Research: Music Video Conventions - Mean

Typical locations used are all studio-based, for the performance and the three other characters in the video. Set design has been used to differentiate between the different scenes. 

The main 'protagonist' in the video is Taylor Swift, the artist (as we would expect). There are three actors who also play quite important parts to fit the narrative of the video.

There are also extra's in the scenes with Taylor, as backing singers/musicians. 

The iconography of the music video definitely reflects the artist image: country. This is shown through the use of setting and props (farm-yard like set, and a banjo being played by the main artist.) The costume choices also reflect the 'girl next door' image of the artist; innocent dresses - not too provocative.

There are four individual narratives in this video. The first is the performance based narrative which shows Taylor Swift singing the song with her band, as well as individual scenes of her being tied to a railway line and performing on Broadway. There two scene are cut between the other three narratives. Although these other narratives are independent characters they follow the same theme so are not overwhelming for the audience. The three other actors (teenage boy, teenage girl and young girl) each have a narrative in which people in their environment are unkind to them. By the end of the video, the narratives are resolved as the two older characters have professional careers and are happy, while the younger girl is watching Taylor's performance thus pleasing and giving her something to aspire to. Todorov's theory is applied to these narratives as we presume the characters everyday life (equilibrium), see the disruption of them being insulted and the re-equilibrium of the happy careers at the end. 

In regards to media language, a lot of close ups are used both on the artist and on the other narrative characters, to establish a relationship between them and the audience. 

The lyrics also heavily relate to what we see on screen as we see the artist and the actors go through situations where people are 'mean' to them (title of song). Both these things are typical conventions of the music video. The editing in the video also matches the pace of the song and high key lighting is used throughout. 

The video doesn't however, present 'the male gaze' which is now present in many music videos. The lack of this however, fits the artists image as she is not represented as an artist based on looks or sex-appeal. 

The video shows intertextuality, which is typical of many music videos, through the train-line scene where Taylor is tied to the track, reminiscent of old black and white silent movies. 

The dominant ideology present in the video is the idea of 'good defeats evil' we see this through the narrative - the two teenagers growing up to have successful careers despite the people who were 'mean' to them in the past. It also implies that people can go from any background to have big dreams fulfilled (Taylor starts off in a country like yard but ends up on a makeshift broadway stage).