Textual Analysis 1

I have decided to analyse Kelly Clarkson's Behind these hazel eyes.
The first thing I noticed at the start of this video is that there are two completely different streams. The first is a gothic setting which is set in the middle of the woods. The main character is also dressed procatively and in dark clothing which represents rebellion. The other stream is representing the character in a completley innocent way as it shows he getting ready to get married. The room is completley light, and the white dress is iconic of virginity which represents innocence, completley contrasting with the dark revealing clothing she is wearing in the other stream. I noticed that two contrasting streams such as these two is iconic of the horror genre as horror films often start out in a bright and postive setting and then turn scary and dark. The shot of the church in the first part is also iconic of horror films as they associate with the dead, however the second stream also links to the church as we can see she is getting ready to get married.It is also interesting to note that exactly the same shot is used when she is being laced up in her wedding dress to the shot used to show the audience how she is dressed provocatively. Her being laced up in the wedding dress is showing that she is being trapped into a life she doesn't want, and the shot of her dressed provactively in the woods show how she has been rebellious and broken free from that life. This is linked to the narrative of the video as it is about how she is preparing to marry someone who she knows is having an affair, however breaks free before she marries them by becoming a runaway bride. It is also interesting to note that there is a medium close up shot of the red roses she is holding as her bouquet, as the colour red and the roses indicate romance, however the colour red also incates danger, which is perhaps showing that it could be a danger in a sense for her to enter this marriage.

The narrative is shown to unfold over time as cuts back and forth from her wedding scene to the scene in the woods. However when she is preparing to get married there is a medium close up shot of her holding a photograph of the other woman as a bride along with her husband to be as a groom which she is imagining, however it has now become apparent to the audience that there is a problem with the marriage she is about to enter, although the narrative has not completly unfolded yet. The storm that forms outside represents that her marriage is doomed.
The next shot is of her walking down the aisle to find that her husband to be is being wed to the woman he is having an affair with. It becomes apparent to the audience that they cannot see her as they do not notice her, and that she is imaginging this sequence. It shows her lifting the veil of the other woman which shows the other woman has taken her place.  The next shot is a close up of the other woman's eyes directly looking at the protagonist in the way people would look at someone if they were guilty, this is showing that perhaps she feels guilty and therefore isn't as heartless as initially implied. The shot of the protagonist coming out the church doors is iconographic of the horror genre as there is mist surrounding her and a branch infront of the camera, this is implying that the protagonist is going through one of their worst nightmares in real life. We then see a shot of her back in the woodland area wearing a black dress. Black is iconographic of funerals therefore symbolises death, so this scene is symbolising that a part of her has died inside due to her husband to be having an affair. The shot of her in the woods in her wedding dress where her hair is wet due to the storm is iconographic of the typical runaway bride.

The narrative finally pieces together is the scene where she is stood at the alter about to wed her husband to be and she throws the ring back at him and runs out as he glances at the other woman. The lighting inside the church is dark, gloomy and lit with candles, which is also iconographic of the horror genre as this is the way churches and old buildings are typically set out in horror films. Another interesting aspect of the setting to note is that inside the church there are falling petals which symbolise romance, however when she is in the woods there are falling leaves which symbolise winter which is associated with darkness, which is in turn associated with the horror genre.

The editing for this media text starts off slow at the beginning with the use of cuts, particularly when she is getting ready for her wedding. This is because the major drama in the text has not started yet and the narrative has not become apparent, therefore all is still well in the plot. However the editing speeds up when the storm starts, as the storm indiacates something bad is about to happen.

The target audience of this media text is young people, as this is the age group that are most likely to watch horror films and listen to pop rock music, which is the genre of the song. The text implies that the audience are the type of people that seek drama and excitement, as the plot is dramatic as it involves an affair, and it becomes exciting building up to the dramatic climax. This text also creates empathy for the audience as when she is kneeling down in the mud in her wedding dress crying, it gives the impression that she is begging.

The representation behind this text is interesting as she is being represented as a typical runaway bride. When she is in the woodland area she is represented as being quite rebellious as she is dressed in dark clothing, and is represented in the style of a female rockstar with the presence of the band. However in the scenes where she is preparing for her wedding she appears innocent as she is in a white dress, in a light setting. However it becomes apparent to the audience that she feels trapped and is about to enter a life she doesn't really want. When she runs out of the church she is represented as being rebellious as the wedding guests are shocked and frown upon her,which is representing the fact that runaway brides are typically frowned upon in our society.