Taylor Swift -Love story

Taylor Swifts love story is of the country pop genre which follows the conventions of string –based instrumentals and narrative of a relationship between a young women and man .The video shows a clear relationship between sound and images between the lead singer and the key male actor. As she sings “Romeo save me “he runs towards her and embraces her in a hug they then runaway as she sings “Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone”

The Mise-en-scene of the Victorian setting and costumes the couple wear add to the realism of the intertextual reference made to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” . Also her lyrics feature the names of the Victorian couple as if she and the main male actor are the Shakespearian couple. The mid-shot of Taylor searching for her “Romeo” shows her emotion and the high angle shot of Taylor alone shows her in a vulnerable position when she’s longing for him. The low key lightning of the majority of the video adds to the atmosphere of the time period the video is set in as in shakespearian days light was sourced from candles and lanterns. Also the panning shot emphasizing the vast castle –like building Taylor lives in connoting the wealth of the character ‘Juliet’ in the famous play.

The various panning shots within the music video adds to the romantic atmosphere as it adds a sense of relaxation and calmness amongst the audience. The fade in and out of the couple dancing under the low key lighting also creates a sense of magic and hypnotising love linking to the infatuation of the couple referenced in the video ‘Romeo and Juliet’ The fast cuts help the audiences understanding about the storyline that runs in sync with the lyrics. The fade-in of the close-up of the couple singing surrounded by the natural light promotes the idea of young love appealing to the teenage target audience the video is demonstrated to appeal to.

The video features a very straight-forward narrative and concept based storyline. It follows the story of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ so the audience can anticipate what the story will be about and what concepts are present that identify with the lyrics in the song.
The video uses the narrative of Shakespeare’s famous play to appeal to not only teenagers but also those who enjoy Victorian literature like plays , therefore older members of the audience could identify with the song and video.