Textual Analysis:Demi Lovato Made in the USA Music Video

The music video was released on July 17, 2013. The video was directed by Ryan Pallota and Demi Lovato. The video marks a directorial debut of Lovato, where she is co-directed. Lovato explained the video as a couple "who meet at a carnival and they fall head over heels in love".

The video begins when Lovato visits a carnival and performs the opening of the song. Soon, the focus switches to follow the love story of a young American couple. Initially, the video shows the pair throughout their dating phase. One day, the boy must leave, and it is revealed that he is a soldier being deployed in the middle of war. He promises to return, and meanwhile, the girl is left alone at home. The two attempts to stay in contact by writing letters to one another, and the girl anxiously await his correspondence. The next scene shows a flashback to the carnival from the beginning of the video, where the girl hangs out with her friends until she sees the boy for the first time, working at the carnival. As the boy follows her around the carnival, Lovato performs the song. The climax of the story portrays a chaotic scene with the boy in a battlefield, shots ringing all around him. Simultaneously, the girl begins to shut herself in her room, worried about her boyfriend, and it seems as if he will die. In the end, the boy returns and reunites with his girlfriend. The video ends with Lovato smiling at the camera.

Lovato’s music video opens with shots accompanied by the sound of wind blowing; with the slow pace created by slow motion and the use wind blowing allows the music video to feature memories and thoughts that these two characters- presumably boyfriend and girlfriend- share., setting up the narrative. It creates a sense of isolation, which leads to the reminiscence of memories. This creates enigma through the slight insight in their story, illustrated through these shots, which is later revealed as the music video proceeds.

As the video continues, we come across fragments of sound gradually accompanying these shots. Layer upon layer, different sounds are added to the clip, for instance the second sound to the wind blowing can be considered as some sort of static sound foreshadowing some sort of parting and inability to contact between the two characters, the third sound added on top of this is of people talking in a rushed manner a memory from war which is complemented from a few gunshot sounds added, the fourth sound added mocks a carnival atmosphere perceived as another memory or how their story started. 

The sounds fade, alongside 180 degrees shot rotation shot, starting from behind Lovato’s head and ending at the camera facing Lovato. The video pauses in silence for a second or two before Lovato starts singing and the beat kicks in. The use of utter silence after the slight crescendo in different layers of sound on top of each other creates an element of suspense, but also brings viewers the excitement of having the chance to be exposed to their story.

The use of a carnival concept shapes the whole music video and connotes the fact that this music video is aimed for younger people who usually go out to the carnival, perhaps with their friends, producing a casual setting. Carnivals are usually held in the summer, due to warmer nights and hence the idea summer love is presented. Lovato being a young female and the two characters also being of a similar age suggests the aim of this video directed towards young girls. This is because the video presents romantic relationship between these two characters and creates ideologies in the audience such as love at first sight much like fairy tales which young girls want and admire.

The use of dirt flying as the girl writes and the same dirt flying near the boy’s feet creates some sort of communicational field between the two characters. The dirt flying, begins as the girl writes her letter and ends near the boys feet as he stares at her picture, this  seems as if letter is automatically received by him and mimics a clever way of the letter being sent to the boy.

The use of letters showering the girl suggests a high level of communication being kept by both parties. This conveys the want and need to be with each other and hence portrays their unconditional love the two have. Another key factor is, that she kept the letters again highlights on her missing him and the want to be near him which she does through the use of letters.

· Night time suggests closure and an end to the day.

· Portrayed behind bars suggests that they are held back, providing this is a memory from when she is alone while he serves in war.

· Rain could connote teardrops.

• Again she’s in the same room.
• Slight evidence of bars suggesting trapped with the emotion of worrying and missing her boyfriend.
• She stands alone looking out suggest longing and isolation.

• The boy is in army wear suggesting he is at war.
• He stands alone, suggesting isolation.
• The heavy load of army wear could perhaps suggest the heavy weight of returning home to his girlfriend safe and sound as well as surviving.

• Wide shot used to display the location, perhaps juxtaposing the two characters location.      
• Mise en scene portrays the destruction through the use of smoke and fire and the danger surrounding the man.
• Sympathy is gained for the two characters as they are far from each other’s reach.

• The light shining on the boy represents hope.
• We cannot see his face which suggest hope cascades his face.
• Half of the frame is taken up by the light. 
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• She is in the dark which suggests her light belongs to the boy.
• Mise En Scene depicts sadness with the use of dull colours, dark shots and make up.
• Majority of the frame is taken up by the window, leaving only little space for the girl. This displays her as small and in need for her boyfriend.
• Longing for her boyfriend.

• The use of red connotes danger and fear as she sits alone.
• The shadow of lines could be interpreted as bars in which she is imprisoned with the emotions closing in on her.

• The reddish mist could be considered like the previous screenshot as a use of warning/danger.
• The close up shot allows viewers to see the emotion painted fear on his face.
•  His eyes are wide and his eyebrows are slightly knit together shows the bodily response of worry.

A series of montages between the past (which is the couple’s time spent together) and present day (which is the girl in constant distress with the parting of her boyfriend and shots of the war zone the boy is faced with) is accompanied with a speed up in pace. The use of quick cuts and more shots evident from the bridge to the end of the song speed up in time to the crescendo of the music, occasionally including Lovato performing herself, shows a build-up in suspense  by creating the rhetorical question of ‘Will they be together in the end?’ in the viewer’s mind.

• The fireworks and bombs stop, as shown in the Mise En Scene.
• A bright light shines through the window causing a calm after the storm.
• The bright light can also suggest and elevation of hope.

• The camera trails the boy from foot to head, gradually revealing the boy.
• The use of high angles light suggests he is coming down from heaven, putting angelic features on the boy.
• The room brightens, suggesting the girl is whole again with the arrival of her boyfriend.