Music Video Analysis of 'Fossils' by Circa Waves

The music video for the song 'Fossils' by Circa Waves shows footage of the band touring around the country and performing their music live. It doesn't have a narrative as such, rather the video seems to be made up of random footage of the band such as the POV shots of them eating ice cream and close-ups of them skateboarding and playing football. Editing techniques are evident in this music video as the majority of the shots have been filtered with either a black and white filter or with a vignette effect which gives the video a retro theme to it; moreover the video explores fast-paced editing which I believe complements the idea of a video with many random selections of footage as well as the song itself which is upbeat and fast paced. The video has been edited in time with the music such as at 2:17 where the shot changes from a calm POV shot to an exciting mid-shot of the band performing on stage as soon as the music 'drops'.

The setting of the video is urban and by filming the band before and on stage, the director has been able to exploit props such as flashing lights, cigarettes and alcohol as this fits in with the connotations of the indie/alternative rock genre of the music; this is an example of Goodwin's third point in action. Additionally, Goodwin's fifth point is also explored in this video as there are many close-ups of the band members in the video - something that will appeal to the band's target audience. The video is an amplification of the lyrics: "i'm a long way from home" is just one example; the concept of the video of the band on tour is an amplification of these lyrics.

The film is edited to make it look vintage and like an old home-movie, I believe that this complements a rather abstract music video - I say abstract as there are many random shots in the music video such as the POV shot of the football and the close up of lights on the ceiling in the opening sequence. The vintage theme throughout the music video is suited to the indie genre of music and will appeal to the bands target audience. As aforementioned the frequent use of mid-shots and close-ups of the band members is particularly effective; the structure of the music video gives the viewer an insight into the band touring and gives the viewer a 'behind the scenes' perspective - this is further supported by the use of handheld cameras and POV shots throughout as it doesn't come across as a music video that was staged and directed, instead it just seems like a collection of different footage of the band touring and performing live, that has been put in a montage giving it the effect of a home-movie - this allows the audience to relate to the band members.

The variety of different shots, the content within them, the different filters used and the fast paced editing implies that the band is living a very hectic and fast-paced life as members of an indie rock band; this is further accompanied by the use of very quick shots of a black screen as well as flashing lights during their performance. Mise en-scene in the video is effective as it conforms to the genre - the shots don't seem to have been framed by a director, however I believe this is perhaps more effective in giving us a true insight into how the band actually lives and therefore the lack of an attempt to recreate a mise-en-scene that would conform to the genre, in reality is one way to show the band's true identity - one which does happen to conform to the indie genre. Their costumes again are unplanned but similarly, they show their 'indie' identity as the band members wear piercings, skinny jeans, t-shirts and have messy hair.