Past videos made by Taylor Swift

Three favourite videos:

Bad Blood:

This is one of Taylor's distinctive music videos. The action packed music video mimics the fast paced beat of music. Taylor is represented as prominent and powerful within the music video, however, in the beginning of the music video her characteristics are juxtaposed as she is defeated, hence, is portrayed as weak. The use of weapons and violent gestures within the music video connotes violence and power which correlates to the persona of Taylor within the music video. Apart from this, the camera constantly follows Taylor throughout the music video reinforcing her significance and prominence. The editing does not follow a continuity of a smooth transition or match on action, hence, is subverted. Finally, the music video follows the conventions of a typical music video, one of which is to portray the prominent figure as sexualising to attract the male gaze. This is achieved through the choice of clothing such as small outfits.

Style:

This song begins with a guitar riff and follows the anatomy of a pop song by using kick, snare drum and clap beats. The music video does not follow a storyline, but instead features a montage of various shots using editing such as the layering of photos. Taylor reflects her icons within the music video who are James Dean and Marilyn Monroe through the lyrics to call upon the idea of Hollywood romance. The music video as a whole is visually appealing as there is the use of bright and vivid colours, eye-catching editing effects and retro filters which can give the audience a sense of nostalgia. Finally, throughout the video Taylor wears red lipstick which portrays her as the prominent figure and creates the impression that she has a bold, fierce and confident persona.

Blank Space:

A glamorous and lavish setting is conveyed which highlights Taylor as a wealthy individual. This music video is a mixture of performance and narrative as she lip syncs during certain shots, whereas, acts in other shots. A stereotypical representation of an American teen movie is highlighted in a scene where a tree is carved with a love heart and names of the couple. Taylor uses her bold red lipstick conveying as confident and strong, however, the dark eye look overshadows the bold look as it evokes Taylor as mysterious or perhaps as someone with dark intentions.