Break-down of Taylor Swift's 'Shake it off' music video

Break-down of Taylor Swift's 'Shake it off' music video

• 1.
  Taylor Swift: ‘ShakeIt Off’ 213 shots in 3 min 53 secs
• 2.
  Setting 1 Balletbarre, shots of dancers warming up in casual legwarmers, etc; I stay up too late Got nothing in my brain That’s what people say Mmm mmm That’s what people say Mmm mmm
• 3.
  Setting 2: 0.17 Street Dancers in Studio doing tricks and spins I go on too many dates But I can’t make them stay At least, that’s what people say Mmm mmm That’s what people say
• 4.
  Setting 3: 0.27 • Stage with ballerinas in tutus – But I keep cruisin’ – Can’t stop, won’t stop movin’ – It’s like I got this music – In my mind sayin’ – It’s gonna be all right
• 5.
  Setting 4: 0.42 Contemporary dancers 'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off
• 6.
  Setting 5: 0.54 • Rhythmic gymnasts, now cut together with street dancers, contemporary dancers and ballerinas, but each time they do a cool move, Taylor Swift does a terrible imitation, getting tangled up in her chiffon, etc Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off
• 7.
  Setting 6: 1.05 Breakdancers: popping & locking; TF imitates moves with comic incompetence. I never miss a beat I'm lightning on my feet And that's what they don't see, mmm-mmm that's what they don't see, mmm-mmm I'm dancing on my own (dancing on my own) I make the moves up as I go (moves up as I go) And that's what they don't know, mmm-mmm that's what they don't know, mmm-mmm
• 8.
  Setting 7: 1.30 Commercial dancers, twerking, then back to the ballerinas. But I keep cruising Can't stop, won't stop grooving It's like I got this music In my mind Saying, "It's gonna be alright."
• 9.
  Setting 8: 1.42 Band, a pun on ‘players’, now cross-cutting very quickly between single shots of all the different settings. 'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off
• 10.
  All 8 settingscross-cut with humour, such as lyrics linked to visuals with hands making heart-shape at ‘heart’ and break-dancing at ‘breakers’, shaking the beat-box at ‘shake’ Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off
• 11.
  Chorus Further comedywith Taylor Swift imitating and messing up the dancers’ moves, linking to the lyrics with shaking bottoms and arm movements. Shake it off, I shake it off, I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off, I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off, I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
• 12.
  Setting 9: 2.20 Spoken word Section, introduces cheerleaders As throughout the song, all lip-synced, alternate close-ups lip syncing to the camera with various dancers. Hey, hey, hey Just think while you've been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world, You could've been getting down to this sick beat.
• 13.
  Rap section 2.30 Taylor Swift is head cheerleader brandishing a megaphone, close-up slowly zooming out to show all the cheerleaders in formation. Further linking of lyrics to visuals with looking and pointing off camera to ‘fella over there’, slow-motion throw to ‘yeah ohhh’ – she never comes down again! My ex-man brought his new girlfriend She's like "Oh, my god!" but I'm just gonna shake. And to the fella over there with the hella good hair Won't you come on over, baby? We can shake, shake, shake Yeah ohhh
• 14.
  Third chorus section, lots of close-ups on lip-syncing 'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate (haters gonna hate) I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off
• 15.
  Second half ofchorus Very fast shot changes now, with Taylor Swift mixing up the dance genres, doing ballet moves in front of the street dancers and miming trumpet playing with the ballerinas. Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break (mmmm) And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake (and fake, and fake, and fake) Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off
• 16.
  Final section 3.08 Introduces ordinary people doing their own dance moves, cutting to wider and wider shots, TS for the first time looking at and dancing with the others. This is followed by solo shots of ordinary people and the different professional dancers doing their own ‘shaking’ thing. Shake it off, I shake it off, I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off, I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off (x3)
• 17.
  Final shots •A wide shot including many dancers in their ordinary clothes (could be the professionals?) • A comic sequence of two shots, mid shot and wide, where TS attempts a curtsey, overbalances and slowly falls over, with a defiant nod of the head.