Video Analysis of Vampire Weekend: Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

1. Nine Frame Video Analysis<br />Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa<br />-3810101600<br />(0:01)<br />The establishing shot of this video is a long shot of a suburban American house, despite being day time the moon has been edited into the sky. This may be relevant to the video later. The style of house reminds us of 80’s teen movies and rich jocks. The song title is written at the bottom of the screen in pink hand writing. As the car passes the writing on the road it fades away this effect was created during the post production process. <br />039370<br />(0:19) <br />This mid shot features a gothic looking girl (net top, black make-up and brightly coloured dyed hair,) leaving the car and walking towards the house. She surprises the viewer, as she does not fit in with the environment shown at the beginning of the video. The girl looks uncomfortable with being there and looks rather sad. <br />-4445106045<br />(0:22)<br />Meat shot of singer Ezra Koenig, out the window the see can be seen, signifying that they are near the seaside. Many indie music videos include meat shots of the singer, lip-syncing to the song.<br />-38100(0:38)<br />This again features the out of place looking girl. The tracking shot follows her as she travels through the garden, the camera always facing her.. The fact that it is middle class children is highlighted by the teens fencing in the garden as well as the massive house. The other people at the party look snobbishly at the gothic girl as she walks through the party, she is clearly considered an outcast and unwelcome. <br />-444566675<br />(1:00)<br />A two shot containing the singer and a girl is next. One could assume that she is very wealthy, she wears a beautiful pink dress and blonde hair and it could be said that she is the average American teen girl. She is almost the exact contrast of the gothic girl in the video and instead of being outcast we can assume that she is very popular. The singer lip-syncs and plays his guitar along with the song and he appears to be serenading her.<br />-3810170815<br />(1:49)<br />Ezra signals to the band to follow him as the girl storms out of the house, after seeing him with another girl.<br /> He continues to sing to her as they walk down the beach together, each band member has their instrument and they play to the song. The location is a beautiful beach in America, with a red dusk sky. This has connotations with being very romantic and signifies the love that the singer has for the girl. <br />15240-285750(2:36)<br />It becomes night time and as he follows the girl into a forest filled with a mysterious mist he is put to his knees with his guitar in an almost sacrificial way. His guitar begins to glow blue and electrical surges pass through the guitar. This will have been achieved post production, in an in-effective way as to achieve a very 80’s cult film look. Ezra reaches out to the camera in a way that signifies something is happening to him that he doesn’t understand.<br />14605-1270<br />(2:40)<br />Asuperimposed image of the moon moves across an extreme close up of Ezra’s eyes. This finally makes the link to cult horror movies such as: American werewolf in London; the idea of the moon signifies change, like when the man turns into a wolf at the sight of the moon. Perhaps in the narrative of this video it signifies the changes Ezra makes to be with the girl who does not fit into his social stereotype. <br />1524033655<br />(3:11)<br />Finally we see both Ezra and the band in their fully transformed state, they now fit in with the girl having black hair and clothes and wearing eye make-up. They also are within the same timeframe as the movies the video is based upon, as they are dressed in early 80’s New Romantic or even gothic clothing.<br />