'Blank Space' s a single taken from Taylor Swift’s fifth album, ‘1989’. The music video was published on November 10th 2014 and was directed by Joseph Kahn who has also directed her music video for her singles ‘Out of the Woods’, ‘Bad Blood’ and ‘Wildest Dreams’ all of which are from her ‘1989’ album. In 2015, the video was nominated for 2 VMA’s at the MTV Video Music Awards; Best Pop Video and Best Female Video - it won both of its nominations.
The lyrics within the song mock the media’s perception of Taylor and her relationships. Taylor also wanted to portray this within the music video for the song. Therefore the video is a self-parody of what the media portray her as and what some people think of her; crazy ex girlfriend and man-eater. The music videos narrative shows Taylor living a life of luxury, almost as if she is in a fairy tale with the man or her dreams. They are both infatuated with one another until she becomes obsessed with him, which causes him to get bored. This turns her crazy and then things start to go wrong.
Parts of the music video are illustrative because as she sings a lyric the appropriate visual is shown to the audience for example when she sings ‘look at the face’ and then there is a closeup on the male characters (Sean O’Pry) face. The video shows both sides of her personality in a relationship that the media portrays; the sweet, innocent romantic which his represented by the couple having dinner and then the crazy, insane side which is shown by her chopping up the male characters clothes as well as the scene where she is having a break down with mascara running down her face. Throughout the music video the mise en scene connotes the idea of it being like a fairytale through the use of multiple expensive looking ballgowns and dresses, the mansion and large estate as well as the use of a red apple. This shows how she is trying to make it seem unrealistic which then makes her media perception also seem unrealistic.
Parts of the music video are illustrative because as she sings a lyric the appropriate visual is shown to the audience for example when she sings ‘look at the face’ and then there is a closeup on the male characters (Sean O’Pry) face. The video shows both sides of her personality in a relationship that the media portrays; the sweet, innocent romantic which his represented by the couple having dinner and then the crazy, insane side which is shown by her chopping up the male characters clothes as well as the scene where she is having a break down with mascara running down her face. Throughout the music video the mise en scene connotes the idea of it being like a fairytale through the use of multiple expensive looking ballgowns and dresses, the mansion and large estate as well as the use of a red apple. This shows how she is trying to make it seem unrealistic which then makes her media perception also seem unrealistic.
The music video is a hybrid of both narrative and performance. There is an equal balance between the two because she lip-syncs to specific parts of the song whilst the narrative is occurring. Sometimes she addresses the audience with her singing by looking directly into the camera, however sometimes she address the male characters by looking at him when she sings, like when they are arguing. This also makes the balance between narrative and performance appear more equal. When she is lip-syncing she generally exaggerates her facial expressions this is to make her seem overdramatic and reinforce the idea of her being a crazy girlfriend.
The 2 main locations used within this music video are inside the mansion and then the mansion grounds. However each scene inside the mansion shows a different room, this shows how big the mansion is which connotes the idea of wealth, power and status. The exterior shots are also all different which shows how much land she actually owns which once again connotes the idea of wealth, power and status. Taylor is very prominent and dominate within the frame at all times during the music video, this adds to the idea of her powerful status. A variety of wide angle shots of the exterior add to the drama of the narrative and performance. There are also lost on contrasting close ups to make it feel more personal to the audience and allow them to see dramatic facial experiences clearly. The use of many close up shots reinforce Taylor's image/brand and makes her the focus of the music video.
There are multiple different costumes/outfits throughout this music video, all of which connote wealth. Taylor makes 21 different outfit changes in the video this shows her lavish and luxurious lifestyle. In a lot of the scenes Taylor is shown wearing red lipstick, which is part of her signature look; this shows that she is reinforcing her star image throughout the video even thought its a self parody. The male character within the music video is also shown wearing smart clothing such as suits and waistcoats which connotes the idea that he also has a lavish style and is wealthy. In one part of the music video the man is shown wearing a tuxedo and is running after Taylor who is wearing a nude coloured ball gown. This shows how he is infatuated with her and wants to be in her company. This shot has been put in slow motion to make it seem more dramatic, it suggests that when they are in each others company they feel like everything just slows down because they are so at peace with one another. However this changes towards the end of the video because Taylor ends up being the one chasing him and he just gives up completely with their relationship; this is shown by him laying on the ground, next to his beaten car with her on top of him.
In addition to the many closeups used in this music video, there are also a number of other different camera shots and movements; this helps to make the video more interesting. Various long shots are used to help establish locations within the music video. There is a particular shot, where Taylor is shown standing on a white horse. The framing is completely symmetrical which places her in the centre of the frame drawing all of the attention to her standing on the horse. The framing and the fact she is standing on a horse shows her authority and power over it; this could be somewhat reflective of her relationships with men. An arc shot is used to move around the couple who are surrounded by greenery. The arc shot suggests that the pair are so focused on each other that they aren't paying any attention to the world around them; this shows how they a both infatuated. There is also an over shoulder shot, which shows Taylor looking down on her partner. This shot could be interpreted as something similar to Romeo and Juliet. However it could also suggest that she has power over him at this stage in their relationship. In this shot Taylor is shown wearing a white dress, in comparison to the male character wearing a black suit this could be representing the idea that the couples are opposites which might cause their relationship to break down.
The ending sequence for the music video is very similar to the opening sequence of the music video. The camera show a new man in a red car entering Taylor’s estate. This shows the audience that its a repetitive cycle with her relationships; as soon as one ends another one begins. The shot shows that this is a reoccurring thing by using the same camera angle and location as the first shot of the music video.
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