ELLIE GOULDING - HOW LONG WILL I LOVE YOU ( Analysis )

How Long Will I Love You is a performance and narrative music video that features Ellie performing her song while telling a love story. The first ten seconds of the music video are credits, which list who appears in it, who directed it, and what camera phone was used to film it. The plain white background contrasts with the black sans serif font, making the writing the most important element of the shot, compelling the audience to watch it. After that, the camera cuts to a close-up of Ellie Goulding's hands as she plays the piano. This shot demonstrates her ability to play the guitar, which is unique for the audience because many artists have a backing band, but she is doing everything by herself.

This then cuts to a long shot of Ellie Goulding's back as she plays her piano, and then to a side, mid-shot of the star, revealing her true body language and facial expression, which occurs 19 seconds into the song. Because the audience has no idea how the star is feeling or what she looks like, there is a sense of mystery (unless they are familiar with the artist). However, as Ellie's mid-side shot is taking place, her partner walks through the door, cutting to a close-up of him and a shot-reverse-shot. from a close-up of him to a close-up of her to a close-up of him to a close-up of him to a close-up of him to a close-up of him to a close-up of him to When the camera zooms in on Ellie, she appears to be giving a half-hearted smile, and then cut back to her boyfriend suggests that he is about to cheer her up. This is a stereotypical relationship convention in which it is the responsibility of the other partner to cheer up the sad partner. As a result, this shot is relatable to the audience and allows for the development of a personal relationship between the audience and the characters. A mid-shot landscaped shot of the male character appears at 0:24 seconds into the music video, allowing the left side of the shot to focus on the male and the right side of the shot to focus on the words written on the doorframe. "The hearts that go BOOM are our favorite." These words imply to the audience that the couple is in love, and we see them even though there are no lyrics, so we can assume the song will be about love. Furthermore, the flat in which they reside appears to be untidy and unclean, which is another stereotype of young couples living in the city. This makes the video relatable to both young and older audiences, as they can reminisce about their own youthful love. This causes the audience to form personal connections with the artist because they can relate, as well as surveillance because the audience wants to see the couple stay together and thus watch the video to the end.

This is followed by a two-shot of the couple in the car, in which they both appear to be much happier, implying to the audience that relationships foster happiness in one another, thus sending a positive message to the audience. In the car, a high angle shot is used to show the open-top car and the retro interior, implying that it is more special than an ordinary car. This shows the audience that the couple has special things that they can share, and it also shows how much they love each other. The entire video is lit in high key, which amplifies the song's happiness and suggests that they should love each other forever. There is a cross-cut from natural, high-key lighting to a black and white effect where Ellie is performing her song at 0:42 seconds into the music video. The shot is a long shot that shows the star playing her guitar and singing her song to the audience. The different lighting distinguishes clearly between performance and narrative, making the music video more clear and understandable. There is a cross-cut to 0:52 seconds into the music video, where there is a close-up of the male character's hands, followed by a two-shot of the couple, followed by a close-up of the female character's phone, which reveals the message from her partner. The camera then jumps to a mid-shot of Ellie Goulding smiling at her partner, which is an eyeline match because the camera is in the male actor's eyes. This appears to be effective because it appears that the male character admires the female character, reinforcing the relationship's love. In the music video, there is a close-up of Ellie walking towards someone, followed by a close-up of the old man she is walking towards, and finally, a two-shot of Ellie kissing the old man. The shocked expression on the male's face demonstrates the anticipation because we have no idea who the artist is walking toward or what she will do. Even though we are unaware of why she has just kissed an old man whose wife is standing right next to him, the two shots reveal the mystery and everything becomes clear to the audience again.

There is a long take of the couple, which is a two-shot, at 2:20 minutes into the music video. The two-shot, which is also a mid-shot, allow the audience to see both the couple's body language and facial expressions in one shot. This is effective because we can clearly see how relaxed the couple is around each other; this allows the audience to connect with the on-screen actors because they clearly understand personal relationships, and it allows the audience to feel as if they have experienced similar feelings to the star.

The music video also relates to Richard Dyer's star paradox because she is 'both ordinary and extraordinary in it. She is ordinary in the sense that she is in love, which is relatable to millions of people all over the world. This allows personal identity and personal relationships to be discovered, which creates a connection with the audience and makes the video relatable to everyday life. Similarly, because of the 'perfect relationship' depicted in the music video, it may provide a break from everyday life. Ellie, on the other hand, is extraordinary because she is a pop star, as evidenced by the shots of her playing her guitar and singing her song. This isn't something that many people can relate to, which makes her extraordinary. Regardless, the audience is unconcerned because she is still depicted as a regular person in the music video. Ellie is similarly present but absent at the same time because we talk about what she's doing and what she's wearing as if we're in close proximity to her. She is also absent because we do not know her, which is the reality of celebrities. Regardless, the audience develops personal relationships with the star because they want to be like her and be seen as going through similar experiences.

Finally, near the end of the music video, there is a long, two-shot of an older couple looking lovingly at each other and then kissing. This then cuts back to a two-shot of Ellie Goulding and her partner, which shows reflection and, due to the eye line match of the shot, it appears as if they are looking forward to the future as a couple. This creates a sense of vigilance because the audience wonders if the couple will make it to that age together, but because the music video is coming to an end, the audience will never know, creating an enigmatic situation.