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CINEMATIC LIFESTYLE 

HUDSON TAYLOR 

 

 

The video starts as an old film with a vintage look, flashing with an edited to a pale pink colour. There is a consistent motif of 9 beats that is repeated through out the song and every time the motif begins again there is a fast cut to a new scene. The 2 musicians are both playing acoustic guitars denoting the type of music to be slow and calm. The mise en scene connotes an 'indie' feel to the music as it is set in Camden; typically associated with alternative people due to the unique items you can purchase there. The musicians are both male and dressed in casual clothing. One is wearing a jean jacket and tatty black skinny fit jeans and desert boots. The other has an eccentric hairstyle typically seen in county folk. This could connote the era of music that he plays. A majority of the video is filmed using a hand held camera to give a rustic look to the clips. The lighting has been edited to be bright and slightly hazey. We see the band members walking around London in a laid back fashion and busking. Busking is usually associated with the 'indie' genre. When the lyrics begin, there is a close up of Alfie singing; he is looking away from the camera, down at his guitar. There is then cut to a low angle shot of Harry playing the guitar, as if the audience is looking up at him play. This shows the power he has over the audience as they are positioned to look up at him placing him in a position of authority. There is a cut to the pair walking through the markets of Camden where a hand held steady camera is used to show the casual nature of the music. There is a cut to an image of pidgins on the streets where a lens flare has been added and the lightening flashes a faint pink again. A panning shot is then used to film the pigeons flying from the ground up above a building; the sky is of a grey colour, connoting the tone of the song to be slightly sad and slow. The music video uses the technical aspects that Andrew Goodwin talks about. Throughout the video the cuts keep in pace with the song 'through the beats'.

Shallow focus is used a lot to show both band members at the same time, the main singer Alfie is in the foreground, and Harry is the background. The focus is not too blurred in the back ground so we can still see Harry singing. There is then a cut a side view shot or Harry singing the song. A low angle shot is used again when filming Alfie looking through a vintage hand lend camera. In the background of he scene vinyl records are being sold; which are usually associated with the alternative indie genre of music. A tracking shot rotates the two to show them both. Harry is shown jumping of off walls while holding a solid brown guitar case. The camera privileges Alfie as he is given more camera time than Harry. This is because he is the main singer. Threre is a clip filmed on public transport, which is sped up using editing. A long shot shows them chasing pidgins while carrying their guitars. There is a shallow focus shot of Harry playing the guitar, the background of buildings is blurred but his worn out guitar is shown in focus from an angle while he plays it. The worn out nature of the guitar shows how often it is used and gives it a rustic antique look. There is a cut to a low angle shot of their feet as they walk in the train station. There is than an ellipsis of time when they are shown on the train and then shortly after are shown walking out of the station using a medium close up. The footage flickers again as if old and worn out as a transition to the next scene. The audience eis filmed from a high angle as they busk on the streets of London. There is a long shot showing their open guitar case with change in t from passers by. 

There is a close up to sugar being pored into a cup of coffee, then a long hot showing the two sitting outside a coffee shop. The video is shot as if they are going about their every day lives casually and connoted the laid back nature of the music. The bridge of the song is a lot slower, and this is reflected in the video as the pace of action slows down when showing the two waiting at a bus shelter. There is then cut to a close up of the two sitting on the bus.  

The mise en scene suddenly cuts to night-time as if we have followed them throughout their day. There is a panning shot from their shoes up to their heads. The lighting remains hazey and the footage is intentionally of poor quality to me it look vintage. When the energetic chorus begins again, Harry is shown jumping of off walls again reflecting the energy in the song again. The scenes then begin to alternate between night and day as if looking back on the day they had. There is a focus pull showing an extreme close up of both of their eyes from an angle view as they look into the distance. Alfie is fore grounded It alternates starting with Alfie showing Harry and then returning to Alfie; showing he is our main focus. The final scenes show the sunset in the background and a focus pull where Harry is fore grounded but in the corner of the shot and Alfie in the middle. As the music speeds up towards the end, the cuts increase in pace to. The final shot is a medium shot of the artists looking into the sun set with their backs to the camera showing the song commencing as the day does. The screen suddenly cuts black and there is an echo of their last word that fades out

(1036 words)

GEETANJALI BAHRA 

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