Ed Sheeran - The A Team

The single 'The A Team' was released in 2011 and was debuted 3rd in the UK. In the opening of the video, we hear birds tweaking in the background. We are shown a close up of a girl who looks like an ordinary teenager who seems upset, isolated and in trouble. We can see she has been crying possibly due to something shes seen(image below). This high angle shot shows a teenage girl who looks depressed. The image is in black and white which can connote how videos in the Olden days were, without any colour. This shot is then blurred out, the effect of this can indicate that maybe she is seen as less important in society because of who she is or who she has become. The dark key lighting doesn't compliment her features. The starting of this video can be seen as unconventional as the music doesn't start straight away, yet keeping the audience interested by wanting them to carry on watching.

A wide shot is shown of a girl who is sleeping with a blanket on a park bench. Instantly the viewer would assume she is a homeless teenager. This can subvert stereotypes as it is usually old people who tend to experience homelessness in society however we are shown a young girl. Her facial expressions when she gets up seems as if shes confused and doesn't know where she is. The long shot of her standing up allows us to see what she is wearing. The mise en scene here of her costume reveals that she doesn't have proper clothes. Her tights are ripped which can tell us that maybe she is unable to afford new clothes. This can also link to class in society and that maybe she is from a working class background which tells us that people from those backgrounds are the less fortunate and tend to face more problems during life.

The next scene is of her walking along the park gradually getting happier from her facial expression. She seems like she doesn't know where she was the night before and she has woken up in a place where she feels better.

This shot of her feet can convey many things. The image is still in black and white which can imply the theme of depression and loneliness. Nevertheless, this shot shows her footsteps towards her future. By her walking, it allows the audience to follow her footsteps and the direction she is going in. However the shoes she are wearing can be contrasted from usual shoes teenage girls wear. This again can be explained by the fact that she may be homeless or kicked out from her house.

This low angle shot shows her around in the area she is in. It shows she is unfamiliar to where she is. The effect of this low angle can show her low status and how she is seen in society.

This wide shot shows how different she is portrayed from others in society. For example, she doesn't seem to fit in with others in the shot. Firstly, she is the only one who is wearing a blanket. This can indicate she is very different from others and is marganalised from everybody else in the shot. She can be seen as the outcast. The next shot shows her trying to sell magazines to get money. We can see she is putting on a brave face however viewers know inside she is feeling a lot of pain.

Furthermore, we are shown a scene when she is on a local high street trying to sell magazines. This can be stereotypical of most homeless people, as I myself have seen people do this. This indicates she is not wealthy. In London, many people ignore homeless people and do not give money to them because people believe they don't use it for the right reasons. However this can be subverted by the man who gives the girl the money in this shot. This is probably because he felt sympathy towards her. The next shot is a wide shot showing her isolation by her sitting on the floor alone. In the video we see people going past her and not giving her any money or help.

A close up is shown of the girls face and she is in tears. This can show homeless people experience a lot and many people choose to ignore them. A cut is used to the next scene where she is putting on make up and looking more revealing. From this we can instantly tell she is going into prostitution. Many young teenagers believe prostitution is the only way they can get money, and society on a whole can sometimes influence this to young people. A car approaches and she is walking directly towards it. She takes off her jacket indicating the message to the driver. We see a different side to the protagonist here. Up until this point, she has changed her clothes and put more a more feminine touch on herself to make her look more appealing and sexual. Her facial expression to the driver gives away the message.

The medium close up shows her taking out money from the mans pocket. This can represent that she is doing whatever he wants for that money. It also shows that she is desperate for the money.

This is a medium close up of her exchanging her money for drugs. This is a stereotypical view of homeless people as they usually use the money for drugs. The reason she does drugs is possibly due to her loneliness. She then goes to her apartment and we can tell she cant live without her drugs because she is shaking and seems worried. The overall message in this video is that the protagonist does drugs to overcome all her problems.