Goodwin's theory on Ed Sheeran's Music Video 'Drunk'

1. Genre Characteristics.

Ed Sheeran's song 'Drunk' categorises into the genre of Indie folk. Characteristics of this genre
are shown in his music video and song, for instance the use of his acoustic guitar is shown by Ed playing it, the cat playing as well as using the guitar as a prop, which symbolises Ed's passion for playing the guitar as well as his signature style. We know that an acoustic guitar is a well-known characteristic of indie folk as most indie folk bands are built around the singer/ songwriter with an acoustic guitar, in this case Ed Sheeran and his guitar.

2. Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals

The fact that the title of this song is 'Drunk', we can predict that the video will be surrounding the topic of Ed being drunk/ or drinking, and this prediction is proven correct in this video. The main relationship between the lyrics and the visuals is that Ed is seeing his cat talking and even takes him to the pub - this shows the psychological effect of drinking. There are a lot of extreme close-up shots of Ed and his cat opening beer cans, holding shot glasses as well as mid-shots and close-ups of the two especially Ed drinking them. The reason for Ed's drinking is shown in the close-up of the Iphone and the text message, that he is showing to his cat, that reads 'I don't want to see you anymore.' - therefore Ed is trying to drink away his sorrows, emotions and feelings for his ex-girlfriend, whilst his cat is trying to cheer Ed up by wanting him to meet new girls. The lyrics also states ' Should I, Should I? Maybe I'll get drunk again, I'll be drunk again, I'll be drunk again, To feel a little love'. There are a lot of mid-shots of his ex-girlfriend as Ed is thinking of her, drinking away his past. The close-up of the lego heart that she crushes represents their relationship as well as Ed's heart.  He then shows his anger and being 'All by myself' when throwing his beer can at the photos of them both together.

3. Relationship between the music and the visuals

The beat/ pulse of the drums and guitar maybe representing the alcohol pumping around Ed's body as he is drinking and resulting in him seeing and hearing his cat talking. It could also be representing the atmosphere of the night club/pub's atmosphere or even the pounding of his head, and the confusion that the alcohol has done.

4. The demands of the record labels - close-up of artist - any motifs occurring across their work? (visual style)

There are alot of close-ups of Ed, which is the main focus and central part of this music video, as well as the talking cat. A lot of the time Ed looks straight into the camera, and most of the shots of him in this video are close-ups and mid-shots. The fact that he is looking straight into the camera maybe engaging to the audience as they to can relate to his experience of hard times, breaking up with loved ones etc. He also 'cheers' with the audience when drinking his shots. There is also a high angle close-up of Ed (at side). In this video Ed is wearing very casual clothes of jeans and a t-shirt which is up to date and fits in with this era, which can also relate to many people with a similar fashion. He also has a long, sweeping hairstyle which is in fashion with many boys and men especially teenagers. The close-up of Ed and his fashion style as well as his acoustic guitar and style of voice are all motifs across his music and video work.

5. Notion of looking (framing, screens within a screen, looking through a telescope etc.)

There is an example of frame within a frame in this video, when the ex-girlfriend is looking into the mirror and the camera is filming her reflection and her back is to the camera. Also this girl is holding an object  - a black circle with a hole in the middle (maybe a record) the camera zooms into the hole as the audience is watching as the shot transitions to Ed drinking away his sorrows. There is also a divide in the screen on two occasions where we are watching Ed and the cats at the same time.

6. Intertextual reference to other media texts (film, TV etc.)

There is not an obvious intertextual reference to a specific media text, only that they may have got the talking cat idea from Garfield, a cartoon animated cat who has appeared in comic books, children's television series as well as several films.