Textual Analysis of Ed Sheeran’s Castle on the Hill music video

Research into existing media products - Textual Analysis of Ed Sheeran’s Castle on the Hill music video

Ed Sheeran's 'Castle On The Hill' is an example of a narrative/performance music video. The music video starts with a black screen and cuts to a medium shot into a close up of an actor. The audience can distinguish that the actor is symbolising Ed Sheeran due to his iconography of messy, ginger hair. Most of the shots in the music video are handheld to give the documentary style of Ed Sheeran’s life since the song is about him reminiscing about his adolescent years. 

The establishing pan shot is set in a marsh in Suffolk where Ed Sheeran grew up. In the shot, there is a group of people in the distant middle ground; when the music starts, the group of people start running, this is an example of synchronisation. The editor uses match on action of the actor representing Sheeran and his mate running where the director uses a range of shots thus being: a long shot of them running away cutting to an horizontal tracking shot to a medium shot of them finishing running into the camera which changes into a close up of their red faces and they're breathing heavily as they come closer to the camera. This is an example of continuity because running makes you get out of breath and red.  

Young Ed Sheeran and his friends are sitting on the remains of an old building in a long shot wearing clothes which resemble that of the 90’s and 00’s with baggy raincoats, chequered shirts and old Nike trainers. The cameraperson uses a focus pull on a close up to make Ed Sheeran the subject with the background blurred. This technique is effective as it presents Sheeran as being distant from everyone else in the group, foreshadowing his future stardom. The director uses a close up of the real Ed Sheeran driving when the lyrics refer to when he is reminiscing about his adolescent life. 

There is a re-establishing shot of the inside of pub where they’re playing pool, drinking pints and smoking roll ups outside suggesting Sheeran and his friends are 18 due to fact they’re in a pub drinking alcohol which you have to legally 18 to buy alcohol and cigarettes in the UK. The director uses a close up of Sheeran's friend on a fruit machine which shows they were careless and don't appreciate the value of money as they're gambling their money away. Arial shots are used frequently in this video due to the advances in technology of drones. 

In the next scene, there is an establishing shot of a car in a car park with Sheeran and girl inside. Opposite the car is a bus shelter with Sheeran's friends standing by it watching on. This is the only scene where Sheeran is the focus point of the video as he is stand offish around his friends (shown by the focus pulls) in the rest of the video which shows his level of maturity. Sheeran sings "Had my first kiss on a friday night" which is accompanied with a close up of Sheeran and a girl kissing. There is reaction shots of his friends awestruck faces foreshadowing how society will adore him and his music. 

The cameraperson uses a close up of the real Ed Sheeran walking down a country lane, featuring his new scar which illastrates how he has had a long journey and shows the struggles he has been through, however he battled on fufilling his potential in life. Shortly after this shot, a sofa is on fire in a long shot as Sheeran sings about how his old friend's lifes. One of the symbolic meanings of fire is to bring pain, death and misery therefore this manifests his friend's cruel lifes. Each of his old friends gets line dedicated to them accompied with a close up of the actors representing them.