2. GENRE CHARACTERISTICS
• Key props such as acoustic instruments e.g. guitar
• Main characters within the video are younger which reflects the
demographic.
• Abstract lyrics.
• Aspects of performance.
• Low budget setting.
• Costumes are typical of the fashion worn by the target demographic.
• Artistic in its use of animation.
4. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS
• “you’d think smelling like lemon zest would be pretty neat”- several air
fresheners are shown hanging from the trees in the forest at this point.
It may be alluding to that fact that acting mean is thought to be cool but
in reality its only a superficial façade, much like how the smell of lemon
zest is superficial in the air fresheners.
• There is a lot of lemon based iconography in relation to the lyric “lemon
boy”. For example, there is a lemon inspired piñata and the artist bites
into a lemon.
• The use of animation is largely illustrative as when the line “whales
beach themselves” is uttered whales are depicted as turning upside
down like dead goldfish and when the line “tortoiseshells tear away
from their spines” is sung that is also shown through animation.
6. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS
• Whenever the chorus plays, the footage speeds up and slows down,
creating a somewhat uneven and sporadic movements from the artist.
This seems to reflect the doubts expressed by the artist about their
friendship with “lemon boy”. It may also show how, whilst they enjoy
their friend’s company, the relationship has a negative side to it.
• Towards the end of the video there is a portion of performance in which
animation is used to draw attention to the music being played by the
band. These are usually a series of straight or wavy lines. The use of
animation could highlight the artist’s own creativity, given how the
subject matter of the song is quite abstract.
• When the bridge plays, the music becomes slower and calmer and here
the animation links in with this given how it is very smooth and the
animated fish and skeletons move very slowly. This is in contrast to the
aforementioned performance portion in which the animation is kept
very splashy and quick.
8. DEMANDS OF THE RECORD LABEL
• The artist is almost always positioned in the centre of the frame.
• At the start of the video, the camera circles around the artist as they
perform with an acoustic guitar- key iconography for the indie genre.
• The costume of the artist is very typical of an indie artist as well as the
demographics' own typical fashion sense.
• This point is interesting given that the singer of Cavetown is quite
young.
• The fact it is set in a forest most likely indicates the lower budget of the
video, thus making it less costly for the record label.
10. NOTION OF LOOKING
• Throughout the majority of the video, the artist maintains eye contact with the
camera, thus using a direct mode of address. This creates a somewhat personal
connection between the audience and the artist, which links in the with the
sustained theme of friendship throughout the video.
• Subverts the idea of voyeurism as whilst its normally just the audience looking in,
here the artist is looking straight back out at the audience in return.
13. PERFORMANCE OR NARRATIVE?
• The majority of the actual video is just performance as the narrative is portrayed solely through the lyrics
rather than the visuals. There is a somewhat cyclic ending given that the video begins with the artist playing
his guitar and ending with him performing alongside the band.
• Todorov: -Equilibrium: the artist meets lemon boy and their friendship begins.
-Disruption: lemon boy starts to have an effect on Cavetown, making him bitter
-Realisation: the artist starts wondering about if lemon boy will stay.
-Restored order: he concludes that they will be friends forever.
-New equillibirum: the artist is left with a newfound friend.
• Propp: lemon boy could be considered a false hero given that he is said to change the artist (the hero’s)
attitudes and personality to become meaner under the guise of friendship. However, given that they come to
understand each other and become good friends, the character of lemon boy seems to be the hero.
• Strauss: reality vs animation, quick vs slow, kindness vs cruelty
