Ellie Goulding: Starry Eyed Analysis

Voyeurism: Ellie is often looking at the camera, so you cannot always ‘see without being seen’. However when she does look at the camera, you see her ‘made up face’ (blue eyes, pale face, large earrings, and signature hair). When she is not looking at the camera, you can see the rest of her body. She is not wearing provocative clothing in the video; she is wearing a jumper, with and orange bobble hat, with denim shorts and blue high heels or in a white silvery dress. In the video she is with a man, presumably a boyfriend he isn’t provocatively dancing around her, he is possibly a model. He is dressed casually not showing any unnecessary skin.

Selling the Artist: Ellie is sold through many close ups and mid-shots of her face and upper body .Her USP is probably the fact that she looks mystical in her videos like an angel, she is going for a pure and innocent image.

Lyrics/Visuals: the lyrics and visuals are direct demonstrations of each other. E.g. they words ‘starry eyed’ then stars appear or they look into the sky at the stars. Or ‘next thing we’re touching’’ the couple hold hands and put their hands to a tree.

Music/Visuals: in places of the video the music cuts on the beat of the song. For example it changes scene when it gets to the end of a verse or chorus but not on every beat or every other beat it is more randomly selected. The panning and tracking of the camera is slow which fits the mood and feel of the music. The only dancing movement is when in the later repeats of the chorus the music gets louder than normal and she sings higher than previously in the song, when she sings higher she raises her arms to signify the high note and the main point of the song.

Intertextuality:  the only reference here is that it could refer to sci-fi or fantasy films with all of the night sky involved and the tree coming technologically alive at one point. Also the man turns into the night sky which relates back to the fantasy genre.

Genre Characteristics: this song follows conventions of its genre in the way that it is pop, but and follows the convention of close ups of singers face and body and the convention of love and relationships as Ellie is seen with her partner. It doesn’t follow the convention of dance routines and provocative clothing.