analysis of vampire weekend video
DESCRIPTION
Analysis of 'Unveiled: Diane Young (Amex UNSTAGED: Vampire Weekend)' for my Media Studies Advanced Portfolio.TRANSCRIPT
Analysis of ‘Unveiled: Diane Young (Amex UNSTAGED: Vampire
Weekend)’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTzgvUiUi-M
The clip opens with establishing shots of the area in which the studio is that the band are in. This sets the scene for the clip. In the background
an early recorded version of the track that the video is about can be
heard. As fans you would only generally get to hear the final
version so this is clearly an exclusive.
After these establishing shots Rostam (the keyboardist of the band) starts to speak about the early versions of the song. This happens whilst footage of
him and Ezra (lead singer and guitarist) listen to the version that
was previously playing (both bits of audio are playing.) There is first a mid shot of just Rostam as it is he who is speaking, and then a two shot from
another angle of both of them. Then he is shown speaking, and then playing the piano - which the
audience hears as diegetic sound.
As Ezra begins to speak, the shot changes from that of
Rostam to some close-ups of various items of recording
equipment. He discusses “when we’re working on our album” which fits well with the shots
used.
These shots of the equipment are followed by firstly a mid
shot of Ezra looking straight at him (though he isn’t looking
directly at the camera) and then another mid-shot of both Ezra and Rostam, and Ezra is still speaking. Through both the
shots of equipment and of Ezra, the diegetic sound of the piano being played continues in the
background. The source of this sound is reiterated with a shot
(from a different angle) of Rostam playing the piano.
As Ezra finishes speaking, this marks the end of that particular
scene and a change in setting. This is shown through a couple more
establishing shots, the first showing that it’s a different time of day, and
the second that they’re still at a studio of some sort (probably the
same one, though now in the practice space.) The shot of the case with the bands name on
reiterates who the clip is about and suggests that we’re about to see
them playing something live.
It is shown that it most likely will be a live performance with a mid shot of
Ezra holding a guitar, which is followed by a close up of the guitar. The sound of the piano also ceases and you hear
more diegetic sound of drums etc. Ezra’s speech explains the situation,
acting as narration for what is going on in the scene. Before they start playing,
Ezra is shown speaking (again not looking directly at the camera.) As Ezra
finishes speaking the shots return to ones of the band practicing.
This particular scene opens with Rostam asking the others “Should we
start with Diane?” which, as with Ezra’s speech earlier, explains what is
happening and tells the audience that they’re about to play ‘Diane Young’,
the song which the clip is about.
The shots of them performing last for almost 30 seconds, mostly with just the audio of this
performance, but later with Rostam speaking about the development of the studio recording of the track
and the music continuing in the background. The shots used to show them performing include close-ups of Ezra singing, and often seem to focus on the instrument, for instance the shot of Rostam playing guitar pans down to the guitar itself rather than just
showing him playing it. The drummer, Chris, isn’t shown in these shots, perhaps as the drums haven’t
kicked in yet in this part of the song.
After explaining how they had experimented with Ezra’s voice, and how they had settled on the ‘middle
ground’ making him sound ‘older and younger’. Rostam appears to play this part of the song on his laptop and the audience hears it, though it’s as non-diegetic sound (perhaps so it will be louder and clearer.) This audio then
changes seamlessly to a live version in the studio.
Ezra next explains how Rostam can control the pitch of the voice live, and we are shown this, through a mid shot
of him, and then a close-up to show the piece of equipment and what he is
specifically doing, as well as a close-up of Ezra to show he is singing in real
time and it’s not all pre-recorded. The song continues in the background
whilst Ezra is speaking. The narration acts as some behind the scenes
information about how the song is performed live.
As Ezra finishes the point he is making he is actually shown speaking, rather than only having his speech over
the top of other shots. The shot used has been used previously in the clip, showing that the interview was probably recorded with a few cameras and then the
footage from these used altogether to create something that flows well and doesn’t stay on one shot for too long. At the end of this 2 minute section of the clip, the band are shown performing the song, carrying on from the
section that has been playing in the background.
Shots of all four members of the band are shown in the performance. No shots of the whole band together are shown, so it feels
very up-close and this is further emphasised through the use of close-ups of Rostam’s guitar and Baio’s bass guitar. The camera
shots chosen seem to focus on the instrument that is most prevalent in that part of the
song.
There is another interview shot of Ezra and Rostam, whilst Ezra talks about a particular aspect of the song. The live
version of the track can still be heard in the background, and the interview shot is
broken up by one of Rostam playing guitar, and at this point the speaking
stops and the audio grows slightly louder. The interest of the audience is kept as the clip is about how the song came
together.
There is another shot of Rostam playing the guitar,
this time it is closer than the previous - with particular
focus on the way in which he is playing guitar, which is
what they’re talking about at that time. There is then a
close-up of Baio playing bass. For the first of these shots,
there is only the song, but in the second, Rostam begins to
speak.
These shots are followed by another of the interview scenario, from a different angle to the previous interview scene, where Rostam talks about the way in which he achieved this sound on the recording, giving fans an insight into the process. There is also another shot of
Rostam playing guitar which zooms into a close-up.
Ezra begins speaking (a different topic to that which was being talked
about previously) but footage of them performing the song is shown. The audio of this performance continues in the background. There is a close-up of Ezra singing, whilst the audio is
mainly him talking. Ezra mentions something about “figuring out how everybody can be performing”, and
shots of the rest of the band are shown.
As well as mentioning that when performing it live, everybody needs to be performing, Ezra also mentions Baio
using samples, and at this moment there is a shot from behind him of him playing (to remind the audience who
they’re on about), followed by a close-up of his foot pressing the effects pedal, giving an insight into the complexity of the performance. Rostam then goes on to talk about how the samples give a flexibility to their performance and
make it more enjoyable.
For the closing moments of the clip the live performance of the track is shown, in the last
moments of the song. Various shots and angles are used to keep it interesting for the audience rather than the same shot of the whole band for 20 seconds. As with many times before, close-ups of the instruments
are used as well as of Ezra whilst he is singing.