13 October 2014

Lewis Watson; Sink or Swim

LEWIS WATSON- SINK OR SWIM


Here the lyrics begin with the artist playing guitar. This makes the performance look authentic and legitimate as we believe the music played is the one created by the actual artist. This hence fits Simon Frith's theory of performance as we see Lewis signing and playing the guitar.

In the next few seconds in the video we see a mid shot of the artist; he's looking into the camera and his gaze seems really honest which connects the audience with the artist. At this point a relationship as well as an understanding is formed. The shot looks like a rough cut which adds to legitimate feeling of honesty- it's as if it a true representation of the artist. This shot is followed by a contrasting long shot which makes the artist look rather small (despite being in the centre) against the vast background.

Once again we see many shots of the artist playing however, this time there's a variety of them. This compliments the proposal made previously. Furthermore, to support this the location used is a natural one which supports the idea of the artists music being natural and self made.










These next couple of shots show the change in the Mise en Scene; the costume and the location. Which agrees with the conventions of music videos having many costume changes to compliment the story/ keep the video interesting. Here we also see a narrative which further agrees with Frith's theory of Narrative and Performance which this video switches between.


The video is in some way illustrating if not amplifying the lyrics as there's a use of water (whether the sea or the pool is used) This especially in the last scenes is put to use as the character jumps into the pool and there's a long pause. We are unaware of whether the artist will 'sink or swim'. This is also a dynamic ending as the rest of the video is rather calm and this very moment is spontaneous and surprising. Before this we see a juxtaposition where the artist is pressing through harsh wind against a mid shot/ close up of the still feather.