Analysis of a Folk Music Video

MISE EN SCENE

Costume/make-upAs we can see from these two shots, the costume chosen for the girl suggests an innocent nature and a very young ‘girly’ style; both males are dressed in simple clothing one wearing braces to add a lower class feel – folk music was originally music played by the lower class - It is hard to see from these shots in particular but throughout the video the makeup on the female is kept completely natural of course, this also is the same for the hair. Short lose waves again reiterate the innocent nature. This is another common thing to see in a music video of this genre.

The flowers hanging in this shot conforms a common idea in a folk ‘culture’. Folk followers stereotypically tend appreciate nature. The band featured in this video have a song called ‘flowers in you’

LightingThe lighting is low key, as shown in all 4 shots. The lighting tends to be a dim orange in many folk videos. One folk band in particular, (Mumford and Sons) decorate their set at gigs with lights hanging above the crowd. The lighting in shot two is distorted/out of focus. This could be to add the dreamlike atmosphere that many indie folk videos create

Use of Props

Props used in this video are very basis which emphasises the class the music originates from.

The lights lining the wall adds to a dreamlike atmosphere most folk music videos seem to portray.

The guitar is used to represent the simplicity of folk genre and the gentle sound of the music. Many artists are often feature lip-synching in their videos.

Location

The location is a simple building where a gathering of people are featured in the video conforming to the idea of a communal nature folk music embraces

The very first few shots only feature the band in a bland corridor lit with dim orange lights

Editing

• Another editing technique that was used in this video is slow motion. This is again very common in indie folk music videos as it usually creates a dreamlike atmosphere or adds emotion/drama to the video.

• The editing in this video corresponds with the lighting like many folk videos – lighting is very important – for example before a transition to another shot the lighting with flicker.

Camera Work

Camera ShotsThe camera tends to typically use basic shots in folk videos to suggest the simplicity and easy nature of the folk ‘culture’.

The third shot is an example of framing which allows the viewer to feel apart of the gathering. Shots like these determine the feel of a casual gathering to listen to music. It also features nice lighting – the light reflects off the closest body featured in the shot and the light stream is blocked by the body to the left.