detailed analysis

Detailed AnalysisWilliam Fitzsimmons – Beautiful Girl

Mise-en-Scene

A key aspect of mise-en-scene in this particular piece is the way in which low-key lighting is used throughout. This emphasises the strength of the emotions that are being projected to the audience and sets the scene for an emotional journey. Low-key lighting is not necessarily conventional for this style of music because it connotes sadness and secrets. Acoustic music is more typically about love or self-discovery, so the darkness of the video challenges conventions in this way.

The guitar here is typical for the acoustic/folk genre because it shows the artist has stripped back their music down to their bare feelings. It represents the artist as sensitive and so makes the audience feel closer to them; it is conventional for acoustic music videos to feature a guitar because that tends to be the main instrument used. The way that the guitar is introduced so soon into the music video also shows the importance of it, and sets the scene for an emotional discovery of some sort.

Another key element to the video in terms of mise-en-scene is the bracelet, which is featured several times to represent the narrative of one woman’s life. The consistency that the bracelet represents is challenged by certain events in her life such as heartbreak, which leaves her feeling out of balance. This bracelet is the dominant part of the narrative as it shows the way in which it is always with her, even as an old woman. This signifier is conventional for the form of a music video because it forms a narrative, which is also conventional, and makes something about the character important. The


bracelet is conventional for acoustic music videos because it has a deeper meaning; this genre often does not always explicitly reveal the meaning behind their lines, but allows the audience to discover it for themselves.

Camerawork

One of the more common shots throughout this music video is close ups of the artist. This is conventional for the form of a music video, as it creates a connection between the artist and the music. However, this is not necessarily typical for an acoustic music video because often these would have deep, meaningful shots of other people or places in order to create a narrative that is detached and expressive of deep emotions. The way in which the artist is framed in this shot shows that he is consumed by the darkness to the point in which he cannot escape. It separates him from the narrative, to give the impression that he is perhaps watching the girl’s life go by without interfering, when maybe that’s all he wanted to do. This is reflected in the darkness that envelops him, because it shows how he is trapped by his choices, and how the girl in the narrative is suffering this same fate. This can be seen in the wide shot near the beginning as well, which particularly emphasises this point.

The tracking shot featured towards the end of the narrative shows a young woman running away. This represents the young woman as hasty, irrational and rebellious. The way in which she glances back shows how she is acting against someone else’s will as she is checking to see if anyone is chasing her. Tracking shots are conventional for the form of a music video because they create a sense of movement and progress the narrative; they often represent an important event either in the narrative or in the song. This particular shot is conventional for acoustic music videos due to the use of slow


motion. The use of editing makes the shot effective as it emphasises the importance of her actions and will be analysed later on.

Finally, the pan shot from the young woman’s wrist down to her face is effective because it introduces the narrative. The previous shot was of a young girl’s wrist, which then cuts to the wrist of this young woman. This reveals that the narrative is of the maturation of a girl and also represents the bracelet as having a certain amount of importance to the story. This is conventional for the music video form because it slowly reveals a section of the narrative to encourage the audience to engage with the themes that are represented. The character here is represented as free spirited, reflecting the ideas brought across in the previous scene of a little girl: innocent and carefree. The way in which her attention is paid entirely to the bracelet shows it’s importance to her and how she treasures it.

Editing

The montage style of editing that is used throughout the music video moves along the narrative and shows the connection between events in the character’s life. The connection between the two events here is quite clear: love. The bracelet is in the shot once again which emphasises the consistency of it in her life and the importance of it; it may represent the choices she makes in life and how they will always stay with her. The montage here is conventional for music videos, and particularly the acoustic genre, because songs are too short to play a whole narrative. The montage allows a story to be put across in a short three or four minutes. It is conventional for the acoustic genre because the narratives are often deep and meaningful, so allows the audience to interpret the events in the montage for themselves. The character here is represented as still quite naïve, despite feeling like she has grown up. This


would thus represent the artist’s emotional turmoil and show how he has made mistakes that are explained later in the video.

Slow motion is a key aspect of editing within this piece as it emphasises the representation of the character as rebellious; she is making a statement, and this is portrayed through the slow motion as there is an element of expansion in the timeframe. It also expands the narrative by adding depth to the story as she is running away from more than just her boyfriend; perhaps she is leaving behind a part of herself, as well. Slow motion is conventional for acoustic music videos because it adds depth to the narrative, however would not necessarily be conventional for the music video form because music often tries to keep people entertained through fast pasted editing and an upbeat style.

A final aspect of editing that has been used in this piece is crosscutting used between the narrative and the singer. This is conventional for the music video form because it creates a connection between the artist and the story that is being presented. It represents the artist as trapped because they are surrounded by darkness and are separate from the narrative in place. This is effective because the acoustic/indie genre often creates depth within the music and so this style of editing represents a moral meaning that affects the singer.


Sound

A convention for the music video form used in this video is the use of synchronous sound. This is particularly conventional in indie music due to the way in which guitars are signifiers of the genre. This once again represents the artist as sensitive and associates them with the music because they are playing the instrument themselves; the experiences in the narrative are likely to have been felt by the

artist. The synchronous sound here is important because it shows how the music has been stripped back and is the artist’s bare emotions. It can further be associated with the narrative because it shows how the artist wishes to be a part of her life, and how he is trapped by his own decisions.

Another convention within music videos is the way in which there is a relationship between the lyrics and the narrative. This can be seen within ‘Beautiful Girl’ in this example, where she argues with her boyfriend and walks away. At the same time as this, the artist sings “the purging of this dark”. Therefore the relationship can be seen because she is ridding herself of something she doesn’t want to be a part of anymore. This represents the artist as having deep emotions and is expressing this both through his lyrics and through the narrative; the narrative acts as a way of exploring these emotions without explicitly defining them.


This is also an example of asynchronous sound, which is also conventional for the music video format because the narrative is often a key part to the story. Therefore, the way in which the artist sings over the top of the narrative shows the association between the music and the storyline, and makes effective use of the key themes. The asynchronous sound is important to this part of the narrative because she is walking away from her boyfriend as a result of an argument. The lyrics placed over the top are significant because they are relative to the actions taking place and so create an association between the artist, their feelings and the narrative.