The setting for the music video was located in an old, empty theater hall, only lightened by the artificial lighting of the bulbs. The stage was the focal point of the video used throughout the video providing continuity, allowing the viewers to focus on the singers and instruments rather than a story.
Mumford and Sons- Little Lion Man
The key factor in any music video is the pace which is set by the quickness in transitions and the movement of the singers and camera. In this particular video the pace started off steady indicated by the frequency of flashes from the lighting of the bulbs however the pace increase resulting in shorter transitions on each shot except the lead singer who has longer transitions providing him with more screen time highlighting his importance. His screen time is further emphasised by the amount of shots on him rather than the other band members.
The shot that was most commonly used throughout the video was a close up commonly on instruments and facial expressions. The close ups on the instruments are used to enhance the genre onto the video but more importantly it displays the artist playing diegetic sound.
The only sounds from this video are the lyrics and the tune itself. Therefore, many shots are of the musical instruments with the artists hand playing to show the diegetic sounds from the guitars, piano and the singer singing.
Mise en Scene
Camera
Sound
Editing
Each band member has dressed smartly with the lead singer wearing a plain white shirt with a black waistcoat similarly to the other singers who have selected a blazer instead. The colours of the costumes are simple and mundane, matching the simple colours of the setting.
An additional role of the lighting is to display the diegetic sound from the instruments, produced by a close up shining directly into the light with the guitar half way in the shot displaying just the outline with the rest of the instrument darkened. This was the same process used when the lead singer was singing however the camera focused on the movement of the lips. The reason for these shots were to engage the viewers rather than just a plain still shot of an instrument. The multiple instruments further enhanced the genre onto the video as well as display diegetic sound.
Firstly, the lighting introduces the song as it brightens as soon as the first note from the guitar is played displaying a view of the setting. As the notes change throughout the opening shot of the song, the lighting flashes to the beat of the music providing pace and energy to the video.
The only shots selected off the stage were of the lead singer looking towards the stage from an audiences point of view providing a shot of the setting. The bland background of plain grey walls enhances the artificial lighting which has multiple roles.
Additionally, when the song declines in pace the singer loses focus in a longer transition.
The editor also emphasised the changes in pace through the use of focus pulls. This is displayed by a focus pull on the piano as the pace increases to show the pianist playing the diegetic sound.
The impact fast pace has on a video is an increase in energy which is provided in this video by the amount of movement from the band rather than the camera. An example of movement is portrayed when the band are playing the guitars, instead of standing still, they're rocking their body from side to side, moving the head back and forth displaying passion and energy to the song.
Lastly, the last shot of the song is a tilt shot moving upwards away from the band indicating the end of the song.
Due to all the band members singing simultaneously, the over the shoulder shot helped emphasise the unison within the group conveying a togetherness.
Furthermore, the tracking shot was used in two different sections of the song to highlight the contrast in pace. Firstly, the camera moved from right to left behind the artist's performing as the pace increased offering movement as well as establishing the setting. However as the pace decreases later in the song, the tracking shot moved left to right emphasising the contrast.
Alternative shots in the video that provided movement were tracking shots and pan shots. The pan shots movement was from the ceiling and gradually zoomed down onto the four band members who restarted the singing after an instrumental section of the song. The shot of the ceiling is to distract the audience from the artists and to focus on the tune rather than the lyrics. Then the shot moved towards the band in one long transition to highlight the slow pace.
In contrast to the chorus, during the verses the camera zooms away from the band. The reason for these contrasts is to highlight the chorus' importance within the song.
The shot used for every chorus within the song is a long shot gradually zooming in, offering movement and energy. The long shot also displays all four band members to be seen in one shot, all singing at the same time.
The mid-shot is shown at an alternative angle from behind the artist, providing the singers point of view, displaying the setting as well as the artist performing.
The mid-shot is selected for certain parts of the verses as it's wide enough to show the artist and the role he is performing such as the guitarist.
An alternative role of the close up is of the artists’ foot tapping, providing a beat to the music as well as offering movement and energy.
The other close ups are commonly on the artist's faces which is commonly used throughout the video as it displays their passion and anger to the song as well as to focus on the artist singing, further implying diegetic sound.
In the chorus each of the singers are singing to highlight the chorus' importance as well as to provide movement due to the instruments being played at a slower pace. This is similar to later in the song when the music stops completely along with the movement, to focus on the lyrics. During the chorus expletives are used to highlight the clear anger and frustration, matched by their sharp tone and aggressive facial expressions.
The singer singing is portrayed with extreme close ups and close ups on his face. In one instance the singing was conveyed by a close up into the background lighting displaying an outline of the artists' mouth moving, providing a variety of shots to engage the viewer.
