The birth of music videos began with ‘musical short films that first appeared in the 1920s, but they only gained significance in the 1980s when MTV created their channel around the medium and it altered the way how music was perceived. Instead of only listening to music, there was a platform for ‘viewing’ music. Which transformed the music industry.

As the music industry evolved, it became a must for artists to showcase their music creatively and uniquely. With the impact of the digital age music videos continue to innovate, and many artists use the medium in different and artistic ways pushing boundaries and changing the purpose of videos accompanying their songs.

All Too Well (Taylor’s Version), Taylor swift’s new short film in 2021, won MTV Video of the year and Best Longform Video. Written and directed by Taylor Swift herself, showcasing proclivity and vulnerability. The storyline shows the viewers a relationship in seven chapters: ‘An Upstate Escape,’ ‘The First Crack in the Glass,’ ‘Are You Real?’, ‘The Breaking Point,’ ‘The Reeling,’ ‘The Remembering’ and ‘Thirteen Years Gone.’

An Upstate Escape starts with Sink hanging her red scarf, and how their relationship as a happy couple starts. In part two, The First Crack in the Glass, you begin to notice Sink’s uncomfortableness with O’Brien at the party he hosted with his friends. The fights, the lies, the depiction of age, and later the breakup. The film ends with Sink as now Taylor swift, 13 years in the future, reading an excerpt from her novel, while the camera shifts outside, seeing O’Brien wearing the red scarf.

The music video represents all the emotions, the visual effects, and the attention to detail, strongly showing the genuine emotions of the experience itself. A cinematic masterpiece.

References:

Carole Vernallis, ‘Music Video’s Second Aesthetic’, Unruly Media: YouTube, Music Video, and the New Digital Cinema, 207-233

Leach, M. (2021). Taylor Swift’s 10-minute version of All Too Well explained: From Jake Gyllenhaal references, to the short film. [online] Girlfriend. Available at: https://www.girlfriend.com.au/taylor-swift-all-to-well-explained-meaning-jake-gyllenhaal [Accessed 27 Nov. 2022].

Tu, G. (2021). ‘All Too Well:’ A Masterpiece Showcasing The Heartbreaking Reality Of Breakups | New University | UC Irvine. [online] Newuniversity.org. Available at: https://newuniversity.org/2021/11/22/all-too-well-a-masterpiece-showcasing-the-heartbreaking-reality-of-breakups/ [Accessed 27 Nov. 2022].

Panchmi Aswani- 27/11/2022