Music video presentation

Music video presentation

• 1.
  Holocene Bon Iver
• 2.
  CONTEXTT Released on September5th 2011, Holocene is a song by American Indie Folk band Bon Iver, the second single from their album ‘Bon Iver, Bon Iver’. Named as one of the best songs in 2011 by various music publications, it was very successful when first released, and currently has over 32 million views on YouTube. It was nominated as Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the 54th Grammy Awards, and has featured in films “We Bought a Zoo”, “Wish I Was Here” and “The Judge”. When asked about the song title (Holocene), frontman of the band Justin Vernon said "It's partly named after the geological era, but it's also the name of a bar in Portland where I had a dark night of the soul." He also stated that "the title is a metaphor for when you're not doing well. But it's also a song about redemption and realizing that you're worth something; that you're special and not special at the same time.“ The music video is used to suggest this idea of the song, as it features an Icelandic boy roaming the island’s volcanic landscape and glaciers. The contrast of the small boy compared with the expanse of the landscape fits with the lyrics of the song which describe the idea that the self is part of something greater. This shows evidence of Goodwin's theory which suggests that there is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals.
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  This wide shot allowsfor the audience to see the contrast between the boy and the landscape, suggesting a vulnerability and insignificance, which links to the lyrics “And at once I knew I was not magnificent” The colour scheme in this video features neutral earth colours such as greys, browns, greens and blue’s. This creates a sense of the purity and unrefined nature of these landscapes, this could perhaps represent the “something greater” that the meaning suggests, the innocence of the unmarked land, and the innocence of the boy perhaps being superior.
• 4.
  Close-ups of theboy allow the audience to feel a connection with him, the intimacy that is created makes the song carry more emotion. We could use this technique in our video by including close ups of Finn while he is singing to emphasise his range of emotions that are evident in the lyrics. The use of a child instead of a member of the band makes the audience more sympathetic, as they see him as someone with childlike innocence, allowing them to engage with his journey in the video. Limited close-ups are used in the video, the audience usually placed behind or at a distance from the boy. This is not only to show the contrast between him and the landscape but also to make the audience feel they are following him on his journey.
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  As one ofthe opening shots, this close-up creates an connection between the character and audience. Also because he is looking up, this further links to the idea of “something greater” within the video, his expression creating a sense of awe and curiosity before he begins his journey. The composition of this shot follows the rule of thirds, his eyes although not in the centre, are still an important feature which allows the audience to connect with him. This use of composition to create emotion and meaning is something we could be influenced by when creating our own video. For example we could place Finn’s eyes on a third as he is singing to convey the pain his is experiencing while also connecting his with the audience.
• 6.
  At 3.40 inthe song, the music builds in both pace and volume. This change in the music is also represented by the visuals, as in this moment the boy begins to run. This shows further proof of Goodwin's theory, as a relationship between music and visuals is created. Tracking shots are often used within this video, the shaky camera movement creating a sense that the audience is running with him. We could use features such as this to create a connection between the audience and artists within our video, allowing them to engage further with the video. For example, as an argument takes place towards the climax of our video, we could switch to a handheld shot, the unsteadiness conveying the anger and torment experienced by our characters, which would allow our audience to connect with them more as they would be able to witness their emotional state.
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  CONCLUSIONT Although the videofollows a narrative, it does not conform to usual music video conventions, as it does not feature the band, have any elements that are particularly voyeuristic, or have a stage performance. Dissociated from the band, the video instead focuses on the meaning of the song. Other music videos by Bon Iver, such as “Towers” or “Calgary”, also follow the idea of a journey led by someone unknown, allowing the audience to feel a connection to their character and actions. • From this video, we could enhance our use of composition and use it to construct meaningful and impactful shots. • We could also follow Goodwin’s theory of having the visuals amplify the lyrics, allowing our audience to engage more with the song, which is clearly displayed within this video. • Another feature we could take inspiration from is the use of camerawork to create a connection between the artist and audience.