Lyrics Analysis - Miss Miller**

My group and I were given the task to analyse the lyrics of our chosen song, wings by Birdy. The purpose of analysis the lyrics were so that we could understand what the actual song was about and also figure out the hidden meanings or messages the artist is trying to put across. Also, analysing the lyrics for our chosen song will prompt us with ideas for our music video, as our analysis will tell us what each line means and how it portrays a certain image across. By analysing the lyrics for our song, this demonstrates certain planning techniques such as what mise en scene were going to include e.g low key lighting to accompany lyrics that suggest darkness; editing styles such as fast editing or slow editing to convey the mood of the lyrics and so on. Therefore this task will be helpful when planning our music video, as it'll help us visualise the lyrics and give us ideas on what to include in our video. 

The way in which my group annotated the lyrics, was that we organised each lyric that we thought belonged to either hidden messages, artist representation, mise en scene/ style of music video and target audience relationship through the use of different coloured highlighting. Yellow was hidden messages (messages that are not clearly apparent but are there when thought into depth), Orange was artist representation (how the lyrics represent the artist in relation to their feelings and emotions), mes/style of video ( what elements on mise en scene and style of video could be seen for the lyric) was green and target audience relationship (the relationship between the artist and the audience) was blue. This was helpful as we colourfully distinguished which lyrics belonged to what. 

There are a few hidden messages and meanings within the lyrics for Wings. The first two lines of the song are "Sunlight comes creeping in, Illuminates our skin". What we got from these two lines was an impression that the artist is thinking about someone important to her. Sunlight connotes pleasant memories, beautiful days and happiness, which could portray the artist as looking back into her past that was quite happy. The "sunlight comes creeping in" lyric could symbolise her thought process as it lighting up and processing her memories with her lover, however the creeping in could suggest that this thought is sad and the slowness represents her as grieving slightly but still see's the relationship in a good light. Sunlight has some negative connotations, as it may be seen as blinding and creating shadows which could imply that through the happiness of the memories there were some dark times or it could suggest that the artist is sad that it's not the same anymore in terms of contentment. This hidden message shows that the artist is in a vulnerable state and is looking back at her past, which the audience may relate to as they too may have experienced love loss or just looking back at good times. In terms of cinematography, with these lyrics I think we will consider including a high angle shot of the artist looking at the photographs of her and her partner whilst sitting on the floor. I believe the use of this shot will mirror the lyrics and suggest how the artist is thinking about her partner and that the sunlight creeping in could symbolise the memories that they had are in her thoughts. This implies that the artist is still in love with her partner and cherishes their memories whether good or bad and misses them since they're creeping in. Also, Illuminates our skin could be seen through the camera shot, as the shot will show her only from a high angle and could portray her in the spotlight, illuminating herself and highlighting the fact that she is looking at pictures of her and her partner. 

The line "So far from where we are" has the hidden message of the artist and her partner not being as good as they was before in their relationship. This suggests that they're are on some sort of rough patch and the relationship is not functioning properly or being the way its suppose to be. This is conventional to the indie genre, as themes of rocky relationships that are not functioning properly or there is some kind of obstacle within one is usually used in an indie music video. This is because artist tend to sing about their life experiences and whats happened to them, and relationships on bad terms tends to be a common theme as the target audience can relate to it because they may have experienced a bad relationship before. Therefore, building a relationship between the artist and audience as they may have something in common when it comes to relationships that are on the rocks. In reference to the music video style, especially narrative based, the lyrics could accompany with our narrative on showing the negative sides of the relationship as the artist partner does not want to be public with their relationship. This could be done through showing the artists partner moving her hands away from the artists hands when they are in public, which implies that she is not comfortable with being intimate in public. This could symbolise the lyrics "So far from where we are" by visually showing in our music video how they are still not content with their relationship and how there are still obstacles the artist has to face in order to get to where they should be with her partner. Therefore, the lyrics could be applied to our music video in relation of showing the narrative of conflict in the artists relationship.

Another hidden message is evident in the chorus "Oh lights go down, In the moment we're lost and found". The hidden message that we got from these lines is that the relationship that the artist was in, it was exciting and functioning when they were not in the spotlight. We got the impression of the relationship that the artist was in was only intimate in the dark and how the relationship was in secret especially through the lines "we're lost and found". In addition, it implies that even though they are not sure on where they are at within their relationship, they are still committed and happy to be in it even if they are confused about it. The audience can relate to this hidden message of unsureness but gratification as the target audience of 17 - 25 year olds are stereotyped to think they know everything, but they don't as they're still young and experiencing things. In reference to editing, we will be considering having a montage seen in the first chorus to these lyrics which will show the artist and her partner inside a tent play fighting and being mildly intimate e.g touching hands and staring into each others eyes. The montage will follow Goodwin's theory of lyrics matching visuals, as the visuals will convey the lyrics by conveying them being lost and hidden away in the tent, but they are found because they are being themselves and intimate in secrecy. Therefore portraying the artist as submissive, and weak because she's following her partners instructions of only showing affection in secrecy when no one is with them. This helps build a relationship with the audience and the artist, as the audience will feel sympathy towards the artist for her being weak in the relationship and not being able to have what she truly wants, which is a relationship out in the open. 

The codes and convention of having a relationship theme in an indie music video is evident through the lyrics "It made me think of you, It made me think of you". The hidden message from this is that the artist is missing someone and whenever she's doing normal regular things she thinks about that one person. The repetition emphasises how much she misses that person and gives the impression that she wants things to be how they were then. The lyrics are conventional to the indie genre as they portray the artist as missing someone which is a common theme in the genre as artists usually sing about love loss or relationships because its something personal to them. This could represent the artist as being lonely which builds a relationship between her and the audience, because they may sympathise or emphasise with her and feel like they know how she feels. To covey the loneliness in our music video with this lyrics, we are considering having the artist singing alone in an isolated place e.g field, to show how she is alone. Also, it'll emphasise the way the artist is expressing her feelings of missing someone and letting her audience in to her personal issue. 
Another codes and convention that will be evident in our music video, is the artist singing with a guitar. This will be seen with the the lyrics "Oh lights go down" and will show the artist playing the instrument whilst singing. The use of having a guitar is conventional to the indie genre, as artists within this genre usually have an instrument to help express their feelings and emotions of the song. Also the instrument being visible in the music video will help show the audience that the artist is not only vocally talented, but also instrumentally therefore sharing more knowledge about the artist. The iconography of a guitar reflects the lyrics as they suggest she's in the spotlight even though the lights are going down, which gives her the focal attention because they just see her playing the guitar. Also, the use of this follows Goodwin's theory of having visuals matching music as the guitar sounds will be heard through the music and also give the impression that the artist is playing the guitar live. This creates a sense of realism for the audience, as the music and visuals match which portray the artist as being genuine and honest because they see her playing a guitar whilst hearing it in the background. 
The third codes and convention that'll be used in our music video is the use of having real life settings in our music video. The lyrics "Under a trillion stars, We danced on top of cars"  will show the setting of the bonfire event that the girls are at in the music video. This setting is conventional to the indie genre, as artists within in the genre often portray themselves at public places that the audience can relate to. Also, the lyrics "Under a trillion stars" is symbolised through the fireworks display that the couple witnesses at the event and the fireworks connote the stars as both stars and fireworks are bright. Therefore this follows Goodwin's theory of the lyrics and visuals matching as the fireworks are symbolic for stars and the couple are below them, which visually shows the lyrics. Therefore, the convention of having a real life setting within our music video is conventional to the genre, as it helps the audience and artist connect and build a relationship with each other as they may relate to whats going on or gives them better understanding of the narrative. For example, the bonfire event is a vibrant, lively and fun scene which could portray the relationship in the narrative as happy in this moment which shows that this is a happy memory that the artist has with her partner.

The annotation of lyrics will assist me and my group in planning editing, specifically the lyrics "We watch the day go by". The hidden message behind this lyric could be that the artist is thinking about the past of her relationship. Daytime connotes happiness, freeness and life because everything is alive at this time of day, which could imply that the thoughts of the relationship that the artist is having are happy. In reference to editing, to convey this lyric in our music video we will have a time lapse of the clouds moving in the sky. This will follow Goodwin's theory of visuals and lyrics matching as the audience will be seeing the day actually go by through the time lapse. The time lapse of the clouds moving in the sky will connote how time flies by and will show how the relationship within our relationship has gone quick. However, the time lapse of the clouds could symbolise the happiness and fun in the relationship because of the connotations of peace and purity which could imply that the relationship is not perfect but it is raw. 

Annotating the lyrics for the song wings, will assist me and my group in planning cinematography, specifically through the lyrics "We'd remember tonight, for the rest of our lives". The lyrics itself conveys the hidden message of how the artist and the person who she was close to will remember the intimacy or experiences that they had together for the rest of their lives. "for the rest of our lives"  could connote how deep the relationship was between the two as they are willing to remember the moment 'forever' which implies that the whole relationship was a profound love which they won't forget. The way we will convey this hidden message in our narrative is by showing the couple hold hands and then drift away each other.  The camera shot that will be evident when this lyric is heard is a close up shot, which will show the artist and her partners hands slowly parting away each other. The shot implies that the relationship has ended as well as the narrative in our video which leaves it in a cliff hanger that makes the audience question if they have or have not broken up. However, the fact that the shot will start with them holding hands will convey the lyrics of them being involved in a profound love but parting away because of the complicatedness it brings to their lives. But the couple still appreciate the relationship and will still care for each other, therefore they'd remember the moment 'for the rest of their lives'. Close up shots are conventional in the indie genre, as they help establish the artists facial expressions or give emphasis to an object for further understanding of the narrative or concept being portrayed. 

Mise en scene will be crucial for when planning and making our music video. The annotations for the lyric will help assist my group in planning mise en scene, firstly setting and iconography. The lyrics "My words are leaving me, they caught an aeroplane" give the impression that the artist is lost for words and is distraught by the negativity within their relationship that she no longer has nothing to say. The fact that she uses a metaphor that suggests her words have caught on aeroplane emphasises how effected she is by this, due to aeroplanes being far up in the sky. In relation to our narrative, we will convey the lyrics through setting and iconography which will be the artist in her bedroom looking at old letters and photographs from her partner. The setting of a bedroom will exaggerate her emotions of being upset, as bedrooms are known for being a place of privacy and where everyone can be themselves because its their own personal space. The use of this setting will emphasise the lyrics as it shows the artist as emotional whilst looking at the letters and photographs which creates sympathy from the audience. Also it may build a relationship with the audience as they can emphasise with her if they have been through the experience of being so hurt that you have no words to say. The iconography of letters and photographs help illustrate the lyrics by showing her reaction to these objects as being sad. Also, letters are seen as a personal mean of communication as it consists of ones handwriting or typing to another which makes it seem more confidential. The photographs are there to show the memories that the artist and her partner had which also makes her reaction to seeing them seem as she is heart broken, because photographs capture moments that we cherish forever. The use of the bedroom and iconography; letters and photographs are conventional to the indie genre because a bedroom is a recognisable place which the audience can relate to and the iconography used are seen as sentimental and personal because they are items that can be kept forever. Therefore, both are conventional to the indie genre as they convey the artist in her comfortable setting but also show her emotions which indie artists tend to do in their music videos when singing about their personal life experiences. 
The second mise en scene element that the lyrics analysis will assist us with planning, is costume, hair and make up. The lyric in which this element will be seen is "Because I thought of you, Just From the thought of you" . These lyrics accompany the hidden message of the artist missing someone and their relationship. The repetition of thought of you emphasises how much she misses them and represents the artist as being so in love with the person because she repeats the lyrics of thinking about the person in all three verses. In relation to our music video, the costume of our artist which consists of an off white dress, denim jacket, tights and boots convey the lyrics. The off white dress connotes purity and innocence which could portray the artist as these connotations but also apply to the lyrics as she is expressing how she feels and that her thoughts of her partner are pure. Also, the white dress represents her vulnerability in the scene and connects with the lyrics as she is vulnerable when thinking about her partner. In addition, the blue denim jacket has connotations of tranquility and calmness however this could be seen as putting a front on through the denim as the texture is tough. The toughness of the denim jacket could reflect the lyrics if her trying to be strong enough to get over her partner, however she cannot full complete this task hence why she is thinking of her. Also, the black tights could convey the lyrics as black connotes darkness which could imply that the artist is in a dark place, and the fact she's thinking about her partner could suggest that she's her saviour. Moving onto hair and makeup, the hair will be wavy which could refer to the lyrics as the artist being not her self. The waves could connote her inconsistency and unsureness with where she's at, however reflects the lyrics of her always being sure about her partner which further shows her love. Lastly, her make up will be neutral but not too basic for example having contoured face, lipstick and dark eyeshadow. This will reflect the lyrics as it'll imply that the artist makes an effort to look good for the partner, therefore suggests this as she is saying she is thinking about her whilst looking quite made up. This is conventional to the indie genre, as it portrays the artist as being weary about her appearance to impress someone, which the audience can relate to if they've done the same, therefore following realism.
Furthermore, the third mise en scene; lighting and colour will convey the lyrics that were mentioned before "Under a trillion stars". Stars connote big change or turning point in a persons life and hope, which could reflect the lyrics by suggesting the hidden message of the artist waiting for a big change and is being optimistic about it. In reference to our music video, the lyrics as said before will be seen through the sparklers and setting. However, mise en scene lighting and colour is also evident in this scene of the bonfire event. For instance, the bright colours of the sparklers and fireworks could convey the lyrics by suggesting the relationship between the artist and her partner is profound and exciting due to the brightness. Also, the fact that they're under the stars following Goodwin's theory of visuals and lyrics matching, could imply that the theres hope for the relationship because of it being complicated as one doesn't want to be open about it. Alongside, colours the lyrics assisted us with planning the lighting for the bonfire scene. The lighting will be low key lighting as this shows the natural lighting of night time and shows the artist in a real life setting. The low key lighting is applied to the lyrics by conveying the characters literally being under the stars due to it being night time. Also, it helps convey the narrative of their relationship being in secrecy as they are seen through the low key lighting acting like they are together, which shows them intimately under the stars which are the fireworks. Therefore, the colour and lighting picked conveys the lyrics and gives the audience further understanding of the relationship in the narrative. 
Lastly, planning mise en scene body language, facial expressions and positioning is evident through the lyrics analysis. The lyrics that helped us plan our body language is "If these wings could fly". The hidden message that we got from this lyric was that the artist feels conditional in the relationship that she is in, and wishes that it could be as wonderful if only they had the strength. We stemmed this idea from a bird not being able to fly and not have the strength to because their wings may be damaged and thought this could symbolise what the artist is trying to say. In relation to planning body language in our music video, we thought by having a shot of dancers expressing struggle through their dancing will convey the lyrics perfectly. Therefore, the body language will be of the ballerina dancers seen through a silhouette effect could portray our narrative of the struggling relationship. We felt that this was conventional to the indie genre as artist tend to use a performance to further express themselves using an instrument, however we are going to challenge this by having dancing instead of an instrument to showcase this. The lyrics "Oh damn these walls, in the moment were ten feet tall" helped us plan facial expressions and positioning. The lyrics have the hidden message of the artist being frustrated with the complications of the relationship, and expressing how when they're in a happy moment they are untouchable. This is seen through the phrase "in the moment were ten feet tall", which the metaphor exaggerates her enthusiasm for the relationship when its good. In relation to facial expressions, this helped us decide that the artist within our music video should sing this line to the camera whilst being positioned in the middle. The facial expressions that will be seen whilst she is singing the lyrics will be a annoyed, frustrated look which will convey the narrative of the artist wanting to be open with the same sex relationship that she is in. Also, having the artist positioned in the middle will emphasise her expressions and make her the focal attention which could imply that she feels very strongly about what she is singing and wants everyone to know. The positioning of being in the middle is conventional to the indie genre, as artists tend to be unknown within the genre, therefore the positioning allows them to be the focal attention and also promote themselves to the wider audience.

Overall, the music video will be narrative based because of the hidden meanings we found from the lyrics analysis that helped prompt us with many ideas to create a narrative. However, there are lyrics that will be used to convey the performance side of our music video as seen above, because indie artists tend to be instrumentally talented as well. 

The relationship between the artist and audience is evident through the lyrics included within the song etc "Stories of all we did","Because I thought of you, Just from the thought of you" and "I just wanna be by your side". The first lyric of "stories of all we did" creates a relationship between the artist and audience as it conveys how the artist is memorising her relationship and is letting the audience into the memories through the narrative of the whole music video. Also, it makes the audience emphasise with the artist as the lyrics give the impression of the artist being lonely as she is talking about the past, meaning she's experiences a love loss. In addition, the lyric "Because I thought of you, Just from the thought of you" helps establish a relationship between the artist and audience, as it further conveys the concept of heart break and love loss that she's in, which the audience may relate to if they have experienced something similar. During these lyrics the artist will be sad and convey these emotions which will help further gain sympathy from the audience and make them understand how she's feeling. Lastly, the lyric "I just wanna be by your side" again portrays the theme of missing someone and helps create a relationship with the audience.This is conventional to the indie genre, as artists often illustrate their emotions and feelings within the narrative or concept of the music video in a relatable way in order to create a relationship between them and the audience through realism. 

Analysing the lyrics for our chosen song, will help us plan our storyboard for our music video through the annotations made. The analysis has helped us establish the hidden meanings/messages of the songs for example missing someone, and also what is going to be included in each part of the lyrics. For example, the first verse will show the narrative element of the video of the artist looking at the memories through the photographs of the relationship and the second verse will showcase the happy memories that they had. Also, the performance elements will precisely be seen in the choruses of the song as these will make it look like the artist telling her story to the audience through her performances which are repeated in the chorus. In summary, the lyrics analysis will prompt us with specific ideas to include in our storyboard, so that we visually understand how our music video is going to look like.