Textual Analysis - Video 1

Old Pine is featured on an EP (Extended Play) by British singer/songwriter Ben Howard who's music genre falls under Indie Folk. I have chosen to analyse this video as it is of a similar genre to the song I have chosen to produce a music video for.
This music video heavily portrays this genre in the following ways:

Cinematography:
The beginning shot shows a close up shot of a wheat/barley field which creates a relaxing backdrop for Ben Howard, who is later shown walking through a field and along a countryside road. This is done because the song is slow and has a very simple riff as the intro.

Sun reflections on the lens of the camera are conventional. It also shows the time of the day (early morning) which reinforces the quietness of the location as
The shot portrays the Indie Folk genre as it is out of way of the busy streets, much like how the genre is out of the way of mainstream culture.
Conventional camera movements and shots are used in the video, such as the backing track which is used when Ben Howard is walking down the road to finally show a long shot of him, revealing his clothing.

There are also many establishing shots to show the audience where he is. These shots also link with the lyrics as they include lines about the ocean, developing the narrative.Screen shot 3 shows a darker scene, showing continuity as the video follows Ben Howard through the day. This is also reflected in the editing.

Editing:
In the beginning shots of the wheat/barley field, the cuts to the next shot changes at the same time of chord changes. This is done to exaggerate the rhythm of the music as you can see the change as well as hear it. It also shows a convention of fast paced editing as each shot last no more than 3 seconds. A sepia tone effect is used to emphasize the relaxed feel, reinforcing the relaxed genre and reflecting the slow music.

 These three screen shots show the fast paced editing as all three appear within 3 seconds-each been one second long.
A sepia tone effect is used, mainly in the shots of Ben Howard, to create warmth and reflect the summer time feel of the video. It also allows the audience to feel part of his narrative and connect with him. This effect is also very common in music videos within this genre because it gives a raw look to the video. Unlike the use of black and white, which conveys more of a dark past, sepia is a lot warmer and conveys happier memories. The fact it used only in the shots of Ben Howard, suggests the idea that he is in his own world when thinking of memories which are happy. It also shows that he is thinking of the past as the sepia tone in photographs was largely used on photographs in the 1880's.
Slow motion of water is used to, again, create a
calm effect for the audience, reflecting the sepia effect and genre. This makes the audience then feel relaxed and makes the song easier to listen to and the video easier to watch. Since the audience feel a part of the video, the feeling of nostalgia can be created as the feel of the video make the viewer reminisce like Ben Howard is.

Sound:
While a fast-paced finger-picking rhythm is used, it gives a lot calmer and quieter effect than strumming chords, reflecting the location Ben Howard is in and reinforcing the calm style of music in the genre. The music is played in a minor key, stereo-typically meaning 'sad' which reflects in the lyrics as they are talking about memories. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the memories themselves are sad, as shown by the use of the sepia tone. The lyrics also support the narrative, for example, when the shot, of people jumping from cliff to cliff, is shown, 'free as the birds that fly' is sang. This also shows the genre because of the ideology of been free and happy with life, been able to go wherever you want to go with no attachments. 'I've come to know that memories are the best things you've ever had' also conveys the ideology of not been materialistic, you only need what you have. 'So happy hearted. And the warmth rang true inside these bones', again portrays the content and peaceful nature of the community of people within the genre. The process of the audience understanding the lyrics of the song, and the narrative, are helped by the interlocking shots of Ben Howard. He is shown to be jumping which corresponds with the narrative shots when he is jumping over a wall. These show his thought process of thinking about the past which are then the reflection of the lyrics. This. once again, places the audience within the narrative as they are  Lyrics that talk about the ocean, such as 'So far from home where the ocean stood', show the idea of escapism and freedom- something that many people in the genre 'dream' about. This reinforces the story of the narrative because Howard is almost trying to say that he wants to go back to that state when he was free.

Mise-en-scene:
The costume (shown primarily via the use of a mid shot) portrays the main ideology of the genre as Ben Howard is not dressed up; he is wearing casual clothing (trainers, hoodie, baggy trousers) which reinforces the relaxed, chilled feeling, like genre and shows he is dressing and acting himself- another ideological convention of been yourself and not caring what others think. Lighting, in the video, primarily shows the reflection of the sun, adding to the summer-warmth feel which is also reinforced by the sepia effect. It is also reflecting the happy-summer feeling of reminiscing of good memories. In the beginning shots the lighting also reflects the chords been played as when a lower chord is played, the lighting is darker. The location of where the video is filmed supports the lyrics as he is walking through where memories may have taken place, developing the narrative and helping the audience understand the lyrics. It also represents the genre as the video is located in the country side, showing that it is not flashy or busy but a simple environment.