Close Textual Analysis

I will be using close text analysis to analyze Dermot Kenndys music video for his song Lost. An article by Sage Research Methods defined close textual analysis as; “Close textual analysis investigates the relationship between the internal workings of discourse in order to discover what makes a particular text function persuasively. A text is an artifact that stimulates meaning” (Close reading, 2017). When analyzing visuals, or in this case a music video, I will look at the scene, color palette, and music. 

I will be looking at the first 40 seconds of the music video. Dermot Kennedy’s music video begins with him walking alone on an empty city street at night. The scene is dark, he is dressed for winter and singing acapella. I believe they chose to use a dark, cold scene to display the feeling of being lost and alone. To contrast this idea and look more at the choices that were made for this video, I want you to think of a love song or a summer anthem video. Often those videos are shot on a beach, with lots of people running around smiling with waves crashing in the background and the sun on their skin. This video is doing the exact opposite.  It is shot in what looks to be the middle of the night on an empty street in New York City. The location and time of night are important. New York City would be an easy city to feel lost or anonymous in. The fact the video was shot at night is important too. It gives the viewer a sense that he is wandering the streets, unable to sleep because he feels overwhelmed by certain life circumstances. The fact that the song is shot in winter also helps to display the cold and lost meaning of the song. Winter is a season where things are dormant, and there is no growth of life attributed to this season. The winter season is often used as a metaphor for loss.  Lastly, he is singing the lyrics of his song acapella. This is raw and vulnerable, like he is trying to tell the listener something and doesn’t want the words to compete with any instrumental. Also, having it be acapella makes it seem more conversational and less like a performance. These choices help encapsulate the feeling he is trying to convey, and that is the feeling of being lost and alone. 

This song and video follow a format he uses in many of his songs. It starts with an issue and throughout the song he tries to inspire hope and resolve the situation through music. I think it is an effective approach, and makes for powerful music with a great message.

Using close textual analysis allows the viewer to make sense of different choices the creative team made in the video. I believe that the choices he and his team made helped to visually express the meaning of the song. Using this analysis allowed me to understand and appreciate all of the thought and creativity that went into making this video.

Close Reading. (2017). Retrieved February 13, 2020, from https://methods.sagepub.com/reference/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-communication-research-methods/i2533.xml 
Kennedy, Dermot. Without Fear. 2019