Music video analysis #8
Act: Woodkid
Track: ‘Run Boy Run’
Year: 2013
Director: Yoann Lemoinen (Woodkid)
Genre: Experimental/ Neofolk
Main audience: M and F 18-30+ Artistic audience.
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Relationship between visuals+ Lyrics: Throughout the video the lyrics
and visuals are directly related and the vocalist seems to almost narrate the narrative.
The video depicts as the chorus sings, a boy running from what seems to be a
1950’s American building with the expression and posture of fear. This is reinforced
when the vocalist sings “They’re trying to catch you”, we immediately realize
the boy is running for his life. The narrator/ vocalist later tells the boy to “run
and disappear in the trees” and “break off from society” and with this, several
humanoid tree-like monsters spring from the ground and equip the boy with a
spiked helmet, shield and sword. After this point the vocalist does not speak,
but instead the music is in direct synchronisation with the video in terms of
atmosphere and narrative.
Genre characteristics: The experimental genre makes for
endless possibilities and this is reflected in the video with several
extraordinary and supernatural events such as the spawning of tree creatures
and rock golems being led by a little boy dressed in post-war clothing. Another
example of this genre characteristic would be the fact that the video is shot
in complete noire style, this connotes a certain level of artistry and elegance
to the overall production. In terms of sound this video hosts a variety of both
diegetic and non-diegetic sound which is highly unconventional of most music
videos in existence but would be acceptable in the experimental genre.
Performance/Narrative/concept: This video is entirely
powered by a narrative and niche concept. There are no performance elements to
the video due to the artist not being a band, nor is the music involved with
material instruments (For example, guitar, drums etc). The concept is a boy
from post war America running away from society in fear, arming himself with
sword and shield and summoning an army of monsters and attacking a city (with
50’s architecture similar to where he came from). This is a rather abstract
concept and would be acceptable within the experimental genre of music.
Linear/ Closed narrative: The narrative is closed in the
sense that there seems to be a definite start and ending point to the story. An
example of this would be the fact that the boy runs away from his belligerents
at the start with nothing but his clothes, but by the end of the video he is
transformed and is leading an army against what would seem to be the people he
first ran away from (Judging by the similar architecture of the buildings).
Looking/ mode of address: Throughout the video there is
very little recognition towards any kind of audience even during close-ups of
the child’s face (where he seems to be looking out of the frame), however this
is due to the disconnected state of the narrative from reality or the music
(performance wise).
Star treatment: There is a considerable star treatment set
upon the boy protagonist. This is due to the fact the story unfolding strictly
belongs to him. This star treatment even stretches so far as the song’s name “Run
boy run” is dedicated to him. This star treatment is evident due to the
extended camera time on the boy and the various close-ups of his character
throughout the production.
Representations: There are representations of youth with
the presence of the boy and his troubles and eventual strength.
Pace/ Any variation of pace: The song remains fairly consistent
throughout however slows down during the section of the song/video where the
boy jumps into the air and is almost propelled into the heavens, it is thought
that the music slows down at this point to indicate a more tender side to the
narrative and perhaps connotes a more ethereal or godly element to the video
due to the clouds being shown in the sky with piercing light coming through the
clouds.
Shot variety: Throughout the video there are a plethora of
different shots used including that of long shots, low angle shots, high angle
shots close ups, medium-long shots and extreme long shots.
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| Long shot |
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| Low angle shot |
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| High angle shot |
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| Close up |
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| Medium-long shot |
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| Extreme long shot |
FX: The entire video has been edited in black and grey colours this is a trademark of the director’s videos and is highly recognizable to most audiences. In addition to this a surprising amount of practical effects are used in conjunction with the boy actor. A prime example of this would be the tree and stone monsters and the splinters that come off of their charge. This could very well have been edited into the video after filming however it looks highly authentic. The video incorporates more CGI later in the video with the addition of a pirate ship, metropolis utopia like city and dark clouds.
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| Sword, shield and helm. |
Location/Mise-En-Scene: The video begins with a small
isolated 1950’s like building in the middle of a mountain-range. In the corner
of this frame we see the boy running away. Throughout the rest of the video we witness
the boy running across a countryside landscape featuring rocks, dirt and trees.
In addition to this location, we are also seen brief shots of menacing 1950’s
esc buildings in the form of low and high-angle shots revealing their
significance. In terms of lighting, there is a significant over-haul of low-key
lighting and due to the noire film style of this video the lighting is minimal
at best. The high-key lighting we are shown however comes from the city and the
skies. The boy wears a costume of that of a post-war (2) school boy, with
clogs, a felt jacket and shorts. The combination of formality and the
strangeness of the monsters is an artistic direction that would be highly
conventional of the experimental genre. As for props, the boy is armed with a
sword, shield and helmet by the end of the video with connotations of medieval
times. The boy also has a leather backpack on his back for the entirety of the
video, which could mean he is fleeing school or an institution.
Directors’ style: The director (and performer) uses his
staple directing style with the use of the noire colour scheme and deep dark colours
throughout the video. His use of combining the normal with the absurd makes for
a highly surreal effect on the audience and mixed with the music makes way for
a powerful final product.
Elements linked to your idea: What I liked most from this
video was the noire style of the visuals and how this created a unique dynamic.
Not always, but age of characters/cast is generally linked to audience, so 18+ seems questionable.
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