Yea it’s a clematis, and the brown leaves are normal - or at least all of mine have leaves that have gone brown. Unless it’s an evergreen variety but yours isn’t.
Agree, looks like it is on its second flush so probably a group 2 for pruning. Wait until you see strong buds forming in about Feb next year and then folllow the dead tips back and cut them off just above a pair of those buds. You can take them all the way down to the lowest pair of buds or about a foot from the ground if they have grown leggy and only produce flowers at the top. Doing that usually encourages new shoots from below ground and the more of those you have, the better it will look.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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