking about good things rather than bad and making things

positive.

Overall…

The music video has a very meaningful storyline with lots of different representations and ideologies. It

uses enigma codes to give clues, and doesn’t tell the audience the full story, they are left to use their own thoughts and perceptions. This is something I would

like to do in my music video as it creates interest and mystery.