Lara Dobson

Taylor Swift – You Belong with MeGenre - Pop

CharactersThe characters present are the stereotypical female and male representations in the music video. Taylor plays both the protagonist and antagonist in the music video. As the antagonist, she is seen as geeky and shy. This is shown through the way she dresses and the use of costumes throughout the video. This is a break in the stereotype of this music genre as women are usually seen as objects of desire (much like in the Miley Cyrus video – Wrecking Ball). The antagonist is seen as the more popular and mean type of character. She is on the cheerleading team which is a stereotypical view of the popular girl. Also, she is very rude and doesn’t stick with the main male protagonist. This is a stereotypical view of women in this genre as they

are seen as provocative and used for longing. The male protagonist is another break in the stereotype of Pop genres as he is represented as honest and trustworthy unlike the stereotypical ‘pig’ that is portrayed usually (Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines).

NarrativeThe narrative of this is a general love story in the way the ‘nerd’ beats the popular girl in the contest for the boy by changing her image. I believe this is a negative representation of the female gender as it makes young girls believe they have to change who

they are to appease what is the ‘norm’ of the status quo. The protagonist likes her friend in a romantic way yet he has a popular girlfriend. This is stereotypical in this type of narrative as the protagonist has to overcome an obstacle (his girlfriend) to get to her goal.

IconographyThere are many different iconic images in this music video. The first iconic imagery is the use of the sings that display their love for each other. As usually seen in this type of narrative, the female protagonist is the first to show their feelings and at the end, the male protagonist then reciprocates these feelings for her. This is a clear indication of the narrative as well as an adorable way to show their love for one another. Another iconic symbol is the binary opposition of the red and white dresses at the end of the video. These represent the opposition of heaven and earth where the main protagonist is the angel and the antagonist is the devil. This is a stereotype of women in the pop genre as they are always known to be fighting or to have negative opinions of others.

Lara Dobson

SettingThe first setting is when both main protagonists are in their individual bedrooms. I believe this has been done to show the ‘real them’ in their own environment as well as to show what made them fall for each other. This isn’t normally used in the pop genre which makes it a break in the stereotype. Another setting is at a football game at the high school that both protagonists attend. This is a positive representation of the age group that all the characters are involved in as it shows their closeness with each other as a community. It also heightens the rivalry between the protagonist and antagonist as even though they support the same school, their personal relationships with the main male protagonist has developed negatively (for the antagonist) and positively (for the protagonist). The final setting is at prom which is a stereotypical venue for the narrative of pop videos. This is due to the different relationships shown in the event as well as the final reveal of their love.

Technical CodesThe high lighting suggests a happy tone to the narrative which is present throughout the video. This is a stereotype of the pop genre as they are usually known for having upbeat and joyous songs. Also, the use of continuity editing shows the progress from friendship to a romance. This is a stereotypical representation of couples in the pop genre as they are usually seen as friends to begin with and then progress into something more. Another editing technique used in the video is shot reverse shot. This has helped progress the narrative as well as show the stereotypical love that is represented in the video.