Folk music ideas

2. • We have looked at two different ideas which we will branch out on over the coming
weeks and over the next few slides as we give you a bit more of a background as to
what these people are about.
• We looked at the possibility of using a band as our main idea for our twist on a music
video and then we looked at having a backup idea of just a solo artist.
• By having two ideas at different ends of the folk music spectrum we have allowed
ourselves the space and opportunity to expand on our knowledge of the genre. We
have also given ourselves a challenge by doing this as we can try and better previous
ideas that we might have had.
• The two ideas that we have looked at are: Mumford and Sons, The Boxer (Which was
originally written and sung by Simon and Garfunkel) and Alexi Murdoch, All My Days.
• The Mumford and Sons song would be our main idea as they are a well established
folk music band and we have looked further into this idea than the backup one.
• As previously stated, Alexi Murdoch’s song, All My Days will be our backup idea. We
have chosen this idea as it is a change from the conventional folk music stereotype.

3. For our main idea Connor is going to expand extensively on this so that you are able to
get a vivid idea of what we are aiming to create. But first here is the song that we are
looking at...Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=wpyBw9GZUQM

4. • The main idea that we have for this song would be to have a narrative video which goes along side
the lyrics as this was one of the most chosen ideas from our audience questionnaires and there are
previous examples within folk where this has worked.
•To start with the overall storyline would be the audience following the life of a boy who left home at a
young age and how he has gotten through life, the obstacles that he has overcome and how he
manages to turn his life around at the end. This storyline follows Todorov’s narrative theory as there is
an equilibrium to begin, then there is a disruption (leaving home), noticing the disruption (realising he
can’t stay on the streets), the quest to re establish an equilibrium (trying to find a job) and finally
having the new equilibrium (having a job and a family).
•At the start of the video we would have Mason (9 year old boy) watching his parents arguing in their
home. He would then look at the front door, leave and walk up the driveway. At the top of the
driveway he would turn back to the house to have one final look at his family and then walk away.
During this his parents are still shouting and are oblivious to the fact that Mason has left.
•During the next section, the camera would follow Mason walking the streets and sleeping in alley
ways. In one alley way he gets told off and told to move, which leads him to the Train Station
mentioned in the lyrics. Once at the train station the camera would have a medium long shot of
Mason sat on the floor and then it would tilt up to the sky which would then have a time lapse
showing that time has passed. Once the camera has tilted back down the actor would have changed to
Connor (17 Years Old). This idea shows that Mason had spent all his early life on the street, but with a
smooth transition.

5. • During the lyrical interval (lie-la-lie) we would show clips of our band playing as though they are actually
playing the song. This idea was influenced by past folk songs as well as our audience questionnaire as the
majority believed that the band should be within the music video. (Band will be wearing stereotypical
clothing and using stereotypical instruments as we want to conform to conventions)
•Following the interval the camera then follows Connor trying to find a job by going to Tom
(Manager/Director) who turns him away due to his current status. This represents class and how there is
still a form of prejudice due to someone’s status within society.
•Once Connor has been rejected, he follows the lyrics and comes across 2 ladies of the night (Chelsea and
Lauren) to which he walks away with Chelsea down the road. This also represents women in a negative
way as they are depicted as objects rather than individuals.
•After this we are then going to have Connor dressed in plenty of layers of clothing to depict the harsh
winter, stated within the lyrics. He will then walk past his old home, seen at the start of the video, but see
a new family in the window rather than his parents which shows how much time has gone past and how
he needs to move on with his life.
•We will then return to our band who play during another interval. They will be wearing stereotypical
clothing such as chequered shirts and trilby’s which are commonly associated with this genre of music.
During the interval there will also be shots of Connor looking for jobs, meeting with the girl from the
seventh avenue and getting into some fights.

6. •Once the interval finishes there is a clip of Connor under a railway tunnel trying to keep warm, when
a youth (Dan) comes up and starts beating him up for the amusement of his friends who are recording
it. Once he finishes Connor gets up and attacks Dan with a single punch, which makes his friends run
off whilst Connor is stood above Dan’s body.
•This seems to be the turn around point for Connor as the story then sees Connor finally getting a job
and settling down with the woman he met many years before. During this there may be a few shots of
the band again playing.
•The final shot will be Connor and Chelsea sat at home which shows that their lives have improved and
they have finally met their new equilibrium.

7. http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=14wsqhWyjQ
• The ideas for this video came very easily as its quite an illustrative video with the lyrics telling us
what’s going on.
• At the beginning of the song we thought that we could have somebody walking down a road with
cars passing them by with a guitar strapped to his back. This would represent the opening few lines in
the song as the lyrics that are being sung are about him looking and searching for somebody so we
thought that by putting somebody on a road could fit specific conventions.
• For the next part of the song, we thought that we could represent the actor within our music as
somebody who is performing on the streets trying to earn some money as
once again the lyrics could represent what is going on in the actual music video.
• When the song gets to around two minutes and seven seconds, the lyrics begin to tell us a little bit
about the actor himself when he says that he finds himself with no friends standing near. We
thought that with these lyrics we could once again portray something strongly in the music
video. For this part of the song me looked at placing somebody in the middle of the town
centre with him being singled out as people try to avoid him.

8. • At two minutes and twenty seven seconds, he sings “for I look around me”. We
thought that when these lyrics are sung we could do a 360 degree camera shot as
it would enable the audience to get the larger picture of what is going on and it
allows the story to progress also.
•At three minutes and thirty seconds, the lyrics that are sung are possibly about an
old girlfriend or somebody like that as it says “And now I see clearly its you I’m
looking for”. We came up with the idea of using a flashback here so that we could
show the audience something that has happened in the past with the actor in the
music video.
•An expansion on that previous point could be that the two people have been
reunited with each other and this could show the happiness of the character
within the music video.
•These last two points could be the re-establishment of the equilibrium that may
have been disrupted earlier in music video. (Todorov)
•For the end of the song, we thought that it would be a good idea to have a home
setting as it will mean that the audience can see that the story is coming to an end.