Music Video Analysis: Carrie Underwood, Heartbeat

The 3:29 long country pop song, 'Heartbeat' was recorded by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood, from her fifth studio album, Storyteller. Directed by Randee St. Nicholas the music video was released on December 2, 2015. After this 'Heartbeat' met positive reviews from music critics and became a commercial success. Using the four key mirco-elements of; Mise-en-scene, camerawork, soundtrack and editing, I will be analysing the codes and conventions of the music video to whether they conform or subvert the hegemonic reading of a country pop music video.
Carrie's music video was aired on Youtube and can be accessed for free; Carrie Underwood, Heartbeat

Mise-en-scene: 
Within the mise-en-scene, the low key lighting in the very beginning of the music video, signifies darkness and negativity over-powering physically and emotionally, the white dress of the artist with her blonde hair juxtaposes the surroundings. The light hair colour and white dress, signify as light, goodness, innocence and purity, where the colour is opposed to the darkness around her. For a number of shots/scenes that denote the artist laying on the grass, this can connote and signify a link form the famous romantic film, 'Twilight', where love becomes a connoted theme of the song and music video. During a scene in, 'Heartbeat' music video, sparkling props can be seen floating around the artist, connoting the forest less of a fright and more of an enchantment escape, for romantic desires. As the artist is the only character throughout the entire video, it creates enigma on whom the song is dedicated to.

Camerawork:
Within the camerawork of the music video a long shot of the artist and protagonist denoted standing in front of the moon. The moon connotes a feminine symbol, universally representing the rhythm of time as it embodies the cycle. As the moon symbolises immortality and eternity, enlightenment or the dark side of her nature, this connotes how her love towards the mysterious loved is a dark side of her. However in other cultures the moon connotes religious significance, signifying that love is a part of all cultures and religious aspects it's explored and felt through everyone. The lunar cycle has, in time, also been connoted to the various mental and emotional states of a individual. The word 'lunatic' is a result of this connotation. The full moon is also said to cause demonic influence, where the 'demonic 

Above is an image of (from left to right):
Carrie, Mike and their son Isaish Fisher.

influences' is signified as the desires and needs caused by love, this can also link to religion through the temptations Adam felt caused by Eve. The further connotations of the phases of the moon is that the different stages of the moon cycle are signified for the analogy of a human, where the full moon is symbolic and connotes as maturity and pregnancy. Carrie Underwood's son, Isaish Michael Fisher was born February 27, 2015, however in April 2015 an article  was released on rumours of another pregnancy. As the music video for her song, 'Heartbeat' was aired in December 2015, Carrie Underwood could be playing on the idea of the pregnancies rumours in order to gain more publicity or even hint to her target audience to encode and expect a pregnancy soon.

Editing:
Different connotations can be signified from the various editing techniques denoted throughout the music video. For example; the slow motion effect used, when the artist is denoted walking through the forest in the low key lighting, connotes a dream like effect, where the artist and the target audience feel a separation from reality. The video throughout as a video effect that softens the image shots conforming to the dream like effect, as this effect is denoted throughout duration of the music video separates the message behind the music video further from reality. In the very end of the music video after the non-diegetic soundtrack, shot fades out in a water ripple effect, this connotes the cycle of life as the video enters and exits with an aspect of nature, this signifies the human life ending and the enigma of the song being sang to a dead loved one, however oppositional view that the beginning and ending with nature connotes equilibrium and equilibrium being restored in the forest, conforming to Todorov's theory of narrative.

Soundtrack:
The soundtrack for Carrie Underwood's 'Heartbeat' music video, is a mixture of non-diegetic and diegetic soundtracks.  The diegetic soundtrack, of the wind in the leaves is parallel and synchronous to the image, it connotes a sense of reality and normality to the narrative. Non-diegetic soundtrack; parallel to the image as it connotes an element of calmness linking to the silence and relaxation of the nature surrounding the artist. In the non-diegetic lyrical soundtrack, Sam Hunt is singing the backing vocals on track, however doesn't make an appearance throughout the music video, this connotes that they are lovers singing about being in a long distance from each other, singing under the moon for each other to hear, however in this case the music video is signified only concentrating on the female's perspective, as she is the only character denoted throughout the duration of the song/video.

The article about Carrie Underwood's rumoured pregnancies can be read here.