mv analysis: lana del rey – summertime sadness

Lana Del Rey – Summertime Sadness

Music video analysis

Opening shot – Time Lapse• The video begins

with a time lapse of the sky• There is a yellow

hue - dystopia• Music hasn’t

began yet – just murmured speech

Performance shot – Colours• Stationary shot of

Lana• Streaks of colour

fill the screen• Streaks change

from yellow to red• Cause Lana to

appear as a silhouette

Establishing shot – Forest• Pan of forest• Establishing shot

that sets the scene for the video• Causes the

audience to associate with nature and serenity

Low angle shot – Forest• Low angle shot of

Lana in the forest – essentially a combination of the two previous shots• Emphasises how

high up she is – key for the next shot

Performance shot– Forest• Profile shot of

Lana singing amongst the trees

Falling shot– Forest• Profile shot of

Lana singing amongst the trees• She jumps off the

edge of the cliff• Very ambiguous

Abstract/Performance shot – Smoke• Abstract shot of

smoke filling screen• Smoke has

negative connotations –death/choking• Lana being

overlaid changes implications • Especially

because she is dressed in white – makes the scene seem somewhat heavenly

New character• Introduced to a

new character• Close up of a lady

in a car• ‘Femme fatal’

look

Illustrating lyrics – Projector• Telephone wires

projected onto Lana as she sings the words “telephone wires”• Unique way of

illustrating lyrics

Performance shot – Pan• Performance shot• Pan of Lana that

starts at the bottom – empowering• Adds power and

status to her star persona

Genre conventions – Close up• The video

conforms to the more traditional means of creating enigmatic shots

Performance shot – Silhouette• Unique and

different performance shot• Shows confidence

in star construction – Lana recognisable by just her shadow

New character - Revealed• Shot of the girl

previously seen in the car• She is spinning as

if holding onto the camera• Then see Lana

spinning with the camera• Audience can

infer their friendship

Car shots• Profile shot of

Lana singing amongst the trees• Switches between

two angles

Narrative shots• Home video

styled shots• Aimed to imply

the closeness of the two characters

Performance shots• Profile shot of

Lana singing amongst the trees• Switches between

two angles

Abstract shots• Fire/Smoke/Rain/

Bleached out flowers• Abstract shots

focus on the elements• Negative

connotations conveyed• Glass dropping

foreshadows girl jumpring

The fall• Foreshadows the

jump• The notion of

suicide is insinuated, but not made explicit• Graphic match to

Jesus statue – Religious imagery

Narrative conclusion• Towards the end

of the video, the audience are shown more snippets of the jump• The suicide is

somewhat romanticized through the scenic background and use of bokeh

Surrealism• The body falls

from the bridge into the surreal world where the artist was seen preforming• Lack of definition

between reality and illusion

Ending shot - Overlay• The video ends

with an overlaid edit of Lana• Supernatural and

eerie