Director: Philip Andelman
Released: 2012 (From The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 and Beyond)
"Safe & Sound" by Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars, was released in 2012. This song is a synergy as the song represents/promotes the film: The Hunger Games.
In the first scene, it starts with a zoom of the old cottage. This gives an indication of what the main focus is and that the location is set at night around Autumn/Winter time. Then the video cuts into the cottage with The Civil Wars sitting in the living room which there is a two shot taken from behind of them playing an instrument which indicates performance in their music video and also that they are engaged in a some kind of relationship, in this case the music. The lighting is very dark and gloomy which suggests an old, rusty, Autumn or Winter type of feel as there is a fire on and that the cottage is old, run down.
Then the video cuts to outside where it is dull, cloudy and foggy. The main camera shots are long shots such as the tree on its own and then close ups of a little branch from a tree and then a zoom on some more trees. This suggests that these trees have a meaning to them e.g connection to The Hunger Games. This also shows narrative within this music video. This signifies isolation.
This then moves into a track which follows Taylor Swift vertically. There is a lot of continuity editing with the shots going from a long shot/establishing shot to mid shot to close ups. The lighting is very dark and looks like they have used natural lighting for the video. The outfit Taylor Swift is wearing in the forest scenes is a white/off white long dress that looks a little tattered. This suggests innocence or survival. As Andrew Goodwin pointed out in his research, that there is a relationship between the lyrics and the video. I get this impression because it is just her in the forest as if it is just her survival and the song talks about danger. The synergy also relates to the video because in The Hunger Games, it is the last one standing and it seems that Taylor Swift is the last one standing in the forest.
The next scene then moves back to The Civil Wars where the male is singing with a close up shot so you can see that he is singing. This then goes into a shot which uses a small depth of field (low aperture number) so that only the man is in slight focus. With the low lighting and the small aperture number used on the camera, suggests that they feel isolated and it is meant to give a sad/lonely type of feeling.
Going back to the forest with Taylor Swift in it, there is a lot of wide/long shots of her walking into the distance. There is a lot of close ups and zooms onto her feet to which she is walking bare foot. This can represent the natural look they are trying to portray or it is another reference to The Hinger Games because district 12 that is shown are all dressed in tattered clothing, bare foot which signifies poverty and isolation because they are controlled by people that are higher up than them.
Taylor Swift is then sitting and then laying on a grave in a cemetery which suggests a lot of loss and hurt within the song and video as she seems very down and upset about something because the facial expression is not a happy, good feeling emotion. The grave and the cemetery can represent The Hunger Games because a lot of people die within the film because the outcome is that there is only one survivor at the end of the games.
At 2:20 Taylor Swift walks into a dark, run down place where she picks up a badge which is the . This symbolises The Hinger Games. This can be used to promote the film as anyone who has read the books will want to watch this music video as it gives good representation and they do this by having a close up of the badge in her hands.
Throughout the scenes in this music video, I have noticed that there is a lot of fire and smoke being shown. This can suggest destruction or even a representation of how Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars are feeling e.g fire represents anger or passion. There is a extreme close up of the fire at 2:38 which goes with the music because the music gets louder and more dramatic which makes the extreme close up of the fire is dramatic and expressing anger.
There is also a point of view shot of Taylor Swift looking at a Form. To me a Form always makes me think of freedom. It also suggests isolation because its on its own but it can be seen as freedom or it can be seen as isolation. At 3:30 the form then disappears into dust as if it has died which refers back to the graves and that there is nobody in video apart from Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars.
Towards the end of the music video, there is a close up of the male' tapping his foot along with the beat of the music which suggests relationship between the music and the video.
The next scene then moves back to The Civil Wars where the male is singing with a close up shot so you can see that he is singing. This then goes into a shot which uses a small depth of field (low aperture number) so that only the man is in slight focus. With the low lighting and the small aperture number used on the camera, suggests that they feel isolated and it is meant to give a sad/lonely type of feeling.
Going back to the forest with Taylor Swift in it, there is a lot of wide/long shots of her walking into the distance. There is a lot of close ups and zooms onto her feet to which she is walking bare foot. This can represent the natural look they are trying to portray or it is another reference to The Hinger Games because district 12 that is shown are all dressed in tattered clothing, bare foot which signifies poverty and isolation because they are controlled by people that are higher up than them.
Taylor Swift is then sitting and then laying on a grave in a cemetery which suggests a lot of loss and hurt within the song and video as she seems very down and upset about something because the facial expression is not a happy, good feeling emotion. The grave and the cemetery can represent The Hunger Games because a lot of people die within the film because the outcome is that there is only one survivor at the end of the games.
At 2:20 Taylor Swift walks into a dark, run down place where she picks up a badge which is the . This symbolises The Hinger Games. This can be used to promote the film as anyone who has read the books will want to watch this music video as it gives good representation and they do this by having a close up of the badge in her hands.
Throughout the scenes in this music video, I have noticed that there is a lot of fire and smoke being shown. This can suggest destruction or even a representation of how Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars are feeling e.g fire represents anger or passion. There is a extreme close up of the fire at 2:38 which goes with the music because the music gets louder and more dramatic which makes the extreme close up of the fire is dramatic and expressing anger.
There is also a point of view shot of Taylor Swift looking at a Form. To me a Form always makes me think of freedom. It also suggests isolation because its on its own but it can be seen as freedom or it can be seen as isolation. At 3:30 the form then disappears into dust as if it has died which refers back to the graves and that there is nobody in video apart from Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars.
Towards the end of the music video, there is a close up of the male' tapping his foot along with the beat of the music which suggests relationship between the music and the video.
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