Narrative Music Videos

Sam Smith - I'm Not the Only One



The video for Sam Smith's 'I'm Not the Only One' is a narrative, this is shown by an easy to follow story and a limited amount of lip synching. The video has conformed to Andrew Goodwin's theory in various ways, for example, genre characteristics. The slow pace of the song has a dramatic feel that is captured in the video through the use of low key lighting, the drama is emphasised by a heavy focus on the female character's emotions through the use of extreme close ups.

The song lyrics describe an unfaithful partner, this is shown in the video as we see the story of a cheating husband. More specific relationships include the lyric 'but the proof's in the way it hurts', where a shot of the woman crying on the floor are show, and 'denying every tear' is paired with a close up of the woman wiping away tears. The slow paced editing fits with the pace of the song, the video has also been edited to the beat, showing the relationship between the music and visuals.

There are very few shots of the artist - mostly during the chorus, limiting the amount of lip synch used. Instead, there is more emphasis on the story instead of 'star image'. The idea of 'looking' is presented in the video as the voyeuristic element of the viewer seeing the husband having sex with another woman.


Ed Sheeran - The A Team



This video for Ed Sheeran's 'The A Team' fits the conventions of a narrative video - no lip synching and an easy to follow story. The video also fits the genre of indie folk where many music videos are in black and white.

The relationship between the lyrics and visuals is shown through 'sells love to another man' and 'In a pipe she flies to the motherland', both events are depicted in the video. The lyric 'her face seems slowly sinking, wasting' is shown with a shot of the woman in the video crying with smudged makeup, showing her unravelling. The references to angels throughout the song in the form of 'for angels to fly' and 'for angels to die' could be symbolic of the woman's death at the end of the video, a shot of Angel station is also shown when the word 'angel' is said.

The soft, calm, yet sad feeling of the song is shown through a slow pace, helping to emphasis emotion, especially in this character driven story. The black and white video is also in keeping with the dramatic, solemn atmosphere, where the darks colours could be symbolic of her bleak and depressing life. The video is also edited to the beat of the song.

The artist makes a brief appearance in the video as a passer-by that buys a 'Big Issue' from the woman, the lack of a close up places more importance on the woman. The notion of 'looking' is shown when the woman looks in the mirror whilst doing her hair and makeup.